Today John and I took a private water taxi to Piazza San Marco and walked around and of course did a little bit of shopping. I love French and Italian brands the most ♥️ We stopped at this nice Trattoria and had some lunch and then walked around some more and decided to have a glass of wine at Hotel Monaco which is on the water with a great view.
August 13, 2018
Today John and I took a water taxi to San Marco Square again and just walked around and got a bite to eat and took the water taxi back to the ship.
August 14, 2018
Today we took the water taxi and walked around for a few hours and got lunch in a nice restaurant and then went back to the ship.
Today we took the tender boat to the port and then boarded a ferry boat to Capri. We walked around a bit and had some lunch at this place called Isidoro Restaurant where we ordered the Caprese salad and it was the best Mozzarella we ever had. After lunch, we did some shopping and took the ferry boat back to the ship. Capri is a place that we would like to go back and spend some more time there.
Today we took the shuttle bus to Rome from the port which is about 90 minutes away. We met up with our relatives for lunch with an amazing view of the Pantheon. After lunch we walked around a bit we visited the Trevi Fountain and a few other fountains. Afterward, we took the shuttle bus back to the ship.
August 23, 2018 – Second time
Today we disembarked from the ship and checked into The Waldorf Astoria Hotel. After we settled in we decided to take a walk around Rome and took a taxi to John’s Aunt Giovanina’s house to have lunch with her and her daughter Gloria and granddaughters Laura and Alessandra. We then we to the hotel to relax before we were going back to her house for dinner. We left their house shortly after dinner we had a big day the next day we were flying home which will take about 14 hours.
Today we got a taxi to drive us to Florence also known as Firenze. While there we walked around for about an hour and got it was so hot we decided to grab some gelato at our favorite place called Grom. It’s right around the corner from Piazza Del Duomo and then we drove to Pisa and walked around there for about an hour we went into the La Domenica Cathedral and took some pictures and then headed back to the ship.
Today Nano, Mariya, Adrian, Irene, John and I took the tender boat to the port and we then took a ferry to see the Emerald Grotto which was pretty. When we got back to Amalfi we then we took another ferry to Positano and had an amazing lunch at Le Sirenusa. After lunch, we headed back to the ship.
August 7, 2018, Second time
Today we took the tender boat to the port and then boarded a ferry boat to Capri. We walked around a bit and had some lunch at this place called Isidoro Restaurant where we ordered the Caprese salad and it was the best Mozzarella we ever had. After lunch, we did some shopping and took the ferry boat back to the ship. Capri is a place that we would like to go back and spend some more time there.
August 22, 2018, Third time
Today John, Evan and I decided to take the tender boat to town and walk around a bit and grabbed a bite to eat. Afterward, we went back to the ship to finish packing since we were getting off the ship tomorrow.
Today John, Nano and I decided to grab a taxi, and I need to let everybody know that you need to be aware that some of the taxi drivers there will try and rip you off. We almost got ripped off, but luckily we spoke to another taxi driver, and he gave us a good price.
Another thing you need to be careful about is that all the drivers will tell you they speak English until you start driving and start asking questions. Unfortunately, we ended up with a taxi driver that barely spoke any English and drove like a nut.
The first place we went to was Taormina which was a nice little town afterward we went to Castelmola which was nice. The next stop was this cool gorge called Gole Alcantara it also had a waterfall afterward we went back to the ship.
Second Visit to this port on the same cruise – We did four back to back cruises and we visited 29 different ports so we were happy to spend a day on the ship. We decided since we were already at the same port we would stay on the ship and relax.
Rome is so unique I feel like it’s one big archaeological site. The amazing thing is that they find new sites all the time just by doing new construction or renovations.
It’s so great to walk around you will always run into some cool fountain or new piazza you’ve seen for the first time.
We also have family there so anytime we are in Rome we meet for lunch or dinner or both. It’s always nice to see our relatives. Another favorite thing we love to do is eating lunch across from the Pantheon it has become a tradition for us. The more we come to Rome the more comfortable we become walking around and exploring this fabulous city.
This visit they were clearing the Trevi fountain, and it was blocked by scaffolding so we can’t wait to come back and see it nice and clean.
We arrived in Olbia and had a rental car to drive around the island, but once we realized our cousin, Francesco was going to drive us around we decided to return the rental car. As most people do when visiting family, we stayed at my uncle’s house.
His house is in Nuoro it’s a beautiful little town. Once we settled in, we went to a local restaurant for dinner where we had brick oven pizza. What we found that was cool was they had their love of pizza with seafood toppings on it. After a filling lunch, we walked through the neighborhood and met a few of my uncle’s friends. We also had the chance to eat this homemade candy called Toroni which was made by my uncle’s friend.
