Gondolas at Last

A quiet ride on a gondola is the perfect way to begin our last evening in Italy.

The boat glides smoothly across the waters of the canal down narrow lanes
 between the houses and under bridges.

The gondolas are a lovely and historic way to tour the area.
 Our gondolier speaks a little English and points out to us
where Marco Polo and Casanova once lived in Venice.

It is just before sunset and the shadows begin to fall
across the water as we head back to the dock 

We walk north to the lagoon to sit along the water's edge for dinner.

The night is warm and we can see just the lights of the last boats
 as we enjoy our final dinner of the trip.

The Streets and Canals of Venice

We walked all through the city and crossed so many bridges
 to get a glimpse of some of the residential neighborhoods.

We found schools and boat works and scenes from every day life in Venice.

We walked along the Zattere which is a long boardwalk on the south edge of the city.
From the end you can see the surrounding islands and
look back on St Mark's and much of the center of town.

It was essential to sit back and have a drink late in the afternoon
listening to the music in Piazza San Marco. 

We enjoyed a tour of the Basilica San Marco and of the Palazzo Ducale.

No day was complete without gelato!

Our very own Palace

We arrived at the interior entrance to Al Ponte Antico our wonderful Venice hotel.
It had been a medieval palace but was updated and still decorated in the traditional Venetian style.

It was right on the Grand Canal and a 10 minute walk to St Mark's Square.
That made it a perfect location. Very convenient but so easy to get away from the crowds.

The staff was beyond exceptional in every way. There were only nine rooms total.
Mateo the owner was present every morning to greet us with cappuccino and omelets or crepes. 

The terrace overlooking the Canal was perfect for our afternoon drinks or morning coffee.

We think we found the perfect spot to enjoy Venice to the fullest.

The views from our hotel were some of the best we could hope for in the city.

We loved to witness the boat traffic on the Grand Canal from our hotel.
The gondolas were fascinating to watch.
Those gondoliers are able to maneuver their boats so easily in any direction. 

We also had a great view of the famous Rialto Bridge.

The breakfast room was all velvets and tapestries.We felt like royalty.

 The staff knew us all by name and their attention to every detail made us feel at home.

Arriving in Venice

We left Florence for Venice early Tuesday morning on the train.
It was fun to play a little bridge while we watched the scenery along the way.

The train station took us right into town and we looked for a water taxi.

The water taxis are all handsome wooden boats
 with comfortable interior seats and open roofs for stand up views  

Arrivederci Firenze

The guys paid an afternoon visit to the Biboli Gardens while the girls shopped.
It is up over the river and in the hills looking over the city. There were great vistas of Florence. 

The flowers were still in bloom also.

We spent time inside and outside the Duomo. The area is so full of life and great art.

Found a great little dinner spot down under the bridge just before the Ponte Vecchio.
 Buca dell'Orafo maybe our best food ever. We closed the place and were the very last table.

The sights of Florence are so colorful and unforgettable.

Lunch  can be as wonderful as any dinner! We keep finding hidden treasures at every trattoria.

Firenze

We left the Cinqueterre by train on Saturday afternoon.
We are excited to see the sights of Florence and Venice 

The city of Florence welcomes us with all the treasures it holds.
We are anxious to get going and start our visit here.
 Looking forward to all the incredible art, churches, food, wine and SHOPPING!  

We have a very busy and full day on Sunday with Lucia our guide leading the way.
We spent time at many of the notable museums, piazzas, palaces and churches.
We make time for important breaks that include coffee, gelato and pizza.
Michael discovers a new drink called "caffe freddo shakelatto".

We marvel at the distinctive green marble that makes the Duomo so spectacular.

And finally at the very end of our day we stop for an essential visit to the David.
It was an unforgettable tour with Lucia who helped us to remember
 how art is always a reflection of the history of the times and of the human spirit.

The Cinqueterre

We arrived in Monterosso al Mare in the Cinqueterre
Thursday afternoon along with Mark and MaryDell.
 It was thrilling driving over from Todi through the winding hills and extremely narrow roads.
 This quaint old town is perched on a hillside overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

We took a hike on one of the few foot paths still open between the 5 towns.
 There have been many wash outs and landslides that have closed some of the trails.
We were amazed at the rows of grapes growing on the steep slopes. 

We could not believe how rocky and steep the trails were as we hiked.
 This spot was perfect for a picture but most of the trail
felt too precarious to take our eyes off our feet.
 It was an incredible experience but we did not expect such challenging conditions.
It had rained that morning which made it extra slippery too.  

The views were spectacular and more beautiful at every turn.
 It is easy to see the attraction of the area for so many hikers over the years.

We loved our little terrace for breakfast and drinks each day at our B & B

Monterosso al Mare faces the sea and has plenty of beaches to explore,

MaryDell was joined by a new friend at lunch.
 This little girl actually pulled her chair over to our table after we waved and smiled at her.

We rode the ferry boat from one end of the Cinqueterre to the other
just to get a feel for the whole scene. It was a great way to see all 5 villages.

We enjoyed more beautiful sunny weather yet again while we were in Monteroso al Mare. 

We spent much time walking, dining and exploring the seaside.
 The water was such a deep blue and we also loved the sound of the surf.

We just could not resist going for a late afternoon swim.

The water was quite warm and we bounced along in the waves.

Last night Le Mandorelle

For our last dinner at the house we arranged for some wonderful cooks from the area to come in to
  prepare a feast of Italian favorites. Here Daniella rolls out the dough for homemade pasta.,

It was a five course menu and took 4 hours to prepare.
 The cooks picked fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits
 from the garden at Le Mandorelle for some of the dishes.  

Daniella was a delightful addition to our evening.
 She explained to us about all the preparations and recipes.

We ate incredible cold farro salad, warm lentil soup, homemade pasta with fresh tomato sauce, roast chicken and cake baked on the spot with grapes and whipped cream.

We ate our sumptuous dinner in the lemonaria one last time while listening to the rain outside.
 It was the perfect ending to our week in Todi.