Going back to June, school had just ended and Zack's parents came to Bosnia to visit before we headed to Italy. We had a great time showing them where we live and some of our favorite places such as Mostar, Pochitelj and Nello's (resturant). After spending four days together in Bosnia we all flew to Italy for 10 amazing days.
After arriving in Florence, Italy for our Rick Steve's tour we had a day and a half to ourselves before meeting the others. Zack and I went to walk around Florence and ran into a parade. We weren't quite sure what was happening and later found out that they were celebrating St. Johns Day. I took lots of pictures and Zack enjoyed looking at the swords that passed right in front of us.
We met up with the parents and went for dinner. Again we walked around a little. As we were walking Zack saw a sign for a concert that night at 7:30 inside a church. We weren't quite sure if we wanted to go, so we decided to go to dinner and then make a decision. As we were eating dinner the couple sitting next to us talked to us and told us about the same concert. They said they had been to a concert the night before and it was great. We decided to go to concert after dinner. The concert was small and consisted of a pianist, a flutist and a opera singer. The pianist and singer would perform and then the flutist would perform. They each performed about three numbers each. It was fun, but by the end of the concert I was ready to leave. We did see the same couple from dinner at the concert and said hello to them.
Instead of going day by day I think it will be better to give you the highlights of the trip from my point of view. Zack's highlights may be different, but I am writing this blog.
Florence was spent going to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo) and climbing over 400 stairs to the top to walk the outside terraces. Inside the Duomo is an amazing fresco by Vasari that begun in 1572, and was completed by Federico Zuccaro. This fresco is underneath the dome and it is amazing from far away. It is still pretty amazing close up but the people look more like cartoon figures. We were able to get right up underneath the fresco so we could see even the brush strokes. We also did a renaissance tour of the city of Florence, we went to the Academia and saw the real statue of David, which is amazing. we had dinner with the other tour members and were able to get to know everyone a little.
The next day we were still in Florence and went to the Galleria delgli Uffizi. The Uffizi was originally built to hold the offices of the Medici family and has been turned into a museum housing fantastic art. We had a great local guide who walked us through the museum and told us all about the works of art. I felt like I was back in college going on a field trip. Our guide was very knowledgeable it was great! After the Uffizi we were on our own for a little while, so we went to Museo degl i Argenti Il Tesoro del Cremlino which was a home of the Medici family and has been turned into a museum. We bought a ticket that would allow us to see the gardens, costume and porcelin museums. It was all fabulous! People were sitting in the gardens having picnics, we found a couple of statues, and it was just ended up being a nice place to sit and relax.
Then we were off to Cinque de Terra which is a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera. It is in the Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of La Spezia. "The Five Lands" is composed of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We arrived here and were walking down to the train when all of a sudden I heard my name and turning around I see my nephew Preston. I was so excited to see him that I didn't pay any attention to our guide telling us how to stamp our tickets for the train. Preston was spending time in Italy with his friends. Unfortunately, we weren't able to see each other again, but I did get to see him in Wisconsin a few weeks later.
We spent two nights here which we really enjoyed. We hiked for a couple of hours between two of the five towns which was fun. We swam in the sea and relaxed. One highlight from this area was going to a pesto sauce demonstration. I have a great pesto sauce recipe if anyone would like to make their own pesto sauce. It was delicious!
After Cinque de Terra we were on our way to Tuscany. Back to the bus for a couple of hours. Before reaching Tuscany we did stop in the town of Luca. We had a guide for a little while and then we were on our own for the rest of the short stopover. We had lunch and then Zack and I got the bikes that our guide had rented for us. We were able to ride the bikes on the old wall that went all around the city. We stopped along the way and took pictures. After riding the bikes and returning them, we all got some gelatto. This was always a great way to end the day or event. You can never have too much gelatto.
We finally made it to Volterra which is in the Tuscany region of Italy. We arrived in the late afternoon. That night we had dinner with our group and enjoyed the best berry tart for desert. We called it an early night since the next day would be a day with our group and we were starting early.
On the tour of the city and learned a lot about the city. I took some pictures of a man performing in the street dressed like a tree. Zack said he was the Singing Tree (based on a book). Our group split up at lunch time, so Zack and his parents and I all went to get lunch together. Then Zack and I went to the Museo de Tortuna. That's right the Museum of Torture. We walked around looking at different types of torture devices. It was fun reading about different ways they used to use and still use some of them today. It made me think of the Tudors show and the things that Henry the VIII may have used. We ended the night with a wine tasting in an old cellar. It was alot of fun. After the wine tasting we went for dinner with Zack's parents. It was our last night in Volterra. We ended the night with another gelatto. As we were walking back to our hotel we went into a little shop and bought a gnome for our friend back home. We were so excited to finally found one for her to add to her collection.
Then we went on our way to Rome. This was the last stop on our tour. We will stayed here for four nights. Three with the tour and one extra night with Zack and his parents. We arrived in Rome and we went to the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Forum. All three places were amazing! When you walk into the Colosseum you can only imagine what it would have looked like in 80 AD when it was finished under Titus. Capable of seating 50,000 spectators, the Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and other events as well. In the evening we walked around the city having dinner on our own and then met up with our group and walked to the magical Trevi fountain. It was very crowded, but our guide said if you go and throw a coin over your back into the fountain, one day you will return to Rome. We threw coins in over our shoulders.
The next day was a trip to the Vatican Museum, Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. This was a great morning looking at beautiful works of art. The Sistine Chapel is a place one could stand or sit, if you are able to find a place, for hours. We did not see the Holy Father, but we were shown his apartment. After visiting the Vatican we had the rest of the day to ourselves. Zack and I went to the Catacombe Di Priscilla for a tour. It was nice, but nothing like the catacombes in Paris that we visited last year. We also went to the Church of the Immacolata Concezione with Zack's parents which also has a crypt for monks. Zack's parents visited the church while we went into the crypt. It was small but interesting. The church above was very old. We did go into it after the crypt.
Today the tour is over and people are going home. Today Zack, his parents, and I are taking the train to Ostia Antica which is a Roman settlement founded back in the IVth century BC. Originally a fortified citadel (castrum) controlling access to Rome by river, Ostia grew five centuries to become an important city. We visited the ancient ruins that stretches over an area of about 34 hectares, equivalent to two thirds of the city's original extension. It was a great way to spend our last day. Tomorrow we leave and his parents are on their way to Assisi for a couple of days. We can't wait to hear about their own adventure. We actually did when we got back to Colorado and they had a wonderful time.
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