Josh & Lenette

Ending our trip at Lake Como was a wonderful way to spend our last couple of days in Italy.  We were really able to relax and unwind from all the previous site seeing.  The highlight of the last few days was a boat tour of the lake.  It was a romantic ride at dusk with only Lenette and myself, a canadian couple, and the driver/guide.  We had complimentary champagne and got to watch the sun set while we cruised across the lake.

We stayed in Bellaggio, “The Pearl of the Lake.”  We will explain later why it was given this quaint nickname.  We had a really nice studio apartment which was very affordable and could not have been any more cute.  The wonderful owner even picked us up from the ferry at 11PM in his personal car.  He was very helpful and recommended a couple excellent restaurants/etc.

This region is the choice vacation spot for most Italians from Milan.  As a result, many affluent Italians own the historical villas that line the lake in this area.  Next time we come to this region, we plan on touring their extravegant gardens, many of which we saw from the boat.  On a funny side note, one amazing villa had a sign on it’s waterfront wall that read “no george.”  The owners put the sign here to inform people that this villa was not the one owned by George Clooney, who also has a villa on the lake.

We are writing this post from an Internet Point just outside Milano Centrale, the primary train station in Milan.  This will be our last post before starting our long journey home this evening.  We will travel by train to Napoli (Naples) and then fly to Munich, Germany.  From Munich, we will fly non-stop to San Francisco.  From San Francisco, we will be taking the BART to JoAnn Till’s house where she was kind enough to let us leave our car.  We will most likely be staying the night there at her house and driving back to Chico in the morning, or the evening to us.  🙂  This whole journey will take us almost two full days.

Although we have had an amazing trip, we are both looking forward to being home.  We can’t wait to share all the wonderful pictures and memories that we have brought back with us from Italia.

Until our next trip, Ciao!

We were in Venice for one night and two days. It is a beautiful city, decadent and romantic. We can see why it appeals to so many tourists. The tourists, however, were the reason that we did not care for Venice as much as the South of Italy.

The best part was, as so many other tourists seem to agree, was our 45 minute gondola ride. We had a great gondolier who spoke great english and knew both the historical and popular facts that make Venice so unique.

The worst part was the food. Our dinner was almost more expensive than our wedding night and could have easily been a microwave dinner from Safeway. Lenette and I definitely cook better, more authentic Italian food than what we had in Venice. It is so sad to see the truly commercialization of a city full of so much beauty and history. We have had so many fabulous meals everywhere else in Italy. If we go to Venice again we will definitely stay on the mainland as most Italians do. We would imagine that Venice would be much more enjoyable and authentic if visited in the off season.

Nonetheless, we had a great time adding more memories to our collection as well as more gifts for our friends and family. The shopping only gets better and better as you go further north in Italy.

We are off to the lake region on the northern border for the last leg of our trip.  We look forward to the more relaxed atmosphere that Lake Como is known for.

Ciao!

We spent an entire day relaxing today in the Cinque Terre region, a national park on the coast of Italy. There are these five beautiful little towns right near the water. We laid on the beach and swam for the 1st time in Italy. The water is much colder that in the south, like Sapri. After an afternoon nap, we took a hike from one town to another. The trails here are so nice, all along the water.

In Vernazza, we had our best slice of pizza since Napoli. Pizza is very different here than in the south. The crust is much thicker. I had a slice of pesto pizza and josh had a slice of margarita as we watched the sunset on some rocks. It was amazing.

We got in late last night and could not find a room in the two popular towns so we ended up in Corniglia, which rick steves jokes is a goat town. Our room was average but the town was very nice. The people were so helpful, a very small town feel.  We had a dinner at Ristorante Cecio. The pesto and Gnocche were wonderul. This region is the birth place of pesto, so it is very light and fresh.

Tomorrow we go onto Venice and I am very excited to be a total tourist and ride in a gondola. Our trip is winding down with only 5 days left in Italy. We are trying to savor every moment. It is going to be so hard to adjust back into a normal routine.

Caio

Florence is a very large city, but easier to navigate. The shopping is amazing here, if you are into designer brands you will love this place.

We are staying at the Hotel Enza, which is walking distance from the sites. Yesterday, we got in late so we only went out for dinner. Our favorite meal yet, was at the Osteria Congrega. It was a tuscan wine bar and restaurant. It was a small, two story restaurant with an intimate atmoshpere. The food was a lot more fresh ingredients and the chocolate mouse was incredible.

Today we saw three major sites…

The Uffizzi was amazing, there was so much to see and the audio guide was really helpful. My favorite part was to be up and close to the birth of venus. The Accademia was a smaller museum but the David was it’s focus point. So much larger than we thought, this enormous masterpeice all from one peice of marble. Unfortanely, there were no cameras allowed at either museum.

Between the museums we briefly saw their El Duomo. I think this was Josh’s favorite beacuse it was simple inside and much more ornate on the outside. They were cleaning the marble in white and green.

