So, I’m back here on Sipping Espresso… blogging. Weird. I’m in America. I’m blogging aboutItalyfromAmerica. Can I do that?! Is that even allowed?! Well, I promised you in my Final Blog Post From Italy that I would finish our tale of overseas adventure and intrigue (OK, OK – more like overseas adventure of gluttony and transparency), so I suppose that I’ll have to make good on my word. For those of you that are sick of hearing about these adventures… I’m sorry, but I’m OCD and I am not much good at leaving things unfinished.
“Well, get going already Dad and tell us this story”!
So, let’s flash back; way, way back to this past spring when Jen’s sister came to visit. Just as they departed for Venice and Rome, we took our own leave from Como and headed toward the metropolitan city of Trieste. When I think about what brought us to Trieste, I finally understand the word bittersweet. We undertook the four-hour road trip to Italy’s easternmost city so that I could run in the Maratonina d’Europa (Europe’s Half Marathon). Despite having to add the somewhat embarrassing “ina” suffix to the end of Maratona (changing the meaning to “very little”), completing my first half-marathon was a very “sweet” accomplishment for me. However, the impetus behind the race was a very “bitter” one. Jen and I had started listing all the things that we wanted to do before our time in Italy came to an end. This particular road trip checked many of our boxes; competing in a race in Europe, a visit to the city of Trieste, time in the region of Friuli–Venezia Giulia, capped off with a visit to Slovenia (upcoming post). Now, that checked a lot of boxes, so careful planning began and hotels rooms were booked.
Julia and I stand in front of the glasses they had set up for the race
Here’s how I would sum up Trieste – it is a MUST-SEE city. Sometimes I find myself guilty of trying to label a city by comparing it to another city. “Rome is like New York, but much older and without the high-rises”. Sometimes, you’ve just got to stop and appreciate where you are for what it is. Don’t try to “label” the place or put it in a box; its easy to fall into that trap with Trieste. A city that has bounced back and forth between Slovenian, Austrian and Italian rule leaves us with a place today that is proud of its blend in architecture and attitude. Trieste is a city not at all confused about its confusing identity. With a rich mix of Slavic, Germanic and Latin influences – I am simply content to label this magical place as one of the most “European” cities I have ever visited.
We’re finally here in Trieste!Fountain that accurately describes Trieste’s ties to the seaAlong Corso Cavour, the main street adjacent to the cities famous piazza
My race was on a Sunday and so we arrived Saturday with a planned departure on Monday. After we checked into the hotel, we strolled down to the Piazza Unità d’Italiato register for my race. I had often heard this piazza referred to as “the most beautiful piazza in Italy” and what I saw did not disappoint. The grand square is the largest of any on the water in all of Europe. On this particular spring weekend the piazza was also the location of my finish line.
We walked down with a friend I made in the hotel – he was also running in the raceJen hangs out with Julia in the squareThe Piazza Unita d’Italia at nightJulia hugs Jen while we were walking around
We didn’t have much to worry about the night before the race, so we strolled through the piazza and walked the roads along the water. They had all sorts of fair-type events set up for the race, including tents serving beer, desserts and carnival rides. I took Julia on the Ferris Wheel and got a great view of the city and the harbor. After the fun, we took in a spectacular seafood dinner near the harbor (mm’mmm I’m making myself hungry for fresh Italian food. Never had that problem while writing until now, when I can’t get it quite as easily).
I get ready to take her on her first ferris wheelAway we go…Daddy/Julia selfieView from our car at the top of the ferris wheelThe sun set shortly after our ridePicture with momPicture with dadThe sunsets in Trieste were like nothing I’ve ever seenThe light play from the sky was this stunning both nights we were thereWe had to try some delicious frittelle with Nutella“Honey… you’ve got a little Nutella, riiiiight there”Walking through the piazza with daddyJulia loved playing with the glassesSelfie at dusk
On race day, I was up and at ’em early – ready to beat my goal time (which I didn’t do). Of course, I forgot that I was in Italy and so the start of the race was a little later than I originally planned. I kept warm by jogging around the parking lot and taking in the crowds. I was tickled when I ran past the snack tents used for refueling depleted calories (usually covered by bananas and power bars) and found brioche and other Italian pastries. When I finished, I could not have been more pleased to be greeted by Jen and Julia; and to have Julia wear my medal.
Julia got up early to see me offThere wasn’t much happening at the start line until after the race was supposed to beginAnd we’re off!I had the sea to my right for almost the entire half-marathonI felt (and looked) like death, but I crossed the finish lineBut I got my medal…Which I was happy to give to JuliaMy little peanut was proud of me… that was the best part of allJulia may have been more interested in the biscotti than the medalFamily picturePicture along the Canale Grande (Grand Canal) that runs through the city streets
After the race, we stopped for a quick snack and beer (hey, I earned it) before going back to the hotel to change. Then, it was time to tour the city! Even though my marathon race was just a maratonina, I’m sure that we walked the remaining 13.1 miles as we wound through Trieste’s ancient streets. This was especially challenging, since the first part of the tour required me to carry Julia and her stroller up the Scala Giganti (Giant Steps). We capped it all off back in the Piazza Unità d’Italia for happy hour before a wonderful dinner.
We stopped for a beer and light snack along the canalJulia rode a merry-go-roundThe touring began with the Scala dei Giganti (Giant Steps) – this is only about 25% of themAfter a long uphill climb, we got this panoramic of the cityWe arrived at the Castello di San GiustoStatue in front of the castle depicts maritime soldiers at warIn front of the castle were ancient Roman ruinsYoung soccer players compete where ancient Roman soldiers stood a thousand years beforeI can never catch Jen for a candid!Here I am in front of the Castello di San GiustoNearby is the Cattedrale di San Giusto – see if you can find the two cannon balls that have been lodged in the stone during a siege from the sea centuries beforeLovebirdsWonderful ancient streets – this is Viale XX SettembreHalf-Marathon or not… this kid had to get up and down these stairs somehowChiesa di San SilvestroTeatro Romano di Trieste – ancient Roman theatreWe stopped back in the piazza for happy hourMy happy hour Instagram shotJulia and I took a stroll around the piazzaChiesa di Sant’Antonio Nuovo at the end of the Canale Grande – well-lit at nightMy girls at night
If you ever find yourself in northeast Italy (I’m talking to YOU, when you plan that inevitable visit Venice) – do yourself a favor and carve out a couple of days to see Trieste. You’ll be glad you did!
If you read the title of this post with your best impression of an Italian accent, then you probably nailed the pronunciation of one of our new favorite Italian towns. Lucca has been on our bucket list to visit for quite some time and now we can happily say we’ve been.
Lucca, Italy viewed from the Torre GuinigiAnother angle from Torre GuinigiLucca viewed from the city walls
The city is renowned for many things, not the least of which is the giant annual gathering of comic book nerds and fantasy film geeks. Lucca plays host to Europe’s version of Comic-Con, the Fiera Internazionale del Fumetto (International Festival of Comics) or as it’s commonly referred – Lucca Comics and Games.
Some participants of Lucca Comics and Games. Photo courtesy of Francesco Petrucci
For those of us that don’t have any desire to put on a Superman costume (yes, I’m just enough of a geek to know the term cosplay), there is more than enough to do in Lucca, which I will detail below. Thanks very much to some free press bestowed on me by Italia Living, I have recently picked up a few new readers (benvenuto a Sipping Espresso) and so I’m going to treat this post a little differently than in the past. As opposed to running through our little vacation part by part, instead I will opt to go a bit more “mainstream” and simply highlight the featured attractions of the city. Of course, I haven’t boiled it down to a “Top 10 Things To Do In Lucca” just yet. I like to hear myself talk far too much!
Piazza del Giglio near our hotel
During Medieval and Roman times, it was quite common to fortify entire cities behind massive protective walls. Today, Lucca is a preeminent example of such fortification and one of the few cities left in Italy with her ancient walls fully intact. It is a wonderful experience to drive your car through the same gate that was quite possibly used by Julius Caesar himself. Of course, in this scenario, I’m simply the chauffeur and my own little Julia is the royalty riding in the back of the chariot. Even though I can’t positively date the existing walls as far back as Caesar, I can place him in Lucca for the well documented Lucca Conference, along with Pompey and Crassus in 56 BC. The origin of the city itself date back as far as 180 BC. Eventually Lucca rose in importance to the Roman empire and achieved immense wealth and status in the 11th century, thanks to the silk trade. The result of this wealth is evident today; the city is very well maintained. Nearly every street features an ancient church boasting a façade clad with expensive marble. Well designed piazzas are now the gathering places for tourists, street performers and restauranteurs. Streets lined with charming shops and wonderful cafes full of patrons keep the vibe of the city humming well into the night.
