Day 14 - Arrival in Venice

I hopped out of bed at 5am to see what highlights the rising sun would give me. It was awesome to have Florence all to myself!

Which way?  After doing it enough times, I finally knew exactly where to go.

No one was in the Piazza della Signoria

A quiet Ponte Vecchio

Looking down the Arno River at the Ponte Vecchio

Thoughts on Florence:
One thing I love about Florence is that it is a time capsule of the Renaissance. I had been warned to avoid Florence in June, its busiest ("worst") month. Where I don't doubt that there was a greater volume of people, it did not feel any more crowded than last October. It definitely seems like the highest concentration of American tourists are here. I wish more areas were pedestrian only. The average width of the sidewalks is about 1 1/2 people wide, forcing us to walk single file. Where is the romance and togetherness in that? Greg and the kids didn't like that they couldn't use landmarks to figure out where they were - they had to resort to a map to get around. I couldn't live here...it is too enclosed for me. I need to be able to access and enjoy an open view, and see the horizon - not tall buildings in my face.

Our next train ride took us two hours to Venice. Jeremy sat alone in first class, and was unimpressed. The large lady in front of him was in his personal space - plus I stole his champagne.

Stepping out of the Santa Lucia train station, you are right at the Grand Canal. Immediately Chris stated, "That's weird." What? "Having water right there." We are officially in Venice! And a deep sigh of relief... No cars here!! But definitely a ton of people, probably more than average because it is the weekend, and it is a beautiful sunny day!

Stepping out of Venice's train station

Our apartment is right next to the Rialto Bridge in Campo San Salvador - with a view down the street of the Grand Canal. Our building is from the Middle Ages. It is attached to a church. The bedroom has a window, now sealed, that used to open so the priest could see into the church - how cool is that! The apartment lists to one side due to the shifting sand foundation; walking through it is like walking on a cruising ship - all of a sudden you dip down, and then back up. Our windows open up to the square five floors below, and it is relaxing listening to the hum of people walking by. We have our privacy yet are connected to Venice's pulse.

Our apartment - what Jeremy does with his selfie while he is alone

Kate thinks it is really, really pretty here! She is so hot she wants to swim in the water. We went on a city tour, and our guide, Jackie, made it clear that you do NOT want to touch the water! She also said you do not get around using street names; there are over 90 streets here named "Street of the Baker." (We use our GPS.) Jackie said you walk like you would drive, which I thought was interesting because no one here (all tourists) does that. For example, no stopping on bridges. What?! That is crazy talk. Jackie opened my eyes to something I had never noticed before - the fire hydrants that pump fresh (not salt) water.

Waiting at the well for the tour to begin

View of the Grand Canal from the Accademia Bridge

When we reached St. Mark's Square, Kate commented that you would not want to come here if you don't like birds. She's right - there might be more birds than people here!

Beautiful view from the square as the sun was going down

Today was the first day we were in Italy and didn't have a brief afternoon thunder storm. But the forecast for the rest of our stay in Venice will make up for it with rain all day.

We made dinner in the apartment - pasta again. Cooking in these kitchens is just like cooking in the trailer: cramped, no counter space, inconsistent water temperature. There is no pantry and no supplies so we need to buy every ingredient, which is why we keep it simple.

Logistics:
- Even though I reserved my train tickets as soon as they became available (4 months to the hour), only 4 seats at the super economy rate were available. Instead of paying the next higher rate for 5 tickets, I split out my order. Four super economy tickets in second class and one in first class was cheaper than five economy tickets in second class.
- We went on the "Venice Free Walking Tour". Our guide was informative and knowledgeable.
- Venice has 15 dirty public restrooms that cost €1.50. Jackie said instead you go to a cafe and buy a €1 espresso- and then use their clean bathroom. (Rick Steves says that too.)

Day 13 -Side Trip to Pisa

We finally broke free from having (Italian) croissants for breakfast and had fried eggs - on focaccia... our new favorite food! It is so good that we buy a lot of it. However, it is not cheap, like most other European bread.

