Day 1 Sunday 6/22/08

When we arrived at the airport, we saw that the first leg of our flight, from Orlando to London was running late (evidently they held the flight in London because of a late arriving connecting flight from Dublin). Then we had a delay due to a computer glitch, then a problem with luggage. In the end, we took off about an hour late. Fortunately, we made up about ½ the time, and arrived in London only 30 minutes behind schedule. We had a tight connection with our flight to Rome, but we made it, and got to Rome right on time!

Day 2, Monday 6/23/08

We were met at the airport and transferred to our hotel without any problems. We met our tour director (Barbara) and then went out to get some lunch (Pizza!). Back to the hotel for a short rest (30 minutes) then our welcome drink/group meeting with our TD. Soon we were off for our first optional – Rome by night and the Pantheon.

First stop, the Pantheon - truly breathtaking. It is in amazingly beautiful condition and has such a feeling of openness.

Next, Piazza Navona, where we admired the fountains, had a stroll among the artists, and dinner. We were still full from our late lunch (and we have leftovers in our room, too!), so we opted to find a gelato shop! It was delicious and so much fun to choose from all the tempting flavors. I had pistachio, chocolate nut, and hazelnut. We boarded the bus again, and were off to see the city lights. Rome is gorgeous at night! A highlight was visiting St. Peter’s Square and admiring the lights of the Vatican – and bonus… the Pope is in residence right now, as evidenced by the light in his windows.




Back to the hotel, a little left over pizza and finally we SLEEP!

Day 3, Tuesday 6/24/08

Up and out very early today as we’re off to the Vatican.

We arrived at the Vatican before 7:00 and waited to visit the Sistene Chapel as soon as they opened. We were the first group in and it was so special to have about 30 minutes to admire Michelangelo’s masterpiece without a crowd.

Then we visited St. Peter’s Basilica – oh my goodness – the Pieta is an incredibly moving sculpture. I am not Catholic, and not particularly religious, but I felt my eyes fill with tears as I admired this stunning piece. All of the work throughout the Basilica is breathtaking.




After the Vatican, we went to the Coliseum – what a thrill to walk to the top of the coliseum and look down into the ruins and imagine what it must have been like long ago.

We then took part in the Tivoli optional. We stopped at a pizzeria in the village, and took our lunch into the gardens with us for a picnic. The fountains of Tivoli are an amazing sight – so graceful and peaceful. But it is HOT today – about 37 degrees (nearly 99F).



Back to the hotel for a short rest before dinner tonight, which is another optional – Trevi Fountain and the dinner with the tenors. Trevi fountain was beautiful but very crowded. We threw our coins in, so hopefully we’ll be back!



The dinner with the tenors was nice – the entertainment was good and so was the food (wine, risotto, pasta, salad, veal, tiramisu).

Back to the hotel to get ready for tomorrow – we’ll be off to Sorrento.

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Day 4, 6/25/08

Today we’re off to Sorrento. We’ll be visiting Pompeii another day, for better timing.

We finally got through the Rome traffic and onto the highway. Along the way to Sorrento we saw Mt. Vesuvius and Monte Cassino from the highway. We drove along the Sorrentine peninsula and were amazed by the olive groves, citrus trees, tomatoes and grapes all growing on top of one another! We participated in the mozzarella party optional, and it was great. We watched Maria make mozzarella and ricotta cheese and enjoyed a meal of fresh mozzarella, the most delicious tomatoes, prosciutto, salami, olives, and home made bread – so good! We were also served homemade wine, limoncello, and lemon cake. Oh, and pizza – how could I forget the best pizza ever, cooked on the spot in their wood burning oven. One of the family dogs appeared out of nowhere while the cheese was being made – just at the right moment for a snack . We reluctantly left the farm and headed back to our coach. I think we could have all spent the entire afternoon at the farm!




Next we did the breath-taking Amalfi Coast drive. It was truly stunning. We stopped at a couple of scenic pull offs for pictures. At the most scenic spot, a bride and groom came along with their photographers to take their wedding portraits – what gorgeous pictures they will have!





Eventually we made our way to our hotel, The Johanna Park Hotel, which was lovely and friendly. We didn’t get one of the rooms with a view of the bay, but we do have an old olive grove outside our window. Kaitlin went swimming with a group of young people from our tour and I went into town with some of the “not so young” people. It was so pleasant to walk along and browse the shops in the old part of town, enjoying the cooler evening temperatures. Tomorrow, Capri!

