Andiamo Adventurer's: A 2014 Viva Italia Trip Report - Complete!

[Sarabi's Cubs]

I'm so excited for you! I don't exactly remember the name of the store, but we walked right by it on our walking tour. It may have been called Universo Sport. I found it very easy to backtrack in Florence to re-locate it, though!

Thanks!!!! Your report has gotten me even more excited for the trip! Great pictures!!!

Laurie

 

[mare1203]

Thank you for all the wonderful comments. Our next adventure was spending a relaxing evening at the hotel, which turned out to be one of our favorites of the trip. Andiamo!

Before I get into our evening's activities I want to mention something fun you can do in Florence, and that's look for street signs 'tagged' with some pretty unique art.


Many of the street signs in Florence have been tagged with these fun street-art-esque stickers. The man behind the art is Clet Abraham, a Frenchman who has been living in Italy for many years. He has spread this type of art to other cities, but it is most prominent in Florence.


I think there is some quirky creativity to the signs. They are not sanctioned by the city, and he has been fined numerous times for the work, but nevertheless they have quickly become a part of the city. Also, they are stickers and come right off.

And now, onto our evening! The World Cup game featuring Italy started just before we got back, so we changed into comfy clothes and went down to join the crowd for the game. There were about 30 people (mostly us adventurers) watching the game. Not soon after, they brought out the pizza. They did a huge Focaccia pizza cut into chunks. It had a nice flavor, even if it wasn’t traditional. Also available was a full bar and some chips that were as addictive, but not nearly as greasy, as Lays. Both were nice for a little nibble, but we were definitely going to need some dinner! Unfortunately, Italy was unable to pull of the win and were officially out of the tournament. Poor Marco (but more on that later).


It was around 8:15 when the game ended, so we checked out the restaurant menu and decided to sit down for a nice meal (it was not this bright out when we dined). What a great idea it turned out to be!

We were seated on the patio, ordered some wine, and proceeded to check out the menu. We decided to share some antipasti and a Tuscan speciality...


T-bone steak!

For our antipasti we went with the prosciutto e melone, a mixed plate, and a caprese platter. All were fresh, flavorful, and scrumptious. Plus, they were small enough to whet our appetites for the main course. Sorry, I don't have pictures of the antipasti, but you can imagine what bruschetta, caprese, and prosciutto e melone look like!

At least 2 people must order the T-bone and you pay for it by weight, per 100 grams. I had learned about this in a guide book and knew 100 grams to be roughly equivalent to 4 ounces. Our waiter was also quite helpful, recommending at least 1 kilo for 3 people. 1 kilo is about 40 ounces, so we went with that along with a double order of the roasted potatoes. We found it to be about right for 2 grown ladies and a man. We noticed there were 5-6 other adventure families were also eating. One family said they ordered 1 kilo for 2 men and said it was about right for them.


About 5 minutes after the waiter cleared our antipasti he came over...with a table...for your steak, he says. Wait...what?!? That’s right, we got an extra table just for our steak! This made us laugh pretty hard and ended up being a highlight of our trip.


It was really because we were at a small table and the steak comes out on a round wooden board pre-sliced, but it was humorous nonetheless.

As is usual in Europe, our steak came out pre-sliced, which is helpful for serving. It was a perfect medium-rare and simply seasoned.


This is what was left...I thought it really hit the spot to have such a simple meal, and it was a nice change from pasta. Also, those potatoes? So, so delicious. I could eat them every day.


At the end of the meal our waiter brought out the dessert menu along with a Moscato digestif. We each ordered a different dessert (yep, we splurged a little!):


Tiramisu


Panna Cotta


Cheesecake with fresh berries.

All 3 were tasty. It was a nice and relaxing dinner on the patio; a highlight for us. We spent some time on the patio visiting with the other adventure families and Troy when we were done. Around 10:15 the van arrived with the rest of the adventurers and Marco. He was sad Marco after the Italy loss. We, somewhat jokingly, told him that the USA would adopt him, but he didn’t seem interested, haha!

