#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum >  >  Venice, Florence and Rome, Italy with the Thai girlfriend

## S Landreth

Yesterday we arrived in Milan and went to visit the  Church of St. Mary Grace and saw da Vincis mural of the  Last Supper then went to visit the Gothic Cathedral, the Sforza Castle where we saw Michelangelo's last unfinished marble sculpture (Rondanini Pietà), the Leonardo Statue and the Galleria before moving to Venice for the week. Well be spending the month in Italy between, Venice, Florence and Rome and I'll try to update our journey each day while we're here.

Gothic Cathedral, Milan (pictures inside and on the roof included)






Church of St. Mary Grace (no pictures permitted inside of the mural) 


Rondanini Pietà 


Leonardo Statue


The Galleria


Train travel from Milan to Venice




Traveling to Hotel Cipriani 




Ill give a short review of the places that we will be staying at while in Italy in case anyone is considering a visit. Our room (Lagoon View Junior Suite) and view, at the hotel.




The Thai girlfriend and I are not married which makes obtaining a Visa for the girlfriend a bit challenging.


Our first attempt; a few years ago, failed in a large part because of me. I scheduled everything from flights, stays (in private homes), etc. and I did not use a travel agent so the package of documents didn't  look professional when the girlfriend presented her itinerary, to the consul at the Italian Embassy in Thailand. 

This time we asked a travel agent help us with our itinerary which was presented to the Italian Embassy; with copied pages from my passport showing how much we have been traveling together over the years, in Thailand through  VFS GLOBAL  (a privately-run service company, authorized by the Embassy of Italy to provide visitors with complete information on procedure and requirements for visas). VFS Global will provide a list of documents  needed to get a Thai a Tourist Visa.

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## natalie8

Nice thread so far, as usual. Looking forward to more.  :Smile:

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## xanax

great thread were going this year but NZ now, probably italy next year, so keep it coming

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## patsycat

Have you seen George Clooney?

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## patsycat

He's in Venice for the Venice Film Festival and is staying at the Cipriani.

Talking about that hotel, I feel that the green jealousy feeling is going to get going any minute now!!!!

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## Aberlour

I had tickets to Milan booked and paid for this May just gone, but something came up and we didn't go. Luckily I hadn't mentioned the trip to the misses yet.

Great photos SL, hope there's more of the same.

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## The Ghost Of The Moog

May I ask S_Landreth, how you are able to go on such wonderful holidays so often?
Are you retired with a nice pension?
Thanks.

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## patsycat

Have you seen where that hotel is?

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## bushwacker

Quite interesting please do continue ....

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## S Landreth

I would like to thank everyone above for the help getting this thread started. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the trip as much as I think we will.

The first Sunday in September, Venice holds an annual  regatta that we attended yesterday (it's difficult to get a seat next to the bank of the canal, because of the crowds). The Grand Canal is closed off for a period of time during the event so we made reservations at the Gritti Palace for lunch and to watch the procession.














lunch


After lunch we went to the Gallerie dell'Accademia  to see some sketches by Leonardo da Vinci that  haven't been seen by the public in over thirty years. I am sure most everyone is familiar  with da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. I was able to get a picture of it; even though pictures were not allowed (I didn't use a flash and security was lax), along with some other art work from different artists. 










Some random shots getting  to the restaurant/museum/public dock.










boat repair


public transportation





> May I ask S_Landreth, how you are able to go on such wonderful holidays so often?
> Are you retired with a nice pension?
> Thanks.


One part of your question is a bit personal and to answer the other,.I've been (somewhat) retired since my late 40's.

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## xanax

I'd like to ask what your gf's impression has been, did she appreciate the painting for example?

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## nigelandjan

Great thread and pics again SL green sent thanks

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## Ratchaburi

Great Thread & love the pic's S-Landreth

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## CalEden

Thanks for posting, great photos.

While walking in Venice ran into this gondola singer thought his voice was exceptional. Please excuse the photography done on the fly.

