Italy 2024

DAY 1

Mom and Shonnie usually plan some sort of trip every year whether it is a short trip to Vegas for a concert or a family cruise. This year, Shonnie had never been to Italy so mom said let's go. They booked their flights and hotels, did a lot of research, reserved tickets for museums and monuments and were ready to see the sights of Italy. Mom had been there a few times before so most of it was just a repeat of what she had seen but it had been a few years and she was excited to see the sights again especially with someone that hadn't been before. Our long flight from Atlanta to Milan wasn't all that pleasant as Shonnie and mom were assigned seats right next to the bathroom. Let's just say it was a long night and we were grateful when the flight was over.

 

DAY 2

Although they knew they would be tired, mom and Shonnie rented a car after arriving in Milan at 8am and drove to Cinque Terre to visit the small towns along the coast. Many people tour Italy by train, but mom knows you miss out on a lot if you don't drive through the country. They ate their first pizza at the first town and headed to the next. They don't allow local cars along some of the Cinque Terre Towns so they shuttled down to one of them to watch the sunset and get their first taste of Gelato of the trip. They knew the sites they were going to visit would be amazing, but they were looking forward to the good food just as much!

DAY 3

After enjoying the sites at Cinque Terre, they headed to Pisa to stay the night in order to get up early the next morning to head to the tower. They seemed to get back on the sleeping schedule after getting to bed and waking up early. They were grateful for the early start as the crowds hadn't quite arrived to visit the Tower of Pisa yet.

One of the benefits of driving is to make stops along the drive to the next big city. After they left the town of Pisa, they headed South toward Florence. Along the way, mom spotted a castle on the hill and asked Shonnie if she would like to stop, of course they were curious and took the detour which turned out to be an incredible surprise! A little town called San Miniato that was far from being a tourist trap. It was a little town on the hill with small shops and a bell tower at the top. The surrounding Vineyards were picturesque and exactly what you would think Tuscany, Italy would look like.

It was then on to Florence where they started their visit at the Giotto's Bell Tower, Baptistry, Opera Museum and Brunelleschi's dome. They hiked the bell tower first and then headed over to the Dome where they had reservations. They didn't make elevators hundreds of years ago so it was all stairs for these two tired mamas. They were happy they made their reservations for the dome around 5:00 so they could enjoy watching the sunset over the city. They bought their daily gelato and ate another Italian dinner, this time was pasta. After a long day and clocking nearly 25,000 steps, hey headed back to their room early to get enough sleep for the next big day.

DAY 4 

It was another early start so they could enjoy the rest of the sites of Florence before heading to Rome. They started at the Academia Gallery where "The David" is displayed as well as other well know art work and sculptures. It was then onto Palazzo Pitti palace and the Fountain of Neptune along with churches on every corner of every street. Shonnie had heard of a very popular perfume store which they were excited to see and smell all the amazing fragrances of Europe. They were surprisingly disappointed. While the store itself was beautiful, the smells were very different than those in the US. They tried to find one perfume (all over the price of $300 a bottle) that would be somewhat acceptable to wear and didn't find one. They thought a Bath and Body Works would be an amazing investment there.

Since mom and Shonnie were able to see most of the sites of Florence over the 2 days, they found they had some spare time and signed up for a pasta cooking class. They made homemade lasagna and spaghetti which they were able to eat for lunch. They were in the class with another couple from San Diego and their instructor, although from Las Vegas had been living in Italy for 4 years where her father was from and went to cooking school there. They had a great time and made some amazing food. It was then touring the streets around Florence and looking for souvenirs for the family back home. 

Shonnie and mom felt all sorts of emotions during the trip which you can clearly see in the above pictures.

When looking for souvenirs in one of the stores, mom found one of Jayden's favorite Cereals, Reese's Puffs. It costs about $10 more in Italy than in the US. Jayden would have to give up his love of cereal if the US had prices like that!

DAY 5

Another early morning so mom and Shonnie could get everything in that they wanted to see. They were heading to Rome on day 5 with a few stops planned along the way. It was first San Simignano, a cute little town on a hill that was built in the 1300's. Luckily they got there early enough before the crowds came. It was surrounded by vineyards on every side and the shops were darling. Definitely worth the stop.

After a long car ride and a few missed turns, they made it to their hotel in Rome. They checked into their hotel and took a taxi to the Vatican where they planned to spend the rest of their day. It started with St. Peter's Square and basilica where they waited in line for 45 minutes to get into see the church, then another 45 minutes to once again, hike the stairs to the top of the basilica. The views over the city were incredible and well worth the climb. They headed to the Vatican museum where they were able to see some of the most famous art pieces in the world along with the Sistine Chapel.

DAY 6

It was a super busy day in Rome. Mom and Shonnie started at the Spanish stairs and were surprisingly able to get some pictures without anyone in it since it is typically filled with tourists. (The benefits of an early start). They headed to the Pantheon, one of the oldest standing monuments in Rome built over 2000 years ago. They were able to visit Capitine Hill, Trevi Fountain (no fountains seen on this trip due to a scheduled cleaning) and Giolitti for gelato with cream.