Day 5, 6/26/08

We took the ferry from Sorrento to Capri, then did our cruise around the island – gorgeous!! The water was calm and the sky was clear. Then we went up to Anacapri for lunch – we sat on the terrace overlooking the water and enjoyed the wine, salad, pasta, fish, and delicous gelato. Next was our walking tour of anacapri, and then we decided to do the chair lift to the very top for the beautiful views – it was so quiet and peaceful away from the bustle of town. Back down we went for our walking tour of Capri. It was very hot and crowded, but the island is lovely.





We learned later that there had been a strike in the morning at Pompeii, causing tour groups and cruise groups that had been scheduled for Pompeii to be diverted to Capri. This caused the exceptional crowds, which were particularly evident when we were taking the funiculare back to the bottom of the island. The unexpected influx of visitors caused a huge bottleneck at the funiculare, and we were stuck with a tremendous crowd of people in the station – once we finally made it down, we had to literally run for the ferry (which Barbara had managed to have held for us!), which, of course, was at the farthest dock in the marina!

The ferry took us back to Sorrento, we returned to our hotel, and we rested a bit before heading out for the evening. We had a visit to a wood inlay workshop, dinner at a local restaurant, and some time to walk and shop in Sorrento.

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Day 6, 6/27/08

Up early (seeing a trend here?!), then off to Pompeii. Thank goodness Barbara took us early so we beat the heat and the crowds! It was amazing to see the ruins of the ancient city and imagine what like was like in 79 AD. The imposing sihlouette of Vesuvius was always right there.




When we finished our tour of Pompeii, we got back on our wonderfully cool coach and set off for Assissi.

Once we arrived in Assisii, we got off the coach at a parking area, took our carryons, and “hiked” up the hill to the Hotel Giotto. It was definitely steep, but not as bad as I expected! (There were taxis there for those who needed them). We checked in and found that our room had a beautiful view over red tile roofs and down into the valley. Kaitlin soon joined an energetic group that went with Barbara up the hill to see the Basilica of St. Clare. I took the easy way out and walked around near the hotel did a little shopping and had some gelatto. I found St. Francis’ Basilica, and will be back after dark to see it all lit up!

Dinner at the hotel was better than I expected! The pasta was wonderful and we had fresh fruit for dessert. After dinner Kaitlin and I walked up to see the Basilica of St. Francis and took some beautiful pictures of the illuminated plaza and church.





Day 7, 6/28/08

This morning we toured the Basilica of St. Francis. There was a mass taking place, which added to the beautiful atmosphere. The frescoes by Giotto in the upper church are stunning. After our tour, we returned to the hotel to gather our carry on bags, and then headed back down the hill to the bus (again, taxis were arranged for those who needed them). Then off the Venice! Along the way, we drove through the beautiful Apennine maountains, past huge fields of sunflowers in full bloom, and acres and acres of fruit trees and vineyards. We stopped in Ravenna to see the amazing mosaics at the Basilica of St. Apollinare in Classe.





We arrived at our hotel (with a beautiful view of the marina) and had a short rest before dinner, then we headed into Venice for our “Venice by Night” optional. It was a lovely evening in St. Mark’s Square. It was a pleasure to sit in an outdoor café in the square while we were serenaded by an insturmental group. St. Marks Square was beautiful at night – the buildings were all illuminated… and the pigeons were nowhere to be seen!

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Day 8, 6/29/08

We left early this morning for Venice to get ahead of the crowds and heat. Our first event of the day was the Gondola optional. Definitely fun, with great views available only by gondola!





Next to the glass factory – it was amazing to see how quickly the skilled glass worker made a lovely vase. We then had some free time to wander around in Venice, getting lost in the twisty, turny narrow streets – but thanks to the wonderful yellow signs pointing to San Marco we had no trouble finding our way again. Later we boarded our boat and headed to Burano for a wonderful lunch/dinner. Risotto with shrimp, pasta with mussels, 2 kinds of fish, calamari, fried shrimp, salad, and fresh fruit as well as all the delicous wine we wanted. We then had a nice walk around the village and the chance to take some lovely pictures, before heading back to the boat and the hotel.





