Rome: Iphone Pics

 We arrived in Rome and had just enough time to eat some pizza and gelato before getting a good night's rest. We packed ALOT into our time in Rome...the vatican (we saw the POPE!), colosseum, roman forum, capuchin crypt, and so much more. Still, I hope to make it back some day because there is even more I'd like to see.

We hired a tour guide for a morning and it was AMAZING not just seeing art and architecture but learning about it! 

1200 year old tapestry in the Vatican Museum

 Spanish Steps

Trevi Fountain (under construction)

Sistine Chapel Ceiling

Being tourists...

World famous gelato that  lived up to it's reputation. 

Cinque Terre: Iphone Pics

Cinque Terre (Italian for 5 towns, pronounced chin-k-way-tear-ah) is built into the coast and is one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen! I wish that we could have stayed for the summer and explored all the little towns. We had a night and a day of exploring before almost missing our train to Rome. 

Pisa: Iphone Pics

20 weeks along with baby four!

We just made a quick stop in Pisa...Which ended up being a good choice because the leaning tower was fun to see and take a picture of but there isn't anything else to see or do in Pisa.

Florence: Iphone Pics

We arrived in Florence just as it started to rain. We found our hotel (the cutest little place run by a sweet family that gave us killer advice on where to eat and what to see) and then headed to lunch. 

It was the best overall meal we had the whole trip! Hand written menu, 3 courses and only a few euros each. I had the salmon and it was awesome. 

Then we headed over to the Duomo and waited in line, in the rain, to go up the bell tower. The view was incredible. 

Everyone was cold and wet so naturally we went looking for "the best hot chocolate in the world" at Rivoire. 

For dinner we went to a restaurant that had been recommended by some foodie friends. It wasn't our favorite. However, the appetizers and dessert were amazing. 

The next day was Easter Sunday. The museums are free the first Sunday of each month (score!) so we went to see 'The David' before heading over to the Duomo for mass and the "explosion of the cart". After mass we jumped on a train and headed to Pisa on our was to Cinque Terre. 

Venice: Iphone Photos

 

 

Venice is beautiful and unreal! The water is all around and not even google maps can help you find where you need to go. You just have to walk around and get lost until you find it! Early in the morning the boats have cargo and gargbage but that clear up mid-morning and then it's just water taxi's and gondola's.

 

Very few restaurants open before lunch and the only ones that are open only serve coffee, tea, hot chocolate and pasteries.

 

 

We woke up and spent the morning walking around getting lost & shopping. We ate a delicious lunch of caprese salad and pasta carbonara (bacon and egg pasta) while we waited for Deanna and Todd to arrive.

Venice is known for it's holiday: Carnival where everyone dresses up, wears masks, and parties for weeks. There were mask shops everywhere and some were really impressive.



Deanna and Todd made it into the city, we dropped their stuff at the apartment and then headed to St. Marco's square.



The view from the top of the bell tower!



When we got down from the top of the bell tower we realized that they'd already closed the cathedral for tours...but no worries, we went in a side door where they let in patrons who want to pray!



We took a gondola ride before dinner! Check off my bucket list!



 

 

 

We had a fabulous dinner, shopped a little bit, and got a good night's rest. We left Venice early in the morning and took the train to Florence.