Whewww!!! As many of you know, we just got back from a 2 week trip to Italy. We had an amazing time. It was good to get away for awhile and spend some time with Bryce.
Naples:
Rome:
We then spent 3 days in Rome. Stayed at the Hotel Beldes, which I would highly recommend for anyone needing a place to stay in Rome. The first day we saw the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Venzia, outside of the Colosseum and Roman Forum, and every
thing in between. The Pantheon was a trip favorite. Amazing architecture. The second day we went to the Vatican and saw the Pope speak. Pretty impressive! We also were able to see the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica and Square. The Sistine Chapel ceiling was probably our favorite art work. That afternoon we toured the inside of the Colosseum. Very cool feeling to stand in a place where people have been for so many years. The third day in Rome was the best day as a whole. We got to take a six hour bike tour through the Roman countryside. Saw the catacombs (tombs) of the martyrs, the old roads leading to the city, and the aqueducts. Aqueducts=awesome!! That night we got to cross over the river into the Trastevere area and have dinner.
Florence:
We loved our Hotel in Florence because we had a HUGE balcony with a great view of the Duomo. First day we saw Santa Croce church, Ponte Vechio, and wandered through the leather markets. Florence was a very friendly town and most locals spoke at least some English. The
morning of the second day we toured the Uffizi gallery, climbed to the top of the Duomo, and did some more shopping!! Third day we took a Renaissance walk, wandered through the David sculpture galleries, climbed to the Michaelangelo plaza, and toured more churches! Oh, and the Gelato was the best in Florence- Panna Cotta please!
Venice:
I had heard many people say that Venice was dirty and smelled bad. We didn't experience either. The weather was beautiful. We took a boat tour through the city the first day. The second we came up with our own walking tour to see all of the churches on the map- and it took ALL DAY! We also saw St. Marks Basilica, Bridge of sighs, and Rialto bridge. Did not pay the $100 for a gondola ride...but did see plenty of other people get suckered.
Milan:
Skipping this for now
Torino:
Very friendly city! Beautiful views of the mountains. AND chocolate! We purchased a Chocopass which allowed us to stop into 10 different chocolate shops and get samples of their best work. No trip to Torino is complete without trying a Bicerin! Its a combination of dark coffee, hot chocolate, and cream. We would definitely recommend Torino to anyone.
Ok...so Milan. Basically the only think to see in Milan is the Duomo and an old castle. Other than that if you don't have money to shop....DON'T GO!!! We spent three days in Milan and could have seen everything we wanted in an afternoon. PLUS....you will notice there aren't pictures posted anywhere with us in them. That would be because we got mugged!!!! Yep, walking to dinner three guys decided they would jump the Americans. They took Bryce's ring, 40 bucks, and our camera. We are convinced that they thought we would have iphones because they kept yelling PHONES at us. It was difficult to deal with losing the pictures and ring, but we are SO thankful that we were able to get away without losing more or being seriously hurt. We know that God knew the situation we would be in ahead of time and guided us through it all. Just a plug for safety....stay where all the other tourists are!
So we are back! We had a wonderful time (minus about 2hrs). Very glad to be back in the US!!
