Our Tour Tale
THE BEST OF ITALY

Note: OUR 18 PERSONAL PHOTO ALBUMS CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING ON THE LINKS FOUND AT THE END OF THIS TOUR TALE. THESE ALBUMS MAY ALSO BE FOUND UNDER "MEMBERS GALLERY" ON THE BULLETIN BOARD.

Travelers: Ken & Angela (aka TRAVLINCPL)

Our adventure begins............

Days 1 & 2; Depart from USA, 8/16/2007 via Alitalia, direct to Rome.

Equipped with our INSIGHT carry-on bags, travel documents, hard cover novels, multi-word game books, Angela’s i-pod, and my trusty anti-skip CD player with hi-end ear buds and zippered CD travel case loaded with Sinatra, Bennet, and Dino Martin (soon to learn that Alitalia prohibited CD players, even during flight) the realization of knowing that we were about to cross the Atlantic, onward to Italy, was beginning to set in.

We looked at each other...smiled.....held on to our arm rests... (and to each other) and knew that this was not going to be our customary vacation at the Jersey shore! Takeoff in the Boing 777-200 wide-body was like being in a rocket. Within minutes we were at 35,000 feet. (I rubbed the Italian gold crucifix around my neck, just for luck, of course.)

Lift-off was at approximately 7PM EST with a very smooth flight across the Atlantic. The Alitalia flight crew buzzed about in ultimate precision; our first taste of the culture of Italy. Other than some minor turbulence, we arrived at Rome’s Fiumincino Leonardo da Vinci Airport at 8:45 AM, Rome time. We were in Italy !! Weather: Clear, sunny skies, bright sun, mid 90’s, High to moderate humidity.

Rome’s airport, despite our combined travel experiences, was a real challenge. Crowds of people choked all possible areas of the airport. Claiming our luggage, combined with trying not to get separated, was a feat unto itself, the fact remaining that we still had to link-up with the INSIGHT greeting party at the International Arrivals Hall,Terminal ‘C’.

Finally, we spotted a women holding an INSIGHT banner. This was like seeing a ship in the distance while being stranded on an island !! We rushed over to her, and then felt foolish learning she was not our Tour Guide. As it turned out, she was INSIGHT’s forward “scout”, who would direct us to the bus for transfer to the hotel. (We thanked her profusely anyway.) We met up with only six other tour members at the airport.

Our ride to the Crown Plaza Hotel in Rome provided us with our first preview of The Eternal City. The initial sightings of domed bascilicas glittering with gold in the sunlight was a sight to behold, in stark contrast to portions of Rome that were built sometime between the 15th, and 18th Centuries. These structures, combined with the regional folliage, gave us the distinct feeling that we were no longer in the USA.

After recovering from the Atlantic crossing, and winning the war at the airport, we relaxed in our hotel room, and decided how and when we would convert our USD to Euros,and use our “free-time”. Also, we resisted unpacking, and quickly accepted the fact that we would, for the duration of this fast-paced tour, live out of our luggage. At 5PM we freshened up and prepared to meet our Tour Director (TD) Vincenzo Demichi, and fellow tour members during our Welcoming Reception in our hotel. Snacks and drinks were served during the introductions.

At 6:30 that evening, we boarded our INSIGHT bus for the first time. Our TD escorted us to a wonderful restaurant in the heart of the city. We walked a short distance from our bus down narrow cobble stone streets that went off in every direction, and had been laid down some 800 TO 1,200 years ago.

Dinner and the restaurant were delightful (Recommended OPTION) with an interior of arched openings and walls finished in distressed terra cotta. Our meal consisted of antipasto, several varieties of pizza, pasta, salads, wine, with live music provided by a guitarist who sang many favorite Italian ballads. A good time was had by all. We were now true tourists, with many of our group still wearing their name tags from the Reception. (I offered to pay some of them 25 Euros if they would agree to remove them.)

Following our dinner, our TD took us on our first walking tour of a bohemian area of Rome named “Rome’s Village”, a quaint courtyard, an area not far from where our TD grew up while living in Rome. This is a place where everyone gathers to meet, talk, and enjoy themselves. Torches burned high up on the walls of cobbled stone walkways, and people laughed the night away in many group conversations.