The next day we drove around the city to see the sites there were a lot of tunnels through the mountains which were wild, and we even got a chance to see a new one being bored out the machine they were using was huge. Francesco also took us to visit the first family member also named the same as our last name which was exciting because I have never met another family member with the same last name outside the United States. It was an emotional experience for both myself and my new family member.
The next day Francesco took us took a great beach which was very popular it was full of locals we stayed there for a couple of hours and bathed in the clear blue beautiful water. Spending time at the beach made us hungry, so we decided to get a bite to eat at a local place which was delicious. One good thing is that my cousin loved food and wine, so he knew where to eat and what to drink.
At night my uncle invited us to his cabin that he built by himself which is in a wooded/forest area. It was amazing I loved it and told him that when we come back, we are going to spend a night there. It’s called Pineto there is a photo of it down below. Uncle Simone cooked us a mouth-watering roasted pig dinner. He was preparing for hours turning the meat until it was cooked to perfection. We felt like we were eating back in the Roman times on wood plates, a wood table and wooden chairs which were all made by hand using the local wood just like the whole place was built. It was like going back in time John and I both agree that it was one of the best experiences we have ever had and we are still dreaming about it, and we can’t wait to go back for round two.
The following day Francesco rented a boat for the four of us Myself and John and his brother Severino. We drove the boat along the shoreline, and we had such a great time we saw the bluest water ever. We decided to beach the boat and explore the caves that were on the beach, and we also spent some time swimming and just enjoying the beautiful beach and water.
The last few days Francesco took us to his apartment which is in Cagliari another great town. He took us to the local fish market it was cool they decorate all their little booths with the fishtail or the heads in such a unique way. It was great we purchased some fish, and he cooked us a Sardinian meal it was the perfect end to a great trip.
Today we left Florence and rode the train to Rome. Once again an enjoyable train ride full of beautiful scenery the only difference is that this time we got on the correct car thank goodness. We checked into our hotel The Excelsior was opened in 1906. The hotel is located in a great spot, and the building’s architecture is beautiful we were lucky enough to have a corner suite.
After settling in, we did what we usually do take a quick walk around the city to get familiar with it. After a few hours of walking around, we decided to get back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
The next day we were happy to walk around and get familiar with this great city. The first thing we did was walk to the Trevi Fountain. It truly is amazing. I can’t believe that the water just continuously runs and never ends. The fountain is breathtaking it’s a must see in person.
We visited Vatican City. From the outside to the inside it was fabulous. We even saw the window that the pope addresses the people in the square. Another cool thing that was there was the Swiss guards outside of the Vatican. Their outfits are cool mostly because I love anything with stripes.
The next stop on our walking tour was the Colosseum. Once again a jaw-dropping experience. This building was truly something spectacular we saw where they kept the animals and where the spectators sat.
We also love the Pantheon. The great thing is that there are a few restaurants in that square so every day we would have lunch with our relatives facing the Pantheon. It was the best view you could have while eating Italian food. There’s nothing like spending some time eating and catching up with family luckily we have relatives who live in Rome, and we ate lunch and dinner with them almost every day.
The Trevi FountainThe Trevi FountainExcelsior HotelOur suite in the Excelsior HotelMaria & John at The VaticanSwiss Guards outside of the VaticanMaria & John at The ColosseumThe inside of the ColosseumThe inside of the ColosseumThe inside of the ColosseumThe inside of the ColosseumThe PantheonThe PantheonMaria & John – with our aunt who lives in Rome GiovaninaJohn with our cousins who live in Rome Gloria, Laura & Alessandra
The train ride from Venice to Florence, Italy began on a bad foot. Remember all the luggage I told you we had well we didn’t realize that the tickets had assigned seats, so our seats were in car 6, and we got on car 1. John had to carry one bag at a time to get them to car 6 while I stayed with the luggage on car 1 . After a stressful beginning, we were looking forward to the scenery for the remaining six-hour ride. I loved riding the train; it reminded of being in Greece. When I was younger, that’s how we traveled from Athens to my mom’s town Kalo Nero, Kyparissia.
We checked into the Four Seasons Hotel, and after getting settled in, we decided to take a walk to get familiar with the city. We had dinner plans at Enoteca Pinchiorri which was a very impressive restaurant. We had a packed schedule for the next day, so we made it an early night.
The next morning we started on our walking tour of the city, and the first stop was the breathtaking Il Duomo di Firenze. Pictures do not do it justice! After taking a million pictures, we then moved onto The Ponte Vecchio which is a medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch bridge over the Arno River.
We then decided to start the museum tours we visited the Uffizi Gallery which was nice and then we visited the Galleria dell Accademia to see Michelangelo sculptures, including the impressive statue of The David.
Maria & JohnPonte VecchioLocks by The Ponte Vecchio BridgeUffizi GalleryUffizi GalleryUffizi GalleryUffizi GalleryMichelangelo’s Statue The DavidVending machine that sells thong panties