Day 9, 6/30/08

We left Venice bright and early to had to Verona – we saw “Juliette’s” balcony, courtyard, and statue. We were amused by the placard that invited people to leave letters to Juliette in a specially marked collection box. We walked a bit down a beautiful marble street and in the square before heaind back to the bus and on to Milan, where we saw the beautiful cathedral and the Galleria. Next on to Lake Maggiore, and our appropriately named Hotel Splendid. We did the Borromean Islands/Isola Bella Palace tour, then returned to our hotel for dinner and a chance to relax by the lake and watch the sunset.

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Day 10, 7/1/08
Up early (of course!) and off for the Lake Como optional. We took the boat to Bellagio and had a lovely walk around the terraced streets

then a boat curise around the lake to see the lovely summer villas of the rich and famous.

In spite of the early morning rain, the weather has turned bright and clear. After the cruise, we took a twisty-turny mountain road (beautiful) across the border into Switzerland to Lugano, where we walked about a shopped a bit. Then back to our splendid hotel on the lake for a relaxing evening. Tomorrow… Florence!



Day 11, 7/2/08

We left our beautiful lakefront hotel and headed towards Pisa – we saw the leaning tower (and other buildings), took the obligatory “holding up the tower” pictures,



then visited the cathedral to see “Galileo’s chandelier”. Back through the throngs of souvenier sellers and to our bus, to head to Florence. As soon as we arrived in Florence, we went straight to the Academy – it was amazing to see Michelangelo’s David in person. We also got to see severl of his unfinished marbles, which were fascinating to see – it looked like the figures were climbing out of the marble. We visited some of the other galleries in the museum, then headed to our hotel. Dinner tonight was the Renaissance palace dinner complete with music and a jester! The food was so-so, but the evening was a lot of fun.

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Day 12, 7/3/08

We had our walking tour of Florence with a local guide this morning. The Medieval city is gorgeous! The highlights included the spectacular architecture and the beautiful golden doors of the baptistry.



We also loved seeing the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo. We had the gold and leather demonstrations, and we ended up making a few purchases! We browsed the shops and leather market and walked down to the Ponte Vechio. We had a great lunch at a little restaurant on one of the squares and of course we had gelato!





We met up with Barbara and the group and headed up to San Gimignano, a beautiful medieval Tuscan town. We ran into a little problem as we were leaving Florence – an illegally parked Smart Car was keeping the bus from getting around the corner. Barbara said “Ok, we’re going to move this little car. I need 4 strong men… and I’m not joking!” They picked up the car and moved it to the astonishment of various on-lookers! Once the bus was able to get around the corner, we were on our way! It was all worth it… the views were gorgeous and the narrow streets were charming. . Back to the hotel for dinner, and then on to Rome tomorrow.




Day 13, 7/4/08

We left Florence and headed towards Siena. The city was beautiful – it was fascinating to hear about the annual horse races held in the town center. Then on to Rome through the beautiful Tuscan scenery. Once we arrived in Rome, we had some time to relax before heading out for our farewell dinner. Dinner was at a nice open air restaurant. After dinner, Barbara took us for a drive around the modern part of Rome… as we neared the hotel, Barbara somehow managed to turn our coach into a 1970’s era disco! We ended the night with Barbara leading the YMCA dance!

We said good bye to our new friends, and will be heading out EARLY (5AM) in the morning for home.

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Carol T enjoyed your first few days on Best of Italy tour. Brings back many memories of Italy

HI Carol~ Can't wait to read more!

Hi Carol!
I'm hoping I'll get to read your next posting. My daughter and I leave tomorrow for the Best of Italy and I guess I'm getting nervous. I was really glad to read that meeting them at the airport and transferring went smoothly!
Ann

Thanks for posting and glad you had a great experience. Reliving the special sites through your visits is just grand!

Very interesting, you describe things so well. Trip is starting off like mine in May except we didn't get to go to Tivoli and our dinner didn't have tenors!

CarolT,
Can't wait to read the rest of your tale. Reliving my tour of Italy when I read these tales. Glad you got to go to Tivoli, we would have like to have done that too. Well all the more reason to go back again.

I've updated my tour tale through Day 7... I'll try to finish up tonight or tomorrow.

Aaah those fields of sunflowers . . . what a sight!

I am enjoying your tour tale, and looking forward to reading more!
Italy is near the top of my to-do list.