We then boarded our bus, and were taken on a breath-taking evening tour around the heart of the city by our TD. (Recommended OPTION w/walking tour.) Seeing Rome at night was unbelievable, with the Tiber River and its’ island, as well as the many grand buildings, sculptures, and fountains of Rome, ablaze with illumination. Indeed, a Primer of yet more beautiful sights to come !

Back at our hotel, we began to prepare for another very busy day, Day 3. We were scheduled to tour the Vatican, and depart for our next destination, Assisi.

End of Day 1 & 2

Note: At this point, our TD indicted that we would deviate somewhat from the chronology of events that were shown within our travel documents. We did, however, see all of the items that were documented, and purchased from INSIGHT. These changes resulted in a more streamlined route.

Best of Italy, Day 3

Rome, The Eternal City
Weather:Clear,bright sun,mid 90’s.Hi Humidity.

Received our wake-up call at 5:45AM ! Down for breakfast by 6AM, bags outside of our hotel room door not later than 6:45AM (I nearly forgot, and thought I was back at Fort Dix, NJ, US Army, scrambling to find my foot locker so that the NCO (non-Commissioned Officer) could inspect it, and then realized that we were part of a tour group in Italy !)

Our first hotel breakfast was our first exposure to how the Italians serve their breakfast foods: Cold cuts, and more cold cuts, breads, cereals, fruit, scrambled eggs, (Note: some hotels were not successful in keeping their eggs hot, or even warm) coffee, tea, warmed milk for the coffee, juice (not in that order). Regular coffee in Italy is like Espresso, or 40 weight oil, very strong and bitter. Found chairs at one of our groups’ tables, and chowed down quickly. Our bus was waiting and would load up at 7:20AM, with a prompt departure scheduled for 7:30AM (Did we dare return to our room to brush our teeth?)

Prior to departure, we were advised of the Seat Rotation Rule. Each new day, we would move up to the next seat, in a clockwise direction, thus assuring that everyone enjoyed the maximum viewing the bus windows afforded, from each side. This worked out well, except for the RF seats, which housed a fire extinguisher beneath it the size of a small torpedo. This obstacle, combined with the bulkhead at the top of the entry stairs, halted all circulatory system functions in your legs until the next seating rotation.

We were now off to the Vatican. Angela was equipped with her new Euro shopping bag, and me with my across-the-chest Euro sack, digital camera, and hidden money belt with Passport and spare cash. Our tour would include the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, and the surrounding grounds of the Vatican. We linked-up with our local guide, Alberto, who’s knowledge and style of the Vatican was superb and delightful ! We would later learn that Alberto would lead us through the Colosseum and the Roman Forum as well.

Describing Vatican City could take pages.......here is a capsule outline of our visit:

St. Peter’s Square & Bascilica: Surreal, breathtaking, awesome, expansive, like the center of the universe, people from all over the world, hundreds lined-up, waiting to enter the Bascilica. The Pieta, seeing it in person for the first time enforced our realization of being in Italy. Our guide secured special tickets allowing us to by-pass the throngs. Headsets were handed-out by our TD. A sound-check was made. Our guide, from this point on, would transmit his narrative to our headsets. Also, our TD would use this system for the remainder of the tour.

Halls of Roman Antiquities: Endless, countless pieces of treasure bestowed upon all of the Popes. Gold, gilded architecture, statueary, paintings,tapestries, literally miles of hall- ways with gold encrusted vaulted ceilings, fully painted figures in detail, priceless treasures unto themselves.

Sistine Chapel: Our first look at Michelangelo’s work, the ceiling of the chapel. Timeless, knowing he worked for years on his back to recreate this magnificant story. The throngs, slowly weaving in and out, people looking up, pointing, whispering, keep moving, only 20 minutes to view, no flash photos,heavily draped windows, no sunlight. We were in a very special place indeed.

Day 3, continued:

The Colosseum and Roman Forum: Once again, Alberto distributed special advance tickets to the group prior to entering the Colosseum. Approaching this massive structure, with its’ characteristic angled missing section was awe inspiring. All of the photos we had seen of this place prior to our visit to Rome did not do it justice. Walls and columns, hand-erected, several feet thick, huge blocks of granite and limestone perfectly assembled, forming supports for the upper tiers which held seating for 55,000 when completed in 72AD.

Looking down, we note, once again, the individual stone blocks set into the earth, forming somewhat of a paved walkway, every surface covered in individual blocks, at least 8” square, solid stone, cut and placed by hand some 2,500 years earlier.