With a train ride to Venice on the docket for the next day we headed up to bed.
​

 

[LoveMickey]

Enjoying your trip report very much. I sent you a private message regarding your pre-trip stay at the Gran Melia.

Thanks and looking forward to more on your trip. I can't wait to try the Gelato. I've been writing down each of the places you got Gelato

 

[Sarabi's Cubs]

Yum yum yum!!! That steak is definitely something I want to try in Florence. Thanks for the help on ordering!

Laurie

 

[twentyco]

Yes I would love info on that! Thank you so much! We do have a pre-day in Rome so that would be awesome.

Tracy

Mary gave you the info on how to book the tickets. Getting to the Borghese by subway is pretty reasonable. To do that, you go to the Ottaviano subway stop, which is about a 15 or so minute walk from the hotel; the front desk can give you directions, and is better for that at this point than I am. From there, you take the subway to the Barberini metro stop -- a straight shot, no changes required. (Subway costs 1.50 Euros per person each way; just use the machines to buy tickets, one per person per trip (so for us, with two people, it was four tickets total). They accept cash for sure, and I think credit cards as well. It is easy to do). Exit the Barberini stop to "Via Veneto," which is a beautiful tree lined street. Right at the Metro entrance is the Capuchin Crypt, if you're so inclined (my daughter wanted to do it, so I did -- but I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing all of those bones). Walk to the end of Via Veneto and you will come to the traffic circle that is in some of Mary's pictures from her visit to the Borghese Gallery (one of her pre-days); you go through that into the park, and then turn right and walk to the end of the park where the Borghese Gallery is located. It was a pretty walk, and not too bad from our perspective; we enjoyed looking at the trees and just being in the park, which was less crowded that the rest of the city. We also weren't in any rush, which helped. On the way back we got gelato, which helped even more.

In terms of tours, we did not do a guided tour of the Borghese Gallery, because I thought it would be too much for our first day. However, Context Travel offers small group tours of various things in Rome, including the Borghese. We did one of their tours to Ostia Antica the day after we arrived (day the adventure started), and it was fantastic. I would really recommend them. Our tour guide was an American who has lived in Rome for about the past 25 years and was incredibly knowledgeable. There were only five people on the tour (their maximum is 6). Really learned a lot and enjoyed them; if I had it to do over, I might consider doing them for the Borghese as well. Frankly, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to get there the first day, and didn't want to eat the cost of the tour (as opposed to just the tickets) if we could not.

I'm sure there are also a number of other tour companies that you could use. I agree with Mary that it probably would have been nice to have some more information about what we were seeing, but since we were tired, I'm not sure how much we would have gotten out of it. My daughter did buy a book that contains pictures and information about the entire collection in the gift shop (it is the heaviest paperback book I think I've ever seen in my life -- printed on really thick paper, I guess), so that's an option also for more info.

Any questions, just let me know -- and good luck!

 

[tracyv]

Mary gave you the info on how to book the tickets. Getting to the Borghese by subway is pretty reasonable. To do that, you go to the Ottaviano subway stop, which is about a 15 or so minute walk from the hotel; the front desk can give you directions, and is better for that at this point than I am. From there, you take the subway to the Barberini metro stop -- a straight shot, no changes required. (Subway costs 1.50 Euros per person each way; just use the machines to buy tickets, one per person per trip (so for us, with two people, it was four tickets total). They accept cash for sure, and I think credit cards as well. It is easy to do). Exit the Barberini stop to "Via Veneto," which is a beautiful tree lined street. Right at the Metro entrance is the Capuchin Crypt, if you're so inclined (my daughter wanted to do it, so I did -- but I could have gone the rest of my life without seeing all of those bones). Walk to the end of Via Veneto and you will come to the traffic circle that is in some of Mary's pictures from her visit to the Borghese Gallery (one of her pre-days); you go through that into the park, and then turn right and walk to the end of the park where the Borghese Gallery is located. It was a pretty walk, and not too bad from our perspective; we enjoyed looking at the trees and just being in the park, which was less crowded that the rest of the city. We also weren't in any rush, which helped. On the way back we got gelato, which helped even more. In terms of tours, we did not do a guided tour of the Borghese Gallery, because I thought it would be too much for our first day. However, Context Travel offers small group tours of various things in Rome, including the Borghese. We did one of their tours to Ostia Antica the day after we arrived (day the adventure started), and it was fantastic. I would really recommend them. Our tour guide was an American who has lived in Rome for about the past 25 years and was incredibly knowledgeable. There were only five people on the tour (their maximum is 6). Really learned a lot and enjoyed them; if I had it to do over, I might consider doing them for the Borghese as well. Frankly, I wasn't sure if we'd be able to get there the first day, and didn't want to eat the cost of the tour (as opposed to just the tickets) if we could not. I'm sure there are also a number of other tour companies that you could use. I agree with Mary that it probably would have been nice to have some more information about what we were seeing, but since we were tired, I'm not sure how much we would have gotten out of it. My daughter did buy a book that contains pictures and information about the entire collection in the gift shop (it is the heaviest paperback book I think I've ever seen in my life -- printed on really thick paper, I guess), so that's an option also for more info. Any questions, just let me know -- and good luck!