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## S Landreth

While in Venice yesterday we visited the residence of the Doge of Venice (the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice), St. Mark's Basilica (Venice's patron Saint)  and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

Doge of Venice


This is a ceiling picture that I have rotated so it can be viewed easier. The gold you see is not a paint. It is real gold and every so often it has to be restored (another day another story I might note on how it is paid for).


St. Mark's Basilica prison


Bridge of Sighs


St. Mark's Basilica (More than 8000 square meters of mosaic cover the walls, vaults and cupolas of the Basilica.)






4 horses [interesting story,...Napoleon took them and when returned the gems (for eyes) were missing]


St. Mark's Square


and next to the square


Peggy Guggenheim Collection (small sample pictured below)










Peggy Guggenheim and her dogs (remains/last sentence)





> I'd like to ask what your gf's impression has been, did she appreciate the painting for example?


She loves Italy and as for the art work (two days ago), she told me that it was too religious, but she was fascinated with da Vinci's sketches (she stayed in those rooms with his work for a long period of time).

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## misskit

What a beautiful place/photos! Another great sightseeing thread.

Landreth, you've got me green with envy this time. Italy is on my bucket list. One day....

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## CNF55

Very nice thread again, SL - what you do, you do in style and you sure know how to pick the places.

Also agree with MissKit - definitely on my to-do-list (and green with envy).

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## oldgit

Are the canal's smelly? took in Venice at the end of our skiing holiday, niffed a bit in the winter, the glass work was beautiful.

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## Phoenix

Great thread........thanks for sharing

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## S Landreth

Yesterday we traveled just outside on Venice to Verona and we had a chance to visit Romeo and Juliet's home (so they say), the Piazza delle Erbe and the Anfiteatro Arena.

When we arrived we were driven to a scenic point to view the city. Look at the Ponte Pietra Bridge just to the left in the picture below. It was blown up by the Germans when they were fleeing and then rebuilt with the same materials (from the rubble) in 1957.


The statue below was the only item untouched during the bombing of the military base. It's now a church Santuario della Madonna di Lourdes and was our scenic point.


Juliet's (refurbished) home & balcony


They say if you touch Juliet's breast it will bring you love


A Thai Juliet


Visitors will post messages on the entrance wall into Juliet's property and it has to be repainted every few months. We were also warned not to visit during Valentines.


Romeo's home. It's a private resident (we were told it was very nice behind the wall) and visitors will also leave messages on the wall, which upsets the owners who cannot stop them.


Piazza delle Erbe


The Anfiteatro Arena (below) was destroyed (lower part still intact) during an earthquake long ago and rebuilt with some of the original material. For years after the earthquake the locals used it as a quarry, taking material to build/repair their homes. It is still used today for events.








The restaurant we went to for lunch had a basement that was 7 meters deeper than street level. Verona (some of it) was built on old Roman neighborhoods and some buildings (parts of) and even streets still remain. The pictures below show some of the stones still left that were once part of a street and you'll also see parts of a building.


A few shots around the city









> SL - what you do, you do in style and you sure know how to pick the places.


Thanks but I should give credit where credit is due. Although I do enjoy (some types of) luxury I wouldn't necessarily pick some of the places we stay. However family and friends want to make sure the girlfriend is taken care of and will often recommend places for me to look into (outside of Thailand). In this case; Hotel Cipriani, a family member suggested that the girlfriend might enjoy the accommodations.




> Are the canal's smelly?


As of yet,.nothing. However we've only seen a small part of Venice. Today, we might take a gondola from one end of the Grand Canal to the other. I'll let you know if we get a hint of anything in the air that might be considered offensive.




> Italy is on my bucket list. One day....


If you're able to schedule your trip in September, please do so. The weather is perfect.

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## Mid

> 




How ??  :Confused:

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## patsycat

I absolutely love Venice, it is magical.

Once you get off the beaten track and get lost in all those little canals and bridges.

If i could i would sell up and live there.

Did you go to the Lido and Murano.?

The sight when you arrive in the train -  there she is...!! Phenominal.

Take good walking shoes.

