Travel

[phoenixbrd]

@Kalli  Sounds like a terrific adventure!  I have a conference in Rome in 2019....will be exploring the country afterwards....really looking forward to this event!

[CANDLEQUEEN]

Sounds gorgeous, and Italy is on my Bucket List!!!!!!

[JudyL]

@Kalli sounds like a wonderful trip with lots of memories!

[lulu2]

@Kalli

Isn't Italy wonderful?  It never gets old.  We've been there many times and it's never enough.

Thanks to a conference, we will be able to make a brief side trip in December.

[tobes]

Adored Rome - every street is a history lesson and enjoyed a tour of Vatican.  Can only see part of the vatican otherwise it is too much to take in.  Another excuse to return to Rome.  When I arrived in Sorrento, I thought I was in heaven.  It is small enough to get around easily and so lovely.  Went to Sicily -- great deal of history as Sicily was invaded over the centuries by Arabs, Spanish, Greeks, Romans, Algerians, Moors, etc., so there is so much architecture of different kinds.  On one tour we saw Roman ruins andGreek ruins almost side by side.  Great food in all places.  Florence beautiful as well with the Santa Maria Fiori baptistry, bell tower and church. 

Almalfi Cathedral, Almalfi  near Positano - Constructed of mosaic and the setting sun sets it in gold.  Very beautiful.

[haddon9]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time!!  Isn't the food and wine amazing? 

My DS spent a semester in Rome while in college so DH and I went to visit.  He shared an apartment with several students in the Prati neighborhood near the Vatican.  We saw a lot of interesting sights while in Rome but I also loved the rest of what we saw in Italy as well!

While everything was great one of the highlights for us was visiting the towns of the Cinque Terre.  They are stunning villages up on the cliffs over the Mediterranean!

[Kalli]

Thanks everyone for your responses!  Sounds like Italy is a popular destination.  So much history and so many lovely locations!  

We were part of a tour group.  We are not seasoned travelers when it comes to traveling outside the US.  So we felt it was wiser to be in a group with a tour guide.  If we go again, we'd choose a slower paced visit. But we sure got our money's worth - can't complain about that. And the food was fabulous! 😊

[ninjawife]

I went to Italy in high school and I am going back for Christmas to visit Rome, Florence and Venice.  DD is studying abroad in Rome this semester so we decided to visit her at the end of her stay when younger DD and I are off school.  I am so excited to see it  all agian through my children's eyes.

[SANNA]

I am so glad ,kalli, that you went and loved it! It is a wonderful country!!!! I have been there a few times and still need to go back to explore more of regions of Italy.

Now favorites...... the most naturally beautiful to me is island of Capri, it is heaven on Earth to me.  Most people only go there for a day trip , this is a mistake, you are rushing,follow the crowds,but better than nothing. Positano and the whole Amalfi coast is very pretty and laid back. Real relaxation !!!!! And  romance.....

The queen of mysterious and theatrical beauty is Venice to me, the art there is fabulous too,Titian, Bellini.....palazzos!!!!

Florence is the epicenter of fine art for me, Michelangelo,Leonardo and Botticelli ( and many others) .. Also Florence is very elegant.. Rome is very significant for the art for me,filled with amazing treasures and food, but is not my favorite city, it lacks proportions.But again, Michelangelo is everywhere there, Bernini, Caravaggio.....

So much more to explore!!!!

[Boehm Collector]

@Kalli .. my parents were born and raised in Italy.  I have been there countless times to visit family.   I love Rome, Florence, Venice, the Amalfi Coast ..... but my favorite is my parents' home Town in the Marche region of Italy.   It is similar to Tuscany but without so many tourists.