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Rome - Part 1

We arrived in Rome with a couple of personal days before the Tour was to start. We took advantage of this time to experience some the sites in Rome the Heart of Italy Tour does not cover.

The Pantheon

The Heart of Italy Tour goes past the Pantheon, but not into it. On our first full day in Rome, we got to the Pantheon early in the morning and entry was quick with no crowds. We used the Rick Steves audio tour and really enjoyed learning the history and engineering of the Pantheon.

After the Pantheon we went through the Piazza Navona, in and out of a variety of churches, on our way through the Jewish Ghetto to Tiber River and the Basilica di San Bartolomeo all'Isola.

Walking around the Forum grounds we headed toward Campidoglio and the Alter of the Fatherland. There is no cost to enter the Alter of the Fatherland.

Knowing that we will be getting a detailed tour of the Forum Grounds and the Colosseum as part of the Heart if Italy Tour, we skirt the Colosseum as we explore more as we made our way back to the hotel.

Naples

With one more full day before the start of the tour, we head by fast train to Naples. Upgrading to business class on the fast train is well worth it for long train rides. Having only a few hours in Naples we decided to take advantage of Rick Steves' free offerings. We walked about 30 minutes from the train station to the Archaeological Museum. While the Rick Steves audio guide for the Naples National Archaeological Museum is a little out of date, most of the museum is permanent collections which are covered during the audio tour.

Upon completing the museum visit we began the Rick Steves Naples City Walk. This would get us most of the way back to train station. Navigating the streets of Naples with Rick in our ears was the perfect way to spend the day. We ended our tour as Rick suggests, with pizza from L' Antica Pizzaria Da Michele and gelato. If wanting to get pizza from the 'birthplace of modern pizza' the wait to get a table can be over an hour. If you don't have that amount of time you can order a pizza for take away which only about 15 minutes wait. This allows you the opportunity to find a nearby curb and you can enjoy it at your leisure.

Experiencing the sights, sounds and smells of Naples is something we will never forget.

Rome - Part 2

With most of a day to explore Rome before the official start of the Rick Steves Tour, we met up with friends, whom we had coordinated the tour with, and set out to explore more of Rome not covered by Rick Steves. We wandered the streets seeing the sights and sounds, Made our way to the Tiber River and returned up through the Jewish Ghetto to end up at the Rome Museum. Fun fact, entry to the Rome Museum is free on Sundays.

Let the Tour Begin

After all the check-in's, covid verifications, introductions and buddy selection, the tour group headed out on our first official walk about.

The group heads out to the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navaro then the Pantheon. Our guide, Tommasso, providing informative history all along the way. This tour does not go into the Pantheon. If you wish to go inside the Pantheon, make sure you schedule some personal time to accomplish this. After a fun and informative afternoon the group ends up back at our hotel for a quick freshening up from the hot day before we walk to Target Ristorante for our first group dinner.

Vatican City

The activity for our first full day of Rick Steves was to tour the Vatican. After breakfast, the group took the subway to Vatican City where we met our local tour guide, Alaria. With Alaria leading the way we wound through the Vatican Museum learning all about this artifact or that sculpture to eventually end up at the entrance of the Sistine Chapel. Using the Rick Steves Sistine Chapel audio tour, we learned all about the history of the magnificent chapel. We also learned the Italian word "SILENZIO!" which was yelled out many times over the 30 minutes we were in the chapel. Exiting the chapel puts you at the entrance to St. Peter's Basilica. Touring the basilica is something you do on your own with the use of the Rick Steve Audio Tour. The basilica is overly impressive. And there is more to explore than just what is on the audio tour. Take your time and enjoy it all while you are there. That evening we were on our own for dinner. With the recommendation of friends of friends, we ate at La Carbonara. 5 star experience! If you are reading this and plan to eat to La Carbonara the next time you are in Rome, call ahead and get reservations. We arrived early, without reservations, and luckily were the last group without reservations to be seated.

The Forum and the Colosseum

The last tour day in Rome started with packing up and leaving the hotel for a charter bus. The Rick Steves policy of keeping tour sizes to the mid-twenties really pays off when getting on the motorcoach. Everyone who wanted one had their own double seat. This really made riding on the bus much easier. Arriving at the Forum Grounds and the Colosseum we met up again with local guide Alaria. Touring the Forum Grounds and the Colosseum was an amazing experience made all the better with Alaria's commentary. Along with history and engineering accomplishments of the ancient Romans we learned two things from Alaria. "The mother of the stupid person is always pregnant" and on hot days we "Conquer the shade!". We boarded the motorcoach once our time with Alaria came to an end and we began our bus ride to Volterra.

Volterra

Volterra is a hilltop town in the Tuscany region. With narrow cobblestone streets the motorcoach let us off near the town square. After a short walk to the hotel and a little free time, the group ate yet another amazing dinner together. That evening in the main piazza we enjoyed a free concert and cocktails at a bar.

The next morning, we gathered to meet our Volterra local guide Anni. The morning tour included a walking tour of the village, the history of Volterra from Roman times up through WWII. We saw and learned about the Roman amphitheater and public baths. We got to see alabaster sculptors performing their craft and finishing the morning at the Volterra Urn Museum.

We then had some free time, to grab some lunch and continue to explore the village on our own before coming back together later in the afternoon. The Travelin' Four found an open-air cafe as our lunch location. After, we walked the streets and visited more museums and different little shops. We even walked to the top of the hill to Parco Archeologico "Enrico Flum" and witnessed the breath-taking views of the surrounding landscape.

We were able to return to hotel with plenty of time to cool down before meeting the group for a wine tasting. We learned about the regional wines and what makes a Chianti Classico a Chianti Classico. We were then on our own for supper and finished in time to witness the sun setting beyond the Roman ruins.