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## S Landreth

Yesterday we took a gondola (new one will cost you about 30,000 Euro's) into some of the smaller Venetian canals, because we were told the Grand Canal was too busy with taxi's (motorized boats). It was a nice ride and a wonderful way to spend a couple hours of the day.










Our gondola 


Gondola's ready to rent


A busy Grand Canal





> Originally Posted by oldgit
> 
> 
> Are the canal's smelly?
> 
> 
> As of yet,.nothing. However we've only seen a small part of Venice. Today, we might take a gondola from one end of the Grand Canal to the other. I'll let you know if we get a hint of anything in the air that might be considered offensive.


There were only a couple times when the odor was bad. That was when we passed a barge removing or transporting trash/garbage, otherwise the canals were free from any bad odors. A barge pictured below,..


After our boat ride we took a little stroll around the historic part of Venice. It was lunch time and although I don't eat pizza I could not resist this afternoon. Where we ate.


Some pictures in the historic part of Venice.




We were told by the (beautiful) Venetian that was with us last Monday that some time ago there was on an average 3 passenger cruise ships that would dock in Venice each week (different sizes), but now there are 5 per day. Two million people arrived in Venice last year by cruise ships.





> Originally Posted by S Landreth
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How ??


Mid, if you look closely you'll see that the male is sitting on a (heavily weighted) base. The right arm of the male and female are not real (what appears to be their right arms/hand is really part of the structure). Each of them have their right arms/hands under their robes concealing that part of their body. The female is also sitting on a seat supporting her (piece of steel running up along her leg/thigh) and covered by her robe.


When they change out different individuals; because they do get exhausted sitting so still, they do it behind screens so the audience will not see how it's done.




> I absolutely love Venice, it is magical.
> 
> Once you get off the beaten track and get lost in all those little canals and bridges.
> 
> If i could i would sell up and live there.
> 
> Did you go to the Lido and Murano.?
> 
> The sight when you arrive in the train -  there she is...!! Phenominal.
> ...


It is beautiful here but we haven't been to either island (Lido or Murano) and I don't know if we'll make it this trip or not. But we do plan to visit Italy again, because there isn't any way to see all there is to see here in just a month's time. And by the way Patsy, Mr. Clooney left shortly before we arrived.

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## S Landreth

> I absolutely love Venice, it is magical.
> 
> Did you go to the Lido and Murano.?
> 
> Take good walking shoes.


We made it to Lido yesterday and it was such a nice island. We planned to see two movies (Little Brother by Serik Aprymov and Stay Dogs by Tsai Ming-liang) during Venice's 70th Film Festival then took a short walk to the other side of the island and found Venice's public beach.












Day before yesterday we left the hotel for only a short time.

We had asked the Venetian; that was with us a few days ago, where she purchased her fresh fruit from in Venice and she told us about the (only) fresh market that was open in the San Polo district every day except Sundays and we went to visit it.

It is a nice clean market

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## alitongkat

great pics... looks familiar  :Wink: 

surprising, that they tag their prices in euro?
thought they would still use the lira...

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## patsycat

They haven't used the lira in years!!

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## xanax

How much was it to hire the gondala?

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## alitongkat

40 minutes 80 euros ?
The Gondola, its history and useness

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## bsnub

Great thread!! Thanks!

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## xanax

80 euros sounds a lot but I remember my headmaster went in 1962 and told us it was a fiver, so maybe it's cheaper today?

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## alitongkat

i was there when maybe 8 years old or so... 
everything was always "expensive", but i remember this one caused almost heart attacks...

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## patsycat

The times i have been have never taken a gondola ride.  The price was very high, also i just like to walk through all those alleys etc.  Getting lost is fun!!  Also, if you go off the beaten track you meet the real Venetiens and the prices for food and drink are half the price.

I must go back again.  Simples from here on the train.

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## S Landreth

Yesterday we traveled to Florence by train (30 euros) and spent the evening watching the Festa della Rificolona (Festival of the Lanterns). 








Not quite 200mph (300kmh ≈ 186mph) and as I understand we will not break the 200mph mark on this trip. We were told the rail cannot handle the speed.








While out for dinner we stopped by Piazza Santa Croce (few blocks from the hotel) and went to see the Arno River.




