Pantheon

The Pantheon was originally built as a temple for all gods. The Oculus (round opening in the top of the dome) is 142 feet off the ground and is also 142 feet wide!
Colosseum (Part 1)

Today we went to one of the most famous places in Italy, the Colosseum!
Colosseum (Part 2)

The base of the Colosseum was full of trap doors for the animals to enter through. It could also be flooded for naval battle reenactments!
Colosseum (Part 3)

The Colosseum had multiple levels (with VERY steep steps) and more than 50 entrance arches. There are probably a lot more than that. They are labeled with Roman Numerals, and the highest ones we saw Czytaj więcej
Roman Forum

From the Colosseum we went to the Roman Forum. This is where the ruins of Ancient Rome can be found! It was primarily used as a market place, but government buildings and houses (although much closer Czytaj więcej
Victor Emmanuel II National Monument

This memorial was made for the first king of unified Italy. Surprisingly, while the USA declared independence in 1776, the country of Italy was established much later; 1861. In Italian, this place is Czytaj więcej
Tiramisu

First Tiramisu of the trip!
En Route to Tuscany!

We're leaving the Italian capital of Rome and heading to Tuscany for our next stop on our adventure!
Time to Taste!

We stopped at this family run store that has TONS of chocolate, cheese, pasta, truffles, and olive oil. For almost everything, they had free samples out! They also had some olive oil based skin and Czytaj więcej
Trivia Champs 🏆

I blame this one on our tour director Elizabeth.....lol She had us compete in teams on trivia facts about Italy (some things that we learned from her, some general info facts). The good news is that Czytaj więcej
Pizza Dinner

Another great dinner! We started off with salad. Then they brought out 3 different types of pizza to try: tomato, ham and white cheese, and plain cheese. They had them cut into small (usually) squares Czytaj więcej
Fantastic Garden Hotel

We're all settled into our second hotel. It's beautiful!
Piazza di Santa Croce

In the square next to the Santa Croce Basilica, there are a bunch of statues. All but 3 are original.
We found Dante!

Dante is considered the father of the Italian language. He is the author of the three part poem (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso) collectively called The Divine Comedy.
Ponte Vecchio

This is the only bridge left in Florence that was not destroyed in World War II.
Il Duomo

This cathedral is famous for its use of white, pink, and green marble, as well as its dome, which has 463 steps to get to the top. The ceiling around the spiral stairs is very low, and it's only wide Czytaj więcej
One tour please, and make it lean!

Hopefully we helped keep it upright!
Piazza del Duomo

The other buildings in the Piazza del Duomo in Pisa are also slanted but not as much. They believe they have fixed the Leaning Tower so that it will not fall. Why not straighten it up, you ask? Good Czytaj więcej
Verona here we come!

Romeo & Juliette's Balcony

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Lunch at Pizzium

Yum yum yum
Arena of Verona and Square

The statue of the man says "To those who fell (died) for freedom"
The man on the horse is Vittorio Emanuele II - the first king of unified Italy.
Al Supermercato

Everybody decided to get some snacks. I got some soda :-)
On to Venice!

First stop is to see how the Venetians make glass.
Venetian Glass Blowing

We got to see a demonstration on how the Venetian glassblowing is done!
Great pictures! Looks like everyone is having a great time! [Kim]
Wow! Look at these great pics! You make it seem like I'm there with you looking at everything! Thanks for the time you're putting in to uploading these pics and commenting on all the pictures! It's wonderful to be on your journey!!!! [Sharon]
PodróżnikThese pics are wonderful, and a good education!!