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Rick and Laura's
Trip to Italy!
Some of our favorite memories are from events we didn't plan.
We discover a marathon and keep encountering it as we walk around Rome on a Sunday.
Alas, cleaning crews meant no tossing coins in Trevi Fountain, but we did get to see a slice of daily Roman life.
We wander Rome looking for the bus stop (many of the subway stops were closed). Finally, through the kindness of many strangers, we find it and discover Roman neighborhoods on the way to the Catacombs of Priscilla.
(Thank you Rick Steves for your great guide books!)
We return to Rome at the end of our trip via the high speed train. Our fantastic and tireless guide, Patricia, helped us reserve seats. The ride was so different from any trains we knew. Speeding through the countryside was one more unexpected pleasure.
In the Cinque Terre, the rain created beautiful cloud formations for our photos and kept many off the paths for our breathtaking hike. On the path we find this enterprising musician playing for the hikers.
After our hike, we take a boat to Riomaggiore. George, our neighbor in Chicago, has told us to find the "Vertical Bar" in town and say hello to his cousin. We walk the streets and start to understand the bar's name. We love the colorful homes stacked against each other. Then we find it! George's cousin isn't there but her husband is and he speaks some English. When he hears how we know George he enthusiastically pours us some drinks. He stays to talk with us as he serves a mix of locals and tourists.
In Florence, as the sun and rain compete, we walk to the San Marco Museum. So glad to have another free RS audio tour to deepen our experience of the stunning frescos by Fau Angelico. This wasn't on our tour itinerary but it is now one of my favorite memories. I continue to keep this top photo on my desktop to remind me of the serenity we found there.
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