We went on a 6-hour day trip (via a 1-hour train ride) to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Jeremy, who thought it would be hilarious to take all sorts of inappropriate <forced perspective> pictures with the Leaning Tower, chickened out when he got there. He refused to be one of the stupid tourists making a fool out of themselves. The rest made fools out of ourselves.

Doing our part to hold it up!

There is nothing like the variety of sensations you get when climbing the tower. As you climb up the bell tower, it is pretty cool how the lean distorts reality. It causes you to "fall" up, over and back as you complete a spiral around. At the top it was so peaceful - we sat on the steps and enjoyed the view for a while. Then we ate a picnic lunch, relaxing on the lawn.

View from the top


Looking over the Pisa complex - The Field of Miracles

Relaxing at the top

Walking down the topsy-turvy stairs


Picnic lunch

Jeremy caved. He made it 13 days. He is now the proud owner of a selfie stick. I can be an official tour guide now, and hold it high in the air when we walk!

We ate dinner again in the "Oltrarno" - the other side of the Arno River - at l'Pizzacchiere. Our own private waitress and the food were impeccable!

Since we were so close to Piazzale Michelangiolo again, and Jeremy and Kate missed out the night before, we went there for a quick stop. On the long set of stairs to get up to it, Kate and I had to chuckle when we overheard a little girl say, "I can't mom, my feet really really hurt." Kids call it like it is - yeah, we all feel that way!

Stairs up to Piazzale Michelangiolo

View over Florence

Artistic renditions to the Wrong Way signs

Jeremy found a Lambo ... finders keepers, right?  

Logistics:
- We bought our €8 train tickets to Pisa at the station (a day in advance), and then stamped them at the platform before we got on.
- The Leaning Tower of Pisa was the very last reservation I made before we left. The tickets are only sold 20 days in advance.
- When we arrived to the Field of Miracles at 10:15, I was surprised to discover that there was actually 3 available tickets for the next tower climb at 10:45.
- Absolutely no bags are allowed. Show your ticket, and check them for free.
- Since our visit 4 years ago, they no longer allow you to go to the very top. More people go per timed group, and you are not restricted to 20 minutes.

Day 12 - Florence Dome and Uffizi

Today we did just about nothing - the kids were asking for some downtime. However, we did get up to climb Brunelleschi's dome when it opened at 8:30. I explained to the kids that it is a much more pleasant experience to do it when no one is at the top, so they didn't complain about getting out of bed. Greg thought it was cool to walk between the two layers of the dome. Jeremy said it felt like "leg day" at the gym. Kate was noticing the large cracks (fissures) - that have been there since it was constructed. Chris pointed out something I had not paid attention to: to get to St. Peter's dome you spiral around it; for Brunelleschi's dome, you literally climb on the curved dome.

Climbing up to the top of the Duomo's dome

Sandwiched between the two layers of the dome

View from the top of the dome

For lunch, Greg and I went to our favorite sandwich place - iFratellini - for yummy porchetta and wine.  Taking it to eat in nearby Piazza Della Signoria tops off the experience. 

We ventured out again in the afternoon. Chris and Kate wanted to buy some leather items, so we went to the leather district by Santa Croce. Chris (and a little later, Jeremy) bought a nice wallet, Kate got a bracelet, and Greg got a traditional coin purse (a miniature man bag). 

We don't normally visit art museums but I figured one during our trip - especially here where the Renaissance began - wouldn't kill anyone. And, we survived the wee bit of culture which included one of the most famous paintings in the world. I chose 12 artists and paintings to research and explain to them at the Uffizi museum. Kate has excellent taste - her favorite was Botticelli's Birth of Venus. Chris' was Michelangelo's brightly colored Doni Tondo. Greg thought the Battle of San Romano was pretty cool. 

After dinner, Greg, Chris and I walked up to Piazzale Michelangiolo for the sunset and the best view of the entire Duomo. We were not alone. It absolutely ranks as one of the best sunsets I have seen. But the focus of the sunset view is over the Arno and its bridges, and not the Duomo. On our way down, Chris commented that we had found the biggest street in Florence. Yes, we had finally walked outside the original (last) confining city walls. 

