Author Archives: Serene

On the journey to Assisi, our tour guide pointed out the Abbey of Montecassino on a nearby hill.  It was a Benedictine monastery when the Germans took it over during WW2.  The US made a calculated decision to bomb the … Continue reading →

Our hotel in Sorrento was family owned.  The mother had recently passed but her sons were keeping the hotel and restaurant business going.  There were rooms facing the sea and some facing the olive groves.   We learned that olives … Continue reading →

Pompeii, near the sea and in the shadow of Vesuvius, was a resort town for Romans 2500 years ago.  There were about 20,000 full and seasonal residents. The city had a two kilometer main street and covered 66 acres. The residents … Continue reading →

Our day in Roma was very full!  We saw so much.  Here is the wrap up!  First, I just have to give you another picture of creative parking because I love it so much! Have a look at this clock. … Continue reading →

“As long as the Colosseum stands, Rome shall stand; when the Colosseum falls, Rome will fall; when Rome falls, the whole world will fall.” ― Venerable Bede (673 – 753 AD).  Bede was an English monk and one of the … Continue reading →

This was the day we learned the advantage of booking with a guided tour company – in our case, Trafalgar. Someone else was responsible for our transportation to the Vatican, for booking tickets with specific entry times, and knowing when … Continue reading →

As we planned this trip, one of the things I spent time on repeatedly was the transition between our cruise that ended in Civitavecchia and the land tour which began in Rome – a distance of about 50 miles apart.  … Continue reading →

We were mentally preparing to leave the Nieuw Statendam after 21 days aboard and had just one more port – Napoli or Naples.  We knew pizza was invented in Napoli so signing up for another food tour excursion was easy. … Continue reading →

Our next stop was Polermo on the island of Sicily.  Sicily is the largest of more than 400 islands under Italy’s administration and sits near the toe of the boot. The other primary island is Sardinia, which sits northwest of … Continue reading →

Our next port was supposed to be La Goulette, Tunisia (number 4) on the north coast of Africa.  We were booked to tour ancient Carthage and the picturesque Sidi Bou Said – think white buildings with blue roofs next to … Continue reading →