Thank you so much for all the wonderful info! 29 more days!! Woo hoo!

 

[mare1203]

One last tip about Florence. I was reading an article from the Smithsonian Magazine where a woman and her son went on a trip to retrace the steps of an American artist who traveled to Italy in the late 1700's. The article was a good read, but it was her tip about a gelato spot that really caught me. The store was called Vivoli and apparently it's supposed to be one of the best in the world. Florence in general is home to some of the world's best gelato stops (yet another reason to spend 2 days in Florence!). Sadly, I did not read this article until I was on the way home from Italy so we didn't try it, but I wanted to mention it to my readers. Her teenage son tasted almost all the flavors before declaring Nioccola (hazelnut) the winner. ​

 

[tracyv]

Wow!! I definitely will look for it when we are there!! Thanks!

 

[GAN]

>Its dome was engineered by Brunelleschi while the exterior uses marble panels using colors of white, pink, and green. Sam gave us information about how the dome was constructed, but I don&#146;t remember all the details. I do know that he was inspired by the Pantheon. Across from the Duomo is the Florence Baptistry, but it is currently under restoration, so parts of it are covered for those purposes. <

If anyone is interested:

In 1418, the Arte della Lana, the wool merchants' guild, held a competition to solve the problem of the dome. The two main competitors were Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, with Brunelleschi winning and receiving the commission.

The competition consisted of the great architects attempting to stand an egg upright on a piece of marble. None could do it but Brunelleschi, who

...giving one end a blow on the flat piece of marble, made it stand upright...The architects protested that they could have done the same; but Brunelleschi answered, laughing, that they could have made the dome, if they had seen his design. By breaking the egg, he was also breaking the mold for design(of their time) and was proposing totally new, unknown processes -the Pantheon probably providing the answers he needed. I've heard that the method of making concrete had been lost in the Dark Ages, and that for this project Brunelleschi resurrected the process ...not sure how much truth there is to that.


PS --loving your report!

 

[mare1203]

>Its dome was engineered by Brunelleschi while the exterior uses marble panels using colors of white, pink, and green. Sam gave us information about how the dome was constructed, but I don’t remember all the details. I do know that he was inspired by the Pantheon. Across from the Duomo is the Florence Baptistry, but it is currently under restoration, so parts of it are covered for those purposes. <

If anyone is interested:

In 1418, the Arte della Lana, the wool merchants' guild, held a competition to solve the problem of the dome. The two main competitors were Ghiberti and Brunelleschi, with Brunelleschi winning and receiving the commission.

The competition consisted of the great architects attempting to stand an egg upright on a piece of marble. None could do it but Brunelleschi, who

...giving one end a blow on the flat piece of marble, made it stand upright...The architects protested that they could have done the same; but Brunelleschi answered, laughing, that they could have made the dome, if they had seen his design. By breaking the egg, he was also breaking the mold for design(of their time) and was proposing totally new, unknown processes -the Pantheon probably providing the answers he needed. I've heard that the method of making concrete had been lost in the Dark Ages, and that for this project Brunelleschi resurrected the process ...not sure how much truth there is to that.


