Italy Apr 14

First "major" holiday of the year. So much logistics, as trip was for 10 days, 3 cities, 5 people. Make that 2 countries, since Vatican City is also a country.

The trip did not start on the right note. Upon arriving at Bristol airport, I realised that I had left my wallet at home! This meant that I had to cancel my car rental(no driving license) in Florence, where we had chosen to stay in the countryside instead of the city. Fortunately, wife had our cash card.

We started in Venice, took a train to Florence, and finally flew back from Rome. Each city was different, and each got more interesting for me. I had not expected to achieve so much - we saw all the key sights plus much more, and I found time to do a pilgrimage - Seven Pilgrimage Churches in Rome. This was a last minute arrangement when we had a free day in Rome. Miraculously, we had managed to complete it without GPS (phone battery dead) and with the itinerary lost (at the 2nd site). It was miraculous because we had walked past the second one a couple of times without realising, but thanks to the extra walk, we managed to bump into the priest who gave us a private tour despite the church not being opened until a couple of hours later. Then, a series of fortunate events such as having lunch at the trattoria and seeing a bus stop sign going to one of the sites out of town; and remembering the names of the other sites, finding the right people to give us directions and getting to the last one 5 minutes before closing!

So while this was an extremely tiring trip, it was well worth the journey. Tuscany is as I had wanted it to be, and I am impressed with Rome - which was clearly not built in a day.

Venice

Canals everywhere

St Mark's Square and Basilica (Piazza/Basilica St Marco)


Florence

We were staying in the countryside. Really lovely, beautiful and relaxing setting. Only an hour bus away from city centre.

Florence Duomo and various other sides in Florence. Two worthy mentions: Relic of St Sebastian and a Botticeli (forgot which Museum that was from). Missed "David" and Uffizi Gallery. Too crowded.

Rome

Spectacular sites in Rome.
Clockwise from Top Left: Pantheon, inside Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona (next to our hotel), Colosseum outside and Roman Forum.

Impressive Vatican Museum. But took at least an hour to walk through the exhibits before being able to reach Sistine Chapels.

Seven Pilgrimage Churches in Rome

St Peter Basilica. If you look closely, the figure in white in centre of picture of church's exterior is Pope Francis.

St Maria Maggiore Basilica. The crypt contained wood from the Holy Crib of the nativity of Jesus

St Lorenzo outside the walls. Really small but old and charming church.

Basilica of St Giovanni (John) Lateran Basilica. Impressive decor. Two interesting mentions in the cloister. Seat of first popes and column depicting height of Christ. He's really tall.

St Croce in Gerusalemme. Very impressive collection of relics. Wood and nails from the cross.

Basilica of St Paul outside the walls. Huge! See sarcophagus of St Paul in the crypt below the altar.

Santuario della Madonna dell Divine Amore. Outside the city, but really beautiful scenery. Picture on tower is miraculous and had saved a man from being ravaged by wild dogs.

Wells

Nearby town with a large cathedral. Was told by colleague it was her favourite little town in UK. So had to see it for myself. Not too bad, liked it more than Salisbury from last week.