We emerge into the sunlight from the darkened caverns beneath the Colosseum and find ourselves overlooking the vast central arena, with its’ underground chambers exposed as if a gigantic lid had been removed from the arena floor, long disentegrated some 2,500 years ago. We look down into the myriad of chambers that once housed the beasts that would be released to the arena above, via secret trap doors, to the delight of the masses.

We also see the remains of preparation rooms where the gladiators readied themselves before the battle. Cells, where prisoners were once held until such time that they were forced to enter the arena above with beasts of prey are now also open to the sunlight after centuries beneath the arena floor.

We note that the many walls of rooms now seen below the level of the arena, were constructed to perfectly match the oval shape of the exterior walls of the Colosseum, yet another testament to the engineering genius of the Romans. Leaning over the lower tier, overlooking the arena, I found myself visualizing thousands of Romans, cheering while watching the spectacle. This spot was truly Rome for me. I dwelled here for some time before joining our group to hike up the hill to the Arch, overlooking the remains and ruins of the Roman Forum. (Our tour did not include entering the actual ruins.)

Spanish Steps: Our next stop brought us to the Spanish Steps of Rome. These elegant steps were a gift from Spain, at a time when the Spanish maintained a high degree of influence within Rome. Spanish art and architecture are very evident in this area of the city. Wide, expansive, beautifully designed, the top of the steps affords a view of Rome that is unprecedented. The steps can be compared to a giant fan, tiers of steps and landings splayed out, widening as they descend to the Piazza below.

Our Own Time: We by-passed the evening Option and scramble to get in some touring on our own time. We had our concierge call for a taxi which took us to a restaurant in the nearby hills. It was virtually empty, yet we had a wonderful, delicious dinner with wine, at a very reasonable cost before we ventured into Rome.

The taxi ride was something else. I work in New York City, and thought I had experienced it all......until riding in a taxi in Rome. The driver never went under 50 MPH, and this was within the city streets and narrow passageways. Interestingly, the driver refused a tip. We also found the cab drivers to be very polite, helpful, and courteous. When half-way into the city, I remembered that I left my camera in the restaurant. Without any complaint, we were wisked back to retrieve it. That evening, we walked through the Piazza Navona. This Piazza comes alive in the evening, complete with magicians, circus performers, artists, and craftsmen. The surrounding statuary and fountains were magnificant. We returned to our hotel (without incident) by taxi.

Best of Italy
Day 4 & 5

Brief Notes; Assisi:
Weather: Clear, temp. in the 80’s,low humidity.

We now depart Rome and board our motor coach and head into the Apennine Mountains towards Assisi in the north of Italy. This is a spectacular ride, crossing canyon-like passes with drops of hundreds of feet down on either side of our “bridge in the sky”. The mountains in the distance are impressive as is the fertile farmlands we pass on either side of us.

We finally reach Assisi, which is on a mountan-top, built like a fortress, huge, with battlements and lookout towers, a former Franciscan Monestary. Our hotel, the Subasio, named after the mountain in which it sits upon, looms above our heads. A myriad of cobble stone passageways criss-cross this town, atop the mountain, with interesting shops built into the stone walls at every turn. We ventured out to explore the town after our guided tour. Unfortunately, the shops close at 5PM, leaving only a small Trattoria where we bought coffee and gellato.

This place was the home of St. Francis of Assisi. We toured The Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels located here, a magnificant church. We also toured the Basilica of St. Francis, and viewed his tomb. The view from our hotel ramparts went on forever, expansive, overlooking great farmlands below. Our hotel room, although spartan, provided a vast panoramic view of the valley below, with a sunset to match. At days’ end, our group re-united, and dined in the hotel’s garden terrace, complete with fountain, statuary, and stone floors. This was an ideal ending to a glorious, exciting, and adventurous day in Assisi.

Day 5, Venice:
Light to Med rainfall, low humidity, mid-80’s.

Departing Assisi, we proceed on to Venice by crossing a large expanse of the Gulf of Venice while still on our motor coach. It began to rain. We then board a private motor launch and begin to approach the Grand Canal, and Venice itself. while viewing the Venice skyline before us, seen so many times in magazines, yet never in real life. Awesome.

