Blogs from Italy, Europe - page 13

Mon May 22 We drove on another beautiful day to Santuario Madonna Della Corona an impressive church built on the face of a cliff (as you do) There were stations of the cross along the way to reach the church. When we arrived there was a mass happening. There were also some impressive sights from that height. We then drove to Lake Garda and had lunch along the foreshore before heading beach to Verona and dropped our hire car off at the airport and shuttled bussed it to our apartment Tues May 23 We packed our bags but left out clothes for the next 3 days We did the hop on hop off bus and did both the red and blue line We had dinner in Piazza Erbe. On the drinks menu was Hugo. The girls ... read more

Day 20 May 15-18 Ravenna, Italy We caught a train to Perugia via Bologna and Firenze and arrived at 14 25 and was greeted by Beatrice. We were shipped back to their apartment and promptly given lunch. We then headed out so Margy could buy some shoes for Kate. On our way there Segio was doing over 130 in a 90 zone and Jan was having a melt down. We know that the speed signs are only suggestions. We finally made it home and after dinner, Beatrice gave Margy and I our birthday presents. Then we had a choice of limoncello or mandarino. The next day Margy needed to exchange the boots she bought for Katie and on the way Chris Jan and I were dropped off at Collestrada. We bought some clothing and Chris and ... read more

We only had 2 partial days in Rome so had to make the most of them. Today we had a tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum. This was supposed to include the underground but, apparently no one could go underground today so the tour started in the arena area. The arena is where the contests took place, man vs. animals in the morning and the gladiator against gladiator in the afternoon. Apparently, it was a convenient way to hold executions. Hungry lions that had not eaten for a day face a person. Sounds like a real equal matchup! Boys were really interested in the lifts that lifted animals and people to the arena and the guide was great with explaining where they were located. From the Colosseum we went up to Palatine Hill. ... read more

This will be our last day with friends Peter and Rosita, who depart tomorrow morning for Napoli. So today we planned to enjoy a farewell lunch together. Yesterday they had enjoyed their visit to the Marina Grande, the nearby fishing village and boat harbor by the sea on the western fringe of Sorrento. They were aware we had yet to pay a visit to Marina Grande during our days in Sorrento, so they suggested we accompany them to dine at the Trattoria Da Emilia, the seafood restaurant on the waterfront that has been a fixture since 1947. Dee and I had been to Marina Grande, and dined at the Trattoria Da Emilia, with several friends during our first visit to Sorrento back in 2016. We had wanted to pay another visit during our stay this year; ... read more

Yesterday our very special German friends, Peter and Rosita Zue, arrived in Sorrento for their 5-day visit. They flew from Munich, their home town, to Naples; took a bus from the airport to the main train station in Naples; and then boarded a train for the hour-long ride to Sorrento. These intrepid travelers, who have far more chutzpah than we do, then walked about 1/2-mile from the Sorrento station to reach our apartment, arriving at our door around 5:30 PM. As a bit of background, we have known Peter and Rosita for a long time. Over the years, they had made many visits to Rosita’s aunt (now deceased), who resided in New Smyrna Beach. Her aunt and Dee’s mother (also deceased) were life-long friends, so we became acquainted with Peter and Rosita during their visits. We ... read more