Trip to Italy

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Mom's 65th Birthday


In April my mother turned 65 which meant I needed to make her birthday extra special. I wasn't sure how but I knew it meant taking her somewhere she'd always wanted to go. I'd heard her say she dreamt of taking a gondola ride in Venice and seeing Vatican city, so a trip to Italy was the perfect gift. One month before the trip I decided to tell her so she can plan accordingly. She was in shock but also very excited for our week in Italy. 


DAY ONE
Our trip started in Rome where we explored the city and all its wonders. The outskirts of Rome looked like any other city and it surprised me how much graffiti could be seen. First stop was the Pantheon which was a short walk from our hotel. It was very crowded and there was a long line to get inside but luckily I had purchased tickets beforehand so the wait was not as long. 


We then headed to Piazza Venezia and The Altas of the Fatherland. Along the way we stopped to try the gelato and was very pleased. While heading back we were able to admired some of the ruins such as the Forum of Augustus and the Trajan Forum. The first day we were jet lagged so we relaxed for the rest of the day. 


DAY TWO
Our next day consisted of exploring the rest of Rome. Most of the the tourist attractions we found were a walking distance from each other so it made saving some extra cash for food easy. We made our way to the Trevi Fountain and then the Spanish Steps.  It was spring break so there were many tourist but we were still able to enjoy everything and get some nice pictures. We both threw a coin in the fountain and made a wish.


DAY THREE
On our third day we took a trip to Venice by way of high speed train. The trip only took four hours in which we spent the whole time sleeping, we still had not adjusted to the change in time. When we arrived to Venice we took a water taxi to see the Rialto Bridge. 


After admiring the bridge we walked through the narrow streets of Venice to St Marks Square. Here we were able to go inside and see the Basilica de San Marco. The inside was painted gold and had had beautiful pictures along the ceiling and walls. We also walked around the square and saw the Bridge of Sighs as well as Doge's Palace.  


Next stop was of course the main reason we came to Venice, to take a ride on a gondola. We took a nice ride through the streets of Venice admiring all of the beauty. We noticed there was a bit of a smell coming from the water but nothing too unsettling. We witnessed a gondolier singing in Italian to an older couple taking a ride as well. My mother was very pleased with the whole experience. 


DAY FOUR
Our fourth day and also my mothers birthday was a day spent in Vatican city and later in the Colosseum. We took a walk through Vatican city which I have to say was the most difficult part to get around. I found Venice and the rest of Rome to be easy to get around but Vatican City was not. We walked through and saw where the community gathered for mass and then walked to the Vatican Museum. 



The Museum was large and as it was the last Sunday of the month we were able to get in free. We walked through each room admiring all the art from top to bottom and then we finally reached the Sistine Capel. A lot of the art we noticed were painted on the ceiling using touches of gold.  


Once inside the Sistine Chapel you could stand and admire the beauty quietly. There were painting on the ceiling and each wall. There were large windows allowing light to come in and accentuate the vivid colors.


Our last stop in Rome was the Colosseum. I purchased the tickets in advance so we simply walked in once it was time. We were able to walk through the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We could see where the stands once were and where the prisoners were kept. 


DAY FIVE
On our trip to Naples we toured the remains of the city of Pompeii and then took a hike up Mt Vesuvius.


On our tour of Pompeii we were able to see remains of homes and stores. We were informed that a lot of income for the city came from selling food. We were also informed that they had their own prostitution district and they believed the symbol of the phallus was good luck. We were taken through their bath houses, brothels and shown the remains of a person who was killed in the eruption. 


Our last stop on our trip was Mt. Vesuvius, the volcano that destroyed Pompeii. We took a hike up which is 4,204ft high. The hike was not difficult at all for me but my mother struggled a bit. The weather was a lot cooler as we hiked up and the fog did not allow us to see the surrounding area. Ultimately we made it to the top, cold and unable to see anything but we made it. 
  

Overall we had a wonderful time in Italy and only wish we had more time to explore the other cities. 
I was very impressed with the metro in Italy which was very reliable and extremely clean. The food in Italy was fresh and delicious. My mother and I love pasta so we enjoyed eating authentic Italian pasta. We will plan another trip to Italy in the future to visit Milan, Florence, Pisa and the Amalfi Coast. 

You can save our itinerary for your future trip to Italy. 
Location: Italy

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