13th Century domed churches and palaces appear before us, everywhere, including great statues along the Grand Canal. The crowds are fierce, streets choaked with people, we must be careful not to become detached from our group. There are smaller canals everywhere, gondolas on each one, ferrying people here and there. We take more photos. Our TD takes us into one of the many shops where glass blowers demonstrate their skills. We’re then taken into the retail area. We decide to leave at this time to tour Venice on our own time. Shops, more shops, shops everywhere, so many, so little time.

We visit St. Mark’s Square, pigdeons and crowds are everywhere, we tour the famous Rialto Bridge, throngs of prople on the bridge, we squeeze-in and take photos, we purchase Murano glass. We meet-up with our group and board gondolas, 2 or 3 people to a gondola. The rain continues. The group is then ferried up smaller canals to our hotel, the Continental, which is directly on the Grand Canal. We re-group to see Venice at night via a private motor launch, The sights are beautiful, despite the continuing rain. We conclude our visit to Venice by enjoying live jazz at the Caffe Chioggia, St. Mark’s Sq., along with a Venetian cocktail, which we all needed. Umbrellas deployed, we trudge back to our motor launch, and then on to our hotel. I didn’t really want to use the shower that evening, after being in and around all that water....

Best of Italy
Day 6

Pisa:

Weather: Overcast, light rain, 80’s, low humidity.

Up early, bags out, breakfast in our hotel overlooking the Grand Canal, out to the bus, and on to Tuscany, Pisa and Montecatini. Again, the Italian countryside is beautiful, farms, and more farm land. We follow the Po River through the Apennine Mountains.The trip to Pisa is quite long, yet the surrounding countryside and view of the mountain ranges is awesome.

We arrive at Pisa. While listening to an orientation from our TD, we sneak away from the group to begin our own tour of this once in a lifetime experience. There, in front of us, is the Tower. I am seeing it, large, looming, leaning, yet not actually accepting that I am here, in Pisa. Not unlike the feeling of being in the Colosseum in Rome, The Leaning Tower of Pisa is startling, not showing any signs of age, the feeling is unreal. The angle of tilt is significant. It is positioned on a large expanse of flat grass land which causes it to look even larger.

Tourists are everywhere, yet the expansiveness of the area surrounding the Tower is a relief, absorbing the crowds, unlike those we encountered in Rome and Venice. We see people posing in that classical stance, with their hands out, as if to hold back the Tower as it leans into them, yet the Tower is many meters behind them; the optical illusion of embracing the Tower. We tour the Basilica, Baptistery at the Piazza dei Miracoli, and the Church of The Assumption while at the site.

Time does not permit us to climb the tower, as much as I wanted to. We shop, we eat at one of the many Trattorias, the food is very good, outdoor Cafe. We watch horse-drawn carriages glide by with tourists. The pizza that people are having looks wonderful, we are advised that it takes at least 40 minutes to get a pie, we decide on the Lasagne which just came out of the ovens. I order, it is wonderful ! Angela has a salad. We stroll among the outdoor gift stands. We resist purchasing the cheap souveniers. It begins to rain. I scramble to shoot more pics of the Tower and surrounding monuments. We return to the group and prepare to depart for Monto Carlo to visit a Tuscan farm that offers wine tasting. I turn for a final look at the Tower, not knowing if I will ever be back.

We arrive at the farm, Il Poggio. We tour the vineyards with the owner and learn about grapes and the vines. The farmlands can be seen for miles down in the valley below.
We join our host and his wife at a very long table, set out under a canopy. Spread out on the table are cold cuts, olives, bread, red, white, and dessert wines, as well as grappa. We eat, talk, laugh, take more pics, and in general, have a wonderful time. It is not raining today, and we use the wine to celebrate this clear early evening.

We then re-board our motor coach, and head to our hotel, the Francia Quirinale in Montecatini. We decide to tour the town on our own. Wonderful shops, Piazzas, people strolling, arm-in-arm, everywhere, a classy town. Angela treats me to a dress shirt from one of the many shops. We re-join our tour group for dinner at our hotel and call it a day. Tomorrow.......on to Florence.

Best of Italy
Day 7

Florence:

Weather: Overcast, intermittent rain, mid 80’s, low humidity.

