Reflections

Our trip had lots of highs and plenty of lows.  Part of the problem is that we are both aging and along with that comes some mobility issues.  What I didn't expect was how much those mobility issues would impact our trip.  There was no way to follow the day to day itinerary I had planned.  So here are my thoughts about our 4 weeks in Italy.

VENICE  6 nights

     Loved our hotel and its location.  We'd stay here again but would ask for a room reachable by the elevator.  It was no fun trudging up and down the stairs because the elevator didn't go up to the floor where our room was located.

     Would do a gondola ride.  My regret is that when my husband said he didn't care to do this I should have been more insistent that we do.  After all Venice is the city of canals and I think I would have enjoyed this.  Maybe I should have gone without him.

     Wish I had bought more gifts for my family from Murano.  I love the Xmas ornaments and jewelry I bought.  

     Regret not having time to make it to the Peggy Guggenheim.  I'm not a fan of modern art but I did love the Picasso Museum in Barcelona, Spain.  And so many on Trip Advisor were in favor of visiting this place.

     I also regret not having the time for a visit to Ca'Rezzonica and La Fenice.  Taking the traghetto once. Getting up for a sunrise with a stroll over to St. Mark's Square before it got busy.

     I'm sorry I canceled our reservation for Osteria Oliva Nero for dinner on 9/3-really wanted to try their lasagna and stuffed zucchini flowers.  Happy about the pizza at Ae Oche. 

     But on a positive note my husband and I loved Venice.  The vaporetto system is great.  The churches and museums we did visit were well worth the time we spent.  Loved being in St. Mark's Square with a little bit of flooding.  Even though touristy and pricey I enjoyed drinks at Harry's Bar and sitting outside at Florian listening to the music and indulging in that drink I had.  Loved being in the right place at the right time to watch the jets performing a show trailing white, red, and green smoke down by St. Mark's by the waterfront-so cool.  Really glad we went to the Vivaldi Four Seasons concert at San Vidal Church-one of the highlights of our time in Venice.  And to top it off our hotel room had a view of the Grand Canal so we had front row seats for watching the Historic Regatta on 9/3.  Loved the people we met whether it was other tourists or Venetians.  So friendly, so kind.

FLORENCE  6 nights

     Loved our hotel and my husband really enjoyed the hotel pool as did I especially after sightseeing.  It was nice to be able to relax.   

     Regret not having the time for a day trip to Lucca.

     Not happy with the tour I booked with Walkabout.  It was just too much to do in one day.  Lots of time on the bus.  Lots of walking and it was hard to keep up with our 25 year old guide Tony!  His legs were more than 50 years younger than ours!  If I had a do over I would done Siena on my own and then would have been able to spend more time seeing the fabulous floor panels in the Siena Cathedral.  Tour was just too rushed for us.  We really prefer taking our time to appreciate our surroundings.

     Never found a wine window!  Didn't have enough gelato!  Loved, loved the Uffizi.  Surprised that I wasn't as moved by Michelangelo's David as I thought I would be.

     It was a shock to discover how hard it was to get taxis here.  Easy to get one-hotel would call for us.  But getting back to the hotel was an exasperating situation.  It's not as easy as it is back home.  You call and the taxi picks you up from where you are.  Here we had to walk and walk to get to taxi stand areas only to find no taxis there several times!

AMALFI  6 nights

     Was not happy with some aspects of our hotel.  I found out you need to book a hotel much earlier-like more than 6 months. 

     I may be in the minority here but could have done without going to Capri and Ravello.  Disappointed we never got to Positano or Praiano.  But if we had who knows?  We may have been disappointed as we were with Capri and Ravello.  Our experience trying to get the bus to Ravello was traumatizing! 

     Appreciated that this town was so easy to navigate unlike what I have heard about Positano. 

     Loved our dinner at Sensi.  Best pizza of our entire trip was here at Donna Stella Pizzeria and we got to sit in a lemon grove while we ate great pizza!!

ROME  10 nights

     I think this was our favorite part of our trip to Italy.  

     Loved our vespa tour.  So glad we did this.  It was so much fun and we got to see so much.

     Although very pricey the Key Master's Tour of the Vatican Museums was worth every penny.  Cherry on top was being in the Sistine Chapel with only our group and being able to take pictures before the lights were turned on.  My regret was not buying a postcard, having the Vatican stamp on it, and mailing it to to myself back home.  We should have stayed after the tour was over and explored more especially the Raphael rooms.

     Wasn't expecting such long lines which weren't easy for us due to our age, our leg issues, and how hot it was with that sun beating down on us while we stood in lines.

     Wowed by St. Peter's Basilica.  Big regret was not staying for the papal audience after our Key Master's Tour was done.  We had tickets for that which I had requested months before.  It would have been nice to see the Pope in person.  

     Hated the stress of trying to get tickets to the Colosseum from the official website Coop Culture but glad we were able to get a last minute tour with Walks that included the arena floor.  Downside of this tour was not being told we would not fully visit the Roman Forum as I expected.  But the Colosseum was every bit as I imagined it would be!  Loved our hotel's roof top terrace with those amazing views of the Colosseum!

     Disappointed that my coin didn't make it into the Trevi Fountain when we stopped there on our vespa tour but happy when we returned on our own and voila!  My coin made it into that fountain.

     Loved all the fountains in Rome.  Loved Bernini as much if maybe more than Michelangelo.  Borghese was another highlight of our time in Rome.  

     Again we had to deal with the taxi situation like we did in Florence.  That was not fun.

     Mad at myself for not realizing the Capitoline Museum was more than the one area we did visit!

     Disappointed that we weren't able to have dinner at some of the restaurants on my list. Also surprised that the pasta didn't wow me not only here in Rome but at our other destinations in Italy.  The lasagna I make was better than the lasagna I had.  Maybe it was my choice of restaurants??  Best breakfasts at Homebaked and Cafe MeMe. 

So there it is-our impressions of Italy.  Original plan was for this trip to have happened back in 2015 and was to have been for 5 weeks instead of the 4 we did.  Being 8 years younger would have made a huge difference in our experience.  But for the most part I'd say this trip was a success.  We saw and did the most important things on my list.  Loved the history, the art, the people!