There are infinity tourists. They all insist on taking photos on every bridge, though I’m not sure what of. ‘Here’s me with bridge #1 of 409. And here’s me with bridge #14 of 409…’ (Venice is made of 117 islands connected by 409 bridges.) There are no cars, buses, motorbikes, or even regular bikes in Venice.…
La Cantina: When I asked the bartender – at the ungodly hour of 4 pm – when the kitchen would be open, she said my most recently-learned word: “now.” So, we plunked ourselves down and looked around for a menu. Apparently, the menu is primarily oral in nature, though the wines get a written list…
Ancora Capodimonte: On our way to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, we stopped to grab food here. B had a big burger, and I had a tomato pasta. Mine had too much oil on it, but B thought it was one of the better places we had eaten in Italy. The outside seating was nice, and…
We were in Pisa for approximately 3 hours: just long enough to check the ‘Leaning Tower’ box. When I was in high school, my physics teacher had some health issues which required him to miss a day of class a week for a few weeks. Whether on his suggestion or their own initiative, our substitute…
Neighborhood: (northeast end of) Santa Croce Also called: N/A Pros: In walking distance of the sights Lots of restaurants all around Fairly safe to walk around alone because there are so many other people out, at all hours of the day and night There are groceries and stores nearby that normal Florence-dwellers visit We stayed directly on…
We were in Florence for four days. The Duomo: Unlike the Duomo in Milan, which has multiple dozen chapels along the outside, each with very detailed ornamentation, this Duomo is fairly plain. Its primary feature is a large ceiling fresco. It was nice, if slightly deflating after the Milan experience. (It also didn’t help that…
Please know that these are honest questions not intended to offend anyone. I don’t have as robust an education in theology and religion as many others do, so these were things I was legitimately curious about and looked up. Q: Why do most paintings of the Virgin and Baby – of which I have seen 70 in Florence…
I’m a bit hesitant to write this one, because I’m afraid I won’t be able to convey how amazing the experience was. A silly sort of fear, but this may well be our favorite experience of the first three months of our trip. Here goes. You might have noticed that our time in Italy has eclipsed…
Osteria de Peccatore: Unfortunately, our first choice restaurant was closed for August, so we wandered over to this place, with good Yelp reviews. It was a very touristy place, and if we didn’t know that from the ambiance and location, their ‘fettuccine Alfredo’ menu option would have told us. That said, the staff was very nice,…
‘Truffles’ usually makes me think of bitter, fancy, round chocolate treats, or the sweetened milk chocolate versions sold for the undiscerning masses like me. However, in Italy, we explored a different kind of truffle: the mushroom. They come in either black or white varieties, with the latter being more expensive and having a shorter harvest.…