PS --loving your report!

Thanks for the information! And glad to have you reading along

 

[mare1203]

Hello again, adventurers! It's now time to make our way from the Tuscan countryside to the canals of Venice. Say it with me now...Andiamo!

In the morning we woke up and went down to our final breakfast in Tuscany.
To get to Venice we would be taking a speed train.




It was about a 30-45 minute drive to the train station. When we arrived there was about a half an hour of time before we needed to board the train, giving us a chance to hit the restroom or get a snack. One thing to be aware of is that at the train station the restrooms require a payment. Troy and Marco said there was a free one, but when we arrived there it was not actually free. The train station has a McDonald’s inside that many families took advantage of as well. We did not, so I can’t say anything about it, other than it’s there.


Our train ended up coming in late and we were moved to a different track, so we had to hustle to make it (there may or may not have been a little running involved...).




Luckily, our guides got everyone to the right track and on the train in time (with a split second or two to snap some pictures!). We were given a sack lunch for the trip. There were 3 sandwiches to choose from and I got the ham and cheese. The lunch was okay, but nothing special. I think I ate about half of it. There was a muffin that was really yummy. I gave my sister a bite only to find out that she did not save a bite for me! The train trip itself was fine and nice, but there isn’t anything much to say about it.


It was rainy when we left Tuscany and remained that way once we arrived in Venice.




Adventures by Disney supplied us with ponchos and we had brought along a rain jacket, but it was not enough for a rainy day spent mostly outside.


From the train station we headed to our next activity: gondola rides. I would say this was the biggest disappointment for the trip for many people, but it honestly wasn’t our guides or Disney’s fault in any way. Weather is weather and you have to deal with it. Plus, while the gondolas are a “romantic” way to travel, for us, it did serve as a mode of transportation as we used them to get to our next location. I know there were some in our group looking very much forward to the gondola ride, but it wasn’t super high on my bucket list, so I didn’t mind.




The gondolas hold up to 6 people each, which is how we were put into the boats. Everyone took it in stride and wished each gondola well.




Loaded into the boats with our ponchos we began our canal ride through Venice. I should note that we did not receive any information from our gondola captain. I would assume it’s meant to be a nice, relaxing ride and not a tour. Along the way we chatted with our gondola mates and took some pictures. There was more than one occasion where we experienced ‘are those people laughing at us? Yep, they’re definitely laughing at us’. I found it an amusing and memorable experience, but not for the same reason it’s memorable for most groups.

Upon arrival at our destination we tried to find a dry area. We did not succeed. I was going to continue my post, but there are more pictures to come, so I'll split this up into 2. Next up, a walking tour of Venice
​

 

[sayhello]

Rain is such a hard thing to deal with. I know the Guides make the best of it they can (we had rain on our Rothiemurchus day in Scotland). Glad it didn't spoil things too much! Looking forward to more about Venice!

Sayhello

 

[mare1203]

I'm back to finish up our rainy tour of Venice. Enjoy!


Oh, I was going to say we were also waiting to meet up with our local guide, but I now remember she rode in the gondolas with us! This is a picture of dry Rosanna because apparently I do not have a picture of rainy Rosanna. She briefly introduced herself while we were waiting. I also appreciated her enthusiasm in the face of having at least 30 of the 42 adventurers in a grumpy mood and wanting to cut the tour short.


Anyway, we got a walking tour of Venice. All of Venice is fed by canals and boasts a quite illustrious history.


It is almost always a favorite destination of those who visit, with its romantic setting and beautifully unique architecture. In the top picture, you can see one of the many leaning towers. Venice operated as an independent Republic for many centuries and was known as an important trade center in Europe. During its glory days Venice was a very forward-thinking empire and employed many rules and customs in politics that are still used today in republics like the U.S.