The ancient walls completely enclose the cityYou can find many fine examples of sculpture and statues along the top of the wallsThe walls are wide enough for cars to pass along the top, but it is solely pedestrianOne of the many churches that can be found on nearly every corner in the city
Our reason for being in Lucca was to visit our good friend, Beth (although here she goes by, Elizabeth which is better understood in Italian). We had an amazing time when we stayed at her home in Tuscany last year, which I wrote about HERE and HERE. She hosted us once again, but this time it was in the Bed & Breakfast she recently purchased, Le Violette. The place matches her personality perfectly; warm and inviting with an extra pinch of charm. I’ll write a full review of her B&B in an upcoming post. After we unloaded our bags in the room, Beth started our tour of the city beginning with the walls, which were widened centuries ago. In fact, not that long ago they used the walls for racing cars. Today, they are purely pedestrian.
View of the main bell tower of Lucca from on top of the wallsWe made our way to the walls several times throughout our tripJulia wanted to walk on her ownJen and Julia stop for a photo on the wall
We hopped off the walls and strolled through the city, enjoying Lucca as only a pedestrian can.
Via del Fosso has a canal running through the centerVia Cenami is one of the main shopping streetsBeth helps Julia take a drink of waterJulia takes a picture with me in Piazza San FrancescoThe old market building where vendors would set up their stalls
Most Italian cities feature outdoor markets one-two times a week. We made our way to one of the fabulous Lucca mercato (market), which is held every Wednesday and Saturday.
Vendors set up for the market twice a weekWe discovered that we accidentally strolled outside the walls by following the long line of vendorsBeautiful flowers are just one of the many things you could buy in the marketI catch Jen for a photo in the marketThe markets can get crowded but they are a great place to pick up a picnic lunch
While in Lucca, you will want to position yourself in a vantage point that will command a view of the entire city, valley and mountains. You can choose to scale the Torre delle Ore (Clock Tower) or the Torre Guinigi (Guinigi Tower). We opted for the later, because it is the only tower in the city that has trees planted on top. But the ascent is not for the faint of heart; it’s a steep 230 steps until you get to the top. Compared to other similar towers, I found the €6 entry fee a bit steep, considering you don’t get anything other than the view (many similar sites also feature other historical items – this was purely just the tower). I quickly reversed my position on the fee when I actually took in the view. Breathtaking might be an appropriate word to describe the panorama.
The final staircase ascending toward the top of the tower (shooting from below, looking up)I lost my cool when I thought this was the top and I would have to view the city through a cage. When I calmed down, I realized there was a door and simply pushed onView of the city with the prominent Cattedrale di San Martino in viewMore of the city and Torre dell Ore (clock tower)Lucca is a beautiful city set with a backdrop of luscious green mountainsPanoramica da Torre Guinigi – I just noticed that almost this exact shot is in the Lucca city guideI noticed a few groups of school children; Lucca is a popular destination for Italians
You will certainly want to pay a visit the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, a Roman amphitheater that has been reconstructed into a piazza compete with charming shops and cafes. We sat and enjoyed a few drinks while Julia enjoyed running around with Beth’s son, Indi.
Panoramic of the Piazza inside the amphitheaterJulia and Indi play inside the Piazza AnfiteatroJulia loves chasing pigeons!Outside the Lucca Amphitheater you can see the remains of the original Roman structure
Of course, no trip to Lucca would be complete without a visit to the Piazza San Michele and a tour through the Chiesa di San Michele in Foro.
Chiesa (church) di San MicheleThe Romanesque architecture is clearly demonstrated in the façade, which was built in the 13th centuryThe wealth of Lucca is demonstrated by their larger churchesThe piazza hosts some performers that loved playing American 90’s rock (primarily Nirvana)Julia can’t hear the words of Kurt Cobain without being moved to tipJen and Julia in Piazza San MicheleJulia pushes Beth’s son, Indi across the piazzaPlaying in the piazzaChiesa di San Michele at night
I hope you enjoyed our tour through Lucca together and consider adding it as your next Italian destination. Below are a couple more pictures to temp you even further…
Buccellatio di Lucca is a typical bread that is eaten year roundWe constantly commented on how clean and well maintained the city isJulia enjoys some gelato after dinner one night“Come along for an upcoming post all about a couple restaurants in Lucca!”
If you read about our recent trip to Venice (HERE), then you’ll know that we finally unlocked the key to really enjoying Venice. In a nutshell, it involves beating the other tourists to the finish line. If the “finish line” is a guided tour in Palazzo Ducale (Doge’s Palace), then be the first person in line in the morning. If the finish line is grabbing a moment of solace in an empty Piazza San Marco, then you’d better be there as the sun rises (conversely, you can arrive well after the sun has set and listen to the beautiful music of the dueling bands). Or, more simply, you can do what we did; visit this magical city in the off-season and get to know the city of Venezia (Venice) without having to put up a fight.
San Marco Campanile and Doge’s Palace seen from the water
If you’re blessed with a couple of days in Venice, I would suggest that you go a bit deeper than the surface level attractions. Skip the gondola ride (it’s overpriced anyhow) and instead tour the neighboring islands. With 117 to chose from, you’ll have your pick. You can visit the Jewish Ghetto on the island of Cannaregio. Many of the beautiful parks and gardens on the island of Lido are free of charge to you botany lovers. Or, for the real adventurers, you could opt to wade into the marshes and cast nets with local fishermen near the island of Chioggia.
The Church of San Giorgio Maggiore Church on the island that shares the same name
We knew that we wanted to visit the island Murano and watch how the world-famous Venetian glass was blown. This would require a little preparation and so I enlisted the assistance of a guided tour. I discovered a wonderful website that offers local tours at very reasonable prices – Viator. Travel bugs, take note of that website! It is a great resource for sight-seeing tours in cities all over the world. We will definitely use them again; my only regret was not discovering the website sooner. When searching for a tour of Murano, we found a better option – a tour that also included the islands of Burano and Torcello. You can find the link to our specific tour HERE. I bought my tickets ($28 pp) and had the confirmation sent to my smart phone. I showed up at the designated area, presented the pass on my phone and received our tickets to the boat. Easy, breezy, lemon-squeezy.
Venetian workers were out in the early morningWorking on the water here is no different than working on a truck in another city
Before our tour departed the main island, we had enough time in the early morning to drop by Venice’s famous fish market. The Mercato di Rialto (Rialto Fish Market) is in the area affectionately known as Cuore della Città (heart of the city) behind the Rialto bridge. This area by the famous bridge was settled in the 9th century and becoming a booming marketplace by 1097. Today, the fish market still stands as a wonderful place to visit and buy fresh seafood.
We enter the market – the Winged Lion of San Marco warns not to touchThe ladies are excitedPESCE (FISH)!This guy looks tastyThe granchi (crabs)I wouldn’t want to get bit by this guyThe displays were beautifulThere was also wonderful looking produce – these are delicious peperonciniA butcher – this one specializes in horse meat, common to find in Italy
After viewing the market, we wound our way to the tour meeting-point next to San Marco Square. Our four-hour tour included a professional guide, a glass-blowing demonstration in Murano, a hand-crafted lace demonstration in Burano and round-trip transportation to all three islands via boat. I thought the price was very reasonable for all that was included, but truth be told – the price paid for little more than transportation. The guide was impossible to understand over the boat’s roaring engine. All in all, I’m still happy with the deal and it forced us to be back on our cruise ship in time for departure. Nothing like being stranded on a remote Venetian island and watching your cruise ship sail past to ruin your vacation!
Julia walks on the pier of Burano
Venetian glass, which is more commonly referred to as Murano glass today, is widely recognized as one of the most specialized and beautiful hand-crafted items the world over. Venice emerged as a prominent glass manufacturing center as early as the 8th century. The origins of glass making going back to the Roman Empire when molded glass was used to assist in the illumination of bathhouses. The island gained it’s notoriety when the Venetian glass blowers were all ordered to move their foundries to the island of Murano in 1291, for fear of fire on the main island. By the fourteenth century, the glassblowers were considered among the most elite of Venetian citizens. The closely guarded secrets developed on the island laid the foundation for a glassmaker monopoly on high quality glass that lasted for centuries. Our tour guide explained that even to this day the artisans of Murano are highly trained in this unique skill that is closely monitored by the Glassmakers Guild. Among other things, a Murano glassmaker must be the son of a tenured glassmaker and apprentice for twenty years before being allowed to make his own glass. A “young” glassmaker on the island would be someone who is in his mid forties.
We toured this factory, C&A GiserrieriThe artisan stands next to his furnaceHere he shapes or “marvers” the glass by rolling itNext, he “cuts in” to score the piece’s neckThis is where he is “trimming the lip” with shearsAnother example of design, he quickly molded a horseHe demonstrated the heat of the piece by simply laying a piece of paper on her neck, which immediately burst into flames
Next, we set sail for Burano, which is known mainly for its painted houses and the church of San Martino’s leaning campanile (bell tower). They also have an established reputation for their creations of lace.
As we sailed toward Burano, we could clearly see the leaning bell tower (in the background)A better shot of the bellower – it is leaning quite a bitThe painted houses were something to beholdThere were canals just like on the main islandThe vibrant colors were really something else!We loved strolling around and taking in all the beauty of the island
Lastly, we finished on the island of Torcello. We were surprised to learn that this was actually the first island to be settled by Venetians, and once held the largest population of the Republic of Venice. Today, you can hardly see evidence of this; the island is so sparsely inhabited that only a few structures remain and the inhabitants number fewer than a couple dozen. The main attraction nowadays is the Cattedrale di Santa Maria Assunta (Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta) founded in 639 AD.
