We were met in Pompei by a local expert who took us on a descriptive and informative tour of the ruins.

When Vesuvius first started to erupt people fled the city. Most returned 24 hours later, thinking the danger had passed. That is when 20 feet of ash buried the entire city. It has taken centuries to unearth the city and excavations are still underway.

We saw plaster molds of bodies that were discovered. Buried beneath ash and lava, the bones had been well preserved so even the position they were in at the time of the disaster could be seen.

The spot where the bakery had been was pointed out to us. The brick oven there still contained loaves of bread when it was excavated!

We walked down many streets and saw the remains of houses, stores and the stadium. Our tour also led us through the brothel area, where the individual room with stone beds and pillows could be seen.

The crowds meant we couldn’t linger in any area or we risked getting separated from our group. We were given a few minutes in the square and had our picture taken with Mount Vesuvius in the background.

Soon we were back on the bus for a short drive to Casa Barone, on the slope of Vesuvius. This family run farm grows special tomatoes, called Piennolo tomatoes, that only grow in volcanic soil. We were able to taste this endangered fruit at a Farm-to-Table lunch there.

The tomato has a very thin skin which helps it keep its freshness for months. We were told that even if the outside is wrinkled, the inside will still be juicy.

Our lunch was served by the Barone children on an outdoor patio. The food was delicious and the view over the valley was lovely.

After lunch we travelled back to Rome for a farewell dinner with our group. The next morning we would fly back home. Our trip to Italy had come to an end. We were left with some wonderful memories and a desire to return.

The Amalfi Coast stretches from Sorrento to Salerno in southern Italy. It is considered one of the most scenic coastlines in Italy and we soon discovered why.

After stopping for pictures along the way, we went to the town of Postiano. To get to the beach area we had to walk down many stairs and some steep hills. The goal was to put our feet in the water but we couldn’t get close to the water without paying to enter a beach club so that didn’t happen.

The hillside is so steep that the houses are stacked tightly, almost appearing to be on top of each other. I wouldn’t want to walk up and down those driveways every day!

Back up the hill, we wandered through some scenic areas and took more pictures. The area is beautiful, but very expensive as it has become a playground for the rich and famous.

We found a fun statue, titled “The Visible Pause’ and stopped to take a picture before going to find our daily gelato.

This morning we loaded into two mini busses and drove to the ferry dock where we boarded a ferry for Capri. Once there we got on a hydrofoil for a tour around the island.

We saw several caves. One being the Coral Cave. Coral was visible at the edge of the rock, just at the water line. A large hole in the rock was related to when Tiberias lived in Capri.

Next we saw the Faraglioni, a famous set of three limestone rocks. The middle one has an arched hold in it that is referred to as the tunnel of love. The shape of these rocks is a result of erosion due to wind, rain, and waves.

We passed as statue of a boy on top of a large rock and were told he was Genermo.

A road that wound around a hillside off in the distance held some more modern interest. It is dubbed the Mama Mia road because that is where the movie was filmed.

After the tour we wandered around Capri, taking more photos and doing a bit of shopping. It’s such a beautiful area.

We drove for many hours today. I was beginning to wonder if all of this bus travel was worth it and then caught my first glimpse of the Bay of Naples as we neared Sorrento.

The bus pulled over so we could get out and take photos. Barbara treated us all to a Granita di Limone, a semi-frozen dessert made with fresh lemon juice, water and sugar. It was delicious and refreshing.

We had a little time to relax before dinner so I joined a few others in the hotel pool while Emily sat in the shade nearby.

To get to dinner we boarded the bus and went up, up, up and around steep, sharp turns. Our bus driver is excellent at his job and maneuvers these tight roads in ways most couldn’t.

We ate dinner at a Michelin Star Restaurant called Lo Stuzzichino Osteria. It is a small family run operation and we met the couple who own it before enjoying an excellent meal.

Our entertainment was a singer/guitar players who invited a few people from our group to come up beside him and play the tambourine. The atmosphere was lively and we were clapping and singing. Barbara came over to Emily, took her by the hand and led her to the dance floor for a traditional dance. Soon others were on the floor, including me! We had so much fun! Emily had never seen me dance before, let alone dance with me and many memories were created that evening.

We left Venice and drove along the side of the Apennine Mountains. Tall trees and lush green were a welcome sight as we entered Umbria, known as the green heart of Italy. 

The village of Assisi appeared on the top of a hill. Assisi is a medieval town with steep, narrow, cobblestone streets. Our tour bus was too large to wind up the hill and had to let us off below. We took our hand luggage (the suitcases came up in a small van) and walked ten minutes up the steep hill in 30C heat.

After checking into our hotel, we met a local Guide for another ten minute uphill walk for a tour of Saint Frances of Assisi Cathedral. We learned that this area was the birth place of Saint Francis, one of Italy’s patron saints. He is known for founding the religious order of the Franciscans, who inspired movements for peace and charity.  He was also the first to stage a live nativty. We were also told that his tomb is in the crypt beneath the chapel.

Inside the cathedral were beautiful frescos on the ceiling and incredible stained glass windows. Unfortunately no pictures were allowed. We did, however take a few of the grounds. The courtyard leaded to the entrance of the cathedral was once a stable!

At the end of the tour Emily wanted to explore the town so we walked up another hill. The roads here are narrow and cobblestone so walking is’t easy, but the surroundings made it worthwhile. We stopped for gelato to help cool us down. It was on a stick and shaped like aa triangle. We both had raspberry and it tasted like fresh berries. Delicious!

