Departure from Italy

Today, we got on a shuttle to the airport at around 10am for our flight to Detroit at 1:20pm.

BTW, Italian passport control is lazy. When you come into the country, instead of finding the first empty page to stamp your passport, they just pick one at random. And when you leave, instead of stamping the exit stamp right next to the entry stamp, they also pick a page at random. So now, you have a wasted page on your passport. This is really annoying since some countries (China, for example) want two consecutive blank pages.

At Detroit, U.S. immigration was stupid. The lines were long and when we finally got near the front, they closed are line (for U.S. citizens) and had us go to the back of the line on one of the visitor lines. My flight from Detroit to Nashville was delayed a bit since they had to wait until the plane had 3 flight attendants and only 2 were there.

Last full day in Rome

Today, most of the people on our tour left to go back home. But, my parents and I decided to stay an extra day.

Because the hotel was far from the city center, we had to take a hotel provided bus into the city. On the bus, we bumped into another couple on our tour and my seatmate, who was the only other traveler who was alone (or odd, in my case) besides me.

The bus dropped us off at Piazza Cavour. From there, we walked across the Tiber River and went to Piazza Navona and then on to the Trevi Fountain where we threw in some coins since this was our official last day. Next, we headed to Trajan's Market, the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum. The Colosseum was open, so we paid 10 Euros and went inside.

From the Colosseum, we walked to San Giovanni in Laterano (Basilica of St. John Lateran), which is Rome's official cathedral and was the papal residence until the 14th century. From here, we took a taxi to Castel Sant'Angelo and walked back to Piazza Cavour to take the bus back to the hotel.

Montecassino and back to Rome

We left Naples in the morning and headed to the Abbey of Montecassino. This abbey was destroyed in WWII, but rebuilt. It was founded by St. Benedict in 528 and is the mother church of the Benedictine Order.

On our way back to Rome, we made our last stop at an Autogrill.

We checked into our hotel, the Jolly Midas, upon our arrival into Rome. The rooms are badly in need of renovation. After resting a bit, we went on our final optional excursion, the Farewell Dinner.

The trip on the bus was fairly amusing. At the beginning of the tour, Igor told us that we should rotate seats each day so that no one gets stuck in a bad seat. But instead of a deterministic rotation, it was all quite random. One lady always seemed to be in the first couple of rows and was very annoying. As a result, on this final bus trip, some people got on the bus a little early and claimed the front rows (I got a seat on the very front row) so she had to go to the back of the bus. When Igor got on the bus, he seemed a little confused before realizing what we did.

Before going to the restaurant, we headed to the Trevi Fountain. According to legend, if you throw one coin into the Trevi Fountain on your last day in Rome, you will ensure a return to Rome. If you throw two, you'll fall in love. And if you throw three, according to Igor, you'll have a successful divorce.

Dinner consisted of an antipasto of cheese and tomatoes, a big ravioli, fettucini with white sauce, chicken with tomato sauce, and a raspberry gelato.

Some people had a bit too much to drink during dinner. On the way back, one lady borrowed the microphone and started emulating Igor.

Capri and Sorrento

We were supposed to take a boat from Naples to Capri, but the water was to rough. So instead, we took the motorcoach to Sorrento in order to get on a boat there. Because it was a Sunday, the main streets in Sorrento were closed for pedestrians. Luckily our driver, Giuseppe, lives in Sorrento, so he was able to get us to the docks in a very scenic, but round-about drive.

At Capri, the water was too choppy to go inside the Blue Grotto, so instead we visited the Villa San Michele. A little after 2pm, we got on the boat and headed back to Sorrento where we did some shopping and had an optional excursion dinner (an antipasto of ham of fresh mozzarella and other vegetables, 2 types of pasta, 3 types of pizza, and a lemon cake). Sorrento is famous for it's limoncello, a liqueur made from lemons. It is very strong, but I liked it so I bought a bottle. I also had two shots at dinner (it was an after dinner drink, and my mother didn't want hers).

After dinner, we drove back to Naples.

Pompeii and Naples

From Assisi, we drove to Pompeii. We ate lunch at a restaurant that Igor recommended whose service was absolutely horrible. It was 10 Euros for a pizza, drink, and gelato. On the way out of Pompeii, I noticed a place that had the same for 6, and whose service had to have been better.

At Pompeii, we spend about 2 hours on a tour of the ruins. We saw the Temple of Apollo, the Forum, casts of bodies, a bathhouse, a bakery, a brothel, and a market.

According to our itinerary, we were supposed to stay in Sorrento. But because all the hotels were evidently full, we instead stayed in Naples at the Jolly Hotel Naples. Because of this change, we got a free dinner at the hotel (originally, the dinner was supposed to be an optional excursion). It consisted of some pasta, beef and roasted vegetables, and baba. Baba is a apricot rum sponge cake. The liquid in the sponge cake isn't apparent while it's sitting on your plate, but once it's in your mouth it is readily apparent.