We're staying at the Relais Santa Croce while in Florence for the week (plus). A few pictures of the room.











> How much was it to hire the gondala?


The prices below are based on leaving from the San Marco pier. There are many other places around Venice (along the Grand Canal and in the smaller side canals) to rent gondola's from, which could be less expensive (maybe negotiated for a lesser amount?).

90 euros, short route, 45 min./120 euros, medium route/150 euros, long route, 2 hours or more depending on canal traffic/gondolier

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## S Landreth

Yesterday we went to investigate the area around hotel and found  Ponte Vecchio (old bridge) which is the oldest bridge in Florence and the home of many gold shops. It was the only bridge (out of six here in Florence) that wasn't destroyed during the second World War.








I have posted a few pictures of the hotel that we stayed at while in Venice. It is a nice place and I do recommend it if you were going to visit Venice.














If you're in Florence and your Thai spouse needs Thai food [Insalata di papaya verde (som tam thai)] you might give Niwa a try. We ate there last night and the food was good.

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## Aberlour

Really loved this thread. Would green you again if I could. Cheers for making it.

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## Dead Metal

My late wife was Italian and we had fantastic times in Venice, thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories.

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## S Landreth

We took a nice day trip just west of Florence yesterday (all the museums are closed in Florence on Mondays) to see two towns, San Gimignano (known for its towers, wine and olive oil) and  Siena (known for piazza del Campo, Dumo of Siena and a  horse race).

San Gimignano












Siena


Piazza del Campo




Duomo of Siena













> My late wife was Italian and we had fantastic times in Venice, thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories.


sorry to hear about your loss but it's nice to know some of these photos are bringing back warm memories of you both together

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## S Landreth

Yesterday we took a walk around Florence with a guide who did a great job giving us an education on some buildings, statues and families of Florence.

Dante's House


The Cathedral of Santa Maria el Fiore




Medici Home, (un-finished) Chapel and impressive mausoleum (no pictures allowed inside)




Florence's (unbelievable) Fresh market








We stopped at (now my favorite) a place for lunch that has terrific chocolate; Rivoire, located in the Pizza della Singnoria the where we saw some nice statues. 


Fountain of Neptune


After lunch we went into Santa Croce where we saw the tombs of Michael Angelo, Galileo, Niccolini (and many others) and their leather shop (nice handmade items here).






The French gave us a modified large copy (according to our guide)

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## S Landreth

Yesterday we went for a bike ride to the Pitti Palace to see the Boboli and Bardini Gardens.


























A couple views going to


and from the Palace

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## S Landreth

Yesterday we had a chance to visit the cities of  Pisa and  Lucca. We ate dinner while in Lucca and watched Luminara di Santa Croce, which is a religious event held on the 13th of September. The procession started a little after 7pm and we left; after dinner, at about 10:30 and only half of the procession had passed us. Massive amount of people showed up at the event.






They place burning candles on most of the buildings along the route.



Start of the procession


Pisa








The girlfriend (and many others) had a good time posing with the Leaning Tower of Pisa


Two days ago we went to visit two museums; Galleria dell' Accademia and  Galleria degil Uttizi, that shouldn't be missed if you visit Florence. No pictures are allowed in either gallery but I wasn't leaving the Accademia without a couple shots of David.


The two pictures below of David, have been cropped.

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## TonyBKK

Molto Bella!!! Simply stunning! Haven't been to Italy in ages and never been to Venice. Must add it to my short list!!

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## S Landreth

The Relais Santa Croce in Florence was within walking distance to all the major galleries and museums here in Florence and it was nice enough. If anyone was to ask me, I would tell them I did spend some time there and would again.

A few pictures inside the hotel,........












Pasta and tomato sauce. If you're in Italy for any length of time with your Thai spouse they might get tired of the Italian diet and want something a little spicier.

Here are a few suggestions, while in Florence outside of the Italian restaurants.

Buddakan




Tijuana's 




Niwa's




The best place for ice-cream in Florence is Vivoli

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## Looper

Quality thread SL and you sure know how to treat a woman!