Torcello was very different from the other islands of Venice proving that each island offers it’s own unique beautyJulia and I walk along the ancient canal in TorcelloSince it was cold, we warmed up with a little vin bruléJulia and I take a stroll over this bridgeSanta Maria Assunta (left) and Santa Fosca (right)The historic Santa Fosca church – you can distinguish the Byzantine influence
If you are planning a trip to Venice anytime soon, I would definitely recommend a tour of the peripheral islands. If you discover any other fun places to visit, please drop me a line and let me know!
Have you ever wanted to sound like the world’s biggest a-hole and alienate multiple friends, all in one fell swoop? If so, pay close attention and do exactly as I say. Kind of roll your eyes a little bit in an exaggerated act of annoyance and say the following words with the smug impatience of someone who thinks they’re as classy as Ivanka Trump (but really only has as much class as her father, ‘The’ Donald). Repeat after me:
“Ugh. We have to go to Venice… again?! Bleeeehh.”
Do that, and you are sure to land on the top of most people’s sh*t list! At the risk of losing blog readers, friends and maybe even a few family members… that is exactly how we felt recently when we went back to Venice. I can fully appreciate this is a ridiculous thought to have and even more obnoxious to share… but hey, this is a blog that delivers brutal honesty. When we booked our cruise with Celebrity Cruises a little while back, we did it despite the fact that the ship spent two days at port in Venice. Don’t get me wrong, Venice is a beautiful city with a unique charm found nowhere else in the world. If you’ve visited Venice before, you may reminisce about the romantic gondola rides, the charming cafes and the stunning churches. But when you’ve faced with a visit to Venice for the fifth time, you are more likely reminded of the crowded piazzas, overprices restaurants and long lines full of pushy tourists.
See… “First World Problems Girl” gets it!
Venezia (Venice) has an alluring history that I find to be more fascinating than nearly any other city in the world. I mean, the entire city has been floating on water for centuries, for Pete-sake! I detail a brief explanation of how Venice came to be in this blog post (definitely worth a quick read).
Doge’s Palace with San Marco Campanile in the backgroundThe Lion of San Marco perches atop a tall pillar outside of the piazza
Even though we weren’t very excited at the prospect of squaring off against millions of other tourists in a space not much larger than the Mall of America, we abandoned our original plans to stay on the ship and instead ventured onto Venice’s shores. We were sure glad that we did! Over the next two days we rediscovered a new Venice; one with more magic and charm than we ever realized was possible. What’s the difference, you ask? We were walking around in the off-season.
Our cruise ship sailed in just as the sun was risingThe early morning light cast over the city of Venice is a stunning sight
The weather was cold and the droves of tourists were nowhere in sight. We were able to deftly weave betwixt the shops, restaurants, churches and museums with ease. The horrid memory of sweating in lines and pushing through crowds became a thing of the past. Strolling down streets and visiting historical sites became pleasant and stress-free. We fell in love with the city all over again. It was as if we had undergone marriage counseling with Venezia and came out stronger and more in love than ever before.
Gondolas on the waterSan Giorgio Maggiore ChurchDoge’s Palace
In the past, we had rushed from attraction to attraction, trying to “pack it all in”. Of course, this is impossible to do – the city boasts art and architecture in abundance. Combined with the heat and the dense crowds of the past, we have enjoyed Venice – but haven’t been in love with the city since our magical first visit. This time, it was completely different. Since we didn’t feel any pressure to see the main sites – we decided to take it slowly and just be in the moment. Our second day was even better when we opted only to see the attractions on the second and third pages of most guide books.
We were lucky to have such a beautiful day – spectacular weather
First, we spent a bit of time walking through the winding and narrow streets. Our goal was simple – to stay away from the main square, Piazza San Marco as long as we could, fearing the worst (we still didn’t know just how “wide open” the city had become). We stopped for a quick sandwich around 10:30am because Julia was hungry. We found a great little wine bar, far from the main “touristy” areas. We discovered locals coming in and enjoying glasses of wine at the bar. I thought…“well, why not?!” If the locals can enjoy a mid-morning wine and Julia can enjoy a mid-morning salami sandwich, why shouldn’t I join in the fun? I ordered a nice Valpolicella Ripasso – a wonderful wine local to the region. I got a nice big pour for €4. “Wait, so if you don’t crowd into the main spots – food and drink are priced reasonably?!”
A gondolier takes a break to feed his friendsHis craft was parked nearby awaiting a fareThe canals are always beautiful – any time of dayWe started to discover just how empty the city wasJulia insisted on stopping for a mid-morning salami sandwichJen and I stop for a photo on Ponte di Rialto (Rialto Bridge)It was chilly, so we warmed up with some vin brulé
Eventually, we did wind our way into Piazza San Marco and found that our pleasant morning was a precursor to a pleasant afternoon. I have never seen the square so wide open. We walked right into Basilica di San Marco – something I thought was impossible without waiting for at least an hour or two! We took in the rest of the sites, including the Procuratie Vecchie, Campanile, Loggetta and Torre dell’Orologio. But the absolute peak of the day was when we fed the birds. We had a blast watching Julia get swarmed by dozens of pigeons. A highlight of the entire cruise, for sure! I can’t confirm any truth to the rumors that these pigeons inspired Alfred Hitchcock’s film, The Birds (mainly because I just started that rumor to suit this post’s title) – but being swarmed by dozens of these winged beggars felt like we were on the set of the movie itself.
Ponte dei Sospiri (Bridge of Sighs) is usually tougher to photograph with tourists pushing for positionI LOVED this guys photography poseYou’ve got to remain in a stylish pose while you check your workJen and I pose in front of the Canale Della GiudeccaWe were able to stroll right in to Basilica San MarcoJulia lights a candle and says a little prayerJen and Julia in Piazza San MarcoJulia loved being in the wide open piazzaShe took time to explore on her ownOnce again, she was a hit with other tourists who wanted to take photos with herShe decided to start feeding the birds“Whoa! Mom..Dad – I got one!”I showed her how to get more than one birdWhich worked out better than expected… that’s Julia hidden behind a wall of birdsThat was about the same reaction that Julia had
Buckle up, because our next stop is our second day in Venice. I think I’ll call it “Venice Like You’ve Never Seen Before”. We rise early to visit the fish market as well as the islands of Murano for a glass blowing demonstration, tour the painted houses of Burano and round out our visit with the ancient church on Torcello. Most people forget, Venice has more to share than just the main island!
An older building shows a unique beauty that only Venice can provideWe returned to our ship as a beautiful sun was setting on the Grand Canal
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned three centuries and gave us some of the world’s most precious treasures. It changed the way people thought, it altered politics and it had an impact on art and architecture that lasts to this day. The exciting changes in art and philosophy reached across Europe and quite literally brought people out of the Dark Ages and into the light of a new era. There is little debate about the birthplace of the Renaissance; nearly all scholars will agree that it is Florence, Italy. Because of the city’s important impact on the world as we know it, as well as it’s own unique beauty – Florence is a city that everyone should see in their lifetime. If those are not compelling enough reasons, Florence is in Tuscany – one of Italy’s most beautiful regions.
Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore – the famous Duomo of Florence
We recently embarked on a cruise aboard Celebrity Cruises new ship, the Silhouette. We chose this particular cruise for a variety of reasons; among the most convincing was the itinerary. We have wanted to visit certain parts of Italy, including Florence and parts of southern Italy. The ports of call fit in with our “Italy bucket list” perfectly. We spent two days (HERE and HERE) in the bejeweled city of Rome before we set sail and woke up the next day in Livorno. Livorno is a port city in Tuscany that has access to some of the region’s most renowned cities. Cruise-goers opted to visit Florence, Siena or Pisa or the smaller towns of Volterra and San Gimignano. We always knew that we would venture to Florence; the only question was how we would get there. If you read any of my previous posts from our summer cruise (HERE, HERE, HERE) – you’ll know that I am not a fan of booking daily excursions through the cruise line. On a positive note, booking through the cruise ship is easier and they do offer some great itineraries. But it is often five or ten times the cost of organizing the day trips on your own. Armed with that knowledge, we bypassed the cruise’s tour buses and instead opted to visit Florence by train, given its far away proximity to the port city.
Our suite aboard Celebrity’s Silhouette
We found the room to be spacious and very pleasant for a cruise ship
Julia got to sleep in her first “big girl” bed
After over an hour on the train, we arrived in Florence eager to soak up the sights and the culture. My uncle had left us a great guide book on his previous visit, so we had a rough idea of how we wanted our day to evolve. I bought a city map for a €1 from a guy selling them on the street and confirmed our route. We first strolled through one of Florence’s main markets. The city is well known for their leather goods and we wanted to see what they had. As we continued our tour along the city streets, the sky decided to open up. Our plan had been to soak up sights and sounds of Florence and instead we simply ended up getting… soaked.
