Travel with me through Italy!
Day One of Italy: Chianti, Cappuccinos, and Cupids
For my daughter’s high school graduation present, I took her and my mother to Italy. I love all things Italian: gelato, cappuccino, red wine, art, and artifacts! It’s amazing how long a hop across the pond can take. Direct flights are hard to come by and very expensive. We left from Raleigh (RDU)...
Day Two of Italy: Get thee to a nunnery
We arrived in Florence on day two of our travels. The taxi driver took us to Hotel Morandi Alla Crocetta. Hotel Morandi is a reasonably priced and wonderful hotel down a narrow street in walking distance to just about every historic site in Florence. (Via Laura, 50, Florence, Tel: +39 055 234...
Day Three of Italy: Naked and Beautiful Florence
We awoke early on day three of our Italian vacation. After breakfast in our hotel room, including a great cup of cappuccino brought to our room by Paolo, one of the hotel staff, we headed for our 8:30 appointment to see David. We had been warned about the lines at the Accademia, and buying our...
Day Four of Italy: Artfully Done
It was Friday of our trip, and we woke up and had breakfast in the hotel dining room at 8:00 am. The dining room was small, fitting only about four tables, but people ate in the sitting room as well. The hotel served croissants, yogurt, fruit, cappuccino, cheese, and juice on a china and silver...
Day Five of Italy Part 1: Florence to Rome!
It was Saturday, and so many questions filled my mind: Were we really going to see the Holy Relics that live next to our hotel once we got to Rome? What does the finger of St. Thomas the Apostle look like? Were monks going to carry our bags to our rooms? What exactly does “When in Rome do as the...
Day Five in Italy Part 2: The Grand Palace and the Wayward Ways of Several Monks
The hotel foyer was simple yet elegant with a large mural overlooking a table. A simple counter stood across from the door, and a man serious in nature greeted us as we entered. After checking in and paying cash for the city tax, two young men dressed in shorts and t-shirts carried our luggage to...
Day Six of Italy: Relics, Reverence and Ruins
During day six of Italy, we found ourselves staring at the finger of St. Thomas the Apostle, the surprised participants in a wedding, praying at the tomb of a little girl from the 1930’s soon to be a Saint, riding 13 miles through Rome on a bicycle, and in constant amazement at every turn.
Day Seven of Italy: The Vatican Experience
We spent four hours of day seven in a hot, sweaty, crush of humanity to see the Pope’s place. In those four hours, the greatest impression left on me was that Pope John XXIII, known as the Good Pope, looked not just good but great in his glass coffin after being dead for over 50 years. I had...
Day Eight of Italy: A Day at the Forum and Some Fright
Weary from our Vatican Experience, we set out on day eight to walk around the Forum. Our day at the Forum had some frightful elements, which included getting lost on a dodgy street, a bad cappuccino, and a drug dealer escorting us along a park at night. It was not an awful day by any means, but it...
Day Nine of Italy: The Magic of Orvieto
It was Wednesday, and the day we would say goodbye to the great long hallway of Domus Sessoriana and Rome. After breakfast, Mom and Bronwyn headed upstairs to our room, while I checked out of the room and headed to Santa Croce in Gerusalemme. I walked through the great foyer and opened the door to...
Day Ten of Italy: Beautiful Orvieto and Our Last Night in Milan
We woke up to a breeze blowing the sheer curtains at the open window. The breakfast at Hotel Corso was lovely, with a large buffet of fruits, yogurt, cakes, pies, and croissants. There were several tables set with only one other occupied by an Italian speaking family. I was brought a great...
Day 11 of Italy: Disappointments and Delays
The final day of our trip to Italy was full of disappointments and delays. Our five-star hotel experience fizzled out with a so-so breakfast in a very crowded room delivered by a waitstaff that looked annoyed to be there. I reserved a driver to take us to the Malpensa Airport. The bellhop grabbed...