A hazy view of the Duomo

Sitting on the steps of Piazzale Michelangiolo

The sun lit the river on fire!

Jeremy said his day - laying around on the couch - was relaxing; he doesn't like going to museums, or doing anything, really. 

For doing close to nothing, somehow Greg still managed to reach his 10 mile daily walking goal. 

Logistics: 

- At the Uffizi, we focused on: Giotti's Ognissanti Madonna, portraits of Duke and Duchess of Urbino, Madonna of the Magnificat, Birth of Venus, La Primavera, da Vinci's Annunciation, Michelangelo's Doni Tondo, the Battle of San Romano, Madonna of the Goldfinch, Venus of Urbino, and Caravaggio's Medusa and Bacchus. 

Day 11 - Florence walking tour and Accademia

We said goodbye to Rome today - after finding our groove and thoroughly enjoying the eternal city. It was nice to be in one place for so long, and hard to fit everything back into the suitcase! We cleared out of the apartment and took one last view of the Colosseum as we headed to the train station.

It was a weird sensation to arrive in Firenze and feel completely at ease - having just left it 7 months ago, I have no anxiety about being lost and clueless. It is familiar, and I am excited to share it with Jeremy, Chris and Kate!

Waiting for the apartment owner to arrive

In hindsight, this is when the day went bad. Tired from the long day before and traveling to a new city, we should have rested for the afternoon. I didn't know anyone was tired though, so we moved forward as planned: lunch at Nerbone in the Central Market, my homemade audio Florence city tour (highlights of the three city tours I have been on), and finally the Accademia to see Michelangelo's David.

Jeremy asked about the "messed up clock" in the Duomo.  It is a 24 hour clock counting how many hours have passed since yesterday's sunset.

Looking up at Brunelleschi's dome

Greg didn't rub the boar's snout last visit, yet here he returned again somehow

I think Michelangelo would approve of the Accademia showcasing his David brilliantly

At that point, everyone but Chris and I returned to the apartment. Chris wanted to climb Giotti's campanile (bell tower). He recognized it from when he used to play Assassin's Creed.

View from the top of Giotti's bell tower

Thankfully we salvaged something from the day, and had an unforgettable dinner. Everyone was happy and having fun together - completely dissolving the day's grumpiness. We each ordered a different meal, and then passed it around to share so that none of us missed out on the flavors of Tuscany. Unadventurous Kate, who ordered spaghetti with butter, told dad, "it is kinda tasteless". Greg replied, "yeah, well you get it back," as he took back his delicious spaghetti bolognese.

Affordable, delicious dinner at La Casalinga next to Santo Spirito

Sunsets are beautiful in Florence!

Ponte Vecchio

My stupid mistakes:
- I intentionally left Kate's passport safe in the apartment even though the Accademia said ID was necessary. I'm paranoid of losing her passport, and Vatican (who also requires ID) didn't check it. Accademia did. I was forced to upgrade her to the adult rate. Note: ID must have the date of birth so her student ID was unacceptable. Chris could use his driver's license.
- International student ID is unacceptable for the Accademia's reduced price. I am sure the website says it somewhere but I couldn't keep track of all the fine print of the places we are visiting. I had to upgrade Jeremy's ticket to an adult.

Logistics:
- Our apartment is very central - on the way from the train station to the Piazza Republica. It is bright and modern, has 2 bedrooms, but only 1 bathroom. This was my first experience with airbnb - you pay in full when you reserve it, and airbnb holds your money until you check in - guaranteeing you won't be ripped off.

Kitchen/Dining/Living Room

- I reserved our Accademia (and Uffizi) tickets 3 1/2 months in advanced so I could get the specific time I wanted. For both museums, first you have to go to the reservation window to get your tickets and then you have to wait at the reservations entrance line. Allow 20 minutes. There are people and lines everywhere!