It is served nearly every day by cruise ships (like this beauty that happened to be in Port while we were there!) that descend upon the island in the morning and then leave around 6:00 p.m. each day. Many other tourists will stay on the mainland and then visit Venice during the day as well. This makes for quite the cycle. A well-known fact is that Venice is a sinking city (though there are studies now stating the city is no longer sinking), leaving Venice vulnerable to flooding. Venice has been plagued by floods and a loss of populous for many, many years now. Today, only about 60,000 people inhabit the main island of Venice with most workers commuting in from the mainland each day. Venice is dependent on tourism for much of its economy. Most of the flooding occurs in the winter months, though it is not limited to those months. We experienced light flooding while we were there due to the rains. They are currently completing an engineering project to help alleviate the flooding when tides rise above a certain level. It is set to be complete in the next few years.




Along our tour we ended up in a small area where we were met by Marco Polo. He told us about his travels as a merchant along the Chinese silk road. After arriving from a trip to Asia, he found Venice embroiled in a war with Genoa and himself imprisoned. He was finally released and lived out the rest of his life in Venice. He gave us some information about the trade history of Venice and our pins for the day.




We then continued on toward St. Marks Square. St. Marks is perhaps the best known landmark in Venice. St. Mark is an important figure in Venice and you can see the influences throughout the city. He is the patron saint of Venice and is represented by the Lion of Saint Mark. It is a winged lion and the symbol of the city. The remains of St. Mark were stolen and brought to Venice in the 9th century where they have been interred at the Basilica of St. Mark.


All around it are coffee bars that play music and allow for some people watching. A few of the coffee bars employ bands that duel throughout the day. They will play even when St. Marks is being flooded, much like the band on the Titanic.




The Flag of the Republic of Venice also depicts the lion of Venice. We took some pictures with the flags before getting on the shuttle. With everyone feeling wet and grumpy, the guides mercifully decided to cut the tour short and head to the hotel.​

 

[Cousin Orville]

Looks like a lot of fun even in the rain! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Rapunzellover]

Quick question about Florence-- did you tour inside the duomo?

And quick question about st. Peter's in rome-- did you go up the cuppola?

 

[twentyco]

Quick question about Florence-- did you tour inside the duomo?

And quick question about st. Peter's in rome-- did you go up the cuppola?

We did not do either of these things on our trip -- and I don't think there was an option to do so with the group. They may be things you can do on your own time -- I am not sure.

 

[Rapunzellover]

We did not do either of these things on our trip -- and I don't think there was an option to do so with the group. They may be things you can do on your own time -- I am not sure.

So no going inside the church at all in florence? I understand we won't be going up the dome itself, but the itenerary does say tour of the duomo. Why would it say that if all we see is the outside of the place?

Can anyone clairfy? I'm planning my adventure and want to know what to expect.

 

[mapsd]

[

 

[mapsd]

Quick question about Florence-- did you tour inside the duomo?

And quick question about st. Peter's in rome-- did you go up the cuppola?

The group does not climb the dome at either location.

We did it on our own in Florence during the free afternoon.
Instead of entering the main Duomo entrance, go to the left. The side door has a specific entrance to climb the dome. They limit the #, so their may be a line (you actually have the option to buy a "fast pass" to for a few euros & go to the front of the line). Was a great experience! and you can stay inside the Duomo after coming down to avoid waiting to enter.

If you want to climb St Peter's, I'd advise doing it before you exit your Vatican tour. There could be a big line to get back in. Just reverse your steps and in the courtyard between the Sistine chapel & St Peter's, you'll see the dome line.

 

[Rapunzellover]

The group does not climb the dome at either location.

We did it on our own in Florence during the free afternoon.
Instead of entering the main Duomo entrance, go to the left. The side door has a specific entrance to climb the dome. They limit the #, so their may be a line (you actually have the option to buy a "fast pass" to for a few euros & go to the front of the line). Was a great experience! and you can stay inside the Duomo after coming down to avoid waiting to enter.

If you want to climb St Peter's, I'd advise doing it before you exit your Vatican tour. There could be a big line to get back in. Just reverse your steps and in the courtyard between the Sistine chapel & St Peter's, you'll see the dome line.

Excellent advice! Thanks a bunch!

I'm not really thinking of climbing the duomo in florence though. I just want to know if we'll go in the church.