R Is for Rome (and a Side Trip to Venice)

It's time for a Roman and a Venetian holiday

If I had a ten top list of places to visit, Italy would be near the top of the list. I actually don't have a list of favorites, but I do love Italy. Venice and the Amalfi Coast are probably my top choices, but Rome isn't very far behind. My last trip to Italy was in 2002 and I am definitely overdue for another visit.  

The picture above was from my first visit in 1982. It was a quick whirlwind to Rome, Florence and Venice in eight days. My friend and I cut it so close returning to Rome from Venice that we nearly missed the plane home. But we got to spend thirty-six hours in Venice, and it was love at first sight. 

I learned a valuable lesson on that trip. It is impossible to see all of Italian history in eight days, no matter how much you race around Italy. We managed to see many of the major sights in Rome, including one of the Seven New Wonders of the World, the Colosseum of Rome. Alas, there are no photographs, but the photograph above at the Roman Forum takes its place. 

At Bernini's Fountain of the Four Rivers

When I first looked at this picture I was sure I was at the Trevi Fountain, of "Three Coins in the Fountain" fame, but when I looked at pictures of the Trevi Fountain, I realized I was somewhere else entirely. I'm at the Fountain of the Four Rivers in one of my favorite places in Rome, the Piazza Navona. It is a fabulous place to sit outside at Bar Tre Scalini and enjoy the specialty ice cream dessert, the Tartufo, composed of delicious chocolate ice cream and whipped cream. I first "discovered" Bernini in Art History 101 freshman year in college and was thrilled to be able to see his sculpture masterpieces in person. 

  The Grand Canal in Venice

If I was a poet I'd be writing odes about Venice. My first trip to Venice was thirty-six hours, the second almost a week and the third trip not quite two weeks. My last trip to Venice was the relaxed and leisurely visit to Venice I had dreamed about. I stayed in an apartment far from the tourist center of Venice, the Piazza San Marco. I enjoyed seeing the famous sights, but I had just as much enjoyment shopping for groceries in my neighborhood, the Cannaregio, and having an espresso in a local cafe. 

One of my favorite historic sites in Venice, is Il Redentore, the Sixteenth Century Church of the Most Holy Redeemer. Designed by the famed architect, Palladio, it was built in thanksgiving for the end of a plague that had devastated Venice (1575-76). It's estimated that over 25% of Venice's population died during these plague years. The church sits on one of the many islands that make up Venice, Giudecca. The church was completed in 1592 and the Festa del Redentore, a celebration of the end of the plague, is still celebrated on the third Sunday in July.  

Il Redentore and a gondolier

The gondola is the symbol of Venice, but I've never ridden in a gondola. I did take a water taxi once -- which used a motor -- and all my other travel in Venice was by vaparetto, mass tranist via water.

Laundry day in Venice, 1982

I've loved my visit to Italy and so wish we could sit in the Piazza Navona, have an espresso and a tartufo and enjoy a sweet visit together. I don't let myself think about traveling in the future, there are just so many uncertainties now. But I'm yearning to return to Italy. It may just have gone to the top of my travel list for someday, whenever that may be. We're staying in Europe for our next A to Z adventure, but this time it's a quick 1300 miles.

As ever, thanks for visiting and take good care. Much love and wash your hands!