Florence boasts great markets – they are renowned for their leather products
After trying in vein to stay dry under the canopy of a shoe store, we decided that pushing on was our only option. So we walked past the Medici Chapels and Basilica of San Lorenzo. We strolled down the puddle-filled Via Cavour and arrived in the Piazza del Duomo. The piazza houses three very important architectural triumphs. Giotto’s Campanile (bell tower) is a showpiece of Gothic architecture. The Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery of St. John) is one of the oldest buildings in the city, constructed in the Romanesque style. The octagonal building once served as a Roman temple constructed to honor Mars, the tutelary god of Florence. Today, the baptistery is most famed for it’s eastern doors, known as the “Gates of Paradise”. Constructed of gilded bronze, the doors feature ten intricate panels that depict scenes from the Old Testament. Most people don’t realize that the doors on display are actually replicas (the originals are kept in Museo dell’Opera del Duomo). Even though they are not the “real deal” it is still amazing to behold the work of LorenzoGhiberti, a project that took him twenty seven years to complete and has been described by art historian Antonio Paolucci as “the most important event in the history of Florentine art in the first quarter of the 15th century”.
We stop for a family photo in the Piazza del Duomo
Giotto’s Campanile (bell tower) offers some of the best views of the city
The Battistero di San Giovanni is an octagonal shaped structure
The impressive bronze-gilded doors referred to as the “Gates of Paradise”
The third and most renowned attraction in the piazza is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore or as it’s most commonly referred, Duomo di Firenze (Florence’s Dome). Construction began in 1296 in the Gothic style and was finally finished in 1436 in the Gothic Revival style with the completion of the famous dome. So much time had passed during construction that Gothic architecture had been all the rage, became “totally uncool” and then turned “retro and hip” again before the church was finished! The construction of the dome was overseen by the famed architect and master goldsmith, Filippo Brunelleschi, spanning sixteen years (1420 – 1436). Although, the history of the dome dates back much further – the commission was awarded to Brunelleschi in 1418 based off Arnolfo di Cambio’s original design of the dome, dating back to 1296. In fact, the church was completed in 1380 with only the dome remaining incomplete (a period of 40 years stretched across the completion of the church and the start of the dome). The main reason for such a long gap in time? Nothing had ever been engineered at quite this high level of intricacy and it took someone 40 years to come up with a good solution. The end result is nothing short of an engineering marvel. The design and construction of the dome is largely considered one of the first events marking the Italian Renaissance. Together, the three structures in the piazza (the Duomo, the Battistero and the Campanile) are a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering the historic center of Florence.
The basilica with the famous dome shown
The front façade is composed of various marble from within Tuscany
The fresco in the central dome was begun by Vasari in 1568 and finished by Zuccaro in 1579
Inside the cathedral
Next up was a visit to the Piazza Della Signoria and a visit to the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace). This impressive Romanesque fortress stands today as Florence’s town hall. A replica of Michelangelo’s David stands at the front gates. The original marble statue carved by the young artisan stood at the entrance from its completion in 1504 until it was moved in 1873.
The Palazza Vecchio inside Piazza Della Signoria
The Fountain of Neptune by Bartolomeo Ammannati commissioned in 1565
An exact replica of The David stands in the location of the original
We concluded our tour of the city by crossing over the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). To fully appreciate the bridge, you first need to learn a little bit about one of the most powerful families of all time – the Medici family. The “House of Medici” was the preeminent Tuscan family that first attained it’s wealth and political power in Florence during the 13th century. Their successes in banking and commerce cemented their wealth, while their philanthropic and political involvement garnered them prestige and infamy. The family dominated politics, economics and culture in Florence for three centuries (15th to the 18th centuries) and provided the world with four Pope’s, two Queens and countless Dukes. Through their banking empire they developed a significant improvement to the general ledger system with the development of the double-entry bookkeeping system for tracking credits and debits. Their financial sponsorship of arts and architecture largely funded the Renaissance itself, paving the way for advances never before seen. The patronage of a young and inspired mind, Leonardo da Vinci gave the world some of our most prized treasures and significant cultural advancements.
Jen and Julia on Ponte Vecchio
Our little Tuscan girl
The bust of famed Florentine artist, Benvenuto Cellini
So what did the Medici’s have to do with a bridge you ask? You may assume that they funded it (and you’d be right – the reconstruction effort of 1345) and think to yourself… “what’s the big deal, Greg – you just told me they basically bankrolled the entire Renaissance, who cares about a single bridge”? Well, in my opinion there are two very interesting things about this particular overpass.
First, the bridge is credited as being the birthplace of bankruptcy, an action the banking family supported. The bridge has always housed shops and merchants (as it still does to this day) and when a merchant could not pay his debts, the counter on which he sold his wares (the “banco”) was physically broken (“rotto”) by soldiers. The practice was thus referred to as bancorotto (broken counter, or as it became known, broken bank). Once the merchant lost his table, he was no longer able to sell anything.
The second interesting factoid about the bridge also has to do with these merchants. Butchers dominated the shops along the bridge, nearly since it’s inception. In 1564, Grand Duke Cosimo I de’ Medici commissioned the Vasari Corridor – an enclosed passageway elevated above the Ponte Vecchio in order to connect the Palazzo Vecchio with the Palazzo Pitti. The Grand Duke commissioned the bridge because he wanted a private walkway when crossing between his personal residence and the government palace – he couldn’t be bothered to walk amongst the commoners. As if this was bad-ass enough… he took it a step further. The smell of meat was not a scent that he cared to inhale, so he had all the butchers removed and oversaw the installation of gold and jewelry shops (a tradition that persists today – there are nothing but gold and jewelry shops along the bridge… with a couple souvenir places sprinkled in). The gold merchants not only offered a less offensive odor, they extended a much more pleasant view and enhanced the prestige of the bridge.
Julia kept us on our toes with shenanigans like these our entire time at sea
We got a few souvenirs for ourselves and then hustled back to the ship for a lot more fun at sea!
I suppose that I’ve sufficiently succeeded in being completely cheesy and unoriginal, using the two most obvious cliche’s to name my two posts about Rome (first post). Oh well, this is what you can expect from me when I’m faced with the monumental task of bringing you up to speed on our many recent adventures. So, let’s begin!
When I last left you, we had seen the Pope’s home (Vatican City), a bunch of steps (Spanish Steps) and a some running water (Trevi Fountain). The next day, we wanted to see a pile of stones (Colosseum) and a big dome (Pantheon). And if anyone ever describes some of the world’s most precious treasures like that again, smack them!
On our second day in Rome, we set out early to reach the Colosseum, the world’s largest ancient amphitheater and one of the most spectacular examples of Roman engineering and design. It is estimated that the colosseum could hold as many as 80,000 spectators. If you put that into perspective, that’s as big as most NFL football stadiums – only it was built almost 2000 years ago! I’m no historian, but I don’t think they had reinforced steel, engineering software and cement-mixing trucks back then. It’s no wonder that the Amphitheatrum Flavium (it’s Latin name) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of seven wonders of the world [source].
Amphitheatrum Flavium (Colosseum)
Julia found some horses that she wanted to ride
I hold Julia outside the massive stadium
Posing with Dad
Now momma gets a photo with Julia
“Cheese!”
We didn’t get to spend too much time at the Colosseum because we had something even more important to do as we approached mid-day. I know, you’re thinking… “Greg, I’ve been reading this blog long enough to know that your very important thing is just lunch”. On any other day, you would be correct. But on this particular day… lunch would have to wait. We had a meeting with someone you may have heard of. Oh you know… Pope Francis.
Papa Francesco greets us from a window in the Papal Residence
Now, when I say “meeting with the Pope” – I mean, a meeting of sorts. A meeting that I generously shared with about 5,000 other people. Every Sunday at noon, the Pope addresses the masses from the Papal Residence and delivers a short address to the crowd, followed by a blessing. It was quite a tremendous thing indeed to be blessed by the Pope!
Large crowds await the Pope’s appearance
We take a picture amongst the crowd
A somewhat grumpy Julia rises above the crowd to take a picture with the Papal Residence in the background
The crowd roared with jubilation when Pope Francis appeared
Jen and Julia listened intently during his address
A view of Saint Peter’s Basilica with the crowd
We left the Vatican feeling great and enthralled by the beautiful weather. We decided to continue our tour of Rome with wide detours, adding time and additional sights to our pedestrian footpath. We departed from the Vatican and walked past the Castel Sant’Angelo before crossing over the famous Ponte Sant’Angelo bridge. We strolled along the Fiume Tevere (Tiber River), Italy’s third longest river that courses directly through the city of Rome.
