Italy - May 2009
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May, 2009  It has always been a goal of Rita's to explore Italy.  We finally put a trip together in 2009.  Rita did ALL the planning and research.  We'd fly into Rome and explore a bit (also a tour down to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast) ... then train our way up to Florence and rent a car to discover the beauty of Tuscany for five days.  Then another train to Venice for three days and finally return via Milan.  Those two weeks made for an amazing adventure and our first introduction to European cultures and customs.

We decided to use backpacks instead of suitcases since we'd be on the move so much.  Our plan was to stay ay 'Bed and Breakfast' (B&B) locations and avoid hotels.  It would give us more of a chance to talk with people who lived in the area.  We left Dayton at lunch on Friday and flew into Atlanta, GA.  From Atlanta it was a 5,000 mile (8.5 hour) flight to Leonardo da Vinci Airport (Fiumicino Airport) just west of Rome.  And so our adventure began ...

We've spent a lot of time in the Caribbean and Mexico, so I know enough Spanish to get by down there.  I was (foolishly) thinking that I'd get by without some studying of basic Italian phrases.  When we picked up our backpacks at the baggage claim, I was ready to get outside and breathe some fresh air.  8.5 hours on a plane is a long flight!  So I marched right through the first glass door I saw leading out ... and promptly set up the airport alarm system!  45 minutes in Italy and I was already attracting attention.  I'm sure it was clearly labeled in Italian.  But without a symbol or English translation ... well, let's just say I knew this was going to be interesting!

Now when you travel from Ohio to Italy, you cross 6 time zones.  So 8am in Italy is 2am back in the States.  So by the time we got off the plane, we were ready to get some sleep ... but the world around us was just waking up and everyone starting their day.  But we weren't there yet!  The airport is 37km (23 miles) from Rome so the next step is a train trip (The Leonardo Express) to the Rome Central Train station.  Cost 22 Euro for 2 people ($31).

Now my wife is a sharp cookie ... so she reserved a B&B within a few blocks of the Rome Central Train Station.  So we donned our backpacks and headed up the street to locate "La Casa De Amy".  And after about three blocks uphill Rita and I both came to the same conclusion ... "We have WAY too many clothes in these backpacks!"  That would be addressed before we left Rome.  Time to check in and get some sleep!!

Click on any picture to enlarge (best viewed in 1024 x 768):

                       

Arrival at La Casa De Amy.  Rooms were clean, quaint and     View of street from    So at dusk, we went for a short stroll and stumbled across
comfortable. Note that our room had a loft to accommodate           our room              the Coliseum.  Absolutely incredible.  It is a humbling
up to 4 people.  Many thanks to Simona at the front desk                                       experience to stand in front of something whose history
who patiently answered our many questions and assisted in                                                     dates all the way back to 80AD.
our transition to Rome and the many cultural differences
we would encounter.  '5 Stars' for excellent Service!
 
                   
Rita and I loved this little       Basilica Santa          My beautiful wife poses at                                         Italian Federal Police
elevator that took us up to       Maria degli              "Piazza dei Repubblica"                                             guard the entrance to
our room.  I lost 30 pounds      Angeli e dei                                                                                             the Italian President's
before the trip and I still          Martini                                                                                                 residence. Notice the
     barely fit inside!                                                                                                                                guard watching me.
 
                   
We stumbled across the        I wasn't too excited at first about a trip to the Vatican ... but when we walked though the Sistine Chapel and
"Vittorio Emanuele II"        the hallways leading up to it ... I was completely taken aback at all the intricate art covering every inch of the
on one of our walks. I got                walls and ceilings.  Absolutely beautiful.  I have never see so much intricate art in one location.
 a chuckle when I later
  learned that Romans
consider it an eyesore
 
 
 

 

     Last Updated: Sunday, February 15, 2009 - 8:30 p.m. EST