Day 10 - Vatican and Forum

Today we were given a gift that we will cherish always. We met Francesca Caruso. We were privileged to spend 3 hours with her. Born and raised in Rome, she has been a guide for 20 years, and speaks English like an American. Immediately after meeting her, I was excited that she would be imparting a small piece of her vast knowledge onto us. Knowing 2,000 years of history is overwhelming, she broke it down for us and invited us to learn a piece of it. She shared herself and her personal stories so that we could benefit from them. She gave us "visual tools". She gave us knowledge that we could take with us on the rest of our trip - that we could use and apply to learn even more. She tied in Florence and Venice since we are headed there next.

First she dissected San Clemente for us - an 11th century church that was built on top of a 4th century church, that was built on top of a 1st century Roman home. By understanding the layers of San Clemente, we could understand the layers of Rome ("it's like lasagna," she said). She made an interesting analogy that the ruins you see today in Rome are the "tip of the iceberg" - 80% are still uncovered.

Next she took us to the Forum. She said the more we can imagine, the closer we will be to understanding it. She made it easy to visualize! Repeatedly she made me feel like I had traveled back in time - actually standing in the massive basilica that has always mesmerized me. She reproduced the awe and fear, just as the Roman Empire intended.

The ruins are literally "awesome" ... creating admiration and fear

Francesca read us. She sized us up and tailored the tour to our family. I wanted the kids to come away from Rome with a knowledge that I knew I could not give them. Francesca gave this to them. And in the end, realizing she had given us something I could not repay her for - an unforgettable and everlasting gift - it made me emotional that people like her exist, and we were honored to meet her and spend a few hours with her. Thank you, Francesca!

Let me return now to how we started our day: with a visit to St. Peter's and the Vatican museum. We got to the dome as it opened which is a fantastic way to appreciate a small space - without crowds! The kids were blown away by the immense size of the basilica and its dome!

St. Peter's Basilica is open, but there is no one there at 7:30am

I love how the rays of light shine into the basilica - it is so ethereal, and you can feel God's presence

Climbing to the top of the cupola (dome)

View from the top

Then we walked all the way around the large Vatican wall to get to the entrance to the Vatican Museums. With all the people, this was no easy feat. The museum was just opening and already teeming with people.

I have been on a tour of the Vatican before, and did not thoroughly enjoy it. I wanted my kids to have a different experience, and get the most of it. So I researched it and made an audio tour completely tailored to them. It worked marvelously! The only thing that did not work well was the hordes of people. The museums get 30,000 visitors daily in June, and I'm sure they were all there with us. We were trapped in group after group of selfie-stick guided tours. Greg and I don't handle crowds like this well. It is by far the worst crowd we have seen and I am sure will be the worst we will see.

Listening to the audio tour in front of the Fontana della Pigna

My favorite piece of art this visit, as I am now more informed about what I am looking at.  The Belvedere Torso, although a battered fragment, was hugely influential to Michelangelo.

The beautiful Gallery of the Candelabra was completely covered in scaffolding

Jeremy was impressed by how much porphyry the Vatican owns. Chris was disappointed by how fast we went through, and wanted to spend more time - which simply was not an option with the wave of tourists forcing you through! Chris enjoyed the statues, and Raphael's "School of Athens" - he thought it was funny that Raphael painted himself looking out at us.

Today we climbed 54 stories and walked over 14 miles. Greg won't stop each day until we average 10 miles. He is going to be disappointed in our next couple stops, as we will have to leave town or swim to get that kind of distance under our feet in Florence and Venice.

Logistics:
- We reserved our 9am entry tickets to the Vatican. Tickets are available 60 days in advance.
- Do not even attempt tackling the museum without some form of a tour - at least during the exceptionally crowded hours. It was too crowded to move, making finding and seeing the artwork nearly impossible.
- There is a strict dress code for St Peters and the Vatican museum: you must cover your shoulders and knees. I have been told it is acceptable to wear "long" shorts. However, we didn't want to risk it so we wore pants.
- As you walk around the wall of the Vatican on your way to the museum, and reach the large crowd wrapped around - waiting in line - stand on the left side if you need tickets, and keep to the right side if you already have them. Even though the right side is just the sidewalk and not a line, it is too narrow for the amount of people using it - so in essence is a line.

