Ciao Bella! Rome and Venice, Italy (August 2018)
We had a marvelous time in Italy this August. We spent a few days in Rome, hopped over to Portugal via Oporto for a wedding celebration, spent a day exploring Lisbon, and then returned to Italy to explore the country side via train and Venice for a day.
Rome was amazing. We did a lot of walking around, savored the amazing food, sampled a number of wines, and embraced the European cafe lifestyle. We really enjoyed the hop on hop off buses. It made it easy to pack in a lot of sightseeing in one day both in Rome and in Lisbon. In Rome, we booked a half day private tour that allowed us to skip the long lines and explore the Vatican City, St. Peters Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and the Colosseum. I highly recommend doing this or getting there extremely early as the lines are long and move slowly. Rome is definitely one of the hottest cities we've every visited. The sun seems to just beam down on you and their is no breeze to speak of. It makes you really think about how bad it was back in the day of the gladiators.
During our explorations, we found the iconic Trevi Fountain and made a few wishes. We also walked the Spanish Steps and glanced into the windows of the high end shops that line the streets around this area. For those who love to shop high end name brand items, you will be in paradise. We visited the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia, Bocca della Verita, Santa Maria Maggiore, Circus Maximus, Arch of Constantine, Trajan's Column, Arch of Titus, and so much more.
I really enjoyed walking along the river and all the little restaurants in the Trastevere area. Whatever type of food you want to eat, you will find it there. We ate at 2 different little restaurants that had outdoor seating, entertainment, and perfect for people watching. There are hundreds of restaurant choices in this area. The streets are filled with people in the evenings and the little cobblestone streets are just lovely to walk down.
The train ride to Venezia was amazing. We saw many vineyards along the way and the country side is a beautiful mix of different shades of green. It was a three and a half hour train ride to Venezia. When we arrive we need to take a water bus to San Marco. There we walk through the small walkways to our hotel, Duodo Palace, which was right on a canal. We had a lovely room on the top floor with a balcony that looked over all the rooftops. It was a short visit to Venice. But we packed it in with lots of walking around, a gondola ride, and some amazing food and wine. We also enjoyed some gelato! Wow! I'm glad we hadn't indulged earlier in our trip. It would have been a wrap. We will be back to Venezia one day! It was lovely and so romantic.
We found the Italian people to be very friendly and helpful. Most speak English and are willing to help the tourists with their many questions.
Rome was amazing. We did a lot of walking around, savored the amazing food, sampled a number of wines, and embraced the European cafe lifestyle. We really enjoyed the hop on hop off buses. It made it easy to pack in a lot of sightseeing in one day both in Rome and in Lisbon. In Rome, we booked a half day private tour that allowed us to skip the long lines and explore the Vatican City, St. Peters Basilica, Sistine Chapel, and the Colosseum. I highly recommend doing this or getting there extremely early as the lines are long and move slowly. Rome is definitely one of the hottest cities we've every visited. The sun seems to just beam down on you and their is no breeze to speak of. It makes you really think about how bad it was back in the day of the gladiators.
During our explorations, we found the iconic Trevi Fountain and made a few wishes. We also walked the Spanish Steps and glanced into the windows of the high end shops that line the streets around this area. For those who love to shop high end name brand items, you will be in paradise. We visited the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia, Bocca della Verita, Santa Maria Maggiore, Circus Maximus, Arch of Constantine, Trajan's Column, Arch of Titus, and so much more.
I really enjoyed walking along the river and all the little restaurants in the Trastevere area. Whatever type of food you want to eat, you will find it there. We ate at 2 different little restaurants that had outdoor seating, entertainment, and perfect for people watching. There are hundreds of restaurant choices in this area. The streets are filled with people in the evenings and the little cobblestone streets are just lovely to walk down.
The train ride to Venezia was amazing. We saw many vineyards along the way and the country side is a beautiful mix of different shades of green. It was a three and a half hour train ride to Venezia. When we arrive we need to take a water bus to San Marco. There we walk through the small walkways to our hotel, Duodo Palace, which was right on a canal. We had a lovely room on the top floor with a balcony that looked over all the rooftops. It was a short visit to Venice. But we packed it in with lots of walking around, a gondola ride, and some amazing food and wine. We also enjoyed some gelato! Wow! I'm glad we hadn't indulged earlier in our trip. It would have been a wrap. We will be back to Venezia one day! It was lovely and so romantic.
We found the Italian people to be very friendly and helpful. Most speak English and are willing to help the tourists with their many questions.
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