Italy 2005 Trip Report.

Find a full write-up on the Fodor's Italy forum. =)

PHOTOS: For your viewing pleasure.

We took around 1,000 photos while we were in Italy! I've plucked out twenty or so from each leg of the trip to share with you. Feel free to leave any comments by clicking the link at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!

The Veneto
Venice
Burano

The Amalfi Coast
Positano
Capri
Amalfi & Ravello

The Eternal City
Rome

The photos begin...

Here are two sweet photos that we will treasure from our adventure. More will definitely be coming. ;)

The two of us in Capri atop Monte Solaro:



Our new Swedish friends, Erica and Henrik. Meeting these two was a definite highlight of the trip for us:

DAY 13: Back home again.

Well, we obviously did not find an internet cafe last night. We had a lovely last jaunt around Venice... walking and enjoying the city one more time. It's such an awesome town. A little too full of tourists right now, though. We bid our dear gelato farewell with 2 more trips during the day. Also, ate cichetti for dinner in the same place we ate the first night. That stuff is mmm-mmm good. We'll definitely miss the food.

So, we got up at 4:20 am this morning and jetted off in our water taxi to Venice's airport. We flew back through Rome and finally got into Cincy at 2:00 this afternoon. By 9:30 this evening, we will have been awake for 24 hours. Ugh. Hoping to go to bed at normal Indiana time, but we are already feeling a bit hazy. We'll see how that goes.

Cheers to those of you that checked in on us. We're happy to be home and it was awesome to see my parents and sister waiting for us in the Cincy airport. Also, the kitties are purring a lot. We'll be posting a few pics shortly, so check back in... xoxo, h&s

DAY 11: When in Roma...

Sorry all, we couldn't find an internet cafe last night. Turns out it was right around the corner from our hotel. More importantly, we have discovered what is across the street... the cat sanctuary! Roman law states that cats have the right to live where they are born, so they turned the site of the assassination of Julius Caesar into a giant cat playground. The cats are all sterilized, fed, sheltered, and available for adoption. We really enjoy watching them crawl around the ruins and nap on columns.

After the London disaster yesterday, security seems a bit picked up around here, but otherwise it's business as usual. Today we went to the Vatican. That St. Peter's Basilica is one massive place... you could get lost in there. The Sistine Chapel was quite impressive as well, but you have to look at about 50,000 statues and tapestries to get to it.

Yesterday we had gelato three times, which might be a new record. We also took in the Pantheon, which was really amazing and well-preserved. Of course, there was a McDonald's in the Pantheon piazza, which is always disturbing. Fortunately we haven't seen a Starbucks or anything like that.

We're planning on trying to get into the best pizza place tonight. It's our last night in Rome, and we leave for Venice early tomorrow morning. We're planning on visiting Trina and her family before heading home bright and early on Sunday. This might be our last post until we see you state-side. Ciao, h&s!

DAY 09: Even the dogs eat gelato here.

Wow! Fun comments the past couple of days. Thanks for checking up on us, everyone. ;) Check out the bottom of this post for specific replies.

So, last night we saw a dog with a gelato cone in its mouth. It was a white chihuahua and the cutest freaking thing we have ever seen. Dogs are strange creatures in this city. They also sit on the floor board of scooters and ride along the streets with their owners with their tails dragging along the ground. How do they get trained to do this?

Today we toured the most famous bits of Rome. We saw the Roman forum, the Colosseum, the Palantine Hill, and the Capitol Hill. It was all very interesting and probably some of the oldest stuff we have laid eyes on. We also stopped by the "Mouth of Truth", made famous by Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. It was pretty cool (except for the fact that we had to wade through 1,000 Japanese tourists to get close to it). Fortunately, it did not eat either of our hands.

Tomorrow, we are doing a couple of short walking tours with our handy Rick Steves guide. Included is the Pantheon (see below). We also change hotels tomorrow, so not sure of the internet situation again... stay tuned! xoxo, h&s



-----

Brooke - Happy Birthday tomorrow!!! Hope you have a great day. Hugs and love.

Eric - This is the 3rd bunch of Swedes we have met and they also do not know of Fireside. They always know Kent, but never Fireside. Are you sure they really exist? We think it might be a figment of your imagination. Can't wait to hear more about your trip... hope you took pics of those kids for us.

Nathan - Hey! So sad again that we missed you while you were in Indiana. Hope your mom's wedding was awesome. No Roman pizza yet, but it is in the stars for tomorrow night. We can confirm that the spaghetti carbonara is fine, though. ;)

Mom - We think you will probably just need to park and come in to the Delta counter to meet us. We could not really distinguish an area for you to pick us up and do not want you to have to drive in circles should our flight be late. We can't wait to see you all!

DAY 08: Road to Rome.

We are here in Rome now! It was a long day travelling... started off taking a boat to Salerno with our new Swedish friends. They got off in Amalfi and we said a sad goodbye. We had a great time with them. In Salerno, we picked up a crappy, gypsy-infested train that took us to the Eurostar in Naples. After another hour or so, we arrived!