Back at the hotel we took some photos with the valley in the background before having drinks and appetizers on the patio. Dinner was below ground in an area that was quaint and medieval in appearance. 

We would have liked more time to explore this UNESCO World Heritage site but our brief stop did’t allow for that. In the morning we’d be heading for our next destination.

From Venice we took a boat to the island of Murano. This is where the world famous Murano glass is made.

We went directly to the factory where we watched a master artisan hand craft a piece. This is the only location where everything is hand made and not machine produced. I tried to upload a video so you could see the work in progress but couldn’t get it small enough so can only show you the artisan at the beginning and again with what he made in front of us in less than 3 minutes!

After the demonstration we had time to look through the showroom. As you can imagine, these amazing pieces were quite expensive. Much more so than ones factory produced. I’d promised myself a piece of Murano glass as a souvenir and had to look hard to find something in my price range. I settled for this small, beautiful fish.

Another boat took us to our next stop, the island of Burano. This area is filled with brightly coloured buildings. We went on a walking tour to admire them before stopping for dinner. 

We had been told to wear bright clothing that day and after dinner were given the challenge to take our pictures in front of a building that matched our clothing. Challenge accepted! Emily and I enjoyed doing this and got some fun pictures. 

Our first glimpse of Venice was from a Vaporetto (water bus) that took us a short way before we got off and walked a little further to our hotel.

Our accommodation was not originally built as a hotel, but as a former palace. The rooms and hallways were smaller than in our last hotel. This was made up for in the ornate fixtures.

Emily and I had chosen an optional tour for our first evening. Magical Venice was a walking tour of Venice in the quieter early evening hours. It was lovely to see the sights without the normal crowd of tourists.

We stopped at the Bridge of Sighs for a photo. This bridge connects the courthouse to the prison. The prisoners were taken directly to prison from the courthouse, crossing over on the bridge. They could catch their last glimpse of the outside world through the two small windows and their sighs at the loss of freedom were what gave this bridge its name.

After the tour we had a little time to explore before meeting at an outdoor restaurant for a drink. I had a Limoncello Spritz and Emily had gelato. We enjoyed listing to a quartet playing classical music before walking back to our water taxi as the sun was setting. It really was magical and Emily couldn’t stop smiling!

The next morning we joined a small group for a Hidden Venice walking tour. Our local expert guide was born and raised in Venice. She had interesting trivia for us.

Venice is made up of 118 islands and over 400 bridges connect them! The lowest point is St. Mark’s Square and it floods a little every day in the winter. The dam has cut down on flooding but in 2019 the whole city flooded. Everything on the ground floors of buildings was ruined, including the marble floors in the cathedral. We could see the water marks high above doors on many buildings.

Barbara told us later that someone forgot to push the button at the dam and that caused the flood. She also said the dam is called Moses, because it splits the water.

We also learned that it’s more economical to have a boat here than a car. You can park a boat in a dedicated spot outside your house for about $300 per year. Car parking is limited, a distance from the houses and costs $250 per month!

The mosaic on St. Mark’s church is made of glass tiles, some infused with pure gold. The tiles are still vibrant. The columns and four horses at the top were stolen from Constantinople!

We stood at the clock tower and looked up to see a statue at the top turn and strike the bell! The face of the clock actually contains three clocks. The outer one is a 24 hour clock. The centre is the zodiac signs and the inner shows the sun and the moon. The colouring on the moon changes to depict the moon’s phases. What an incredible work.

The highlight of the day came when we boarded a gondola. This was the moment Emily had been waiting for. We were told to sit still and I didn’t know if she’d be able to as she was vibrating with excitement! Later she told me this was the best day yet.

The first couple of hours of our travel from Florence to Pisa we drove through the Apennine Mountains.  In many cases we went through long tunnels cut into the mountains. After that the rest our our journey was fairly flat.

We arrived in Pisa at a bus parking area a few kilometres from the town. We boarded a tram-like vehicle to take us the rest of the way. I was going to describe it for you but a picture is much better!

Our first look at the area was from the Piazza de Miracoli or Miracle Square. The tower is actually a free standing bell tower of Pisa Cathedral. As well as the tower, the Cathedral Square contains the cathedral, baptistry and funeral buildings.

We wandered through the area with friends from our tour group and had fun taking pictures of each other “propping up” the tower. 

Our time here was short, which we didn’t mind because other than the Leaning Tower and a few touristy shops there was nothing else to see here. We did, however, find time for our requisite gelato stop!

We still had a long drive to reach our destination for the next two nights.

“You are going to the Tuscany of your dreams,” said our tour guide Barbara. Our bus took us through countryside green, lush, and unlike anything we’d seen so far. Our destination was San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Barbara told us that when invaders tried to attack, the guards on the wall yelled, “alar me” which means get your weapons. This is where our word alarm comes from.

She took us through the gate of the city and up a steep, cobblestone road. We stopped in front of of a gelato shop that has quite a reputation. The owner has won several titles of best gelato maker in the world! Since no-one else had a chance of winning when competing agains him, he  has now become the judge rather than a competitor. We were treated to gelato from his shop. I could choose different flavours for each of my two scoops so had pink grapefruit and champagne. It was delicious and well worth me having a second gelato today.

We had free time to explore and while some went shopping, Emily and I found the path that led up yet another hill. We went though an opening in the wall into a courtyard area where we found some steep stone steps leading to a viewpoint with a 360 view. Several pictures were taken before we descended and slowly wound our way back to our meeting place.

This has been my favourite stop on the trip and I would have loved to spend more time in this area. It seems Barbara was right, this just might be the Tuscany of my dreams!