Camp Miramare Chioggia

... 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,

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 ...

... 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 ...

... the men is a bit much, but gave us a good chuckle as we exchanged experiences with a couple of travelers from Australia. We toasted Sheri on her birthday from the Grand Canal in Venice. She may not have been with us, but we were definately thinking of her and her new daughter Kate. Ive been spending much of today sketching and writing in our villa as I enjoy some local wine. There is a wedding in the ...

Venice is the most expensive place to stay in Italy so we decided to try camping as a cheap alternative. a lot of the back packers we talked to said that camping in Venice is a great cheap way to stay there. for €15 a night you can stay in a little trailer that has beds and it's warm, it is just on a campground as opposed to €35 a night in the actual city of Venice. from our campground, it is just a 20 minute ferry ride to the heart of the city so very ...

July 14 - From Sirmione, we went onto Venice which was incredibly difficult to get into due to a HUGE influx of traffic trying to get in for a big festival - the Festa de Redentore. It's something we were expecting or had ever heard of, but apparently it was quite the big deal for Venice. Think New Years Eve in NYC. There were to be fireworks over Venice to celebrate the building of a church built to ...

... received a most severe time out. If you go to confession here and find a nasty chewed straw sitting next to you, it was not a random act of God but that of a misbehaving three year old. To my great disappointment the imposing tower in the square did not have narrow medieval winding staircase but only a modern elevator with a bored-looking attendant. We crammed into the narrow space with other tourists, and I kept a tight grip on Collette so she wouldn't grab anything, kick anyone, or try ...

... congregated, and children headed to school. We found some awesome ice cream. And we found Venice. Later in the day, we rejoined the tourist trap, but it was better - I could still see recognize the character of Venice everywhere we went, regardless of the crowds and hype. We really can't complain about the crowds, though. From what we are told, we are here at the best time of year for weather and crowds, and I ...