Up early, bags out, breakfast in our hotel, we board our motor coach and on to Florence, the capital of Tuscany. We Enter the Academy of The Arts to view the famous sculpture of Michelangelo’s David. Magnificant. We are handed-off to a local guide who’s specialty is the Accdemia. We also see the Duomo, the Piazza Signoria, and the Piazza Santa Croce. We also see the Gates of Paradise doors and Giotto’s belltower

It is now raining in Florence.....hard. We tour the Piazza Santa Croce, resplendent with many statues and magnificant buildings. Dozens of cobble stone walkways go off in every direction with more shops than you would be able to visit in a year. We walk by hundreds of leather shops and gold vendors. We do stop in one that our TD recommended. The leather is very well made, the prices are reasonable, and Anglea is treated to a leather bag and cashmere-lined leather gloves.

We continue to walk through the narrow streets, finding our way to the famous Ponte Vecchio Bridge, where throngs of tourists are also visiting. The bridge is also the site for may shops selling gold, and more gold. It continues to rain. We are thankful that we brought our small folding umbrellas from home.

We re-group and return to our hotel. We will be having dinner at the Pietre Cavate high above the surrounding hills of Montecatini. We change for dinner and our bus takes us high into the mountains. The surroundings are beautiful, including views of the valley below. The restaurant is similar to a Villa, with large rustic expansive rooms affording a spectacular view of the Tuscan countryside below, and in the distance.

We are served a multi-course dinner with wine and lemonchello. Antipasto, steak, chicken, risotto, olives, cold cuts, cheeses, breads, vegetables, a wonderful feast, and probably our best meal of the tour. Group photos are taken, e-mails are exchanged, and we depart Pietre Cavate to return to our hotel before leaving for Pompeii the next day.

Best of Italy
Day 8

Pompeii:

Weather: Clear, bright sun, 90’s, humid.

The ruins of Pompeii lay before us, the result of the horiffic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. The size of the city is much larger than anticipated. Excavation of the ruins continues to this day. We walk upon cobble stones that were hand-laid some 2,500 years ago. The buildings’ masonry work that remains is strikingly similar to that of the Colosseum in Rome. Pompeii had, at one time, its’ own arena, somewhat a miniature when compared to the Colosseum, bowl-shaped, and semi-circular in design.

The city, known for being much of a Brothel, still bears the signs of that activity with phallas symbols protruding from the front of certain buildings to signify the nature of the business that was conducted within. We are also shown drawings, cut into the stone walkways again, a phallas symbol pointing in the direction of the particular house that one would go to for meeting a woman.

Signs of Roman engineering can also be seen with the remains of waterways that would channel water from the aquaducts beyond, down through the various buildings. We tour the remains of a mansion where columns still stand, and frescos are still visible on the plaster walls. We see the remains of formal gardens that, at one time, must have been very beautiful and lush. Amazingly, a good portion of Pompeii was unearthed, and tells modern day archeologists a good deal about this city prior to it being buried in boiling ash, which killed most of its’ population.

One of the rooms here contains the forms of several of the victims who perished when the hot ash and pumice rained down onto the city. Archeologists covered the remains with plaster which resulted in an accurate mold of the position they were in at the time of their death, due probably to instant suffocation while inhaling super-heated ash and pumice.

We begin to make our way out of the ruins of Pompeii, and pause to look into the distance. There, kilometers away, looms Mount Vesuvius, a gray mass, asleep now, yet no one knows when it will awaken again.

Sorrento:

The views are spectacular. We stop at a turn-off to take photos. The cliffs are a sheer drop of over 1,000 feet down to the rocks and gulf waters below. We can see Positano and Amalfi further south. White buildings with clay-colored terra cotta roofs abound and are built directly into the side of the mountain. The views are breathtaking!! We check into our next hotel, Della Pace in Sorrento.

We are on our own time now, and dine in downtown Sorrento. A multitude of shops, crowds of people shopping, walking, Piazzas, one after another. Galleries are everywhere. We walk down a number of narrow streets, not stopping too long in any one shop as there is so much to see. We make our way back to the hotel and look forward to tomorrow, and our trip to the Amalfi coast !!

Best of Italy
Day 9

Port of Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Isle of Capri:
Weather: Clear, Bright Sun, 80’s, low humidity.

We transfer to mini-buses since our motor coach will not be permitted to traverse the hair-pin curves and turns of the upper mountain road leading down into Positano. We stop at a lookout and take photos. The views are, again, breathtaking, with drops of over 1,000 feet to the gulf waters below us. We know that this part of our tour will be very special indeed.

We depart from our mini-buses and are taken on a walking tour of Positano, The streets are sun-drenched, and it is evident that Positano is quite the Resort town along the Amalfi coast.Pottery, original oil paintings, crafts, sculpture, are on display in the many hi-end shops.

