Italy Wanderlust

Beautiful.

Don’t plan too much time here—there’s really only the duomo and the tower.

So much to see.

Beautiful—the most romantic city I’ve been in.

I loved the statues! We visited two of the museums. And I remember not having comfortable enough shoes for walking on all that cobblestone! We took a beautiful picture from a spot above the city.

The gondola ride was fantastic. I felt like we kept walking around the same areas though. And the Piazza San Marco was a bit annoying with all the birds, and the fact that one couldn’t sit down without ordering something expensive. Did get some great glass figurines. And I believe also lace.

We went here on our honeymoon, on a tour of Italy. The Coliseum was great!

In 1995, I attended a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Falstaff here. It was my first time to see an opera in an old European opera house. We had a box on the first tier up from the orchestra, near the far end of stage right, so our clearest view was of the other patrons directly opposite us. It would have been perfect, if it had been 1870 and our primary reason for being there was to spy on this or than contessa. However, for the purposes of actually watching the drama onstage, it required leaning far forward and craning one’s neck. Don’t get me wrong, I’d go back in a flash. It makes my head swim to think of the historic performances mounted there and of the panoply of celebrated singers who have given their benediction to the hall, which is itself named for “The Swan of Catania”: bel canto period composer Vincenzo Bellini.

Italy… has many beautiful people, beautiful towns cities, I couldn’t help it lol I had a grin the whole time I was here.. there is also a small island to the south of Italy… the Maltese Island, I didn’t see this on the list nor on the worldmap so I thought I’d tie it in… this place is just as beautiful… a lot of culture, and hrm… totally different than where I come from.

Don’t grab lunch and plan to sit on the steps to enjoy it. No eating on the Steps.