Italy 2006
What a wonderful time we had in Italy during the last two weeks of May, 2006! Kathy and I took Kathy's mom Irene to Rome, Venice, Florence and the beautiful countryside of Tuscany. It was an intellectually challenging and thought-provoking trip to say the least. We had never been there. I never thought of going, but Irene had dreamed of seeing Italy, and the opportunity came along. I took tons of photos along the way, as you can see. And we had to stop as often as we could for a gelato, the Italian ice cream. It was great!
Rome
Rome was amazing. It was the first place we went to. We were struck with the ancient history of the city and loved seeing the old ruins: the Roman Forum, the Circus Maximus and so on. The Roman Empire did some amazing things during its years of glory. But then to see the Coliseum makes you also realize how barbaric the empire was. When I went to see it I could only stand and try in some small way to grasp how the fights between gladiators to the death could have been, as well as how the multitudes of gracious, loving, faithful Christians had died there.
But Rome of course has moved on from those days, and in the midst of the ruins is a huge metropolis buzzing with people including most who, rather than live in the past, want to discover what life is all about. The fountains, the restaurants, the views of the city were all fabulous.
Tuscany and Pisa
What a beautiful place Tuscany is! We rented a villa to the northeast of Florence for five days and rented a car. From where we stayed near Dicomano we drove to the west to Lucca and Pisa one day and to Sienna another. Of course we had to get a photo at the Leaning Tower of Pisa! We also spent some time driving through the mountains and hills of Tuscany. I wish we had more time to do that.
Venice
Venice was so different from the other cities. It was definitely more touristy, also. The canals were great to look at, and of course we had to take a gondola ride. The city seems a little more run down, but you can understand why with all the constant upkeep necessary due to all the water in the city. And prices for food, hotels and stuff in the shops was more expensive than other places we went to. But the city is quiet because there are no cars in the city. All in all we enjoyed it immensely.
Florence
We took the train into Florence for two wonderful days while we stayed in the villa near Dicomano. I think I enjoyed Florence more than any other place because of the art museums, the architecture, the artistic beauty of the cathedral and the layout of the city. It was great to see copy of the statue of David by Michelangelo outside the Uffizi Art Gallery along with many other amazing sculptures. There is such a feeling there of the Renaissance with all of its fresh ideas and activity. Later I went to the Academia where I saw the original David. Many critics say it was the greatest sculpture ever.