We were lost among a sea of people departing Vatican City along Via Della Conciliazione
We have our photo taken with Vatican City in the background
A direct shot of Saint Peter’s Basilica and the Obelisk that sits in front
Castel Sant’Angelo
The Italian flag waves proudly atop the castle
Angels fly overtop the Ponte Sant’Angelo
Crossing the Ponte Sant’Angelo I turned for a view of the castle
View along the Fiume Tevere (Tiber River)
Although, this was my favorite view along the river
Our destination was the chic neighborhood of Trastevere. Trastevere is to Rome as the West Village is to New York, but with fewer hipsters and MacBooks. Small streets are lined with great shops, cafes and restaurants. People spend time outside and congregate with neighbors. The short time we spent there was long enough to fantasize about owning a pied-à-terre in this particular part of Rome. We ate a fabulous lunch at a local place and continued on by foot.
A small ristorante in Trastevere
Even the Vespa’s look hipper
People gather at a cafe
The narrow streets don’t offer a lot of room for the public transportation
We wrapped around to the southwest portion of the city to see the Fonte Acqua Paola – a site that is seldom talked about, but worth a visit. A panoramic view of the city opens before you eyes from the elevated vantage point. The styling of the fountain is nearly as impressive as the Trevi Fountain, but without the crowds.
Julia leads the way up to the fountain
A beautiful panoramic view of Rome opens from this high vantage point
Fonte Acqua Paola – built in 1610 to mark the end of the Acqua Paola acqueduct
Julia is thrilled to have discovered another fountain
She allows me to take a picture with her
We next made our way to the east banks of the Tiber river and visited Campo dè Fiori, an outdoor marketplace. We followed a short arc back toward the Pantheon. Along the way, we saw the Area Sacra, one of Rome’s most significant archeological finds. Four temples dating as far back as the fourth century BC were discovered quite by accident in 1926. We planned to eat dinner in one of the restaurants in Piazza Navona, Rome’s largest piazza built on grounds of the ancient Stadio di Domiziano. After taking in the beauty of the piazza, we spent all of three minutes evaluating and then quickly dismissing the restaurant options. The places were obvious tourist traps, many of them boasting pictures of their food (which is always our first sign it’s time to scram). Instead we tucked into a little trattoria on a nearly unnoticed street and settled in for a couple nice glasses of wine.
Area Sacra a significant find in the middle of the modern city
The Pantheon was built in 126 AD
The Pantheon’s coffered dome was poured in concrete moulds- the oculus is the main source of natural light
Fontana del Pantheon across from Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda
We stopped for some wine in a nearby piazza while Julia had dinner
The Pantheon and Piazza Rotunda at night
The fountain in front of the Pantheon
Altare della Patria (Alter of the Fatherland) also known as Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II
We had two big days in a magical city, but so much more still ahead of us. We were departing on our cruise the next day; eager to embark on another adventure on the sea.
If all roads lead to Rome, nowadays you could also say that all European cruises start from Rome. Well, maybe not all – but a good many of the cruise ships use this port of call as a starting point for their Mediterranean voyages. At least, this was the case on our cruise aboard Celebrity Cruise Lines ship, Silhouette. The Silhouette is one of five ships in their newest Solstice Class – a group of sleek, modern ships with a heavy emphasis on style and dining. The ship and the cruise did not disappoint. We had many ports of call and a lot of wonderful activities that I’d like to write about, so let’s start at the beginning…
A wonderful statue stands outside the port of our ship
We arrived in Rome two days ahead of our ship’s departure to explore the city’s history, experience the cuisine and absorb the magic of a place you absolutely must see in your lifetime. Two days is barely enough time to scratch the surface, but we did our best to fit in as much as possible. On this blog, I’ll often write about a city’s history before detailing our adventures. The history of Rome is so storied and captivating, that a single paragraph couldn’t possibly do it justice. Instead, I invite you to click on this link to read about Rome and this link to read about Ancient Rome. Or get off the internet and pick up a book (but not until you finish reading my blog post)!
A view of Rome – Altare della Patria stands prominently above the rest of the city
After living in Italy for nearly a year, we are still learning travel tips on a constant basis. A new lesson you may be surprised to learn (and one that could possibly be applied to real life) – procrastination doesn’t pay. Even though I knew our travel dates, I waited months to reserve our train tickets. I paid roughly €80 for two tickets from Milano to Roma on the express train (a great price), but more than triple that amount on the way back – they only had first class seats available. Suggestion – if you know your dates, book early! Better suggestion – if you have flexibility in your dates, book your train first and then schedule everything around it (for example, I could have stayed an extra night in Rome for the difference in train fare). Additionally, go talk to someone at the ticket counter (most of them speak English). They often have access to fares that are different (and better) than the kiosks. If you travel from Milano to Roma, book aboard the velocità alta (high speed train), which whisks you across the country at a remarkable 300km per hour, delivering you in just over three hours.
We arrived in Rome just after lunch and went immediately from our hotel to Città del Vaticano (Vatican City), thereby entering a country not apart of Italy. The city-state is sovereign territory of roughly 110 acres entirely enclosed behind large ancient walls. The city boasts a population of around 840 people, making it the world’s smallest internationally recognized independent nation in terms of both size and population. As they say, good things come in small packages. We opted to join a tour group, since there is so much to see and do inside the city walls. The tour included the Vatican Museums, the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica – the three main attractions in the city.
Saint Peter’s Square at night – shown here are the Basilica and the obelisk
We started in the Vatican Museums, a collection of buildings that hold some of the world’s most priceless and inspiring works of art. My camera was smoking from staying on overdrive. In 2011 over five million people visited the museums founded by Pope Julius II in the early 16th century [source]. Our tour included passage through the Borgias’ house; family of the controversial Pope Callixtus III, popularized by the hit Showtime series, The Borgias.
Just hanging out with my pal, Augustus – “hmm, I like his hair… but he needs a beard”
Amazing works of art carved from marble greet us in the entryway
Laocoön and His Sons excavated in Rome in 1506
The piece is dated between 200 BC and 70 AD
An example of the French painting style, trompe-l’œi (deceive the eye) – the image appears three-dimensional
Central portion of the tapestry, The Resurrection of Jesus
Eye-popping ceiling in the impressive Galleria delle Carte Geografiche (Gallery of Maps)
Jen stops for a photo
Next, we walked into the adjoining Sistine Chapel. On the tour, we learned that the Sistine Chapel is the largest chapel in the world. A chapel, practically by definition is a small place of worship (either freestanding or attached to a larger church). This is significant because the papal conclave (the sequestering of cardinals when electing a new Pope) is held in the Sistine Chapel (as opposed to the more spacious Basilica, next door). Inside the basilica, Michelangelo’sLast Judgement monopolizes the back wall, while the even more famous Creation of Adam rests prominently in the center of the ceiling. Words cannot describe the feeling that washes over you as you sit in such a historically significant place. The amazing frescoes inspire images of Michelangelo, resting on his back atop scaffolding and slowly painting each section, a brush in one hand and a candle in the other.
The most iconic portion of Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, The Creation of Adam
As the sun set on our tour, we visited Saint Peter’s Basilica, one of the largest churches in the world. The church sits in the center of St. Peter’s Square, which is flanked by large rounded colonnades – intentionally reaching out like long arms embracing visitors. From an aerial perspective, you’ll see that the church itself is designed in the shape of the cross, while the entire square resembles a keyhole (echoing Saint Peter’s role as holder of keys to heaven).
A beautiful blue night’s sky had settled over St. Peter’s Basilica
Pietà, also by Michelangelo
While our appetites for spiritual enlightenment had been quenched, our appetite for food was ravishing. We found a wonderful place, Gusto Forno and went in for dinner. What we found was even better – a happy hour with a buffet included in the price of your drink. And the drinks were magical! The bar-genius, Nina had created a cocktail inspired by a margherita pizza. Sounds weird, but the result was nothing short of fabulous. If you’re in Rome, stop by and see her.
I take a picture with our wonderful waitress and the fabulous bartender, Nina
Nina’s creation – the Pizza Margherita cocktail
Some of the buffet that was included with the order of a cocktail
Before the night was over, we stopped by Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti (Spanish Steps). Of course, no visit to Rome would be complete without throwing a coin over your shoulder (guaranteeing your return to the city) in the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain).
Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti (Spanish Steps)
Julia on the Spanish Steps
Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) at night
This magnificent fountain stands 86 ft. high
Julia gives her momma a hug
Jen and Julia in front of the Trevi Fountain
Family photo
Julia wanted to go for a swim
Julia gets ready to toss her coin and ensure her return to Rome
Italian architect Nicola Salvi lost the original contest to design the fountain, but was awarded the commission anyway due to public outcry in Rome that a Florentine (Alessandro Galilei) had won – a fortunate turn of events
As it turns out, two days in Rome is too action packed to fit into one post – so I’ll continue in a subsequent posting. Ciao for now!
We recently had the most amazing vacation aboard Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam and I have had a wonderful time writing about it. I have discovered even more about each destination as I’ve researched them further and I have had the pleasure of reliving it all over again as I post the pictures. I hope that you’ve enjoyed your time aboard with us. Sadly, I will close this chapter of our overseas adventure and move onto the next story in an upcoming post. There is still plenty more to come in the blog pipeline…
“Dad, wrap this up already – you’re putting us all to sleep!”
