Itlay & Switzerland, 1997

This morning we were up early and met our group for breakfast. Today we visited Vatican City. We took our bus across Rome and arrived at Vatican City. Our guide told us that Vatican City is a tiny sovereign independent state. It is only .44 sq. km. and has a population of around 1000. While Carolina got our tickets we marveled at the beauty of St. Peter's Square. Our first stop was the Sistine Chapel which was built from 1473-1481. Michelangelo painted the ceiling frescoes and decorated the altar wall. The ceiling depicts the story of creation and the story of Noah. Other famous artists have created biblical scenes here including Botticelli. From here we went to St. Peter's Bascillica and then the gardens. The physicians had to leave for a hospital tour but the rest of us took the Tapestry Room tour and then the archeological underground tour. It was so very fascinating and only two in our party chose to go shoe shopping instead of enjoying the beauty of this historical place. When we were all together again we went back to the hotel and we had the rest of the day at leisure. Hugh and I walked to the Trevi Fountain and of course we threw our coins in, who wouldn't want to return to Rome. We climbed the Spanish Steps and had a wonderful dinner at an outdoor cafe.

Up early today and back on the bus for a drive around of the city. We stopped at the Coliseum and we were amazed at the size. We got a great tour and the local guide was fantastic. Our next stop was the Roman Forum where the Roman legions marched in triumph. We saw the Circus Maximus and climbed Palatine Hill. We made lots of pictures. We continued our drive just enjoying the sights. We drove up one of the hills in the city for a fantastic view. In the late afternoon we were back at the hotel making plans for dinner. We had great suggestions from Carolina and we went to a fantastic restaurant where we had bruschetta and caprese salad for the first time. The waiters were so nice and helped us a lot with our ordering. We strolled back under the stars through Piazza Navona where there was music and a lot of young people enjoying the warm night. Ready for a good night's sleep we made our way to bed.

After breakfast as a group we loaded the bus and headed out to the Amalfi coast. We traveled on highways with very fast speeds and made great time. Our first stop was the city of Pompeii. In the year 79 A.D. Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the Roman city of Pompeii under a thick carpet of volcanic ash. Two thousand people died and the city was abandoned. In 1748 it was rediscovered and the explorers were surprised to find that Pompeii was mostly intact. We had a local guide who took us through the Forum, the gymnasium, and the temple of Apollo. We wandered through the sites and looked at ovens, bars, basilicas and homes of everyday people. It was rather eerie looking out and seeing Vesuvius in the background. When we left Pompeii we drove the winding road along the coast and into Sorrento. We were hot and tired and our hotel sat high on the cliff above the sea. It said there was a pool but we did not see it. After getting settled we asked about the pool and were told to take the elevator down to the bottom floor. It went straight through rock and deposited us at the shore with a beautiful salt water swimming area. Hugh jumped in and immediately stepped on an ugly black sea urchin. We went to our room and spent the next several hours picking the spines out of his foot. Cleaned with red wine and bandaged we were ready when our group went for pizza at a lovely restaurant in the town. On our way back we window shopped and walked through a market that filled the side streets. Our room had lovely french doors we could open and with the ceiling fan we did not miss A/C.

After a delicious breakfast we took a boat to the Isle of Capri. We embarked in the Piccola (little) Harbor and walked up the hills to the town of Anacapri. there were lots of shops and beautiful views to keep us occupied. I found for only $500 I could have my feet cast and shoes custom made. Guess how many pairs I bought... We made it to a high promenade lined with expensive villas where we had the most exquisite view of the island and the Amalfi coastline. We walked about half way down and had lunch at a wonderful seafood restaurant with a view. After our walk down to the harbor part of our group went back to Sorrento and the rest of us took the boat ride to the Blue Grotto, a sea cave with sun shining through the seawater giving it a blue reflection. It was cool and quiet and gorgeous. We were so glad we did it. When we returned to Sorrento we went to a demonstration of inlaying wood which this area is famous for. The furniture was lovely and pricey. Hugh and I had reservations for dinner so we headed out on our own. It was a lovely meal and we got back late. Off to bed.

This morning we had breakfast and loaded the bus for our trip to Florence. The trip starts with wonderful views from the coast road and then heads inland. We made a stop at Torre del Greco to visit the APA Cameo Jewelry center. We saw how the cameos are carved and set and all the lovely colors and styles they had. They were so lovely that I just could not leave without one. We stopped at a wonderful travel center and they had a great cafeteria style restaurant and we had lunch. This was efficient as Lorenzo filled the bus while we filled our tummies. We made our way into Florence mid afternoon and everyone was glad to get checked into our hotel. There were some complaints about the twin beds in some rooms and the hardness of the mattresses but we have found this a lot in Europe. Hugh and I were anxious to get out and discover the beauty of this Renaissance city. We began our trip walking along the Arno River and watching the locals fish. We soon found ourselves at the Ponte Vecchio and we walked across amazed at the number of jewelry shops lining the way. We walked along the winding streets and enjoyed the people until time to meet our group for dinner. It was a loud meal as everyone wanted to know what we were seeing tomorrow.

