San Luca Venice

... Ages through the Renaissance, and connects the works on canvas to the sculptural works that preceded them. We were glad that we visited here last , because it tied together everything that had come before. (The Rick Steeves audio guides helped tremendously!)

Tomorrow, we set out for our road trip through Tuscany and, hopefully, a couple of days at a less hectic pace, visiting the hill towns on our way back to Rome.

Can't believe we only have two days left!

... man in order to attempt to salvage his dead father’s soul. Regardless of the intent, it is an amazing site for both artistic and religious reasons.
The rest of the day was spent driving the Autostrada from Padua to Florence. Up and down mountain with gigantic trucks weaving across the lane lines, everyone at maximum speed and tailgaiting like nothing you would ever see in the U. S. And, yet,

... they no longer swarm the tourists. But it you still have to watch out for the Pigeon Poop! The Basillica was another feast for the eyes - and ears! As we approached the central altar, imagine our surprise as the “theme” from Phantom of the Opera suddenly blasted from the organ!
Next, we toured the Peggy Guggenheim Museum. This wealthy American woman, who lived in an palatial home on the Grand Canal, had two great loves: her dogs and modern art. After her death, her ...

... What a magical place this is: unique beyond description. Our first stop was the Accademia Museum, home to a nearly overwhelming array of Venetian Renaissance Art. Next, we headed to the Basilica Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari. This church, built over two centuries, is typically Gothic in architecture style, but inside the aisles and every nook and cranny hold a succession of art treasures, each more surprising than the last. It is one of the ...

... of fruit, and waited until we could check in.

When the owner got there, he informed us that the hostel had been shut down for winter, so he was housing us in hotel rooms. He gave a 3 person room to the girls, and Steve had to stay in a room with another guy, but he was only staying for one night so he didn’t really care. We were all very pleased with our rooms, but so tired from the ...

... With pain we dragged ourselves away from the fountain, got a little lost but found the Spanish Stairs. We came out up the top and walked all the way down them. There were countless other tourists on these stairs but we couldn’t understand it. They were, as far as we could tell, hardly different to any other stairs, and no better. We had both seen more impressive stairs in our time. There must be some special history with them.
After hardly any time at the ...

... I am so lucky and thankful to get to have has such a romantic and fun trip for my 21st birthday. I was also happy that Brandon liked Venice so much and it was fun to see him experiencing it for the first time as I was lucky enough for it to be my third! I still hope someday to go back when I am older because it is one of my favorite cities and just hope that it will not be completely under water by that time. The Rest of ...

... behind us it didn't look like the breaded kind just the broiled or boiled so she passed until after i got the fish and she saw someone else get breaded calamari she quick ordered some. fish was pretty good. i have a hard time dealing with skin on fish and bone which there was a few....bones reminds me of choking on them when younger. Ts calamari was great though...especially with the salad. yum. our server was so cute, he was trying to help us out with words and such but ...

... toured the Basilica. This was originally built in 829 to house the remains of St. Mark, but burned in 976. The present structure was completed in 1071. (Here are more of those dates I have difficulty getting my brain around.) The design is Byzantine, and the interior is decorated with mosaics on a gold background. The floor is of inlaid marble and glass. All the colors ...

... see this great building with trains labeled to Rome , Munich , Milan and Trieste , and just outside, gondolas and vaporettos. Opposite is the third and last bridge over the Grand Canal . We return to Rialto by vaporetto, alighting right in front of the cafeteria we had espied earlier. The food was good and inexpensive, if not inspiring. We totter back to our hotel, which we have become very good at finding now, and fall into our beds. Tomorrow we have to be up by 4:00 am