We went to Siena and San Gimignano today — a pair of smaller cities, but both very old.
The main church in Siena — known as the Duomo — is absolutely amazing. It’s huge, but they actually planned to increase the size of the church and you can see where they planned on [...]

On a whim, we headed to Pisa today to see none other than the leaning tower. We took a trip on a train — our third thus far and the first on a non-Eurostar train.
I thought the trip was a lot of fun. It seemed the leaning tower was by far the city’s biggest attraction. [...]

Thursday brought with it a second train trip and a chance to see one of the world’s most beautiful cities — Venice (or Venezia, as it’s known by locals).
Located about three hours away from our base in Florence, Venice is amazing, if for no other reason, because there are no cars in the city. That [...]

On Wednesday, we got our first taste of Italian art culture with a trip to The Uffizi.
We spent some time looking at timeless art pieces created by some of Italy’s best-known artists. The Uffizi is a required attraction for any visitor to Florence, whether or not you are an art aficionado.
Built in the latter half [...]

Like any good tourist in Rome, we made to trip to the city’s 2,000-year-old ruins. It was quite a sight to see.
Yes, they’re well known by most people, but seeing them in person beats looking at any picture of them, though I did take plenty of photographs for myself to view later. I found it somewhat funny [...]

The first order of business today in Rome was Vatican City, certainly a must-see for anyone visiting Rome.Though I am not Catholic, it is hard not to find the papal residence compelling. After all, Catholicism touches so many people, making Vatican City the spiritual home for millions of people worldwide. I couldn’t help but be [...]

With Tuesday came the first trip on an Italian railroad — Trenitalia. For me, it was one of the moments I was looking forward to on this trip.Several years ago, I rode on a train in Germany. What strikes me about European train travel, when compared to that in America, is how [...]

“I love your smile,” the waitress told me on the way out the door. The perfect compliment for the perfect evening.
So far this trip, dinner at Acqua Al 2 was the best meal we’ve had. The food kept coming, the wine was great and the atmosphere was jovial. To top it all [...]

Today (thus far) we visited four churches — all with amazing architecture and great history.
We started out at Cenacolo di Ognissanti. The church, which dates to the 13th century, was the parish of the Vespucci family, including Amerigo (America’s namesake).
From there, we went to Il Duomo and climbed 470 plus steps (so [...]

Just returned from a day out in Florence. It rained and was overcast, but nonetheless, it was great.We started out the day by going to Trattoria Za Za, where I had ravioli Ricotta filled with Ricotta Cheese and Spinach, complimented by Santa Cristina wine. I must admit that I am not usually [...]