We just returned from a wonderful 10 day trip to Italy. Our family adventure started in Rome, then Florence and ended in Venice. Italy is really a beautiful place to visit and educational for all. We landed in Rome and set off for our apartment- Palace Costaguti. It was a building that was a former palace and owned by the same family since 1578. A former cardinal lived here and it is said that it was one of the few places that the pope is allowed to stop and stay while in Rome. An arrangement was made centuries ago and the tradition still stands. We stayed on the third floor- with a lovely few of the Fontana delle Tartarughe. The apartment also borders the former Jewish ghetto and we had a chance to see its unique surroundings. Our first afternoon we had pizza at Il Forno- kids loved it as they chopped the pizza with a cleaver. We headed to our first planned activity. A pizza making class at Pizzeria Ciccia Bomba. We all had a fun time making our own pizza and kids said it was the best pizza they had ever had.
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| Our apartment |
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| Turtle fountain |
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| These gold plates are in the ground outside the homes in Jewish ghetto. Show when residents were deported to concentration camps and execution dates. Very eerie to see these all along the pavement. |
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| Il Forno pizzeria |
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| Making our own pizza |
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| Luciana "heart" pizza |
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| We each ate our entire pizza |
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| Emilia "bunny" pizza |
We then took a stroll to Piazza Navona. It has three beautiful fountains and the church of Sant'Agnese in Agone. It is a lively square filled with restaurants and a good place to sit and have a gelato and people watch.
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| Our first gelato.....delicious |
We had arranged a group tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. It was a bit difficult with Luciana as she wanted to have the headphones in her ears and they kept falling out. We had to keep stopping and adjusting and dragging the stroller up the stairs. It was of no surprise that she then had to use the restroom. Their is only one toilet and it was on the ground floor on the other side. I had to rush off with her and it actually turned out OK- as just the two of us sat in awe of the Colosseum as we waited to meet our tour group near the exit.
The Roman Forum was not what I had expected. It is a large plaza filled with ruins of buildings and basilicas. It is quite an amazing site. Olivia had a unit in school on Ancient Rome and was our tour guide as she shared interesting facts with us. I am so impressed with what the Romans were able to build and how it still exists today.
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| Where Julius Cesar was buried |
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| Luciana on the ancient ruins |
Our tour also took us to the Spanish Steps. Of course we had another gelato and sat on the steps and watched as hundreds of people climbed or simply just sat and relaxed on the steps. The steps are in the Piazza di Spagna- which is also home to many restaurants and businesses and designer shops.
We then headed to Trevi fountain. It is a beautiful fountain that we were excited to throw our coins in. We were told to toss a coin with our right hand over our left shoulder. Each kids made their wish and Luciana came back crying. Said she needed another coin- so I gave her one. Again, she returned crying. She said it wasn't working and that her wishes were not coming true. I asked her what she wished for and she said in french "chocolat". She has the biggest chocolate cravings of anyone I have ever met. We told her to wait a bit and her wish would come true. Of course 10 minutes later- she was so happy to have a chocolate gelato. After that any fountain we came across, she asked for a coin to toss.
We then went to Pantheon, the temple to the gods. Almost two thousand years after it was built, the Pantheon's dome is still the world's largest.
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| The Pantheon |
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| Luciana getting one of her many piggy back rides |
We decided to pay extra and have a Vatican pre-opening tour. It started at 7:30 and we had 30 minutes to see the Sistine Chapel without any crowds. It was so worth it as when we arrived there was already a line for the general entrance. When we left, the line was about a 3 hour wait! We were not allowed to take photos of the Sistine Chapel but it left an impression on all of us that we will always remember. We then headed to St. Peter Basilica. The basilica is the burial site of Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and also the fist Pope. It is a beautiful square where we spent a few moments in what is called the "holiest place" in the world.
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| Vatican- view of the St. Peter's dome |
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| stairs out of the vatican museum |
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| St. Peter's Basilica square |
We met up with some friends from Paris who had been traveling to Italy as well. Our kids all went to the Gladiator school together. Kids all had a great time as they were treated as "slaves" and made to do push ups whenever they made an error or spoke without permission. Olivia, however was not amused at the verbal abuse the actors laid on the kids. She was a bit too mature for this adventure! We all had dinner at Archeologia. It is on Via Appia Antica ( a road built in 312 B.C.) The food was great and the company of friends made it more enjoyable.
We headed to Florence the day before Easter. We rented an apartment right in the main area. Italian apartments are nice and designed beautifully however they are very old and there are many flaws and much rehab is needed! We were in town for Easter. On Easter Sunday every year, Florence celebrates in a very special way. The Scoppio del Carro, or the "Explosion of the Cart", dates back over 350 years. An elaborate wagon built in 1622 and standing two to three stories high is pulled by a pair of oxen decorated in garlands through the streets of Florence to the square between the Baptistry and Cathedral. The Cart, rigged with fireworks, awaits in front of the cathedral. From the cathedral's altar, at around 11 am, when the "Gloria" is sung inside the church, the Archbishop uses the fire to light a dove–shaped rocket and this it travels down a wire to the outside of the church and into the Cart- setting off off a spectacular firework display! Kids loved it- except for Luciana who cried with terror!
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| Florence Cathedral |
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| Fireworks lasted 15 minutes |
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| Luciana was afraid to watch |
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| Quite the spectacle |
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| Il Porcellino- place a coin in its mouth for good luck |
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| Rub his nose to return to Florence |
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| I think we had gelatos 3 times a day |
The next day we hired a private guide for a tour of Florence. We started off at the Accademia. It is here where there is the statue of David now stands. It was originally in the piazza but they moved it indoors into the museum. It is massive in size and the details from Michelangelo were incredible. No photos allowed but it was another memory we wont forget! We then headed to the piazza and strolled throughout the city. Florence is quite small and very manageable to see.
