We could hardly sleep the night before because we were so excited to return to Venice! We think of it as a year-round carnival - a big mix of fun on a secluded island complete with romantic canals, interesting alleys, bridges, good food, entertainment, and shops.
On our way to Italy, we stopped for a break at the McDonalds with the most beautiful view in Austria. Nearby, Travis purchased some local specialties for a quick treat: Mozartkugel and peach schnapps. Driving further south, we entered the Dolomites. This fringe between Germanic countries and Italy is so interesting - there's a true blending of Alpine lodges and red tile roofs.
Now entering: Gelato territory
Italy is home to many delicious treats. As we arrived in Italy, Travis shared some expert gelato buying tips. Here's his list, with a few of our own.
1) Only buy from gelaterias with shallow pans, if lids are present, even better 2) Tall mounds in display cases indicate it's either been frozen solid or has additives for it to stand up that way 3) True banana is white/grey and true pistachio is beige. 4) Seasonal fruit flavors should be available, lemon generally has year-round availability.
This example doesn't exactly fit the expert criteria; however, some gelato is probably better than no gelato!
With gelato consumed, our next order of business was an orientation to Venice and a self-organized group gondola ride to the main canal. Pictured below are images of key landmarks including the Rialto Bridge, St. Mark's Square, a cruise of the lagoon, and a day trip to Murano.
A day trip to Murano is easy and the vaporetto (ferry) ride over is scenic and fun. Below are photos from our tour of the lagoon to and from Murano, including Venice's own San Michele island cemetery, the lighthouse at Murano, the Cometa de Vidro (glass comet), colorful buildings, and one of Italy's other leaning towers.
Millefiori (meaning thousand flowers) are glass pieces that are tiny slices from long, thin glass rods. These are frequently used to make jewelry or to decorate Venetian glass art. We purchased these to use in mosaic projects at home.
Cinque Terre: Tour Day 11
The Cinque Terre was a new destination on this My Way Tour and one that we were very excited to visit. Our tour hotel was located in the northernmost of the five villages: Monterosso al Mare. Italy is home to the most UNESCO World Heritage sites and the Cinque Terre is one of them.
The villages are accessible by train and we had to make our way down a steep and winding road to get to Levanto for the train to Monterosso. A few of those hair pin turns with oncoming traffic were especially tricky and made us so thankful for Omar, our expert driver! Upon arrival in Monterosso, we chose to have some cool drinks on the roof top patio before taking the kids down to the beach for a swim. It was also time to do laundry and thankfully, Monterosso has a local laundromat that will pick up your laundry, wash/dry/fold it, AND deliver it back to your hotel. This really gave us time to unwind and relax in the Cinque Terre!
The public and private beaches in Monterosso are great for swimming
For dinner, pretty much our entire group ended up at a nearby restaurant serving fresh corxetti pasta and the daily catch along with an area specialty, limoncino.
Manarola: Day 12
For our full day in the Cinque Terre, we chose to take the water taxi down to Manarolla for a view of the villages from the sea. Manarola has a perfect swimming spot complete with large rocks and schools of fish. The kids really enjoyed snorkeling around these large rocks and we all had fun watching the brave divers plunge into the clear waters from the highest points on the rocks. The water is deep, but clear and warm. In the evening, the fisherman from this village returned with fresh sardines and filled the harbor with their boats.
Fresh sardines and an Aperol spritz in Manarola - so refreshing!
Manarola is the place to really relax and take it all in. You can walk north, away from the village, and grab a cliff-side bench for the sunset. As the sun dips lower in the sky behind you, the homes of Manarola glow intensely until the sun is gone and Manarola's glow becomes a colorful smolder. - Jessica Clements
All roads lead to Rome: Tour Day 13
On the drive to Rome, we passed through Carrarra and were impressed by all of the blocks of marble. Imagine Michelangelo coming here to scout a specimen of marble that would eventually become the statue of David in Florence!
A small parade welcomed us to our neighborhood in Rome on our way to dinner.
Although Italy is not considered a "beer country," it is home to Peroni. We enjoyed dinner at the Antica Birreria Peroni, a brewery and pub in the heart of Rome before an evening stroll to the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and finally Plaza Navona where we caught the match of Wales and Belgium. Check out the photos below for each landmark during daylight and evening hours. Both views are worth your time.
The finish: Tour Day 14
For our final day in Rome, we chose to visit the Capitolini Museum, Victor Emanuel Monument, Forum and Coliseum before a great final dinner with our great group. After dinner, we returned to Plaza Navona one last time on this trip to catch the match up of Italy and Germany.