
In the last blog I described a secret way to go from the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum to St Peter’s Basilica without having to stand in line. Today I…
Since classical times Italy has been the seat of civilization in the Western World, so it is fitting that Europe was brought out of the Dark Ages when the Renaissance started in Italy. The most interesting thing is that after the Roman Empire fell Italy was divided into many powerful city states and did not unify into a country until 1861, which was very late by European standards.
Back in 2014 my college roommate, who is a doctor for the military, got stationed an hour north of Venice. When I visited him and his family I also took the train into Venice for three consecutive day of exploring. After a week with them I toured northern Italy spending time in San Marino, Florence, Pisa, Cinque Terre, Genoa, and Milan.
In 2017 I returned and visted Rome and Vatician City for four days. I spend a day and a half exploring the Vatician and two and a half in Rome itself with half that time around the Colosseum, where most buildings are from the Republic and Empire time. This area is southwest of the Termini Rail Station. The rest of the time I spent in the part of Rome built during the medieval and renaissance period.
I feel like three days in Venice was enough time to see almost everything, but I would love to go back and actually stay in the city over night. Given that Florence was the birthplace of the Renaissance, you could spend as much time as you like here and not run out of things to see. Pisa on the other hand, is not worth really exploring outside of the Leaning Tower and related church, so you only really need six hours or so. It is pricy, but I recommend climbing the tower since the lean will really throw you off as you climb. Cinque Terre is a hiking paradise and spending a day here was great, but you could do a few days and stay in the little hamlets also. If you are going to Milan, make sure you get your tickets online to see the Last Supper two weeks ahead of time.
Let me just tell you, I loved Rome!!!!! Everywhere you look you will find beautifully built old churches filled with masterpieces of art. It really is the City of Fountains and around every corner you will find a plaza, fountain, or sculpture. There really is no bad way to spend your time in Rome, but if you read the blogs I wrote you can see my itenerary. I really feel like I got the most out of my time here and would recommend using the blogs as your Italy Travel Guide.
Below you can get even more helpful hints by watching the travel videos I made for Italy. Also, you can read my blog posts located below the video.
In the last blog I described a secret way to go from the Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum to St Peter’s Basilica without having to stand in line. Today I…
Haha. I thought a photo of a statue of Zeus would be a great way to end our blogs about Rome. I know I will be listening to him and…
Knowing that Melek and I would be visiting Rome, I brought a copy of the movie Angels & Demons, starring Tom Hanks, with me. This is a sequel to the…
This is for good reason…..they are everywhere. It seems everytime you turn a corner there is another fountain. Many of these are 300 or more years ago and served a…
Today’s photo of the day is one that I forgot I took and turned out way better than I expected. It is of the Castel St Angelo, which started as…
On Tuesday I started tell you about our day exploring Rome and today I want to continue that story. Just so you know the roads in Rome are narrow and…
That is because it has been in constant use since it was build 2000 years ago. Yesterday I started tell you about the day we spent exploring Rome and I…
Simply visit any of the dozen upon dozen churches in Old Rome. These masterpieces of architecture are 300-700 years old and inside each one you will find paintings and sculpture…
Tomorrow I will begin telling you about our day walking through old Rome seeing all the fountains, plazas, and churches. One of the places we saw was the Church of St…
In the last several blogs I told you all about our time in Vatican City and now it is time to explore Rome itself. We chose to see the Ancient…
We started off exploring the Palatine Hill and came up to the Roman Forum. We were at the top of the cliff when we saw it for the first time…
and as you can see from today’s photo of the day it is quite the wonder! On Sunday I will be writing about our day in this area of Rome….
Today’s photo of the day is from the interior of St Peter’s Basilica dome. If you climb tothe top of the dome you will find this amazing mosaic rimming the…
When I finished the last blog, I explained how we got a guided tour of the Necropolis of Vatican City and our guide took us through the Vatican Museum. This…
The Sistine Chapel in Vatican City is today’s photo of the day and I will write a great deal about it tomorrow along with the rest of the Vatican Museum….
Visiting the Necropolis of the Via Triumphalis was the highlight of our time in the smallest country in the world. This was a cemetery discovered in 1956 when a parking…
Today’s photo of the day is of the Vatican City Spiral Stairs that were designed in the 1920 and are atthe entrance to the Vatican Museum. There are actually two stairs…
Since our hotel was a five minute walk from Vatican City, it seemed like we came through here every night. I loved how it was lit up so I spent…
If you read the last blog you will know that Melek and I arrived in Rome after our time in Barcelona and the first thing we did was get orientated…
You might be amazed that a country with only .16 square miles in total area is half gardens. Well today’s photo of the day is from the top of St…
Milan is the largest city in northern Italy and has quite a hustle and bustle feel to it. The one thing I noticed in Italy is how fashionable the…
I walked back up the hill at dusk in order to get some shots of the towers light up with the evening sky.
A few days before I got to Genoa I happen to check out a Travel Channel article I remembered I saved called “21 Most Awe Inspiring Places”. I noticed there…
This was taken from the top of the bell tower, which is casting a great shadow to give the church even more character.
San Marino is the 5th smallest country in the world in both land mass and population and is the oldest republic in the world. It was founded in 301 AD…
With all the climbing I have done this week from hills, trails, bell towers, cathedrals, and plain old stairs it is a wonder my legs have not fallen off….
This mind blowing room is in the Doge’s Palace, the title of the elected ruler of the Republic of Venice for close to 100 years. It was used as a meeting…
Shakespeare’s play was about a Jewish merchant in Venice and how he lived in the Ghetto. Well last week I got to visit the Ghetto and learned some very interesting…
Venice is made up of several islands and one of them is known for making beautiful glass. All the homes and palaces had Vintage Lighting chandeliers made by glass masters…
Torre dell’Orologio is the clock tower in San Marco Square on Venice and is considered the second most famous clock in the world.. It was inaugurated in 1499, making…
Venice is known for its canals, which replace the roads in this town. There are no cars at all in this city, but lots of boats. This is just one…
My number one place to visit in the world is Venice, and as of this week I have to find a new number one. That is because I…