If you joined us thus far, you’ll know we visited Venice, Olympia and Athens in our first post and then Istanbul and Lesbos in the second post. The final leg of our cruise transports us to Kuşadası, Santorini and Argostoli. As always, we’ll include some of our shipboard life and hopefully you’ll be able to stick with me – I’ve got a ton of pictures in this final post.
When I last left you, we were sailing away from the Greek island of Lesbos and I was getting knocked out of a blackjack tournament final table with some unlucky cards. The only thing that could wash away that feeling of despair was some spiritual enlightenment. Sure, they have a chapel aboard the ship – but I think strolling directly from the casino into the chapel is the sort of thing that the Big Guy frowns upon, so I waited for our port the following day.
We woke up in Kuşadası, Turkey – a beautiful resort town on the Aegean coast; wonderful in it’s own right, but not our intended destination. We were set to visit, Ephesus – an ancient city with a plethora of historic treasures. There are two main spectacles to behold within the vicinity of Ephesus – the Ancient City itself and the House of the Virgin Mary. Since the terrain was difficult to access and far from the ship, we hired a private driver to bring us to the notable sites. We first started with the House of the Virgin Mary, arriving fairly early in the morning. This small home was said to be the final home and final resting place of the Virgin Mary, carried here to live out her final days by St. John, the Apostle. Our early arrival time did little to help put us in a tolerable position in the queue (yes, I just “British’d” it up). The house is both a Catholic and Muslim shrine (so… um, yeah – number one and two religions in term of size). Given that fact, the line would normally be long – but we happened to arrive on the most “holy” of days. The annual pilgrimage to the House of the Virgin Mary coincided with our visit and threatened to consume our entire day along with the thousands of other visitors cramming in to see a tiny house.
Jen and Julia in front of the House of the Virgin Mary
A bronze statue of the Virgin Mary welcomes all visitors
As spiritually enlightening as seeing a 150 sq. foot home could be (admittedly, this was more my wife’s gig than mine), I was not thrilled at the prospect of standing in line under the hot sun all day. I saw an alternative option and struck with military precision when the time was right. First, I set out on a reconnaissance mission to scout additional routes for people with strollers. Coming up empty handed in that department, I formulated a plan. When I returned to Jen and Julia standing in line, I uttered the following words verbatim; “follow me, don’t ask any questions, don’t stall and keep up with my pace”. You see, my wife is a perpetual “rule follower” and I am a habitual “rule breaker”. Her innocence often thwarts my plans for easy advancement – but I think she was on board this time; moving at a snails pace under a hot Turkish sun will cause any mother to want to move! We whisked past the crowds, through an outdoor church service and out the other end to a gate immediately in front of the house. It certainly helped that I was pushing a baby stroller and can dish a kind smile that I reserve for occasions like these. My little stunt saved us an estimated three hours (no exaggeration). Jen was pleased with my shenanigans for once… now maybe I can convince her to come over to the dark side.
Just a portion of the long line that was making the annual pilgrimage to see the house
Mary would not approve of my behavior – I did have a baby to worry about though
Jen lights a candle to ask forgiveness for my shenangins
Our next stop was the the Ancient City of Ephesus. Artifacts excavated on site have proved that there were inhabitants in this area as far back as the Neolithic Age (6,000 BC), with consistent development throughout the Bronze Age and into the Archaic Period, when the city really began to prosper (650 BC). The city changed from Greek to Roman and finally into Turkish domain in 1304. Today, archeologists are constantly amazed by the plethora of treasures being discovered on a continual basis. The prevailing theory is that they have only unearthed a fraction of the city (a lot of major discoveries were made as recently as the 1970’s), but limited funds have slowed down excavation and restoration efforts. Some of the more notable discoveries are the Temple of Artemis, which is one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World and the Library of Celsus, which appeared on the Turkish Lira between 2001 and 2009.
We passed this large Virgin Mary on the way to the Ancient City
Standing next to the Basilica Stoa
Julia decides to lead the tour for our little group
“Peekaboo!”
“Look at me!”
The Bouleuterion (100 AD) housed the meetings of the council
Julia and I hiked all the way to the top of the Bouleuterion
Street lined with archeological excavations
The Temple of Domitian (81 AD)
The Curetes Street – a main boulevard prestigiously equipped with marble paving and home to many boutiques
The Deep Traveler statue recovered in 2013 dates back to 1980 – Jen’s favorite piece
The Trajan Fountain (102 AD)
The Temple of Hadrian (138 AD) – one of the most stunning ruins along the Curetes Street
We discovered a seldom seen gem, the Latriana
Public latrines where residents would literally sit cheek to cheek
Family photo in front of the Celsus Library
Tiberius Julius Aquila commissioned the Celsus Library (110 AD) as a mausoleum for his father
Column base with writing from Ancient Greek times
A market enclosed the exit gate of the ancient city – I happened to love this guy’s honesty
The next stop on our cruise was the port I was most excited about above all our other destinations – Santorini, Greece. Images of white homes with blue trim overlooking the Aegean danced in my head all night. Our wonderful Cruise Director, Anthony and Location Guide, Tom would televise a show about each port prior to our arrival. Through this in-room broadcast, I learned that Santorini (Σαντορίνη) sits perched high atop a cliff, with three ways to ascend. You can traverse the vertical 260 meters (853 feet) by climbing a difficult 580 steps (not ideal for couples with strollers) or you could opt to take the cable car for a fast and scenic arrival. Finally, you can chose to climb the absolute best way possible – by donkey!! Believe me, it was not easy to sell this option to Jen – but I never take “no” for an answer. We had an absolute blast climbing, laughing and trying not to fall off. I don’t think Julia has ever had so much fun in her life and I haven’t laughed quite so hard as I did to the shrieks of pure terror coming from Jen. The donkeys climb the pathway unassisted and will [at times] pin you against a wall while they wait for the overcrowding of ascending and descending donkeys to clear. All in all – a wonderful experience.
“eehh-aaaww!”
“You want me to carry you AND you’re baby?!”
The guide helps us on – that was the last we saw of him, this donkey was on autopilot
And w’ere off
Julia wanted to take a turn on her own
Santorini is an island unlike any we’ve ever seen. First of all, the entire complex of islands was formed by a volcanic eruption over 60 million years ago. The city today is essentially what remains after a more recent volcanic explosion in the modern age (this area is the most active volcanic area in the South Volcanic Aegean Arc). Santorini is financially supported by the bustling tourism industry; not surprising as ours was one of three cruise ships waiting patiently off shore for the tenders to bring passengers back and forth. In fact, Santorini was the only port to provide their own tenders – much larger boats than any cruise ship could provide in order to bring more people ashore quickly. It is actually quite smart of them to recognize that opportunity.
Horsing around with daddy
And then mommy
The blue ocean was simply magnificent
Julia is kind enough to share her drink with me
As well as her mother
This guy was selling freshly caught lobsters – look at the size of those beauties
Family photo
My two girls
Santorini
“I love this place!”
The blue domed churches were exactly what I envisioned
Some of the resorts offered stunning views – of all our ports, we want to come back to Santorini the most
A city unlike any other
I thought this was a great “artistic” shot – I was later validated when I saw this image in a travel magazine
From Homer’s Odyssey?
Here you can really get a sense of the volcanic caldera upon which the city was built
The white houses and blue domed roofs were just as promised
Climbing up a portion of the volcano – just off the beaten path
Jen covers Julia from the sun
#HollandAmerica would have these amazing reception areas at every port before re-boarding the ship
Sailing away gave you a true sense of the grandeur of the island
After Santorini, we saw the end of our cruise approaching quickly. I think we both somewhat dismissed our final destination, since neither of us had heard of Argostoli, Greece (in fact, when we woke up at port Jen proclaimed, “Oh! We have another stop?!”). Quietly dismissing Argostoli (Αργοστόλι) as, “just another stop” was foolish since it turned out to be one of the most pleasant days we experienced. The island is one of the larger of Greek Isles and was has the pleasure of hosting gorgeous beaches.
Family photo in front of the aqua-green waters of Argostoli
We passed through a brief section of woods before arriving at the beach
The beach opened before us like a butterfly spreading it’s wings for the first time (too much??)
You can never go wrong when you can rent straw beach umbrellas for the day
There were tons of people in the warm water
When we pulled away from Argostoli, we had one final “formal night” aboard the ship. Holland America went all out for this final night and served lobster tails and filet mignon in many of the ship’s restaurants.
Family photo in the Manhattan Dining Room on the formal night
Jen and Julia get ready for their meals
We started with foie gras
We each ordered surf and turf
The last day aboard was a sea day and so the world was our oyster. As always, there were plenty of activities to keep us entertained. One activity in particular caught my eye – a behind the scenes tour of the Nieuw Amsterdam’s amazing kitchen. We got to walk through their massive, industrial kitchen and I learned a few interesting facts about our ship. A kitchen crew of 150 individuals prepare food for 223 service staff to serve the guests each day. Each week 11,830 lbs of meat is consumed aboard the ship. A fact that I thought was staggering until I learned that 1,675 lbs of butter is also consumed each week (yuck – heart attack)! The tour was wonderful and the crew gave Julia one of their display crabs made from cooked bread dough.
