Day 14 & 15 - Rome (All in a Day's Walk)

Arriving in Rome was unlike any other city we have traveled to.  Our train pulled in on Friday, some time after noon and we were in the middle of sorting out which public transportation combination would get us to our Marriott (this hotel was not located in Central Rome).  All of a sudden, the gates of the train station went up, there was shouting and we learned they were closing ALL modes of public transportation for the next 2 hours.  This meant we had to wait until 3pm to catch the train/bus combo which would get us to the Marriott.  We found an English-speaking Italian to ask what was going on (surely this could not be the traditional "nap time"?) and he informed us that a demonstration was taking place and that was why everything was shutting down.

Cue the RIOT POLICIA running through the train station with their riot shields and loads of police cars outside the train station with sirens a blazing!  It was quite a scene.  Luckily, the gates that went up in the train station (thereby locking us in) came down within 20 minutes and we walked across the street to find a little something to wet our whistle/fill our bellies while we waited.  We conveniently found an internet cafe and passed some time online while waiting.  Side note: Joe did ask a cabbie how much the fare was to our hotel, but no cabbie was willing to drive us to the distant Marriott since he wouldn't have a return fare and it would not be worth his while.

Like I said, quite the adventure.  Since we didn't get to our hotel until after 5pm, we decided not to venture into historic Rome for the evening.  Our hotel was quite extreme, since it housed the largest convention meeting spot.

Marriott bar/lobby area (the bar looked like an arc)

Our room had a stunning view, but it didn't feel like we were in Rome at all!

View from our room of the outdoor pool

The room actually had two separate bathrooms.  One bathroom had a full size tub and sink/vanity.  The other housed a toliet, a bidet, and a roomy stand up shower (sink/vanity included).  

The Marriott had an extensive Spa, so instead of exploring Rome, we explored the Spa!  There were rooms like the Caldarium, which was based on an ancient Roman "spa treatment". This was a hot, slightly steamy room heated by a hypocaust, an underfloor heating system.  There were also different types of saunas, ice showers, an indoor pool and whirlpool area. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh, such a treat!


The next morning we took the Marriott coach bus (30 min ride) and spent 13 hours walking around (what seemed like) all of Rome.  200+ photos were taken during the course of 13 hours, so in the interest of saving time, I will highlight some of the "must-sees" we had the pleasure of laying our eyes on by posting some of my favorite shots.  It was all together a different experience to see how massive and historic all these places were and sadly, it's difficult to do them justice with a shot or 2 on this blog.

Baths of Caracalla

Colosseum

Fontana di Trevi

Pantheon

Piramide di Caio

Piazza della Repubblica

Santa Maria Maggiore

Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II

Fontana dei Fiumi

St Peter's Basilica, lit up at night, from a distance

Some of my favorite trees around Rome, but not sure what they are?!?

That's ALL Folks!  

Day 13: Views of Venice

As luck would have it, we had a clear sunny day AGAIN in Venice.  After breakfast (conveniently included with our hotel stay), we ventured out on a vaporetta to the San Marco area.  Our quiet, non-touristic island of Giudecca is such a contrast to the San Marco plaza!  However, we were able to visit a number of the “must-sees” of the area.  The plaza is over run by large groups of tourists, gondolas lined up down multiple canals and there are multitudes of merchandise stands. 

Piazza San Marco

We waited in line to get to the top of the tower at Piazza San Marco, which promised some of the most picturesque views of Venice.  The aerial views were indeed remarkable, but also COLD.  

Brisk winds from the seaside whipped through the open-air windows of the tower, so I quickly captured memorable views and then we high-tailed it back to the warmth of a less windy environment down below.

Aerial view

One of the helpful books I purchased in Chicago named a brewery as one of the top 10 lunch spots.  It was our sheer determination to find the brewery that also led us to cross the Grand Canal Bridge and discover other sights along the way.

On top of Grand Canal Bridge

Birraria was off the beaten path and we were more than thrilled to find this tranquil spot, away from the mobs of tourists.

Joe on left hand side of image, walking up to Birraria

Insalate

The salad (insalate) we shared was remarkable: paper- thin sliced sheep’s milk cheese  curls drizzled with honey and truffle oil, served over a bed of arugula.

This was the remote courtyard we looked out over during lunch. 