Did you buy her a cornetto too  :Smile: 




> The times i have been have never taken a gondola ride.


Nevermind Pats. Terry has promised to take you out for half an hour in one of these beauts on your honeymoon!

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## alitongkat

beautiful pics and a beautiful country...

cant wait for rome... when will you go there...`?

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## ebeth

Very nice thread...must visit Italy the land of the countless varieties of tomatoes.

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## sagegong

> Have you seen George Clooney?


This is the best thread I have seen so far, thank you it brought back some memory from my trip to Venice.

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## S Landreth

^ haven't said it a while but thanks everyone




> cant wait for rome... when will you go there...`?


Yesterday we arrived in Rome by rail and checked into the Babuino 181, where we will be for a little less than two weeks. A few pictures of our room (Babuino Suite),.........














After settling in we went to visit the Spanish Steps, which are just down the street from the hotel.















> Quality thread SL and you sure know how to treat a woman!
> 
> Did you buy her a cornetto too


ice-cream?

She's not much of an ice-cream lover, but she did enjoy Vivoli while in Florence.

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## S Landreth

Yesterday we walked over to the Vatican Museum to see some art and the Sistine Chapel.












No pictures were allowed inside the Sistine Chapel but I was lucky enough to get off a couple shots. Original picture and cropped, below.






After our visit to the museum we walked over to pick up tickets to see the Pope (the girlfriend is curious); for an audience with the Pope, from the Swiss Guard in St. Peter's Square. 


If the Pope is in town he holds this event every Wednesday. The tickets are getting more difficult to get because of this Pope's popularity.




On our way out of St. Peter's Square we stopped by St. Peter's Basilica. The place is huge.

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## alitongkat

man, if its for free, i would go there, too...

can you talk to him in the audience ? 
what are you going to say ?

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## S Landreth

^I'm not going to say anything.  :Smile: 

From what we were told, the enthusiasts will be there very early to get the best seats along the edges (where the Pope might walk to greet people). He'll bless people/items and maybe say a word or two.

I'm going to stay towards the center of the audience and try to let the devoted have their day. But we will be leaving very early this morning for good seats. Gates open at 8am - 10am and the Pope shows up at 10:30am. People start gathering at the gate at about 5am.

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## alitongkat

you can have something blessed...

the car keys could be a classic(?)...
think, i would seek to have my wallet blessed...  :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## Looper

> for an audience with the Pope





> man, if its for free, i would go there, too...


Don't worry, it's available on Kickass. Not as good as an Audience with Billy Connolly I thought!

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## S Landreth

We went to visit the Pope at St. Peter's Square. We arrived early and stood in one of three lines into the square and let in at 8:00 am. 




Some brides and grooms were there to try to get the Popes blessings.


The girlfriend took-off running (me following) and grabbed a seat in the second row. It was like being at a horse race. Soon as the gate opened, she was off and running (only one other young girl started following her as she passed her by). Because of the pushing and shoving nearing the gate, she was a few visitors ahead of me.




Plenty of security and everyone getting ready for the Pope to arrive.










Special seating for the Handicap 


At about 10:15 am the Pope arrived and circled the square greeting his audience (kissing babies, etc).


After being seated he gave a speech which was summarized in more than a few different languages (Thai wasn't one of them).




Deep thought or resting?


I don't know if I like this picture or look.


After the ceremony the Pope started to greet some of his visitors. We waited a bit to let the Square empty out before we left. There were about 4 rows of people who stayed behind hoping the Pope would come to visit them.

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## S Landreth

Went for a nice walk yesterday starting at the Colosseum, then to the Roman Forum / Palatine Hill before visiting the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II (the first king of a unified Italy).

Colosseum
















Roman Forum












We also took a ride to the top of the Altare della Patria Monument to view the Piazza Venezia (and get a panoramic view of Rome).

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## S Landreth

The oldest fresh market in Rome (Campo de Fiori Fresh Market) was established in 1869 in the Campo de Fiori neighborhood. 

We went to visit the market yesterday and afterwards we went to see the Pantheon (no tickets needed).