The Executive Chef, Daniel Hergic poses with two of his chefs
A display of some of their finer beef and lamb
The form of their “bread-animal” displays before they were cooked
And then the final product. Julia got to keep the crab (the missing gap in the middle)
Included in the cost of most cruises is unlimited food at a variety of restaurants (casual dining, poolside dining, room service and the main dining rooms). Many cruise ships also offer the option to pay a nominal fee for more specialized dining (usually between $15 – $35/pp). On our previous cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line had a Japanese steak house complete with hibachi show. On our last day aboard the Nieuw Amsterdam, we decided to try two of the three specialized restaurants. We had a lunch of dim-sum in the Tamarind Restaurant, an upscale Asian specialty restaurant and then finish our cruise with a celebratory dinner at the Pinnacle Grill, a five-star steakhouse. Our last dinner was made even more special when the casino sent a bottle of wine to our room prior to dinner and then another one to the table as we dined! What a wonderful way to cap off the most amazing vacation of our lives.
We started with a hot and sour soup
Asian Herb Szechuan Sesame Salad
Steamed classic dumplings and a mixture of items from the wok, paired with fried rice
Later that night, at the Pinnacle Grill…
Jen started with a lobster bisque made tableside
Lobster bisque with crème fraîche and aged cognac
My caesar salad with homemade dressing, grated parmesan cheese, garlic croutons and anchovies, prepared tableside
My porterhouse with horseradish-mustard and master chef’s green peppercorn on the side
Jen ordered the lobster tail on a bed of wilted spinach and arugula, with “mango-churri” pesto sauce
Julia thanks Captain Edward G. van Zaane
Thank you Holland America for hosting us and thank you for reading all about it!
Admit it… you sang the title in your head, complete with the voice raising on the “and-a I”…
I love to cruise. Jen loves to cruise. And now… Julia absolutely loves to cruise. We have very few experiences aboard cruise ships, but each time we’ve been on one of these massive floating hotels (or mini-floating city’s… I couldn’t choose between adjectives – you pick your favorite), we feel like royalty. We know that we will chose this method of vacation many more times in our lives. Cruising requires little planning and you are always rewarded with the very best customer service, the opportunity to see many more cities than you normally could in a given time period, endless activities aboard the ship, wonderful food, the benefit of unpacking only once and perhaps best of all – a very affordable vacation (you can get very good deals if you hawk the last-minute deal sites).
Our ship – Holland America’s MS Nieuw Amsterdam
The first time that Jen and I took a cruise was on our honeymoon. We spent three weeks sailing around South America (from Buenos Aires, Argentina all the way around Cape Horn and on to Santiago, Chile). I chose Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) for our first cruise, primarily because the itinerary was perfect and I found it to be reasonably priced. I wasn’t nearly the internet-nerd I am today and so I did little research beyond that. We had a wonderful vacation, ate way too much food, enjoyed some lovely scenery (I have thousands of pictures to prove it) and had an absolute blast. However, I had no idea how amazing cruising could really be until we recently boarded Holland America’s, MS Nieuw Amsterdam (pronounced, n-e-w); one of the newer ships in their fleet.
Boarding the Nieuw Amsterdam
I had a few checklist items when we moved abroad – things I wanted to do and to see. Experiencing a cruising-adventure was definitely on that list. For the first time in our lives, we had the flexibility to really take advantage of a “last-minute” vacation, and so the plan was to use that to our full advantage. Unfortunately, we discovered that having a child prevents you from really getting those steep 70% off discounts you see flashing on the side of your favorite webpages. Some cruise lines require a child to pay a full fair. Others require that he or she have a special room or special bed. Either way, it seemed that the myth of really inexpensive cruising (at least with a child) was just that – a myth. Eventually, we searched for dates further into the future (ensuring the ability to book a room that could accommodate a small child) and narrowed our choice down to two cruises with two very different itineraries on two very different cruise lines.
Could this little peanut (eating until her heart is content) actually prevent us from finding our perfect cruise?!
“Who me?! No way, Dad. Now, let’s EAT!”
World travelers and vacation aficionados – here’s where you need to pay attention. I am going to share two valuable resources I discovered throughout this process. First, I had been paying a fortune in cell phone bills, calling these various companies to get accurate information about their cruises. Then I stumbled across, gethuman.com – an internet based voiceover IP company that allows you to call most major companies from your computer – for free! I have spent this past year calling American Express, Visa, Wells Fargo and other companies at a cost of roughly €10 per call… just to get past the automated prompts! This site has revolutionized my ability to manage tasks at home while living abroad. Second, we discovered cruisecritic.com – the ultimate guide when selecting a cruise. Consider it the yelp or trip advisor of the sea. This site allows you to plug in any cruise line and read reviews – but more importantly it allows you to search specific cruise ships, ranking everything on that unique vessel from the food to the service – ultimately awarding the ship a nice, neat approval percentage number. It’s all very easy and streamlined. What I learned was that a cruise line can offer a vastly different experience aboard any number of their ships (for example, an older ship with lesser quality food may not be nearly as pleasant as one of their newer ships). Therefore, we learned that the ship itself is more important than the cruise operator. And we learned this lesson just in time. I was on the phone with Costa (the losing company), about to book our cruise. I had selected this particular cruise because of the funky itinerary. In addition to the “normal” places, we would have ventured into Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria. I was moments away from giving my credit card number when Jen motioned at me frantically, having just discovered this particular ship only had a 54% approval rating. I got off the call as quickly as possible and called Holland America, booking aboard the Niew Amsterdam.
Julia evaluates one of the rooftop pools – this one was located midship
Our cruise departed from Venice, and so we took the three hour train from our home. We were in no rush to get into Venice early, having been there on previous occasions. We bypassed the throngs of tourists vying for photos of the canals and simply went right to the ship. We stayed in Venice’s port the first night, but set sail early in the morning. As we sailed through the Canale Della Giudecca in the middle of the city (I had no idea that it was deep enough to accommodate our massive ship), our fabulous Location Guide, Tom gave a memorable and insightful tour of everything that we were seeing. I apologize in advance for the pictures, I only had Jen’s cell phone with me – poor planning.
Sailing past another ship in the harbor
From high atop our cruise ship – we could see the entire city unfold before our eyes
A beautiful view of Santa Maria della Salute and the Campanile of Piazza San Marco
From this height we could actually look down and across Piazza Saint Marco – a very unique perspective
Here you can see many of the 118 different islands that make up Venice
Our first full day aboard the ship was a Sea Day, which means exactly that – we were at sea all day. This is wonderful portion of the cruise for anyone that likes to eat, gamble, drink, workout, spa, play in the pool, attend cooking courses, read, mingle, do nothing, do everything…. you get the point. I think I hit about four or five of those things in the first three hours – eating and gambling at the top of the list.
We woke up early, eager to start the day – but Julia reminds us not to wake our neighbors
We enjoyed a cooking demonstration
Posing with the Chef and Activities Coordinator
Julia would stop and watch this duo, Adagio perform each night after dinner
We hoped that lady luck would find Julia
Julia treats me to a kiss during one of the “formal nights”
The following morning was a real treat – our first Port Day. We were at port in Katakolon, Greece, which was just a short bus ride away from something you may have heard of… Olympia, Greece. As in… the place the very first Olympic Games were ever held. As in, the place that contains the ruins of Zeus’ temple. And so I was a little geeked-up to see it all. I didn’t have to imagine standing in the very first olympic stadium – where the worlds best athletes competed since the 8th century BC; we actually got to do it. It was very awe-inspiring.
Our first sunrise at port
We strolled through Katakolon before our bus departed for Olympia
Travel-bugs… please allow me to give you another tip. If you are reading this post and thinking, “Greg is making a convincing argument for a cruise… I think I’ll give it a go”; don’t make the mistake many cruise-goers make. Do not book excursions through the cruise directly. Sure, it’s easier. Some may say safer. Others may tell you they’re better designed. That’s all true… but at an immense premium. Please allow me to state my case. Below is one of the excursion options at our first port (copied from Holland America’s site). Just skim it if you’d like… I’ll recap:
The small fishing village of Katákolon is your gateway to the mystical site of ancient Olympia, 25 miles to the east. The sanctuary of Olympia has the appearance of a park, and as you step back 2,000 years into the past, imagine the area crowded with athletes, orators, merchants and philosophers surrounding the Temple of Zeus with its forty-foot statue of the god, the ruins of which you will see today. It’s easy to imagine the roar of the spectators as the athletes took their marks on the marble starting blocks, and to picture the temples, treasuries, porticoes and statues as they were. After your visit to Olympia, you will continue to Mercouri Estate, known not only for its wines of supreme quality but also for its magnificent location. This is the area where the Refosco grape was first planted after being imported from Italy. In 1930, the Mercouris built a modern winery and distillery, updated again in 1990 with the latest technology. You are invited to experience the beauty and charm of the vineyards, to see the old and new wineries, and also to taste the locally produced wines.