In front of the entrance there are 3 lines - buy tickets on the left, reservations in the middle (sign above), and groups on the right

- As you leave the Sistine Chapel, go to the back right door marked "No Entry" (you can't miss the big sign). It is for "tour groups only" and takes you straight into St. Peter's. It cuts off the 15 minute walk around the outside and the 1-hr wait to get through security!

- Francesca Caruso
www.FrancescaCaruso.com
- Tickets to the Colosseum and Forum are good for 2 consecutive days but only one entry to each one.

Day 9 - Colosseum and Whai Whai

Everyone was looking forward to our visit to the Colosseum - how could they not!  Jeremy said it was worth the selfie alone!  It is pretty darn impressive to be standing in the biggest amphitheater of the Roman Empire!  We had a reserved tour of the Underground and Third Ring. These are areas that have been recently (2011) opened to the public by tour only. It was definitely a highlight to go to the special access areas, like the arena floor and underground, and then up to the third level for some great views. The stairs down were quite steep and quite sloped - propelling you down. Perhaps that is how they were able to get 50,000 people out in 15 min - they were probably literally falling!

An exciting moment - we are walking inside the Colosseum, about to see the massive arena!

The arena where the legendary gladiator games took place!

View from the re-created stage floor of the arena

The underground labyrinth, from where exotic animals would be released to surprise and wow the audience

Up on the third ring

For our next adventure, Kate and Jeremy chose to stay home.  Poor Chris was conflicted: he doesn't want to miss anything yet he also wants some down time. He joined us for lunch, gelato, and our "Whai Whai" tour - but he really needed his down time. First, he was quite concerned that we were eating at a "snack bar". He wanted FOOD not a snack ... He didn't know that all the casual lunch places here are generically called snack bars. 

Whai Whai Guide: Rome the Ruyi

Then, he didn't know what this Whai Whai thing was?  Essentially it is a game, like a historical scavenger hunt. First you buy the book, which is completely useless on its own - each page is literally cut into thirds and shuffled, and it is impossible to line them up. You need to text the game to begin. It texts you back with your first clue. You go to the location, and text the answer that you find. It really is a fantastic, ingenious concept, and Greg and I particularly enjoyed it. Even Chris admitted, "It's a nice way to sightsee and learn stuff."  We have a game book for 3 more Italian cities: Florence, Venice and Milan. 

Chris figured out how to drink from the nasoni - you plug up the downspout which creates a spurt of water to drink

Somehow the Whai Whai game took us past Giolitti gelato twice!  The first time the line was out the door but the next time we could fit in. This experience was even better than yesterday. You could easily go every day for a month trying new flavor combinations. I found out I really need to go again so I can combine dark chocolate with strawberry - OMG!! 

We are slow learners. This is our 3rd day in Italy. The first 2 days had afternoon thundershowers. Yet we still went out a 3rd day without rain gear. Maybe tomorrow we will be prepared. 

The kids were craving pizza again today. Not the brightest decision to start out with the best pizza of the trip, but tonight's was pretty good. "How do they make their tomato sauce taste so good?  I don't like tomato sauce, ever, " says Kate, in surprise. 

Several times each day, we pass the same street cafes by our apartment, and each time the same hostesses ask us if we want a drink or food. Tonight the guy greets us by saying, "I know, you stay right here and have kitchen!"  Finally!!  However, none of the other cafes have figured it out, and keep inviting us in. 

The Colosseum at dusk

Logistics

- I booked the Colosseum tour the day the summer tickets opened, which was April 18. It has always been you can only get them in person or by phone (they speak English) but that day it looked like internet bookings were available - except their server had crashed due to the overload. 

- I bought my Colosseum tickets in advance so I could skip the line. There is still a line for security; I was 10th in line 30 minutes prior to opening.  There are 2 distinct and clearly labeled lines - one for tickets and one for people who have reservations/Roma pass. 

- We couldn't have played the Whai Whai game without our map app. If you don't have a really good map, then you will need the Internet to help you find the random streets and places.