Al Gallion Venice

... steps to the top) and the Piazza del Signoria, a great, bustling pedestrians-only town square. We grabbed a gelato and took a short people-watching break before continuing on to Ponte Vecchio and finally, the day’s climax- the Uffizi Gallery.

The Uffizi has been described as the greatest collection of Italian paintings anywhere! But it is so much more. It is laid out in a way that walks you through the transition of style, content and technique from the ...

... She wonders where the money went.
OK: now we are driving in Italian traffic. These people drive as if they have nothing to live for. And, yet, we have not seen a single accident. Regardless, driving is nerve-wracking. But we made it safely to Padua, where we visited the Scrovengi Chapel, painted in frescos by Giotto in the early 14th century. It was commissioned by a man whose father was a very bad ...

Blog Day 5 (Venice 2), Wednesday, December 9
We rose well-rested and after enjoying the hotel’s breakfast buffet, set off for St. Mark’s Square, where we spent most of our day. With the national holiday crowds dispersed, it finally paid off to be here in the off season! There were no lines for the Basillica or any of the “extra” (“for a small fee”) attractions on the square. It is no longer allowed to feed the pigeons, with the positive result ...

... places where you can observe art in the setting it was created for. Titian considered this his home church and, besides having many of his creations there, he is buried in the main church.
We had to hurry back to our hotel, or to our neighborhood. We had stopped in a little shop nearby, planning to bring some snacks and drinks back to the hotel later. We asked the shopkeeper how late he would be open. He stated firmly, “I close at 8 o ...

... All of us girls crashed on the bed and Steve decided to go explore since he didn’t have as long in Venice as we did. We all eventually woke up and took showers, then met Steve to go exploring. Venice is a very beautiful city, though it does smell somewhat like fish but that didn’t bother me. We walked for hours. Winding around the back streets and bridges, trying to see what treasures we ...

... mptly sat up...and emptied the c*ntents *f his st*mach *nt* the fl**r. F*r five. s*lid. minutes. "**** **** **** I knew this w*uld happen I KNEW he w*uld puke ******N it why didn't I get him a bucket." When he finally st*pped wretching I t*ld him he needed t* get his wat** b*ttle t* rehydrate and that he needed t* clean up his v*mit; with*ut d*ing eith** *f these things he picked up his pill*w and the nearest pair *f pants (which happened t* be my g**d pair *f ...

... your seating, for today we did chose a little setup with day bad and beach chairs. Unfortunately the wind got up and even though it was a nice sunny and warm day the experience was not that good. We packed up mid afternoon and headed back to the ferry as we had to prepare the suitcases we are going to Rome tomorrow.

... in all of the colors found in a Crayola box.            Our last stop was Torcello, where Venice was born.  The rain had stopped when we disembarked from the boat.  Torcello ended being quite a surprise.  We did not expect to find anything noteworthy as all of the guidebooks only make mention of a church as the island's main attraction.     Behind the church lies the remains of a garden, complete with weathered ...

... Venecia, almorzábamos y después nos íbamos a descansar al hostal, a la playa o a caminar por la isla. Uno de los momentos mas memorables de esta parada fue, obviamente, la ida a la playa! En nuestro último día en Venecia, y de viajes en general, salimos a comprar los últimos souvenirs en la mañana, almorzamos por ahí, y luego fuimos a Lido, la isla donde esta la playa. Nuevamente fueron momentos muy lindos para el ...

Quick note - I have tons of pictures, but most internet places won't allow me access to a USB port, so I'm having problems posting them. Half Day in Venice - Apparently, Venice has been a pilgrimage/tourist location ever since they stole the bones of St. Mark from the city of Alexandria and built a cathedral around them. We arrived in the morning, and wandered to St. Mark's ...