After a group breakfast we walked to the Accademia Gallery for our visit with Michelangelo's David. We had to stand in line for about 1/2 an hour before we made our way in. The statue is breathtaking and the closer you get the more of the magnificent detail you notice. We spent some time enjoying the other works including Rape of the Sabines and the unfinished Slaves. From this gallery we went to the Uffizi Gallery, one of the richest museums in Florence and home to one of the greatest collections of Italian paintings. We saw treasures by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli. Our next stop was the Church of Santa Croce, the final resting place of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machivelli, and Rossini. After a stop at Signoria Square we had the afternoon at leisure. Hugh and I wandered around the town making photos and enjoying gelato. Mid afternoon everything closed for 2 hours and we went back to the hotel to rest also. Later we headed out along the river and back to the Pitti Palace gardens were we walked and enjoyed the quiet. We also discovered the Palazzo Vecchio where they have the reproduction David and Neptune. It was fun to watch people get their pictures made with a naked man. We had dinner on our own and made it back to the hotel for a late turn in.

Today we leave Florence and head to Pisa enroute to Venice. Pisa is only a short drive along the Arno River. We arrived before it was too crowded but the number of people posing holding up the tower was amazing. We of course saw the tower first but then we explored the Piazza del Miracoli or Field of Miracles. This is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and contains the city's most famous sights; the Leaning tower (cathedrals bell tower) began in 1173, the Duomo di Pisa (Cathedral of Pisa), and the Battistero (Baptistry). These are all beautiful and have great history. We explored the small town and found out this is the home of Pinocchio. We shopped for the perfect small puppet and found a great Christmas ornament that works like a puppet. When we got back on the bus Carolina had purchased Torrone for us. This is a candy special to this area and is a nougat with hazelnuts and covered in chocolate, we all loved it. We continued our drive into Venice or at least to the outskirts. The bus cannot travel into Venice so we walked to our hotel. It was situated on the Grand Canal and we had a great view. It was late and after checking in we had the evening at leisure. Hugh and I asked several people about restaurants and the most highly recommended one was a Chinese one located near Rialto Bridge. We strolled there and had to wait to be seated but the view was so captivating that the time past quickly. The food was fantastic and we took a longer route back to the hotel enjoying the music from the Gondoliers.

After breakfast we took a water taxi to the Doges Palace, the seat of government of Venice for centuries. As well as being the home of the Doge it was the venue for it's law courts, civil administration, and until it was moved across the Bridge of Sighs, the city jail. After exploring this we moved to St Marks Basilica and Square. We stopped for lunch after this and then we went by gondola to Murano. Here we shopped for glass objects and watched the glass blowing exhibitions. We made it back to the hotel in time to change and meet for dinner. We had a lovely meal followed by a gondola ride around the city which Carolina had scheduled. We were in the gondola with the singer and it was so romantic and the city which can look dirty in the light of day took on its loveliest appearance. After our boat trip we wandered slowly back to the hotel.

Today we had to walk to the bus and start our journey to Milan with stops along the way. Our first stop was in Padua and this was a short one. We had time to see the cathedral and the lovely statuary there. We moved on and our next stop was in Verona. We stopped in the heart of Verona and visited the home of Juliet of Romeo and Juliet fame. We got to go on the balcony and do our best rendition of Romeo, Romeo, where forth art thou Romeo! We had time to wander the streets of this charming town and Hugh and I had lunch with Carolina at an outdoor restaurant so we could enjoy the view. This was our first time eating arugula and we like it very much. After our late lunch we drove on to Milan. We stopped to see the painting The Last Supper. We drove though this thriving city on our way to our hotel. By the time we were all checked in it was time for dinner, fortunately it was in our hotel. This was a long day but so much fun.

Today we have a city tour after breakfast. Our tour began at the Milan Cathedral, Gothic structure which took nearly 6 centuries to complete. It was beautiful but by this time it was another cathedral...We went from there to the opulent La Scala Opera House. This theater opened in 1778 and is one of the premier opera houses in the world. Verdi and Toscanini are both closely associated with this theater. After lunch our next stop was the Galleria Vittoria Emanuele II which is one of the world's oldest shopping malls. It is housed within a four-story arcade in the heart of Milan. This was a fun place to stretch your legs and people watch. Back at the hotel we dressed for dinner and we took a suggestion from Carolina and had a fabulous meal. Good night.

We were up and ready to go today. We are traveling to Lugano, Switzerland for our last day of the trip. The bus ride was through lovely areas once we left the city. We passed through the border guard with no problems and were soon in this lovely town. Lugano lies in a bay on the northern side of Lake Lugano. It is traffic free and filled with Mediterranean style squares and arcade. We had the day at leisure and we explored every nook and cranny. We sat outside and enjoyed expresso, walked along the lake, ate gelato, and even went into one of the jewelry stores to browse. It was a fabulous day with perfect weather. We arrived at the bus at the appointed time and 4 people were missing. We sat and waited for 30 minutes before one of them came to say they were in the process of buying 4 Rolex watches and needed more time. An hour late we finally left and this time when we went to cross the border we were stopped for a long time while our late friends declared their new purchases. A very grumpy group of passengers arrived back at the hotel and a late dinner. We packed and put our bags out before bed.

Everyone had the same flight back to JFK and then we parted ways. A grand time had been had by all! /susan