Author Archives: Serene

Milano (Milan) is the second largest city in Italy and its business mecca. It is said that for every church in Rome there is a bank in Milan. The city is also an international fashion center.    The community that became … Continue reading →

This is the hotel room we woke up in on the day we were leaving for Verona.  It is fairly typical of what our rooms in older hotels looked like.  They were generally good size with old style furniture.  This … Continue reading →

Our first views of Venice were entering the city on the Grand Canal.  Venice is composed of 119 islands and has over 400 bridges and 150 canals. We were intrigued by the architecture in this 1600 year old city.  Venice … Continue reading →

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 →