For our last night in Florence we grabbed a slice of pizza and gelato for dinner. Tomorrow we go to Pisa.

Ciao.

After Rome we headed to Siena, we got there around 8pm but it was just in time for an evening at El Campo. El Campo, is one of there largest plazas in Italy and highly recommended by our Rick Steves guidebook.

We showered and got dressed for our second nice dinner in Italy. It was incredibly beautiful and costly. The square was full of people, thousands. Siena is a large college town but it feels very small. It reminded us of an Italian version of Chico. After dinner, we sat in the plaza to people watch. The later we stayed the more college students came out and drinking occured. We were serenaded by one of the more intoxicated groups. To the single ladies, the ratio of men was huge to women I this time. 

This plaza is very different than others, much larger and more of a theatre style. It’s a huge half moon of brick that slopes down, no steps. The restaurants are on the upper rim looking over the people and the town civic center.

The next morning we spent a half day in Siena exploring the sites. If we didn’t have reservations in Florence for our hotel and all the museums we could have stayed much longer. We went to the El Duomo, my favorite church so far. It was darker, lots of black and white marble. The floors were insanely ornate. We climbed to the top of the church for an great vista of the tuscan area. We took lots of pictures up there. Afterwards, we went to the Siena El Duomo museum where we saw lots of religious relics, like ceremonial  clothing.

 Now we’re onto Florence!

Caio 

This city is amazing and at the same time overwhelming. Each site seems to be bigger than the last. Although it took us an entire day to get here, Rome was worth the wait.

Today, we went to Vatican city. I am so glad we got up early and opted for a tour today to help us focus on the highlights of Vatican city because you could not see everything, even if you spend several days. We met up with the same tour guide, Lorenzo, as we had for the forum since he was so good. We got in line around 8 am and soon the line was as far as the eye could see.

Once you entered the city walls there was an instant change in atmosphere. Even with all the other tourists, around 25,000 a day, the chaos of the city was gone and replaced with a sense of serenity. We wish we could see more of the gardens because they were beautiful from the balcony, but most of them our private.

Each room you enter could be a museum in itself, from the statue collections to the tapestry room. On top of that there is the intricacy everything from the ceiling to the floor, every layer is art in itself. Once again I loved the mosiacs the most and we actually  were able to walk on many of these gaint works of art. The Sistene Chapel was breathtaking, the colors so vibrant and alive. There is so much moment in each individual fresca above you.  And finally, St. Peter was enormous.Bigger than many other churches combined. The writing on the top of the walls stoof 3 meters alone. The cherubs were taller than me.

Although, Rome is beautiful with it’s tremendous of amount of churches, fountains and stunning architecture…it is not without it’s imperfections. Despite being warned I was still suprised by the sheer volumn of trash and grafitti. It is very sad and suprising to me because of the pride that Roman’s have for their city. Italians identify themselves usually by the city and region they are from, not as italians. So we would call ourselves Chicoans or Californians before Americans.

Well, we are off to Siena.  I loved the sites in Rome, but I look forward to a smaller venue.

Ciao,

Lenette

 Sorry about the pictures, it’s hard to put them up if we don’t have a good DSL connection.

We traveled to Roma (Rome) yesterday by way of the train. It was the first bad traveling experience we have had thus far. We were lucky and, upon arriving at the station, were sold tickets to the correct train leaving in about 6 minutes. The longer distance trains don’t run every 15 minutes like the inter-city train so we were very lucky not to have to wait a long time. This very same luck had gotten us through the post office just before we had arrived at the station. Mailing a package to the US requires many forms, customs declarations, insurance forms, etc.

After these two experiences we were feeling very bold and thought we had it all figured out. As our train passed the last stop in Roma we began to feel rather different. We traveled to Firenze (Florence) that evening by mistake, a 2.5 hour one direction mistake. We did, however, on our little detour meet a very nice German woman and a very nice, and very helpful, Australian man at the station in Firenze. After some further confusion, Lenette almost crying, 60 euro, and 7 additional hours we arrived in Roma at about 12:45 local time.

We found our hostel’s front desk without too much confusion once we figured out how to leave the station. It was now about 1:20 AM local time and we were exhausted but on our way to our little apartment/hostel. After touring the neighborhood surrounding our appartment, we finally found the correct street and made our way inside around 2:00 AM. For a 4 hour trip from Sapri, we had made the entire day of it but were too tired to care about anything except that we had finally found where we could sleep.

Today, the 13th of September, we started off by going to the Colosseo (Colloseum). It was larger and more grand than I anticipated. Thanks to american movies it was also much more ruined than I had realized. Our tour was amazing and the guide was very interesting. It was truly a memorable experience to stand in a place where so many lives were made and lost. As our guide pointed us to the exit and we started our tour of the Monte Palatino (Palatine Hill) it was amazing to look back on the colloseo and the Arco di Constantino (Arch of Constantine) and have a perspective of just how large both really are. Although the Palatine Hill wasn’t exceptionally interesting, the guide’s informative tour made it quite memorable. The view of the Foro Romano (Roman Forum) was also amazing from this location.

