Venice

After viewing da Vinci's Last Supper, we returned to the Hotel to retrieve our luggage (they were holding it for us) and took a taxi to Milan Centrale. We arrived at Venezia Santa Lucia in the late afternoon on Saturday, October 18, and took the "slow boat" (vaporetto #1) down the Grand Canal to Sant Elena. From here it was just a short walk to the B & B Venezia at Calle Bainsizza, 3. Our room was on the top floor, on the right. We had breakfast each morning in the kitchen, which was just across the hall. This was one of the nicest and most reasonably priced places that we stayed. They even had a T-Mobile HotSpot so we were finally able to use our new cell phones to call home.

The heart of Venice was just a short walk, or vaporetto ride, away. There are no cars in Venice. People who live there have their own boat, walk, or ride the vaporettos.

St. Mark's Square is the center of action in Venice. Inside the church the floor has buckled and you can see water marks on the columns where it has flooded in the past. There is a stack of folding tables that they put up for people to walk on when Venice floods.

A gondola ride through the canals of Venice could cost 80 Euros or more.

The Rialto Bridge crosses the Grand Canal. The current stone bridge was built in 1592 to replace the previous wooden bridge. Rows of shops line both sides of the bridge.

Here's Garold on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore with St. Mark's in the background.

This is the view from atop the Bell Tower on San Giorgio Maggiore.

Milan

We left Cinque Terre Thursday, October 16, and spent one night in the Hotel Poliziano Fiera in Milan. It was nice to be in a big city after the beautiful but rustic Cinque Terre. We were treated to a big American breakfast on Friday morning, complete with bacon, toast and orange juice!

Of course we went to see the Duomo. Construction on Milan's gothic cathedral, the Duomo di Milano, was begun in 1386 and substantially completed in 1805 by Napolean Bonaparte.

This statue of St. Bartholomew was placed in the Duomo in 1562. He is depicted holding his own skin, because it is believed that he was flayed and then crucified upside down.

This is the famous La Scala Opera House in Milan. The Marriage of Figaro was being performed.

Santa Maria delle Grazie was built by the Duke of Milan Francesco Sforza in about 1469. Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper is located here, on a wall in the convent. This was one of the most amazing works of art that we saw in Italy. It appears to be a three dimensional extension of the room, rather than a single dimension fresco. When this church was bombed during World War II, the wall with the Last Supper survived.

Cinque Terre

On Tuesday, October 14, we took the train first to Pisa and then to Cinque Terre. When we got off the train we set out to find Il Porticciolo Trattoria, Via R. Birolli, 92, in Manarola, where our hostess also manages a restaurant. It was quite a hike up to the room! First we walked up a 15 degree slope for about 140 paces, then climbed more than 100 steps more, to our room with a spectacular view.

The view was definitely worth the hike. And the food in Cinque Terre is some of the best in Italy. Restaurants serve fresh produce grown in their hillside terrace gardens.

They serve fish caught fresh in the Mediterranean. We tried sea bass, pesto sauce and fresh anchovies.

Everything about Cinque Terre is relaxing. Sunset over the Mediterranean is spectacular.

When the seas are calm you can travel from one town to the next by boat.

You can also take the train, or walk on the Cinque Terre Trail. Whichever method of transportation you choose, you'll be tired by the end of the day.

Cinque Terre has the most beautiful coastline you will ever see. The water is an incredible shade of aqua blue that I did not know existed in nature. But it's not for wimps--it's covered with gigantic boulders and sheets of slate with many sharp edges that jut out into the surf. If you should lose your footing on the trail, you would fall to a certain death.

Tuscany

Having seen the Accademia on Saturday and the Uffizi on Sunday, we decided to take it easy on Monday. So we bought a bus ticket and picked a route at random. It took us up into the hills of Tuscany, to a little town named Fiesole.

The bus climbed higher and higher, giving us a different view of Florence in the valley below.

Along the way we passed by this park.

And this rare and rustic water fountain. In Italy water is not routinely served in restaurants. A liter of water will cost 2-4 Euros.

The views were spectacular.

And often quaint.

Ponte Vecchio

A visit to Florence should include a walk across one of the oldest bridges in Europe, the Ponte Vecchio.

When we crossed it late in the afternoon of October 12, there were street musicians playing and a huge crowd had gathered to listen. We stood here and talked for a while with a couple from Australia who took this photo for us.

The bridge consists of three segmental arches: one large center arch with shorter arches on either side. Shops along the bridge sell gold jewelry.

The Ponte Vecchio crosses the Arno River.

Here's Sharon with the Ponte Vecchio in the background. The Vassari Corridor -- "prince's passageway" -- above the bridge was built so the Medici Grand Dukes could travel safely between the Palazzo Vecchio (old palace) and the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti (new palace).

By the time we left it was dark.

Uffizi Gallery

The Uffizi Gallery is adjacent to the Palazzo Vecchio. In fact it was constructed in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici to serve as the offices (uffizi is Italian for offices) for Florentine magistrates.

This is a view of of the Palazzo Vecchio from the Uffizi.

As a museum it was even more overwhelming than the Vatican Museum. It has 45 rooms full of world famous masterpieces by artists like Botticelli, Giotto, el Greco, da Vinci, Piero della Francesca, Raphael, Rembrandt, Reubens, and Velazquez, just to name a few.

Photos were not allowed in the museum, but here are three of the masterpieces we saw there (copied from Wikipedia):

Botticelli's "Birth of Venus" was a departure from the Roman Catholic religious themes that dominated art at the time.

Raphael's "Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi" appear to be discussing important affairs of state.

Piero della Francesca's "Battista Sforza" and "Federico da Montefeltro" could have been a typical Italian couple.

At the top of the museum we found a cafe' where we stopped to rest and have a sandwich. The patio off this cafe provided this view of Santa Maria dell'Fiore's dome and Giotto's bell tower.

Palazzo Vecchio

The Palazzo Vecchio was intended to be the seat of government for the city and today houses Florence's City Council.

When it was built in 1299 it was a palace for the Priors, who were then the governors of Florence.

Later it was the palace of the Duke Cosimo I de' Medici.

Michelangelo's David originally stood outside the Palazzo Vecchio.

In 1873 it was moved to the Accademia Gallery, and now a copy stands in its place.