We had to pick beers blindly and both enjoyed our choices!  Each of us picked a  wafer-thin crust pizza and were overcome with flavorful sensations.  My pizza had mozzarella, brie, tomato sauce and a combo of chicory mushrooms.  Joe’s toppings were: wild boar salami, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and a thin red sauce.

Joe's pizza

Jenne's pizza

After stuffing ourselves with our favorite meal of our Venice trip, we maneuvered through the maze of alleys, bridges and shopping markets.  

Gondolas for hire

Later, we jumped on a vaporetta for a leisurely boat ride, with no real destination.  This gave us the chance to see more of the city without having to actually navigate the mostly confusing, massive map we had.

The water fountains in Venice are some of the most unique looking I’ve laid eyes on.  The water is definitely safe to drink and there is always some type of pail to catch the dripping water beneath.  The spigot where the water is dispensed has an animal head; you have to lean over to catch the stream spewing from the “head”.  Joe demonstrates how one would drink from the fountain and then also…well, what can I say:  Boys Will Be Boys.

We are planning to go to a local restaurant on Giudecca for a late dinner (they don’t open until 7pm) and then we are calling it a night.  We have to rise around 6:30am in order to catch a vaporetta back to the train station so we can hop our train to Rome.  It’s one of the longest train rides we have had on the trip, nearly 4 hours.  Until the next blog, CIAO!

Day 12: From Stresa to Venice

Lake Maggiore

We had to rise rather early for our departing train from beautiful, relaxing Stresa. 

Since Stresa is north of Venice, we actually took a train back to Milan and switched trains there.

Arriving in Venice in early afternoon, we sought out tickets for the city’s vaporetti (water boat system).  Once we had that all sorted out, we boarded a floating dock to wait for the vaporetti.  Once the water taxi docked against the floating deck, we climbed aboard.  It’s a pretty neat public transport system!

As luck would have it, we were not provided with precise instructions of how to find our hotel once we were on the island of Giudecca, part of the Southern Lagoon area of Venice.  We wandered through alleys and crossed bridges, trying to find our way.  Finally, we found the correct alley and at the end of this long, narrow alley was our hotel, Domina!

Domica is in a quiet, neighborly area and our room is cozy.

The room opens with a Juliette balcony and there are residences directly across from our 2nd floor room.  As we were unpacking, a lady was hanging her laundry out on the line from her 3rd story window.

There is a smaller canal running right behind our hotel, lined with colorful boats.  This canal provides many playful reflections.

The front desk clerk provided us with a more detailed map of Venezia (which is what they all Venice).  She recommended several local restaurants and we picked the closest one since we were famished!  Ai Cacciatori was listed in our Top 10 book for the neighborhood we were staying in Venice and we had a table canalside, fantastic for good people watching.  (Also, might I add, dog watching!)

After a bite, we walked a bit further down the canal and checked out Campo Del Santissimo Redentore and its beautiful architecture. 

We kept wandering alleys and courtyards, getting a feel for the area and finally stopped for a canalside drink.  The spot we chose seemed to be mostly locals catching up after work.  The sun was setting over Venezia as we kicked back and relaxed – what a view!

Looking forward to a full day of Venetian sites tomorrow!

Day 10 & 11: Departing Milan/spending time on Lake Maggiore

We departed Milan on Monday morning and our hotel key from Hotel Nacso deserves special recognition.  This key quite possibly weighed at least 3 lbs and I don't think anyone would want to keep it as a souvenir.

We checked into a very lavish hotel, right on the Lake Maggiore, the room was beyond expectation, complete with a painting over our bed(s).   

It was not a clear day though we had sun on and off, and enjoyed some leisurely time around the Baveno area.  It’s quite spectacular with the mountains in the background and we had wonderful views off our balcony.

We found a friendly sidewalk café to enjoy the view and wait off the gentle rainfall.

In late evening, we headed to our hotel restaurant, which had direct views of Lake Maggiore.  Joe had a rather spectacular risotto in a parmesan shell and I enjoyed some fresh gnocchi.

Tuesday proved to be full of more sunshine and we spent the day at the Turkish baths:  whirlpool, sauna, steam room and salt room.  We were in bad need of an R&R day and this was the perfect solution. 

Later on, we went to a local restaurant that our cabbie had recommended (ironically, this cabbie was also the same person to inform us of the killing of Osama Bin Laden by US Troops).  Dinner was the best we have had in Italy so far.  Stand-outs were the gorgonzola mousse with celery and pears, as well as the handmade pasta and house-made tiramisu.