Tourists are seen ferrying their luggage along the winding pathways and down narrow alleyways to their vacation homes and villas, built into the mountainside. We lunch at one of the many outdoor Trattorias overlooking the Gulf. We sense the lack of heavy crowds previously experienced, and just now begin to relax and enjoy this special part of Italy.

We board our mini-buses and prepare for our tour of Capri, and Capri Town. Our high-speed hydrofoil is waiting for us at the piers. We board the ship and enjoy the A/C as the sun is intense this day. This is a very large ship, carrying hundreds of passengers. We arrive and begin to enjoy some free time. Boutiques are everywhere, shopping, people, not very crowded.

We tour Old Town, complete with a Funicular (tram) for riding between the highest point of Capri Town and the Gulf waters at the beach below. Angela wades up to her knees to enjoy the warm waters. Small, colorful boats are beached nearby, huge cruise ships are anchored off the coast, we look out across the Mediterranean Sea, it is truly a picture postcard. (We purchase beautiful, hand-painted pottery as gifts.)

Our next stop will bring us to the Blue Grotto, along the Amalfi coast. The grotto is a natural opening in the mountain which rises high above the sea. We board a motor launch and are taken out to sea where many other power boats already arrived, and have people waiting their turn to enter the grotto. Once we are near the opening, the captains begin to bargain and vocally debate (somewhat strongly) their understanding of who’s turn it is to begin the approach to the entry of the grotto. Once the debates are over (this takes some time) 2 to 4 people at a time are transferred into row boats, manned by men with oars who then position their boat at the narrow, low opening to the grotto.

The oarsmen carefully watch the sea and rush their boat through the opening inbetween ocean swells so as not to have the passengers strike their heads on the roof of the cave opening as the boat passes beneath. We all must lay flat to do this. (The top of the cave is very close to your face; chains are attached to the cave walls, at the entrance, which the oarsman grasps to pull the boat through the opening. (There was no warning given to us whatsoever as to the proximity of the chain to our faces.) I did, in fact, lose my Fav Maui cap which the grotto claimed. I suspect that it will now rest at the bottom of the Blue Grotto forever. The interior of the grotto is awash with blue light, due to reflectivity from the rock beneath the water as the sunlight bounches off of it, continuously during the day. The oarsmen sing for you in the grotto, The sight within the grotto is a must see ! We head back to Capri on our launch, return to Sorrento, and prepare for dinner in our hotel.

Best of Italy
Day 10

Back to Rome & Farewell:
Weather: Clear, 80’s, low humidity.

We leave Sorrento, and the beautiful Gulf of Naples mountainside, and head back to Rome. We make a rest stop at Teano on the way, along the banks of the Volturno River. Our first destination is the Commonwealth Cemetary in Cassino. This place honors all of the British Imperial Army soldiers who gave their lives during the liberation of Italy. This is a very special cemetary. Hundreds of rows of headstones were placed, with precision, and bear the names of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The engravings on their headstones reveal that most of these soldiers were killed while in their 20's.

We leave this hollowed place and continue on to Rome, The Eternal City. We check-in at our hotel, the Sheraton. Next, we proceed on a walking tour which includes many of the more famous baroque fountains and Piazzas of Rome. We see the famous Trevi Fountain, and toss coins while making a wish. We also see the Pantheon and its glorious architecture and paintings. It is a beautiful day, the sun is bright, the sky is clear, and the Trevi Fountain seems to represent all that is Rome; it is indeed a glorious sight!

We also tour several Basilicas, alive with frescos, with magnificant painted ceilings, We see Michelangelo’s Risen Christ, the crypt of St. Catherine of Sienna. Our walking tour comes to an end by strolling through the Piazza Navona, a place that is alive with humanity, including artists, actors, magicians, mimes, craftsmen, all blended in among the statuary and many fountains. There are many trattorias that surround the Piazza, each one offering a different taste of Italy.The Piazza Navona is, unto itself, a living, breathing place !!

Our TD surprises us with a non-scheduled cocktail hour prior to our farewell dinner. We all gather at Scalini’s, in the Piazza Navona and enjoy wine, beer, and appetizers galore. We take a group photo at one of the fountains. We then head down a quaint walkway to Casa Nova, the restaurant where our farewell dinner will be held.

