Italy 2009 - Overview and Initial Pictures

Theresa and I just got back from a whirlwind tour of Italy for 10 days. Did a lot of walking and hiking around. Great sites, friendly folks, and great food (we'll be posting a separate blog entry about our dining experiences).

Rome

We hit Rome first, seeing the Vatican, Coliseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, countless piazzas and art displays while trouncing around in hot and humid weather. Fortunately, Rome has water fountains everywhere and of course, numerous gelato vendors. Gelato in the states will never taste as good. Four days were not enough.

Venice

The weather cooled down significantly when we reached Venice, with cool breezes and bright sunshine, a refreshing change from hot and humid Rome. We took in the Venetian charm while getting lost in the winding maze of narrow streets. All sorts of shops, hotels, and restaurants were hidden around corners and down little alleys.

Florence

After another train ride, we arrived in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance. The hotel I reserved was overbooked for the 2 days we were there, so they sent us to a sister hotel that was closer to the sites and we got upgraded to a larger room. The picture above is the view from our room!

Between Theresa and I, we took almost 1600 pictures and are still working through them. For now, click here to view some initial pics. More posts are coming

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