Eating our way through Italy

Mitch and I joined Neal and Laura for a "last pre-kids trip to Europe" from March 10-20. We flew to Florence, spent 3 nights there. Then we took a train to Naples. Daniela, my roommate from ISU, showed us around Naples - her home town. Then we went by car to Positano on the Amalfi Coast. We stayed there 2 nights. From there, we went by car to Pompeii, spent 3 hours there, then took a train to Rome. We stayed 4 nights in Rome.

From Florence to:
B: Naples
C: Positano
D: Pompeii, then back to Rome

 

Mitch and I both took our SLR's. He used a wide-angle lens, and I used the macro lens he bought me for Christmas. Together we took about 1700 pictures. I've had fun editing the pictures and posting them on Facebook. I thought I would share a few here too.

The highlight of the trip for me was the food: mozzarella, bruschetta, pizza, pasta, fried artichokes, tiramisu, and gelato! We spent about 5 hours every day enjoying fantastic meals - 2 hours at lunch and 3 hours at dinner. The other 8-10 hours we spent walking to burn off all these calories! ;-)

  

 

 

Some of my favorite sites included:

...Florence's Duomo:

...the Ponte Vecchio in Florence:

...the harbor in Naples:

...the view in Positano:

...and the Fountains in Rome:

Florence was my favorite stop on the trip because it had such a Renaissance atmosphere. We saw the Uffizi Gallery and the Academia where Michelangelo's David stands. What a masterpiece! In Rome, we met up with Mitch and Neal's cousin Brent and his wife Katie. We went on an outstanding half-day tour of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon. Our last full day in Rome, we went to the Vatican where we visited St. Peter's Basilica and climbed the dome. Unfortunately, the museum, crypt, and Sistine Chapel were all closed since it was St. Joseph's Day. Luckily we were able to toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain, so we're assured to come back to Rome to see everything we missed.

If you are planning a trip to Italy, I recommend Cinque Terre over Positano, even though Positano was very relaxing and beautiful too. Also, I would trade one day in Rome for one more day on the Coast. In 2 days I feel like you can see the highlights of Rome and the Vatican. Because Rome is so large, 3 full days makes for a lot of walking and seeing some things more than once. Be prepared for lots of walking in Rome until the third Metro line starts running. Many of the sites are not close to Metro stops. Be sure to check the holiday schedule before picking which day to see the Vatican. Don't forget to bring Rick Steve's Italy tour book with you! The book saved us tons of money on tours because you can use the detailed "walking tours" in the book to guide you through churches, museums, and towns like Pompeii.

That's it for now.... ciao!