Our hosts surprises us with entertainment by opera singers and actors, with a pianist to accompany them. The songs are truly classical, from Italian operas. We enjoy the performance, the music, the food and drink. A wonderful time is had by all. We depart from our farewell dinner, board our motor coach, and head back to our hotel. Tomorrow, we must be up by 5AM in order to meet our bus and transfer to the airport to catch our flight back to the USA. We see others from our tour group that next morning, having coffee and bagels in the lobby, put out by the staff. Several of the other travelers from our group are not yet up, or have gone on to connect with flights to other parts of the globe, or off to join a continuing tour in another country.

We catch parting glances of Rome as we arrive at the airport. Boarding our flight,we find our seats and begin to reflect on our journey through Italy. Time seems to have passed by so quickly, and we cannot help but visualize all of the wonderful places and things we have seen and done, knowing that we will have those images with us for a lifetime !

Arrivederci !

Note: Our TD, Vincenzo Demichi was excellent, and continually informed us of the impact to Italy during WWII as well as providing us with the language, history, art, architecture, cultural, and religious insights of Italy.
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PHOTO ALBUMS:
Listed below are clickable links which will take you directly to any of the 18 photo albums we have assembled, which coincide with our tour journal. We hope you enjoy viewing them.

• Photo Album 1: Primer
  
• Photo Album 2: Rome
  
• Photo Album 3: Rome cont
  
• Photo Album 4: Rome & Assisi
  
• Photo Album 5: Assisi
  
• Photo Album 6: The Vatican
  
• Photo Album 7: The Vatican cont
  
• Photo Album 8: Venice
  
• Photo Album 9: Venice cont
  
• Photo Album 10: Venice cont
  
• Photo Album 11: Pisa
  
• Photo Album 12: Florence
  
• Photo Album 13: Pompeii
  
• Photo Album 14: Pompeii cont
  
• Photo Album 15: Pompeii cont
  
• Photo Album 16: Sorrento, Positano, Capri, Amalfi Coast
  
• Photo Album 17: More of Sorrento, Positano, Capri, Amalfi Coast
  
• Photo Album 18: Parting Shots
  

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TravlinCpl,

Ken and Angela thanks for the tale, I really enjoyed it Jen

Ken & Angela
Thank you so much for your excellent report. I traveled much of the same route many years ago and your description brought back many many fond memories. Again thank you!

Chico Bob:

We're pleased that our Tour Tales served to bring back your fond memories. We will be Posting our photos of Italy in the near future.

Ken & Angela

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TravlinCpl,

Jen:

We appreciate your comments and are pleased that you enjoyed reading our (travel) diary.
We hope to Post our pics in the near future.

Ken & Angela

This message has been edited. Last edited by: TravlinCpl,

Great to read about your wonderful experiences Ken and Angela. Thanks for sharing with us.
Gaeley

Gaeley:

It was a pleasure to share our experiences and we trust our diary of events proved to be as inspirational to you as it was to us while writing it.

Ken & Angela

TravlinCpl

Thank you for your Tour Tale. I had to smile as I read the beginning of your tale. We did BOI just 2 yrs ago, the first of our European travels. You conveyed a sense of the very things we felt as we began our journey--is this for real, are we truly in Italy, "I can't believe I'm sitting in a restaurant across from the Colosseum my first night here having dinner", etc., etc. Your account brought back fond memories. It is interesting to read newer accounts of this tour, since the latter part of the tour has changed (for the better) since we did the trip. Then, we stayed 2 nights in Naples rather than in Sorrento; the hotel was lovely, the neighborhood undesireable. We did, however, "commute" to Sorrento, took the Amalfi drive but didn't get down into Positano, went to Capri--one of my absolute favorite days of my life! Thanks again.

Dennis

Dennis H:

We certainly appreciate your candid comments after reading our Tour Tale. Your sharing with us the feelings you came away with while reading our Tale makes the efforts of documenting our trip all the more rewarding.

Thanks much Dennis !

Ken & Angela

P.S.: Our FAV part of the tour was the Sorrento,Positano, & Amalfi Coast areas.

Your description of that BOI brought back so many memories for me also. Wife and I did it back in 05. I see you got a shirt and Angila got all kinds of things. Next trip you load up right? LOL. Some trips you only do once but wish you could do many times with the same people. The world is so large and so much to see in so little time to see it. Thanks again.