OK – so you get a bus ride with 40 other schmoes to Olympia, gate access and a wine tasting. It’s very well written and this guy is singing a sweet sirens song – but he couldn’t lure me. Guess what it costs… $150 per person plus $60 for kids. OK – so we’d be all in for $360. Guess what we did? We got off the ship, walked over to the person selling bus tickets to Olympia (the same cushy travel bus with A/C and TV’s that the cruise people take) and bought both tickets for $20. Then another $20 at the gate and I’m all in for $40. A savings of $320. With that much left in my pocket, I had my choice of any number of Greek wines “known for their supreme quality” that we picked up at Duty Free on the way back to the ship.
We stop for a family photo in front of the Palaestra
Julia does a little dance number
Ruins of the Theokoleon
A lone column capital (top) remains… 1,000 years old? 2,000 years old? 2,500 years old??
I stop to stand in front of the Temple of Hera
Jen and Julia challenge competitors on the Stadium ground
Lost amongst the rocks in front of the Temple of Zeus
Another view of the Theokoleon
Impressive remains of the Philippeion
The next day we woke up in Piraeus, Greece – which is the port city outside Athens, Greece. Same thing as before – I bypassed the tempting, but expensive excursions and departed with Jen and Julia in tow. We walked around the corner and found that the Greek Gods were smiling on us that day. In addition to the regular cabs and buses to take us the 20 minutes into Athens, there were “Hop On-Hop Off” open-top tour buses. That meant we would get a ride, an audio tour and the ability to come and go as we pleased, all for $30.
Athens is an amazing city with a recorded history spanning 3,400 years
We rode around Athens, enjoying our tour and chuckling to ourselves at the Greek music they kept playing over and over (imagine the soundtrack to “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” on repeat). My plan was to complete the loop and finish the audio tour before getting off, but when I saw the majesty of the Parthenon, I knew we needed to depart the bus immediately.
The Parthenon sits atop the Acropolis of Athena
The Parthenon is the featured temple within the Acropolis of Athena; a temple built to honor the Goddess, Athena. Construction of the temple began in 447 BC and today it is widely considered the most important surviving building from Ancient Greece. In order to reach the temple, you must climb the imposing slate steps to reach the Acropolis of Athens, an ancient citadel set high atop a rocky outcrop far from today’s modern Greece. But before we climbed the steps of the Acropolis, we first climbed a neighboring cliff for a view of the magnificent ancient city and the more modern one below.
Athens has roughly 3.2 million inhabitants – Greece’s largest city by a wide margin
Hundreds of visitors passing through the gates of the Acropolis
Ancient ruins are a part of the city – even as modern urban sprawl is built around it
Some more “modern” temples perched atop their own cliffs
My girls begin their ascent
Julia fights the wind and I steal a kiss
I think Athena herself would have been pleased to have this little guest in her temple
As we climbed the steep incline of the Acropolis toward the temples, we narrowly missed slipping and sliding back down to the bottom. The slate steps were slick even though they were bone dry – I couldn’t imagine making the climb if it had rained. There were many sights to see, including the amazing expanse of a remarkable city below. We marched through the ancient doorway leading into the city and stopped for a rest and some photos.
Odeon of Herodes Atticus – a steep sloped amphitheater built in 161 AD
The southern wall remains well intact
Julia lets me kiss her for all of Athens to see
The Parthenon – Temple of Athena
It’s amazing how well the Parthenon has been preserved
Julia pays her respects to the Greek flag
Family photo in front of the Parthenon
While the Parthenon is clearly the star of the show within the Acropolis, there are many other important ancient buildings and temples. The Greek word Acropolis (Ακρόπολη) is made up of two components – akron, meaning “edge” and polis, meaning “city”. While there are many other Acropolis’ within Greece, it is commonly accepted that the Acropolis of Athens is the Acropolis in all of Greece. From the moment we walked through the gateway into the city, I truly felt as if I was transported into an ancient, mythical world – where Gods and Goddesses ruled from on high. Perhaps I have seen too many movies, but I really did feel as though I was apart of something far bigger than I’ve ever known. I think I was even annoying Jen a bit with my enthusiasm and newfound feeling of power (as if I was somehow apart of the world of The Gods and could strike down any mere mortal…). It was probably good that I got out of there when I did, lest I try to actually smite someone.
The Erechtheum – a Temple for both Athena and Poseidon built between 421 and 406 BC
The Porch of the Caryatids (maidens) built to conceal a 15 foot support beam
Another view of the Erechtheum from the south west
We had worked up quite the appetite touring the Acropolis and so we descended the ancient city toward a more modern part of town. We found a charming pedestrian area of the modern city and stopped for a lunch of what else… Greek salad! We drank a couple of refreshing Greek beers and then strolled through the ample markets.
Greek salad – the authentic way!
Finally, we boarded the ship and set sail for our next adventure… I hope you’ll hop back aboard for Part II (coming soon)!
There is a wonderful town along Lake Como, called Tremezzo. Most people have heard of Bellagio, which sits on the exact shore opposite Tremezzo, but the lesser known town is a true gem with far fewer tourists crowding the streets. Tremezzo is home to a couple of our favorite restaurants and gelaterie (ice cream parlors). It is also home to Villa Carlotta, a 17th century treasure that has been beautifully restored and maintained.
Villa Carlotta
Jen and I have been wanting to visit Villa Carlotta since we moved to Como. The beauty of the villa and the gardens are well known in this area and attract thousands of visitors each year. We had planned on going in March when my aunt and uncle were visiting, but the villa is not open to the public until the 15th (just a few short days after they departed). Since the gardens are the main attraction, the preservation society wants to ensure all the flowers are in full bloom. Jen and I decided that since my mom is a big fan of gardens, we would visit while they were here (read about the first part of their trip HERE).
Julia peeks out from behind her Grandma and Pop-Pop
We had planned a drive along the lake to arrive in Tremezzo just in time for lunch. We took my parents to one of our favorite restaurants, La Fagurida that we had discovered some time ago (blog post HERE). Their specialty is rabbit – and once again, we were not disappointed with the food.
Jen and Sonny outside of La Fagurida
Julia was all kisses after lunch
After lunch, we drove back down the long and windy mountain road toward the center of town. We parked and got our admission tickets to the villa. We spent some time walking through the villa, but the real beauty was in walking through the elaborate and seemingly endless gardens.
Villa Carlotta, Museum and Botanical Garden
Impressive stairway leading to an impressive facade
The ornate gardens begin the moment you enter the grounds
Julia stops for a photo with her grandparents, Stefani and Sonny
She was amazed by the turtle pond
There were half a dozen of these little guys
View from the front of the villa’s terrace overlooking Lake Como
A mom and a grandma snap pictures of our little Julia
They had oranges growing in the trellis that Julia wanted to pluck
Julia strikes a fashionable pose on the terrace
The villa was positioned to overlook the town of Bellagio, across Lake Como
Priceless works of art adorn each room in the villa
Jen and Julia stop for a picture in the villa
I have copied a brief description of Villa Carlotta directly from the brochure, if you are interested in a bit of it’s unique history:
Villa Carlotta is a place of rare beauty, where masterpieces of nature and art live together in perfect harmony in over 70,000 square meters (17 acres) of garden and museum. The beautiful villa was built at the end of the 17th century in a natural basin between lake and mountains, facing the dolomitic Grignas and the peninsula of Bellagio. The architect created for the Clericis – a noble and powerful Milanese family – an important but somber building, with an Italian garden decorated with sculptures, stairs and fountains. In 1801 Gian Battista Sommariva, famous politician, businessman and patron of arts, bought the villa. Thanks to him, the villa attained the summit of its splendor and became one of the most important halting-place of the Grand Tour with its collection of art (masterpieces of Canova, Thorvaldsen and Hayez) and its fascinating romantic garden. In the second half of the century Princess Marianne of Nassau bought the villa and gave it as a present to her daughter Carlotta in occasion of her wedding with Georg II of Saxe-Meiningen. Georg was passionate about botany and made a lot of improvements and new additions to the park that became more and more famous for its botanical richness and the rhododendrons’ and azaleas’ spring flowering.
The beauty of the gardens did not disappoint, we all enjoyed each moment of the self-guided tour.
Overlooking Como and Bellagio
Julia couldn’t get enough of the rhododendrons
We had to stop and smell almost every flower
One of my favorite pictures of Julia
Always the lady… or flirt?!
Giving Pop-Pop as kiss as thanks for the ride
Climbing the stairs in La valle delle felci (the valley of ferns)
Walking through Il giardino dei bambù (the gardens of bamboo)
Still in the Bamboo Garden
Julia runs quickly across a stone table
Calocedrus decurrens
Views from all angles
Julia had to play with the fountains one last time
She insisted on making a little splash
Villa Carlotta, more specifically – the gardens of Villa Carlotta are simply stunning to behold. I would strongly recommend copying our itinerary and enjoying pranzo (lunch) at La Fagurida before spending countless hours getting lost in the gardens of Villa Carlotta.
