Teatro di Cestello

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Such is Rome - the 'bellissimo elefante' of Italy.
I think we did Rome almost right. Almost, because we needed just one more day. A day to just walk, eat, drink coffee and absorb. No, you can’t do Rome in three days, or four. Rome is many trips. A bite at a time.

But our trip was planned around 3 things, Rome, relaxing in the beauty of the coastline and taking the Bernina Express over the alps to Zurich.

Florence was a self indulgence. I am quite simply amazed by Da Vinci. Therefore, Florence was to be a stop to see the Da Vinci museum, and then on to Cinque Terre – a primary destination.
I was wrong on at least two accounts. The Da Vinci Museum (at least the one we visited) was a swing and a miss – more research required for our next trip. And two, Florence is not a stop over, it is a primary destination.

My words will be sparse, but pay attention to the photos and know that we absolutely loved Florence. It is beautiful, but more importantly, has more charm than anywhere I have visited in my life.

Florence is where my heartbeat was melodic. My 'lovely' took me to dinner overlooking the Arno river after visiting the Ponte Vecchio. We saw lovers walking hand in hand at the pace of a slow dance. We watched boats slide effortlessly down the Arno. We heard music in the streets and saw the glow of the moon.

As we walked back to the hotel afterward, strolling down the alleyways that act as streets here, I completely melted. A booster shot for romance, it feels good even if you don't need it.Read more