Three years ago I had the idea of doing a blog about Italy travel. I already had a web site ( http://www.gregsitaly.com) but it did not allow me to narrate travels as easily as WordPress does. It allows posting from iPad, iPhone, and Mac with access to all my 20,000 photos of Italy. So thanks to all those who have stopped by and I hope to share some more thoughts and photos during these difficult time. This is not a commercial site, Lo faccio per condividere il mio amore per l’Italia, I do it to share my love of Italy.
View from Fondaco dei Tedeschi.
Free entrance to some of the best views of Venice. You can reserve a time slot online.
I follow a Facebook group which features posts on traveling to Italy. This morning I woke up to a post by Keith Mountford featuring a view of an Italian town and I knew I had been there. I quickly went to my photo library and found the photo I took from the same spot. Keith had painted an amazing watercolor from the same spot.
We both stood on the same spot, and we saw the beauty that was there.
My photo is below. We are taking you to Bellagio on Lake Como.
Lake Como is in the background. This was taken in September 2019
Keith has signed limited edition prints for sale on his website.
With everything going on and our all being restricted in what we can do and where we can go, seeing the post of Facebook mad my day a bit brighter. Ciao,,
We have been to Rome 5 or 6 times. Have lost count. Never see enough of the beautiful city. In October we walked most of the city and never stall the trash buildup that was posted on some news sites and in some newspapers in the US. It is a large city, but residential areas and tourist areas were clean. We can to wait to return. Here are some photos of the days in Rome.
Via Cappellari, out Airbnb was 100 feet away from this photo. The street was made into an art gallery for several days,
Art was hung all along the street.
\iew from the Tiber to St. Peters
A wedding im Trastevere
Museo di Roma
Piazza Navona from Museo di Roma
Then and Now
Piazza Navona
Coppede Neighborhood Roma
This area is know for it’s different and beautiful architecture
Below scuderie del Quirinale, the stables of Quirinale
We first came to the Scuderie del Quirinale three years ago for an exhibit by Picasso.
This time Pompei and Santorini both suffered volcanic eruptions.
Plaster casts from Pompei
Below a breathtaking view of Rome from the Scuderie del Quirinale
It is hard to believe this city was alive and well when we visited in September. Vibrant, crowded, and totally alive with people.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan September 2019
The Apple Store, Milan September 2019
Starbucks, Milan September 2019
Street Vendor Blowing Bubbles, Milan September 2019
It is hard to believe this country has been hit so hard. Hopefully we will return to an Italy that will recover. I have visited Italy 20 times in the last thirty years, and I will return again.
Vicenza is one of those places that does not get enough credit. My first visit was in 2018 on a bike tour. I enjoyed it but was only there for 18 hours and then back on the bike. As we left our hotel and walked into the center of town we came upon this picturesque scene. Ponte San Paolo crosses into the main part of Vicenza.My next visit was in October 2019 with great weather and no crowds.
The town is filled with many interesting sights
Piazza sei Signori offers sights, shopping and dining.
As night fell we found this wonderful portico. It was worth coming back in the morning.
The Duomo of Vicenza.
My wife wanted to attend service and we just made the mass time.
Corso Andrea Palladio
Palazzo Chiericati houses a collection of art from thirteenth to twentieth centuries. Salvator Dali’s Statue stands in front.
Dali’s Sculpture
The Teatro Olympico was the last work by the architect Andrea Palladio. His works are all through the city. I was not completed until after his death. The painted scenery gives the incredible illusion of depth.
FROM WIKIPEDIA Andrea Palladio
Born 30 November 1508 Padua, Republic of Venice Died 19 August 1580 (aged 71) Maser, near Treviso, Republic of Venice Nationality Italian[1] Occupation Architect
Buildings Villa Barbaro Villa Capra “La Rotonda” Basilica Palladiana Church of San Giorgio Maggiore Il Redentore Teatro Olimpico Projects I Quattro Libri dell’Architettura(The Four Books of Architecture) Andrea Palladio (/pəˈlɑːdioʊ/ pə-LAH-dee-oh, Italian: [anˈdrɛːa palˈlaːdjo]; 30 November 1508 – 19 August 1580) was an Italian Renaissance architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily Vitruvius,[2] is widely considered to be one of the most influential individuals in the history of architecture. While he designed churches and palaces, he was best known for country houses and villas. His teachings, summarized in the architectural treatise, The Four Books of Architecture, gained him wide recognition.[3]The city of Vicenza, with its 23 buildings designed by Palladio, and 24 Palladian villas of the Veneto are listed by UNESCO as part of a World Heritage Site named City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.[4] The churches of Palladio are to be found within the “Venice and its Lagoon” UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The view straight on brings you to the rear and a manner so realistic it looks like a real building.
From Wikipedia “Since 1994, the Teatro Olimpico, together with other Palladian buildings in and around Vicenza, has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto.”
Quick video of the Olympic Theater in Vicenza. Italy
There is a lot to see in Vicenza, Take a look on Google for more ideas. It is a pedestrian friendly city. Be careful to read the signs for traffic limitations, you may receive a ticket if you miss the signs to stay out of a certain street.
Public transportation is good. A number of US service men and their families come to town with our base close by.
Last post of 2019, I was off line while transferring all my photos to a new computer and should be doing posts on a far regular basis in 2020, Buon anno a tutti
To really see this ups and downs of Tuscany, do it on a bicycle. Above View from Piazelle de Michelangelo view of Florence
Always stunning views.