After two such great sites it was odd that we could find something so different and yet so wonderful as the Pantheon (Santa Maria ad Martyres). It is a still functioning church which, like most all of Rome, has a very long and complicated history spanning multiple eras. The pantheon is surrounded by a very nice, very expensive shopping district where we found some very good pizza margherita and of course some more gelato.

We departed for il Museo Nazionale Romano (Roman National Museum) rather tired but very pleased with the order in which we visited our top sights and how efficiently we had used our time. The museum was great. It is where many of the statues from different sites rest or where a copy has been made and put on display for public viewing. My personal favorite is a soldier whose cape was amazing, something I just don’t understand how they could make with such limited tools. Lenette’s favorite was equally amazing, the mosaics which were on display here are a tribute to the true splendor and craftsmanship typical of the time.

Tired, sore, and ready for a siesta, we got a taxi back to our apartment and caught up on some much needed sleep. The rest of this evening was spent writing this small novel, burning CDs of our pictures, and dining at the small cafeteria/restaurant at our hostel’s main office.

Tommorrow, after we visit the Vatican I will post some pictures from the last couple of days. Ciao, Josh

As we walked through the streets of Maratea, everyone yelled Auguri! which is Italian for Congratulations!

For those of you haven’t heard already, we eloped on Sunday.  We were married on the beach along the beautiful coast of Maratea.  Maratea is located about 30 minutes to the south of Sapri and south of the Amalphi coast.  Our ceremony was at 6PM local time on the 10th of September.  Before, during, and after the ceremony we had two photographers taking pictures.  We spent 3 hours walking through the historical center of Maratea and the port.  As we walked the photographers took pictures of us in all the unique and beautiful areas that make up Maratea, from a beautiful fountain in the center of the town’s square to the oldest archway in town.

Before the ceremony, we spent the day exploring Sapri and lounging on the beach.  We started getting ready around 3PM and our wedding planner showed up early to help Lenette with the final touches of getting ready.  She helped with everything from putting a flower in Lenette’s hair to translating our vows.  We had coordinated the ceremony with Luccia of Slow Dreams.  She handled the flowers, the photographer, the hotel, and every thoughtful detail.

After the ceremony and pictures, we went to a very romantic dinner at the port of Maratea.  As we sat on the balcony, we had a beautful view of the port and the square below.  The restaurant, Lanterna Rossa, served us a 3 course meal that was amazing from beginning to end.  Afterwards we took a taxi home and called our parents to tell them the news.  Once they got over the shock and believed that we had actually gotten married they were very excited for us both.

It was more romantic and relaxing than can be described with words.  We look forward to sharing all the pictures and celebrating with our family and friends.

Here are some pictures we took before the wedding.  We will upload more as we go and one from the photographers later this week.

After 3 days of staying in Sapri, and getting married along the way, we are on our way to Rome tomorrow, the 12th of September, to begin our honeymoon.

Until our next update, ciao.

Last night after we wrote, we went to a recommended local restaurant called Sophias. It was a cute little family place. We got many stares as we entered, I dont think they are used to Americans at a place frequented by mainly locals. The service was very friendly and the food was great. Josh had more pizza and I had my 1st taste of pasta in Italy. The sauce was great, but I wasnt used to their version of mushrooms.

We love our new hotel. We are almost paying the same price as our 2 star in Naples for a four star here in Sapri. We have a gorgeous view of the plaza, the beach, and beyond from our balcony. The tile and wood work is beautiful here. I love the basic lines of our room and all the details such as the amazing light fixtures. 

Today we slept in and tried to remedy our jet-lag. We missed breakfast at our hotel, so we took a morning walk to a market to get picnic supplies such as salami, cheese and some croissants. 

Tonight we will go to Maratea for a special dinner. We have heard that the area has a greek ancestry and lots of cute shops.

We will upload some pictures as soon as we figure out just how to do that!  Hopefully, we will also learn just which key is the apostrophe on these keyboards…the layout is quite different.

 Ciao

We arrived in Napoli last night and had our first true Italian experience in the city.  We had a taste of Italy at a local pizzeria called Tratorria Pizzeria.  Their version of pizza is very different from the states and was quite excellent.  It was much lighter and more flavorful.

 Today we took the train to Pompei and explored the ruins.  Pompei was enormous!  We were both amazed and agreed that in the three hours that we toured the site we could easily have spent another day.  Lenette and my favorite parts were the mosaic tile floors which were very intricate and detailed the ornate craftmanship of that time period.

We are now in Sapri, a beautiful coastal town in Southern Italy.  This is a place were many Italians vacation.  We are pleased to be experiencing Italy from a locals perspective, without the tourist feel.

 Caio.