Ravenna and Assisi

On the way to Assisi, we stopped by Ravenna. The Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe was closed for restoration, so we had plenty of free time to wander around. I stopped by Dante's tomb and had Zuppa Ingelese gelato which is supposed to be a local specialty. It sort of tasted like eggnogg with cake.

Because of the narrow streets, our tour bus couldn't drive all the way to our hotel in Assisi, so we had to park in a lot and walk up the hill to our hotel, the San Francesco, which was located right next to the Basilica of St. Francis. My room at the hotel was extremely small.

After checking in to the hotel, we were free to visit the Basilica of St. Francis. It is divided into 3 parts: the crypt, the lower basilica, and the upper basilica. The lower basilica is more subdued in keeping with St. Francis's life, while the upper basilica is brighter to celebrate his sainthood. Pictures were not allowed inside.

Dinner consisted of spaghetti, turkey with fennel, and gelato.

After dinner, we went on an evening walk and saw the outside of the Santa Maria over Minerva (a church built inside a Temple of Minerva) and the Basilica of St. Claire. We also did a little shopping (I bought a small painted wood figure of John Paul II). For priests, Assisi must be like a candy store because there are a lot of neat shops selling chalices and other priestly paraphernalia.

BTW, Chinotto soda is nasty.

Venice

We took the motorcoach into Venice and then got on a boat to St. Mark's Square. Unfortunately, the boat didn't go on the Grand Canal, so we couldn't see what it was like during the daytime. At St. Mark's Square, we visited the Doge's Palace and the Basilica (no pictures allowed inside of either place). Afterwards, we went to the Vecchia Murano Glass Shop to see a glass blowing demonstration and do some shopping.

A little after noon, we met at the Bell Tower to go on the optional lunch excursion to Burano. Burano is a fishing village in the lagoon. Lunch consisted of shrimp cooked in olive oil, seafood pasta, St. Peter's fish, and a dessert and cookies.

We got back into Venice a little bit before 5pm and had some free time. So, we walked over to the Rialto Bridge and did a little shopping.

Dinner at the hotel was pasta and lasagna, veal, and tiramisu.

Lugano, Verona, and Venice

In the morning, we crossed the border and made a brief stop in Lugano, Switzerland. I bought a Swiss Army Knife (which is actually cheaper on Amazon), and my mother bought a Rolex (which was cheaper there than in the United States).

From Lugano, we crossed back into Italy and went to Verona where we were free to wander around. We saw the Roman Arena, the Tombs of the Scaligeri, and Juliet's House (Casa di Giulietta). Since Romeo and Juliet was a work of fiction, the house really wasn't Juliet's. While in Verona, I had a really good melon (cantaloupe) gelato at the gelati place which Igor recommended.

We left Verona at 4pm and continued on to Venice. When we arrived at Mestre (mainland from Venice), we checked into the Park Hotel Ai Pini before going on our optional dinner excursion, "Venetian Night Out".

We took the motorcoach into Venice and then a water taxi down the Grand Canal (since it was dark, the buildings were illuminated) and on to St. Mark's Square. From there, we walked to our dinner at the Restaurant All'Angelo. We had a prawn cocktail, a puree of dried cod over polenta, taglioli pasta and lasagna, veal, and tiramisu.

Lake Maggiore

In the morning, we took a boat to Isola Bella which is an island on Lake Maggiore containing a palace and terraced garden.

The afternoon was free time, so I took the ropeway up to Alpino and Mottarone. At the Motarrone stop, I had to hike up a very steep hill to reach the peak of Mount Mottarone. The view was excellent from the top.

Dinner consisted of an antipasto buffet, bowtie pasta with pesto, veal, and a creamed caramel dessert (reminded me of flan).

Milan and Stresa

Today, we traveled from Florence to the town of Stresa on the shore of Lake Maggiore. On the way we drove by Genoa, had lunch at an Autogrill, and stopped at Milan.

In Milan, we visited the Gothic cathedral and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

At Stresa, we checked into the Grand Hotel Bristol. Dinner consisted of penne pasta with tomato sauce, trout with fennel and hashbrowns, and tiramisu.

Florence

In the morning, we headed to Galleria dell'Accademia (Academy of the Fine Arts) to see Michelangelo's statue of David. Pictures were not permitted inside.

Afterwards, we walked over to see the Duomo of Santa Maria del Fiore and the Campanile (Giotto's Bell Tower). Next, we visited Piazza della Signoria (where there is a replica of David) and then on to Santa Croce where we stopped by a leather factory and had lunch on our own at the Finisterrae Ristorante Mediterraneo (we shared two pizzas: one with ham, mozzarella, and tomato sauce and another with buffalo mozzarella and cherry tomatoes). After lunch, we headed to Vivoli's Gelato, which is supposed to have the best gelato in Florence. During the rest of our free time, we went to Ponte Vecchio to see the shops on the bridge.

