Rome-Day 1

Rome- Day 1

We drove from Carrara to Rome.  Bob's family has an apartment there, where his niece Laura lives.  She generously let us stay there while we explored Rome.  We spent two days there and walked at least a hundred miles.  There was so much to see, and so little time.  We took the bus into ancient Rome the first day and explored the "Vittoriano" or Victor Emmanuel Monument. This is where Italy's Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is- and where Bob was a guard while he was in the Italian Military. We walked from there to the Colosseum and through the Forum (ancient ruins) and then made our way to the Pantheon and Piazza Navona.  It was a VERY HOT day, and we ate lots of gelato and splashed in the fountains every chance we got.   

Inside the colosseum- where the lions and Christians were kept in tunnels and cages under the arena floor.  It is now rotted away- but still frightening to think that watching people being eaten by lions was entertaining...

Walking through Ancient Rome

The Forum ruins

The Pantheon Dome

The Pantheon

Pantheon Fountains- moments before my big wipe out on the slippery steps!

 The Vittoriano- in the day

The Vittoriano- at night

St. Agnes Church in the Piazza Navona

Inside St. Agnes Church

Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain in the Piazza Navona  

Beautiful flowers on the Church of St. Agnes

My size of Nutella!

There were beautiful fountains at every turn.

Magicians and street entertainers were everywhere! We were serenaded by an accordion as we ate Pizza in the Piazza.

Florence

Florence

Our trip to Florence started late because I hesitated, and we missed our train.  I misreading the train schedule, and in that 30 seconds of hesitation the train stopped and took off before we could get on.  It was an awful feeling and I was so embarrassed. Brad and Em were pretty good sports considering... We took the next train. 

 We visited the Uffizi Gallery first and paid the scalpers price to move to the head of the line.  The greatest paintings and sculptures in all of Italy are at the Uffizi, but there was so much to see it was overwhelming.  We specifically searched out Botticelli's, Michelangelo, Leonardo's and Rembrandt works.  I was reading Dan Browns book "Inferno" (Dante's inferno) and I used it like a mini-travel guide to search for clues and paintings mentioned in the book. 

We were not so lucky at the Accademia museum, where we waited in line for over 2 hours in the heat for tickets.  But, the statue of David was well worth it, as you can see.  

We made a quick run through town and visited the Duomo, the Baptistery, and walked down to the Arno River, where we bought gelato to cool off.

The Baptistry and the Duomo  of Florence

Bottecelli's painting of Dante's version of Hell (Inferno)

The Duomo of Florence

The great golden doors of the baptistery

The Campanille Bell Tower

Pisa

Pisa

We spent a wonderful day in Pisa just exploring the sites around the Tower,  the Duomo, and the Baptistery.  Lory, Bob's sister, drove us to Pisa and dropped us off at the train station and we walked to the tower.  It was quite stunning to come around the corner- and there it was.  I was surprised by how small it was- I always pictured it bigger.  Most of the buildings around it are taller.  It was a hot day, and we spent a lot of time seeking shade and water.

The tower was built over 2 centuries, by  3 different architects, starting with Bonanno Pisano in 1173

Climbing the tower steps- several hundred of them.  The tower has been closed for decades- and just reopened this year- (Brad visited in 1974 and it was closed...) what a treat for me!  

Holding up the tower- I just had to do the cheesy pose after seeing everyone else doing it.

There is a 15 foot vertical lean to the South.

The Pisa Duomo

The Baptistry- is leaning 6 feet to the North. 

Inside the baptistery- I'm not sure when the Catholics decided to call "sprinkling" baptism, but clearly this was not always the case.  All of the large churches (Duomo's) and baptistery's have a "font"

Giovanni' Pisano's octagonal pulpit was carved from white Carrara marble. It has three statues representing "Faith, Hope and Charity, (the pillars of Christianity) and the final pillars have lions  crouched over their prey, representing Christ's triumph over Satan. The  top of the pulpit has a series of carved panels depicting scenes from the life of Christ.  

View from the tower over Pisa's "Field of Miracles"

A Nun from India asked if she could have her picture taken with our group- sure.

Emily and Bob brought their local newspaper from home, in a contest to get a picture taken with the paper--the furthest away from Susanville!  I never heard if they won???

Bob visited this government building, to try and get an original copy of the Porfiri coat of arms and family crest. 

No luck... government bureaucracies are the same everywhere!

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

The Italian Riviera

We traveled by train to Cinque Terre, which is actually made up of 5 coastal cities, just north of Carrara.  We took the train to the furthest city North, Monterosso, then traveled by ferry boat between cities, working our way back.  It was a delightful day.  We  wore swimsuits and shorts so we could enjoy the kayaking and swimming along the way.  Each city was unique and charming, and tucked into the rocks and hills.  We hiked and swam in Monterosso, and Brad had to explore the WWII pill boxes on the cliffs.  We rented kayaks and ate the best pizza and calamari in Vernazza.  In Manarola Brad joined the teenagers in jumping off a big cliff into crystal clear water, and we all went swimming again (so hot).  We hiked the hills in Riomaggiore, where the houses are literally built into the hills.   Each narrow steep stairways through the city led to fabulous overlooks of the Mediterranean.