There were a lot of hills on this ride, but everyone finished.
Monteriggioni
Monteriggioni
Monteriggioni
Easy riding through towns.
Terre del Mangia, Siena
October brought fall colors to the region
Land of Chianti
A nice days ride, GPS track from San Gimignano to Siena
Brunello one fantastic Italian red wine
I was riding by a grove of olive trees when a gentleman offered to take my photo.
Beautiful Cypress trees line the roads into this BnB in Tuscany.
The freshest tomatoes are from Italy.
Last day it rained in Pienza, but the ride was over.
This year we returned to Rome for eight wonderful nights. In 2017 we were in Rome for two weeks, and enjoyed becoming familiar with the city. It was no longer intimidating. On our last visit we stayed in an Airbnb on Via Dei Bianchi Vecchi. It was a great location to walk to many of Romes’s attractions. This year we found an Airbnb that did not have 67 steps to climb to the second floor. It was located on Via Cappellari about 200 feet from the Campo Dei Fiori.
From our location which was “Via dei Cappellari, 124 primo piano” we were able to walk to the following sights.
Chiesa Dei Santa Barbara Dei Librari
Chiesa Dei Santa Barbara Dei Librari Interior
Well worth the visit, small and beauitiful
Campo dei Fiori
The Campo dei Fiori is a great place to wanter and view the sights night and day. Surrounded by restaurants and shops, it transforms from a daytime tent city to vendors selling everything from fruits and vegetables to clothing and other items to a huge area wandering people.
Stalls and shops at the Campo
St Peters is about 10 min from the area. Walk down Corso Vittorio Emanuele and cross of the bridge by Castel Sant’Angelo and make a slight left and you will see it ahead.
St Peter from the dome
St Peters Interior
On to lunch in Trastevere
The chiesa of Santa Maria in Trastevere was another short walk
Always a wedding seven days a week
Crossing the bridge headed back to our Airbnb a beautiful view of St Peters in the distance
For my last two trips to Italy I have purchased a TIM SIM card from their web site and brought the printed voucher to a TIM store in Italy. In both cases all went well at the stores and in about 10 minutes my phone was up and running in about 10 minutes. Cell service with TIM was excellent and never had problems. The plan allowed 15 Gig data and 200 min of cell service. For some reason the cell minutes seemed to disappear quickly. The cost was 25 Euros (Now 20 Euros) and it was good for 30 days.
Down side was you got a new local phone number (Italian 39 country code), The plan is not renewable. 15 Gig of data can go fairly quickly if you do not have access to Wi-Fi.
T-Mobile plans include 2G data and 25 cents per minute calling. My wife made many calls relating to her business while we were on a month long trip to Italy. This was included in our $70 a month plan for two phones. The 2G data plan was adequate for her to send texts with photos, read and send email, but it was noticeably slower than what we were used to hear. Considering that AT&T plans for international use were exorbitant this was not a problem. Service was good from Rome to the Dolomites. No problems.
I opted for a 30d high speed package with unlimited calls. We used our cell phones for driving directions on Apple or Google maps every day. I had great refresh rates on web pages and never lost a signal while driving. The package was worth if for me. It is also renewable for 30 days. You will get a text when you arrive overseas in any of the 210 countries T-Mobile includes in the plan allowing you to choose several options for calling. My $50 and an slower priced plans IF YOU WANT FASTER DATA SPEEDS. Otherwise you are all sent. From their web site “The Magenta®, Simple Choice™, New Classic, and Select Choice plans provide unlimited 2G data, unlimited texting and calling at $0.25 per minute in 210+ countries and destinations”
International Pass: 512MB of high-speed data at up to LTE speeds and unlimited calling, to be used up to 24 hours, for $5/day. 5GB International Pass: 5GB of high-speed data at up to LTE speeds and unlimited calling, to be used up to 10 days, for $35. 15GB International Pass: 15GB of high-speed data at up to LTE speeds and unlimited calling, to be used up to 30 days, for $50.
T-Mobile served us well on our trip. Less problems than TIM. Check out the various plans, especially the over 55 plan.
Hard to believe that AT&T would push their inflated rates on travelers and continually raise the monthly cell plan rates. Their plans are very restrictive and expensive.
Cost $70 per month.
Coverage for as long as you need Unlimited texts to the world 2GB or 6GB of data included $0.35 per minute for calls Available in 200+ countries
A lot of money for little return.
My T-Mobile bill arrived and there were no surprises.
Being lost in Rome is a treat, not a problem. We dropped our rental car off in Venezia, how amazing it is to drive to the edge of this cluster of islands. After leaving the car inform of the Hertz office, we walked across the street and closed a bridge to Venezia.
Next we walked to the Santa Lucia station to get our high speed train to Rome. Reserved seats and a great ride.
Italo provides fast and nice transport, It was a pleasure to travel by train.
Beverage service was provided and restrooms were spotless.
After arriving at our Airbnb on Via Dei Cappellari i, we head one block to the Campo Dei Fiori. We chose this location as it was near our last Airbnb and enabled us to walk to most of the destinations in Rome we wanted to see.
Campo dei Fiori at night. The market is gone, now it is dinnertime and people watching. A full moon came to welcome us.
Palazzo Chiericati houses a collection of art from thirteenth to twentieth centuries. Salvator Dali’s Statue stands in front.
St Peters Interior
Campo dei Fiori at night. The market is gone, now it is dinnertime and people watching. A full moon came to welcome us.
We were located so close to so many wonderful sights ant things to do.
gregsitaly 