Italy - Rome to the Lakes

Rome: We toured the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican Grottoes, St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s square. Our local guide was not only helpful in describing what we were seeing (amazing) but also in helping us navigate the sea of tourists that jammed the area. 25,000 people a day go through the Vatican or some part of it. The Sistine Chapel, built as the Pope’s private chapel, is only 6,000 sq. feet in size which surprised us and we were jammed in like sardines. St. Peter’s, on the other hand, is enormous, although full of tourists as well.

Next we toured the Coliseum. It is huge, holding up to 70,000 spectators in its day. Originally it had marble facing and a retractable roof – sheets of linen strung from one side to the other to protect the spectators from the sun. Below the floor were the cages or cells where the gladiators, prisoners or animals used for performances were kept. As with most ancient monuments, much of the original material has been recycled for use in other buildings or roads over the centuries. From the Coliseum we could see the ruins and gardens of the Palatine Hill, home to as many as 12 Caesars.

We enjoyed dinner at Tre Scalini, seated outdoors on a Piazza where artists and musicians were entertaining. It is a small world – in Panama our friend Giselle owns a restaurant with the same name. Her uncle was the Ambassador to Italy from Panama and lived in an apartment above the Roman “Tre Scalini,” so he suggested the name to her when she opened her restaurant.

Siena: Our first day on the coach took us out of Rome to the hillside town of Siena. It is famous for its annual horse race in the Campo, or central plaza. There are 12 communes, or political departments, in the town and they all vie for the Palio – a banner which can then be displayed by the winners for a year. It was fun to walk the winding streets and look at the shops and sit in a café to people watch.

Florence: In late afternoon we arrived in Florence – stopping first at an outlook where we could see the city and its famous buildings. It was a fantastic view. Our hotel was as close to the center of town as we could reach on the coach, and this involved backing up along one-way streets and some very tight turns! Umberto’s skill amazed us.

In the evening we went outside of Florence to Montebueno – a hillside restaurant and hotel where Emilio, the chef, prepared a special meal for us. He gave us a demonstration of how to make risotto and a typical grape cake, and we had a delicious dinner…probably the best of the trip!

The next day we walked to the center of town to meet our guide who took us to see the statues of David and the Prisoners by Michelangelo. What a treat to see them in person! We went on to the Cathedral of Santa Croce and to see the Ghilberti doors on the baptistery of the Duomo…and of course the dome itself. Florence is famous for its gold and leather work and we saw demonstrations of both. We walked back to the hotel along the Arno river past the Ponte Veccio and had dinner in a local restaurant.

Pisa: The only rain we encountered was at Pisa – where we saw the leaning tower (it really does look precarious) and the adjacent Cathedral.

Milan: We arrived in Milan on a Sunday to avoid traffic and exited the coach at La Scala Opera House, which was closed due to rehearsal for a performance. We walked to the main Piazza and toured the Duomo of Milan – one of the largest churches in Europe. From the façade to the columns to the stained glass windows it was spectacular. We did some window shopping – Milan is the fashion capital of Italy – and even saw a designer toaster for 700 euros – about $1,100 dollars!

Lake Maggiore and Lake Como: We drove to Lake Maggiore arriving in the late afternoon to our hotel which was right on the lake with beautiful views. Their beauty is breathtaking surrounded by the Pre-Alps and with the shorelines and hills dotted with villages and villas. The next day we took a boat to the town of Bellagio on Lake Como and a tour of the villas along the water. So many picturesque buildings perched on the steep hillsides along the lake with the mountains forming a sheer backdrop.