Day two in Firenze started early. You have to turn in your key at the front desk each time you leave. We woke the 24 hour receptionist when we dropped off the key. Dolora and I had to unlock the large wooden door to get out. We are staying at the Hotel California. At 6:30,…

After breakfast, it was off to the train station for a four minute ride to the bus station. In typical Italian fashion, the train was fifteen minutes late and they changed platforms. Down the steps again and up and we were in the right place. One short coffee/bathroom stop and we were in Florence around…

Busy day today. We visited all five towns that make up the Cinque Terre. After breakfast, it was off for a boat ticket for the trip to Riomaggiore, the furthest south town. The boat was packed. This is the least touristy of the towns. After wandering around for a while, we headed north by train….

After breakfast, it was on the bus to the Cinque Terre. I took advantage of the Wi-Fi on the bus, which seems a little faster than the hotels, to correct some of my earlier misspellings and add some info to the photos. Again, traffic on the highway is pretty busy. After the bus ride, it…

Forgot to include yesterday that it thundered and lightninged while we were at dinner last night. The weather forecast has been for thunderstorms here all week. It turned out to be nice yesterday and we woke up to  clouds and fog lifting  off the lake. We decided we would take advantage and make the climb…

Early breakfast today, then it was  off with our tour group for a vaporetto to the bus terminal. Onto a modern bus for a couple hour drive to Varenna, along side Lake Cumo, with a stop for lunch on the way. The highways are busy and modern. Lunch was a stop at an Autogrill. This…

The weather was nice again today, maybe just a little warm but the sun was out all day. Today we visited a pair of outlyiing islands, Murano (same as the car I drive) and Burano. It took three different very crowded Vaporatto (water buses) to get us to Murano. Murano is famous for its glassmaking….

Beautiful weather for sightseeing today. After breakfast at the hotel, we headed to nine o’clock mass at Basilica di San Marco (St. Mark}. Mass was in Italian. There were less than 100 people there for the service. Since the basilica is closed for serices, this gave us a chance to see the basilica without the…

Well, we made it. The line for security seemed a little long for an early afternoon, but it moved. The flight from Dulles to Dublin landed on time even though we left almost an hour late. The flight to Venice also left late but made it on time. It took nearly three hours to get…

Dolora and I have made plans to visit Italy with a Rick Steves tour. My Way® Italy in 13 Days Quite the trip but unfortunately, no visit to Anzi, birthplace of my grandfather. Stops include: Venice (Venezia) Varenna – on Lake Cumo, Italian Lakes District Monterosso al Mare- Cinque de Terre, Italian Riviera Florence (Firenze)…