At 6pm, we left to go on an optional Tuscan Dinner excursion. On the way to the restaurant, we stopped by the Piazzale Michelangelo which has a very scenic view of the city. The restaurant is located a little outside of Florence in the Tuscan countryside. Dinner was good (antipasto buffet, goulash and cheese ravioli, prime rib, and berry tort). What was really good was this blue drink that supposedly consisted of spumanti, blue curacao, and peach schnapps.

Pisa and Florence

After a 6:15 wakeup call, we departed the hotel at 7:30 and headed to Pisa and Florence. On the way, we stopped at an Autogrill for lunch. Autogrills are found throughout Italy (we stopped at them multiple times for lunch or restroom breaks) and consist of a cafeteria style restaurant, sandwich/expresso counter, and grocery/wine store. When ordering from the counter, you pay for your sandwich first (and had better be able to pronounce it properly), then take the receipt and pass it over the counter to get your sandwich (which they'll heat, if you want).

At around 1:20pm, we arrived in Pisa to see the Leaning Tower, Duomo, and Baptistry at the Field of Miracles (Campo dei Miracoli). At 3:30, we left and continued on to Florence where we checked in to the Grand Hotel Mediterraneo.

First full day in Rome

After a 5:45am wakeup call, the tour group departed the hotel at 7am to head to the Vatican Museums. We left this early so that our group would be near the front of the line before it opened. After we arrived outside the museum's entrance and got in line, our local guide in Rome, Francesco, gave us radio receivers with an earpiece called Whispers so that we could hear what he said. These Whisper devices were used throughout the tour and were much better than the alternative (the guide yelling).

Although you can take pictures in the rest of the Vatican Museums, you can't in the Sistine Chapel. Supposedly, this is because the Japanese company that did the restoration of the frescoes currently have sole rights to the images. Despite the prohibition, I stealthily took some pictures with my SLR anyways (aimed from the belt level). I noticed someone else in the tour group had his camcorder in a bag with it opened and pointed upward.

From the museum, we entered St. Peter's Basilica and then had some free time to look around St. Peter's Square. We then boarded the motorcoach and headed to the Roman Forum to see the ruins. Unfortunately, we couldn't go inside the Colosseum because of electrical problems.

In the late afternoon, we skipped the optional "Roman Highlights" excursion and dinner, and instead took a taxi to the Spanish Steps. After we arrived, it started raining very heavily. From the Spanish Steps, we walked down Via Condotti and then headed to the Pantheon (which looks like a Roman temple on the outside, but is now a church in the inside). Next, we walked to Piazza Navona and had dinner at Tre Scalini. This restaurant is known for it's tartufo (chocolate coated chocolate ice cream, cherries, and whipped cream). I had pasta (lasagna and tortellini), veal, and the tartufo.

Arrived in Italy

Note: These posts about Italy were made after I came back to the United States.

My Northwest flight arrived in Rome's Leonardo da Vinci Airport (Fiumicino) at around 10:30am. The food wasn't as good as Japan Airlines, but each seat did have video on demand (whereas on JAL, there each movie was on a separate channel and continually replayed). There was also a networked trivia game, but only a handful of people played.

At around 1pm, we left the airport to go to the Starhotel Michelangelo which is located a couple blocks from the Vatican. There, we met our tour director, Igor Spinelli, and checked into our rooms. Since we had a little free time before having to meet back at 5pm, my father and I walked over to St. Peter's Square to look around.

After the meeting at 5pm where we met the rest of the group (46 people total on the tour) and Igor went over some things, we took a bus into the city for our welcome dinner. Just about all the dinners on the tour had four courses. Normally this consisted of a antipasto (cheese, cold cuts such as prosciutto ham, etc), a pasta dish (occasionally containing different types), a meat dish (which was often veal or pork and sometimes fish), and a dessert. Tonight, dinner consisted of an antipasto of cold cuts (ham, salami, etc.), tomato bean pasta soup, some sort of cheesy pasta, thin cuts of pork and pan fried potatoes, and peach and strawberry gelato.

A continental buffer breakfast was included for free each day, but all lunches were on our own.

Italy

I'm leaving for Italy this afternoon to go on Globus's 14 day Italian Mosaic Tour with my parents. We're both taking the same flight to Rome from Detroit (they've got a longer lay over as their flight from San Diego arrives earlier). It's actually 13 days if you don't include the day you leave the U.S., but we're staying an extra day in Rome. We'll be going to Rome, Florence, Lake Maggiore (Stressa), Venice, Assisi, and Sorrento/Capri (hotel is in Naples, unfortunately, so we probably won't see much of Sorrento).