We flew into Rome, took the train to the city center, found our hotel and basically slept the rest of the day. Our second day, or first full day in Europe we spent exploring the city. During our last visit to Rome with RS BOE Lori enjoyed the guided portion of the tour, but feared exploring the city independently. Suzanne and Emily both loved the Eternal City, so we made a push to return. Thankfully we got our hands on a really good map of Rome from our hotel, and had very little trouble finding our way around! We saw nearly all the highlights we could see in a single day without the assistance of transportation.
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Highlights: The entire Day! The weather was perfect and not too hot, we got to see nearly everything that we wanted to see.
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Lowlights: The only thing that really comes to mind is the crowds we encountered around the Trevi Fountain (but at least this time it was in working order!). Mom was disappointed we didn't get to see St. Peter's in the Vatican.
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Today we took the train from Rome to Naples, and the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. Arrival in Sorrento was very sweet as we walked the busy streets of the lively town. Here we enjoyed flower gardens, orange orchards, and some shopping in the bustling streets around our hotel. We had dinner down on the water. It was a charming stay!
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Highlights: Being in beautiful Sorrento, our hotel, the Masion Tofani, was lovely. We loved walking through an orange orchard that was nearby.
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Lowlights: Trying to figure our way through the Naples train station, and the train ride from Naples to Sorrento, it is infamous after all!
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Ah, Capri! We just adored Capri! We took an early ferry from Sorrento to Capri with the plan of dropping our bags off at the hotel and spending the rest of the day exploring and enjoying our previously purchased activity tickets. First of all it took us awhile to find our hotel, then it took several walks across the waterfront until we found the proper ticket office for our activity tickets. Our tickets included: a guided boat ride around the island, followed by lunch in Anacapri, and a Gondola ride up (and down) Mount Solaro. We would be dropped off in upper Capri, and had tickets to take the funicular down to the waterfront. It was such a fantastic day!
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Highlights: The boat ride around the island was AMAZING! We did not go into the Blue Grotto, but we loved the whole ride. The lunch in Anacapri was pretty special too!
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Lowlights: Trying to find our hotel, then trying to find the ticket office for our day activities. A decent amount of time was lost searching up and down the waterfront.
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To get to Positano from Capri we could wait until the late afternoon and take a boat to Positano, but instead we decided to take the ferry back to Sorrento, then take the bus from Sorrento to Positano. Positano is stunning between the brightly colored buildings and the fresh atmosphere. Hopping off the bus the first thing we noticed was the stunning blue color of the water, amazing! Once we finally mastered how to get from one location to another, namely from our hotel to the beach and back, we could relax and enjoy the town so much more. However, we really enjoyed visiting some of the local stops and some stunning pottery shops.
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Highlights: Lori had the most wonderful seafood pasta at the Positano Cafe. It was really fun walking around the town, once we got our bearings! Mom liked walking along the water and seeing the waves crashing on the rocks.
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Lowlights: Once again finding our hotel was our downfall here. There are so many buildings, and with our luggage in hand going up and down the hills was exhausting!
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To get from Positano to Amalfi we tried the boats, however the water was too rough, so instead we took the bus. Not Lori's favorite bus ride as she was standing the whole time on the very curvaceous road. It was very exciting when we arrived in Amalfi. This was all of our favorite town on the coast line. Of each of the towns we had visited it certainly had the most steps, especially up to the place where we stayed. But this town was just beautiful and peaceful.
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Highlights: Amalfi is a beautiful town. It is much easier to get around in. We just loved the atmosphere and the setting. It was really neat to see a bride and groom on the steps of the Duomo. Mom's highlight was walking over to the far dock and looking back at the town over the water.
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Lowlights: The bus ride from Positano to Amalfi was not all that fun. It was over packed, which forced those of us standing further and further back into the bus. It is a necessary evil to go from town to town though.
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After the Amalfi coast we headed to Padua. From Padua we were able to take a train out to Venice. Our goal for the day was to visit two of the outlying islands, Murano the glass and mosaic island, and Burano the lace island. We had an excellent time walking around and enjoying the beauty of the islands, and then returning to Venice to revisit some of the places we saw and loved with our last trip. Emily did a great job of guiding us around Venice with memories of her semester abroad. Venice is a pretty magical place. We were all thankful to return.
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Highlights: It was lovely exploring new and familiar places. It made for a quick day going to see each of these sights, but it was a day well spent. Having gelato on the bridge and listening to the accordion player was probably our favorite moment.
Lowlights: Venice was very crowded. There were at least 4 cruise ships in the port. The vaporettos, especially going to and from Murano and Burano were absolutely packed. |
Originally the plan was to spend the day in Verona, but on the train Emily met a very friendly Italian who recommended that we visit Trento. So we decided to give it a try! The train ride from Padua out to Trento was lovely, and the town was beautiful too! We loved the beautiful Piazza Duomo. While we were in town Emily picked up some local sausages as well as some Alpine Herb Cheese. We enjoyed these for lunch, which was just perfect! We finished our day in Trento at the Castle in town. We payed a little extra to tour the Torre Aquila ("Eagle Tower") which is famous for the "Cycle of the Months" (15th century) fresco.
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Highlights: Trent was stunning, getting away and seeing the mountains was very special. It was nice to walk around an uncrowded town and to see the beautiful castle. Another highlight for Mom and Lori was to see Juliet's Courtyard.
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Lowlights: A couple things that somewhat dampened our day included some of the people we were sharing the train with. A few passengers were begging for money to pay the conductor for a ticket they did not purchase. Otherwise the crowds in Juliet's Courtyard were a little disheartening, but not a deal breaker.
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