Hotel Serana Rome

... misses and a few back'ups, we see a sign for Monasterio and then a sign for Montalto. It exists! We climb the dusty road and run right into a swarm of construction workers, cranes, vans and bricks. The way to the right looks blocked so we go left-----and we are dumped back on to the highway we just came from. Ok. We go back up and see that the road is blocked by a big crane. We get out and ask a guy with a tie who looks ...

... too, but I got a table right away. Had a Pina Coloda and beef faijitas for lunch.
I then went to book a tour to Assisi for the next day and then to the train station to buy my ticket to Venice. I used the machine at the train station to buy on first class ticket to Venice for 94 euros. The train station was a cross between a mall and a carnival. There was a lot of shopping there. I spent about one hour there and then headed back to the hotel.

... so we just walked inside the Basilica and down into the catacombs where the tombs of the Popes are. This place is huge and the artwork of the construction is magnificent. In the tomb area there were all kinds of people praying, crying, touching the tombs. We took Wil and Alaina to a cafe we found on our first morning in Rome and had a snack, coffee and tea. There we bought two bottles of local wine and took that to our hotel. We had to ...

... large Benedictine complex set into the cliffs of a deep forested valley nearby. The current Pope took his name from St Benedict, who meditated and prayed in a grotto in the cliffs, around which the complex has been built. We walk up to the Borgia palace on the rock above the town but it is closed (these are the Borgias who supplied several Popes as well as the infamous Lucrezia known for her liberal use of poison). That evening Simona and Michela guide us up to a town high ...

Merry Christmas all! I currently in rome having a great time, but first vienna. Vienna was VERY cold, my feet would go numb if i was out to long. I spent way to long there, kinda boring city. Hostel was good, i managed to meet a couple of backpackers atthe bar and was able to cook some pasta in the kitchen. Venice was the next stop after a 8hr train ride. Venice was amazing with all the small streets and lanes with ...

... it like a pro. The fountain is really pretty, but was dripping with tourists, so we grabbed some gelatto (imagine a strawberry daquari in a cone) and walked over to the Colosseum which looks really neat all lit up. We had do move to our first non-private room and our roommate was Carlos from Argentina who came to Italy to study Italian and was disappointed everyone in Rome was speaking English! 7/4 We went back to St. Peter's to ...

... really scary--even Mary looks terrified! It is interesting to see. And it is funny that Michelangelo would paint his critics and people he disagreed with into the hell area as demons--a little revenge! Hehe, oh Michelangelo. After the Sistine, we were about to eat our arms off, so we got some sandwiches nearby and ate on a bench. Yum! Then we re-waited in another shorter line for St. Peter's church, mostly to go through security and to get our "dress code" inspection. We passed with ...

... with you. On Sunday we visited Trastevere, a quieter section of the city across the Tiber. We walked a couple of miles of the Porta Portese flee market where we saw many weird and wonderful things. This was a great way to get out of the tourist crowd and in to a entirely different sort of crowd. Our favorite vendors were the guy with the booze cart (shots for 1 Euro) and the old guy with two buckets (green olives in one and salted lupini beans in the other). You can buy ...

... small portion of the outer wall but the size and construction are stunning none the less. After the Colluseum it was time for dinner at a local restorante. With carafes of vino ASA and four courses of traditional Italian fare, we were satisfied and retired to jazz club to enjoy the live music and chianti classico.

... walls and domed ceiling. Underfoot, convoluted loops of mosaic cover the floors. In the treasury are riches from around the world, all traders and travelers were required to bring back something to place in the cathedral. There are glass Dionysian vessels from ancient Rome, jeweled gold relicaries, and prizes from the Byzantine empire. We climb the steep stone steps to the museum. On our way, we pass right next to the mosaics. Close up, the detail is incredible, and we ...