The next morning was our travel day to Cinque Terre.

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Castello Del Trebbio

As we made our way toward Cinque Terre, we diverted from a direct route to circling around Florence to arrive at Castello Del Trebbio. One of the oldest castles in Italy, today it is a working olive oil farm and vineyard. We were given a tour of the castle and surrounding grounds before learning about olive oil with a tasting and then enjoying a traditional Tuscan lunch. We then boarded the motorcoach to complete the journey to Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre

Due to the large size of our motorcoach and narrow streets of Levanto, we were dropped off at the train terminal. Our larger bags were picked up and delivered to the hotel by its owner. While this was happening the group made our way, walking, to the hotel. We were given some time after checking in to cool down before gathering for an aperitivo and group dinner. After dinner a group of us explored Levanto and enjoyed the evening by the seaside.

The next day was ours to explore the five villages that make up the Cinque Terre. Purchasing a day pass for the commuter train, this gave us the freedom to pop from village to village as it suited our schedule. We choose to begin in Riomaggiore, the furthest from Levanto. We took in the sites and sounds of the seaside village. Stopping now and again for photos or gelato, then caught the train to the next village. The day was hot and the steps were plenty. When we arrived at Corniglia we opted to take the shuttle bus to the hilltop village as we saw no need to conquer the Scalinata Lardarina, the long zig zagging stairway one can walk to the hilltop village.

After a day of fabulous exploring, we ended up in Levanto and enjoying dinner at street side cafe near the seashore. A walk on the beach while we enjoyed a beautiful sunset was the perfect end to a wonderful day. In the morning we travel to Florence.

Florence

Upon arrival in Florence we were warned that the large motorcoach and narrow streets would mean a bit of a walk with our luggage to the hotel. Our very skilled driver was able to get us closer than anticipated reducing the distance we needed to walk. After getting settled in at the hotel, the group met for the Renaissance Walk. Our local tour guide was Riccardo. Over the next day and a half Riccardo would walk us through old Florance, the Uffizi Museum and the Accademia Galleria, the home Michelangelo's David.

The two days in Florance with Rick Steves' build in plenty of free time to explore sites such as the Ponte Vecchio bridge, the many street vendors and even the Gucci Muesum. The evening of our second night was our final group dinner. A time to say farewell to all the new friends we had made.

We anchored our trip to Italy around the Rick Steves' Heart of Italy Tour. It was very relaxing to have a portion of time in Italy scheduled for us. From the variety of hotels with their excellent breakfast rooms to the planned groups dinners and the transportation around Italy, our Rick Steves' experience was fantastic! We were very impressed by all the local tours guides and Tommasso, our Rick Steves' tour guide was simply the best.

This ended our time with the Rick Steves' tour but did not end our time in Florence or Italy. The adventures continued with exploration of the Central Market, shopping the streets of Florence and the Giardino Bardini. Our first evening on our own we attended a Tuscan cooking class. We made pasta from scratch, a chicken dish, ricotta cheese dessert, riced potatoes. A fabulous meal we all participated in making.

Our final day in Florance ends with a crazy cab ride to the train station and the beginning of our adventure in Venice.

Venice

If you have never been to Venice it is quite the site to exit the train station looking at the Grand Canal. Utilizing the Vaporettos, we took in the grand sites of the grand canal as we made our way to our accommodations. For this portion of the journey we booked an Air BnB. But just because we were no longer on a Rick Steves' Tour did not mean we would not take advantage of the Rick Steves audio tours.

Over the next two days we would listen to Rick inform us of the Basilica S. Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, St. Mark's Square and as Rick suggests, just get lost in the narrow streets of Venice. We visited the local fresh markets, passed over the Rialto Bridge and crossed the Ponte dell'Accademia to visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.

During the day Venice is safe enough. Heed the warnings of St. Marks Square at sunset. You will naturally let your guard down as you stroll back to your accommodations the end of romantic evening. This is when the pick pockets come out. Just stay aware and alert and you will be okay.

Milan

Lake Como

Other than the return trip to Rome to fly home, we were excited to begin the last leg of our trip. 4 nights in Milan, with a day trip planned to Lake Como. Milan is a wonderful mix of old and new. In Milan we stayed at a VRBO booked through Itallahost.it. After we settled in at our apartment, we explored the city, purchased supplies and got our bearings for future outings.

One of our days we joined a local City Tour which took us through the Duomo Milano, Sforzesco Castle and finished at Santa Maria delle Grazie, the home of the Last Supper. Hearing the history of the abby and the painting, made the experience all the more meaningful. To finish out this day of sightseeing we visited the Teatro alla Scala Museum. One of the most iconic opera houses in world.

The rest of our time in Milan was spent shopping and walking and shopping and exploring and dining and shopping. The depth and breadth of the local shopping experience was amazing.

Our day in Lake Como started early. A brief walk to the train station to catch the commuter train to Varenna. Upon arrival we went straight to the ferry terminal. We learned that the people only ferries fill up fast but is an excellent way to see a variety of little villages on the lake. We had a couple of hours until our ferry ride, so we set out to explore Varenna and find something to eat. We made our way back to the ferry terminal in time to get on what we thought would be a 45-minute lake tour of Bellagio and Menaggio. We did not realize that would also see Ville Carlotta, Tremezzo, Lenno, S. Giovanni and our boat ride would be over two hours in duration before returning to Varenna. We caught the next commuter train back to Milan and prepped for our return to Rome and our flight back to the USA.

Upon arriving back in Rome, we used the 'Stow Your Bag' service and took in a few final sights before making our way to our hotel near the airport for our early morning flight home.