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| Palazzo Vecchio |
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| The famous Medici family |
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| Capturing Medusa |
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| From the old bridge- Ponte Vecchio |
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| Piazza del Signoria- |
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| Another one |
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| Cathedral Views |
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| Another gelato- this one was rated best in Italy |
Dante Alighieri is a huge figure in Florence. We saw where he was raised as well as the church in which he was married.
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| View from our apartment balcony |
We made a day trip to Pisa. An hour train ride from Florence. We had lunch at a cafe and headed for the tower. Children under 9 are not allowed to climb up so we just walked around the tour and kids played in the grass. Not so easy to take photos of trying to push the tower up..... as we walked back toward the train station, a woman came running up to us. She asked me why a mother of 4 children would leave a restaurant without paying. I did not know what she was referring to as we had eaten 3 hours earlier. She wouldn't let up so I called Chris who was a few feet ahead. He reached into his pocket to find the restaurant bill....for the first time ever- we had left a restaurant without paying. Chris ran back with Alex and returned with gifts. The owner was so happy we were honest and came back that he gave us lollipops and a bottle of limoncello!
Our next and final stop was Venice. We took the 2 hour train from Florence to Venice and arrived to one of the most beautiful cities. Another Italian miracle....how they built this city on swamps is still unbelievable. We started our day with a casual walk around town. I love the fact that there are no cars or mopeds allowed- nice change from Rome and Paris. Venice is a tourist city- 80% of daily population- so its not easy to get a feel for the locals. There are bridges and narrow, winding streets filled with small shops and restaurants that makes it really easy to get lost. We did not mind at all, as with each turn we would discover something new. We made it to a famous carnival mask shop and spent an hour trying on masks. It happened to be the same place where the movie Eyes Wide Shut had purchased their masks. Kids want to have a masquerade party now.
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| My beautiful Olivia |
The next morning we headed to Piazza San Marco. There are hundreds of pigeons. We brought bread to lure them to land on the kids. Took about 30 minutes but they did it! We then had a private tour guide to give us the insight on the Doge Palace and Saint Marks basilica.
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| Piazza San Marco |
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| Piazza San Marco view from the basilica |
Our tour guide was wonderful. She brought candy and used it as a game to keep the children learning and entertained. She would quiz them and reward with candy. She also told Luciana that each time she saw a lion painting, statue, etc. that she needed to say "lion" and would receive a candy. This kept all the children busy and content with the tour. The doge's palace was where the government building existed- now it is a museum. The doge was elected by the people as a figurehead but Venice was really run as a Republic for 700 years until it fell to Napolean in 1797.
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a view of the Doge's Palace
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| The doge's apartment is where the five windows are |
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| This is a mailbox used for secret information |
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| Prisons in the palace |
Our next stop was St. Mark' s basilica. It is a beautiful treasure inside and out. Paintings, gold and mosaics decorate the interior. Here is where St. Mark is buried. St. Mark was one of the 4 evangelists who wrote the bible. Venice wanted to have a huge symbolic representation of their city- so the story is that Venetian merchants stole his body from Alexandria and built a church to hold his relics. St. Mark's symbol is the winged lion- so you see lions throughout the city.
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| Horses of Saint Mark. These beautiful life size horses date back to the 4th century and have been preserved inside the church. They were stolen by Napoleon ( along with many other items) but later returned. |
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| Where St. Mark's relics remain |
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| picture can not justify this beautiful piece of gold symbolizing the catholic church |
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| Because it floods so often- Oct- March. There are raised wooden planks along the church so that people can walk into church without walking in water |
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| The lion is the symbol of Venice and is seen everywhere |
We finally ended the day with a wonderful gondola ride. There are only 425 licensed gondoliers. They are handmade with 8 different types of wood. It takes years of training and it again, it is really remarkable as they stand and glide the gondola across the waters.
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| Grand canal |
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| Luciana on one of her many runs. She would just take off anywhere anytime! |
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| Love that there are water fountains to drink everywhere |
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| Libreria Acqua Alta- a very cool bookstore we stumbled across. Cats everywhere, friendly owner and a staircase of books leading to a view of the canal |
On our last day we decide to go to the island of Murano. It is famous for its glassmaking. As we were waiting for the boat to arrive, the kids were anxious to get on quickly. As a boat came in, Alex, Emilia and Luciana took off. I ran off the deck to get them as it was not the correct boat. As we were about to disembark the boat, the boat took off quickly and we were off without Chris and Olivia. It was frustrating as the deckhand knew we had been separated. Our boat still went to Murano- just stopped along the way so Chris and Olivia- although departing 5 minutes after us, arrived 10 minutes before us. It is a lovely town - but shopping in the stores was nerve wrecking as I feared one of the kids would break something. I didn't get the chance to look around as I was constantly saying " Don't touch!"
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| Glass blowing demonstration |
All in all, I was really impressed with Italy and its people. So much history was learned and knowledge gained. Locals loved the fact that we had 4 children. We were constantly being told congratulations and what great fortune we had. Luciana was a hit as always with so many bambina carina comments. The food was fantastic- Chris and I both put on a few pounds. It was easy to communicate, as I often spoke Spanish but really everyone speaks english...its amazing that servers at restaurants speak at least 4 languages. Italy was a country I have always wanted to travel to and I am so fortunate to have done so with my family. Ciao!!
