Ariston Malcesine

... t go after that). All was fixed by a gelato in the main square though :)<br><br>Then spent a week in central Florence with the most fab view ever, right over the ponte vecchio. Saw some of my favorite sights in Florence, took Jason to get a haircut, ate a ton of pizzas and good food, and all and all had a fab time in Florence. <br><br>Have been passing the time giving Jason Italian lessons and he's doing ...

... made with milk, so of course it's rich, but the ladies I was sitting with added 2 packets of sugar to each of theirs. Then they said when they make it at home they usually add cream as well! How the hell are they not all grossly overweight?? I swear, if I don't come home with cavities it'll be a miracle. As the week went on I just sank lower and lower into my debbie downer attitude until I had mentally retreated from the family and was just a ...

... station which is where we had come in. We decided to find a cafe off the canal and have a coffee and sit down (there are few other places to actually sit). We had cappuccinos and 2 pieces of delicious chocolate cake and sat at a table, soaking up the sun. The bonus was that the cafe had a toilet for its customers, so we actually saved 6 Euro!! We had a reservation for a later train but decided to try and get an earlier ...

... artifacts. The view from the top part of the ruins over the old city was spectacular with the continuous terracotta tiles. <br><br>Our last stop on the tourist trail was going to be Juliette&#8217;s balcony for which Verona is famous as the inspiration for Shakespeare. Greg thought it was a load of rubbish and waited outside on the street (he kept on saying, "Juliette is make believe, it&#8217;s not real, it&#8217;s a rip off". It was really crowded as the balcony ...

... is. This looks like a miniature Colosseum. I felt like a coffee but Greg didn't so Tara and I went into a caffe/patisserie and I ordered a caffe latte, not realising that that was actually an espresso with a very small amount of milk- it was nice, but didn&#8217;t take long to drink. <br><br>We couldn&#8217;t believe how many people were out and about. All of the shops were open and the streets were crowded which is something ...

... keep up the espresso lifestyle, but if I can, watch out world. I will be the next Picasso. Although I can't paint. Well. I'll be the next something.<br><br>I don't have major news to report. It's sad when the 'same ol, same ol' is "I had one of the best pizzas of my life, I went to one of the most fascinating wine bars of my life, I wandered around and was as happy as I've been in my life..." It starts getting old to hear, I'm sure. But to ...

... some vitamin C will kick it out. And I have some succa di arancia e annanas. Not bananas as you might think, but pineapple. Go figure. <br><br>I'm going into the city to find internet and to eat at a little place I noticed the other day. It's called La Cantina De L'Arena. Which I just realized should actually be Cantina Dell'Arena, right Signora Tumminia? Anyway, it called to me last time I was there but was ...

So much so, that it is about to take the title of 'longest stay' while in Italy. I will spend 5 total nights here. Woohoo! I'm about to leave my fabulous hotel that I love to go to an apartment in the city, where I can live like a local with my own kitchen and everything. I am psyched! The only drawback is that it doesn't have internet. So I will do my best to bring my laptop with me and post updates while I'm in town picking up produce. EEEE! :)<br>

Verona may just give you a run for your money.<br><br>I'm in a glorious hotel, drinking German beer -- courtesy Olga at the front desk. And I am right in the very heart of Valpolicella country.<br><br>I've decided that in Paris and Rome I was touristing (though I recognize I didn't see nearly enough in either) but Verona is going to be relaxing time. Which I also recognize is ridiculous since I go on a cruise in less than a week. But whatever, it's my trip, I get to decide what I'm doing. :)

... amphitheatre. We walked down Via Mazzini to Piazza Erbe, a really nice square with restaurants and market stalls. We saw Juliet's balcony as well as the graffiti-lined walls of the tunnel that leads to it which are filled with hearts and people's declarations of love. We walked along, following the canal, and saw the Duomo, after which we headed back.<br>One night we bought some groceries and had a lovely ...