They were looking forward to their tour of the Colosseum. Shonnie even sacrificed a night of sleep in order to reserve "attic" tickets at 3am which proved well worth the lost night of sleep. They let very few people up stairs. They were able to walk the tunnels and enjoy the view over the Roman Forum and within the Colosseum itself. It was then walking through the Roman Forum which holds some of the oldest ruins in Rome dating back to the 7th century BC. After walking miles and miles, they decided to take a bus around to see the sites lit up at night before going out for a nice pasta dinner.

DAY 7

Mom and Shonnie had a long ride ahead of them, driving from Rome all the way to Venice. They decided to take a little detour to see the Rome Temple before heading out. There were many miracles witnessed on this day. To start off, while they were taking pictures, the security guard of the grounds approached them and asked if they were members of the church. They explained they were so he mentioned sacrament meeting would be starting in 5 minutes if they wanted to join him. So they were able to take the sacrament and head out to make their long journey. More miracles would follow.

After visiting the temple, they drove North for about 2 hours to a small town called Civita Di Bagnoregio. It was a city on top of a hill that you can only get to my walking the long 1 km path up the hill. It was the cutest town built in 5th century BC. The views were incredible and well worth the stop.

After the stop in Civita Di Bagnoregio, they drove another 4 hours North. Unfortunately they found out quickly you can't just drive into Venice. They made a wrong turn where the security guard said parking was next door. They made another wrong turn sending them all the way back across the bridge. Mom decided to pull over to see what their options were. Without any instructions from their hotel, mom realized you have to make reservations for parking at the ferry terminal which was not full and no more reservations were available until the next day. Shonnie happened to see a train full of passengers heading across the bridge so mom mentioned they could go park at the train station and take the train into Venice. Another wrong turn lead them into a parking lot they weren't allowed to park in. FINALLY, they found the right parking lot for the station, grabbed their suitcases and hoped they could figure out the trains

Shonnie pushed the button for the elevator at the train station, when it opened a cute couple in their late 50's were already inside cramped with their own suitcases. Mom and Shonnie said they could catch the next lift down which the couple said it was no problem and they could make room. So they all squished in. They exited the elevator and mom turned the corner to which the sweet woman asked if we were heading to Venice which they replied yes. They mentioned they were heading there as well and they could follow them to get their train tickets. So after the couple helped them get their tickets, teaching them how to validate them and then running through the terminal so they didn't miss the next train, they were finally able to relax on the train. The couple asked if they knew where they were going and responded they had no idea. The sweet couple were both born and raised in Venice and mentioned how hard it is to get around if you don't have any instructions. They were shocked our hotel did not provide us with any details on how to get there.

The couple then asked what hotel they were staying in to which the couple was shocked to find that their hotel was just right around the corner from where they lived and said they were going to show them how to get there. So off the train they went, bought another ticket for the ferry (they would have never known what ferry to take) and made their way down the canal. They showed them which stop to get off and gave them instructions on how to get back after their stay in Venice which was extremely helpful. The sweet woman even walked them straight to their hotel before saying goodbye to go visit her mother on the next street over. They saw several miracles that day. Because the stopped to see the temple, stayed for the sacrament, made quite a few wrong turns, they were able to find the right people in an elevator. They both said a prayer that night thanking Heavenly Father for the miracles that occurred that day. They would have eventually made it but it would have cost them several hours of frustration and asking a lot of questions. So grateful for modern day miracles!

DAY 8

After their long adventure trying to get into the city of Venice, they were able to get a good nigh sleep in order to wake up early to see the sights of Venice. They grabbed a couple of pastries for breakfast and after Shonnie had only one bite, she was overtaken by a Seagul who snatched the rest of her donut and made a mess of her hair. Mom was a good friend and just laughed and laughed since Shonnie had no idea what happened. They went back to the same bakery to buy the same donut all over again which the cashier mentioned it happens all the time. They made their way to Doge's Palace, St. Mark's Square, Agua Alta Book shop, Rialto Bridge and Piaza San Marco. 

Mom and Shonnie were walking along one of the streets when they heard a siren. It came from an ambulance boat in the water which makes sense since no cars are aloud on the streets in Venice. They got a kick out of all the "ambulances" parked in their boat slips. They had enough time that afternoon to take a ferry boat over to Murano where they were able to watch a glass blowing demonstration. They walked around the streets and were able to buy a few souvenirs made out of the glass.

DAY 9

Mom and Shonnie took the ferry back to their car and headed to Milan where they had reservations to see the church with the painting of "The Last Supper". Everything required reservations so they were grateful that they did their research before heading out on their trip. They finished their last full day in Italy by visiting the Milan Cathedral and walking through the shops around the square. They ended with one last Italian meal and a Gelato for Dessert. It was a great trip and time to get back home and into reality.