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## padeedy

I love Venice, and have been there several times.   The first time was when I was 12 years old, with the Boy Scouts, and we stayed in a Priests' seminary next to Santa Maria della Saluta, opposite Saint Marks' Square.    That was 60 years ago.   Still nothing has changed.   Venice is unique, and everybody should see it before they die.  But please do not try to appreciate it on a day trip.   You must stay there for a few days at least, and explore as much as possible on foot (no cars, of course!)   

I have taken my lovely Thai wife there twice, and she loved it.   We stayed once in a small hotel called Hotel Canal e Walter, opposite the railway terminus.   Great canal views, and a lovely back garden to enjoy your breakfast.

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## sabang

Some more tourist averse and budget conscious travellers are bypassing Venice and Florence these days, in favor of Padua and Verona. Damn, it's a shame you can't have Venice to yourself. A dream holiday SL, and a great thread- cheers.  :Smile: 

Can't believe I've never made it to Italy. Definitely on my bucket list- 'see Venice and die'? I read a fat book, years ago, by Jeremy (Lord) Norfolk- a lifelong lover and scholar of Venice, with the money to be so. What a history, what a place.

_Is it worth while to observe that there are no Venetian blinds in Venice?_
William Dean Howells

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## S Landreth

Couple days ago the girlfriend requested no more churches. She had seen enough and I agreed so we went to visit as many (prominent) fountains as we could find in Rome.

Couple of them we had already visited, but I'll post all of them here.

Trevi Fountain




The three fountains in the  Piazza del Popolo 






Fontana del Tritone (being refurbished)


Fountain of St. Peter's Square by Bernini 


Vatican Garden Fountain (behind Art Museum) 


Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi




The Moro Fountain


Fountain of Moses


Fontana del Pantheon


Fountains of the Bees


Fontana della Barcaccia




The Turtle Fountain


Fontana delle Naiadi




Campo dei Fiori Fountain


II Babuino


Some random fountains in Rome along the way





_______________________________

Yesterday we rented a scooter to visit a few different neighborhoods and ran into a couple landmarks (Castle Sant'Angelo & Tiber Island).

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## S Landreth

We tried Rome's subway system (and buses out), to get to a few places a couple days ago. You can purchase a ticket for a one way trip, 1, 3 or 7 day ticket. There's nothing to it and it is easy to get around. They only have two lines (Line A & Line B in the link) now but are building another to open in a few years. As I have been told it's a slow go because at almost every turn there seems to be archaeological sites that need to be checked before tunneling can continue.






We went to see Villa Borghese (Rome's Central Park) and spent some time there, Aurelian Walls/Villa Bonaparte/Porta Pia and Villa Torlonia but did not go into the museum and visited  Rome's Main Terminal (Bus/Train/Subway all meet).











__________________________________________

Yesterday we spent part of the day underground in Rome. Both places we visited; San Clemente and The Catacombs of Saint Sebastian, had at least two tiers and dated back to the 1st century A.D.

No pictures were allowed but I was able to get a few at each site.

San Clemente






Catacombs of Saint Sebastian






The start of Appian Way.

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## S Landreth

Back in Thailand for a very short stopover and I have to say we enjoyed Italy and we are looking forward to getting back.

The last full day in Rome I spent; some of it,  cycling  along the Tiber River. It was a nice way to spend part of a beautiful day.














Couple of fishermen




As you can tell from the limb perched up on the pier, you can't use this route year-round


About our last hotel stay at the Babuino 181,.it's a nice small hotel located in a great spot. Below are just a few shots.








I have to say, I didn't have a bad meal while in Italy (but the girlfriend did tell me, not every Italian can make a pizza after eating a bad piece in Rome). One of our favorite restaurants while in Rome was the Dilla: https://www.facebook.com/ristorantedilla

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## oldgit

Did the girl friend get her bottom pinched while in Italy? the Italians are well known bottom pinchers.

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## MauroR

Thank you for the beautiful reportage, from Italian I would like to sincerely ask you ... what do you think of Italy ..... strengths and weaknesses. thanks

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