This city is more walkable than I remember. Tonight, we went from our hotel near the Colosseum to Trevi Fountain to the Spanish Steps. Looking at a map before the trip, I did not think this would be doable. It was a nice walk, though... and surprisingly, the weather tonight is lovely.

Anyhow, we are going to bed early tonight. No Swedes to keep us up. LOL.

On another note, Shawn's bag finally arrived around 7 pm last night. We were about to leave for dinner and the bellman came up saying "Cè un miracolo!", which you can probably guess, means "It's a miracle!" It truly was. Nothing seems to be missing and we have clean pants. Woo.

Dinner last night was also interesting. We went with the Swedes on a private boat to a neighboring village, Praiano. The food was not as good as we had hoped, but it was pretty glamorous leaving Positano on our own freaking boat. Man, the Amalfi Coast was sweet.

Well, we had better turn in. This computer is just too slow and we do not feel like getting ripped off... ciao for now! Hugs and love to everyone... xoxo, h&s

PS Thanks again to Sis and Mom for the updates... keep em coming! We appreciate the litter box duty (or shall I say 'doodie' as well!).

DAY 07: Further up the coast.

It is 4th of July at home and we hope you are all having a great day off! We took off early this morning to visit another Amalfi Coast town, Ravello. It was gorgeous! The bus ride was another white knuckle experience as we ascended to what felt like the top of the world. We walked around villas with amazing gardens and took in several jaw dropping panoramas. One particular lookout was called the infinity balcony. We couldn't quite see Indiana, though. Many pics will follow...

Tonight is our last night in Positano. We had a lovely dinner with the Swedes last night. I came to find out that what I thought was Erikka is actually Erica. It turns out that Erica is the incorrect spelling in Sweden, while Erika is the correct spelling. Thought sis would enjoy that since she is incorrectly spelled at home. Confusing, eh?

For the record, we also found out that Ikea meatballs are actually a decent meal and pretty accurate to boot. Love that.

We're heading back to our hotel now. Shawn called Alitalia this morning as the luggage never arrived last night. I really, really want new underwear and he sincerely will throw away the shirt he has been wearing this week. The pics will all look the same. Ha.

Love to all, h&s

DAY 06: Capri è troppo bello!

Last night ended up being wonderful. We took an odd station wagon/limo to Montepertuso at the top of a cliff for dinner. There was a little festival going on in the town below, and the view from our table went all the way down to the sea... it was really breathtaking! The best part about the meal was our dessert, consisting of two different cakes. Yum!!

On our way back to the hotel, we were heaped into a mini-bus with other diners. Oddly, we all hit it off, and ended up hanging out with a couple of Swedes and Aussies down on the beach back in town. From here we had some drinks and watched the fireworks from the festival high above us.

Today we took a jet boat to the island of Capri with the Swedes (Henrik and Erica). They've been together for 14 years, are both 31, and are very friendly (not to mention they speak impeccable English). The boat ride itself was worth the price of admission, with lovely blue water, sunshine, and once-in-a-lifetime views of the island and Positano.

After a drink and gelato (naturally), we split off and took a chair lift to the top of the highest point on Capri. The 360 degree view was dizzying (as was the bus ride to the lift). We took 200 pictures, so you'll be seeing it sometime, although I doubt anything can do it justice.

Now we're back in Positano, and rumor has it that our luggage may be en route to our hotel. Hopefully this means that H won't have to wash her underwear in the sink tonight, and I might actually wear a different shirt for the first time in 3 days. :)

We're off to relax on our balcony (see picture below for a taste of our view).
Ciao!

DAY 05: It is our anniversary!

So, it is our anniversary. Why are we at an internet cafe? Well, travelling light does not pay off on Alitalia. On the way here (we are currently in beautiful Positano), we flew Alitalia direct from Venice to Naples. Our small bags were apparently "too heavy" for the cabin. We were forced to check them, so naturally, Shawn's bag is now lost. He has one shirt, one pair of shorts, and one pair of shoes. For some odd reason, his underwear and socks were in my bag, while my underwear and bras were in his. So, I have no undergarments, but he has plenty. So, his drawers will be clean, but nothing else. LOL.

Anyhow, nobody knows how to make a collect call to the US. Our travel insurance instructed us to call collect, so we are now in the internet cafe (instead of beautiful Capri) to find out how the hell to get a hold of them. We think we have finally found the answer... now to find a telephone that will work correctly.

Regardless, this place is absolutely gorgeous. We will try to post a pic soon. In the meantime, check out the banner at the top of this blog. That is our view at night. Our hotel room is AMAZING. They actually used our exact room for the scenes in Positano in the film "Under the Tuscan Sun". Yeah, the movie kind of blew, but we like to watch it simply for the scenery.

Most importantly, it is our first anniversary. We watched our video before we left to remember what a beautiful day we had last year. The affection our friends and family showed us was beyond incredible... we love you all! It definitely was the happiest day of my life so far...



So, we might go check out this town now. Keep your fingers crossed that our bag will return to us soon. Otherwise, Shawn might begin to smell... ;) xoxo, h&s

PS. We have both recovered nicely from sore throats (Duane, did you somehow wish this upon us?). Hope our kitties are pooing in their boxes...