Cindybelle's Bella Notte TR COMPLETE!! - UPDATED 10/19 With Prices! - Page 3 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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We stopped at a sidewalk ristorante and had a wonderful dinner European style -- about 3 hours. A man came over and played the accordion, and I got tears in my eyes. Even though he played something else, I've been hearing Bella Notte in my head ever since. That song will lull me to sleep tonight.
Now we are back at the B&B, and a wonderful older couple from Canada came in and told us about their day. They're transplanted Czech Republic folks with wonderful accents. I LOVE it here.
Well, this is probably my last post until next week when I get back home. Photos and lots of stories will be coming, I promise! Wish me pixie dust for Venezia and for the flight home on Saturday, OK?
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Sounds like you're really soaking up the atmosphere in Florence. Have a great last few days and safe journey home. Really looking forward to the report and photos.
I'm back! A bit jet-lagged. (The THREE flights home were a bit much -- but so, so worth it.) Enjoyed our whirlwind time in Venice -- about 1-1/2 days once we arrived by train from Florence.
Rick took 1,000 photos; Paul & Robbie brought individual cameras as well; and as you can imagine -- I brought back something like 3,000 photos. (And that's after deleting most of the blurry and what-the-heck-was-that pictures. )
Rick's got my camera at his office. He hopes to stay after work today to download to CDs, and then I can start playing! I'm definitely going to devote an entire "Snapfish" book apiece to Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Venice. In fact, Florence may turn into TWO books -- but you didn't expect any less from me, did you?
It will be fun to choose the pics all you PP fans will enjoy the most. I'm taking today off to recuperate, and then will be busy getting caught up at work.
This was definitely the best "grownup" vacation I've ever had. (You all know where I go for the best "inner child" vacations, right? )
Ciao for now! Thanks for the pixie dust and good wishes -- they worked beautifully!
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Our night flight from Philadelphia arrived 08:15. I think Rick got a few hours of sleep on the plane, but I slept at most one hour total and Paul & Robbie didn't do much better. So we were dead on our feet with a full day ahead, but we were determined not to take a nap. So glad we stayed on course, because none of us felt jet-lagged the next day.
First, our cab driver in Rome: Massimiliano (or Massi for short). He chattered like mad and gesticulated wildly, proudly showing us the city as he weaved in and out of traffic. This was a lot of fun and a great intro to Rome and to Romans. Paul sat up front and the rest of us laughed at Massi and Paul trying to communicate.
Massi gave us what became a litany for us throughout our vacation. He pointed out churches, restaurants, and hotels, and exclaimed, "In Roma you find churcha-churcha, ristorante-ristorante, 'otel-'otel." From that point forward, especially when we came upon a cathedral, one or sometimes all of us would chant, "Churcha-churcha!"
Then we checked in at Hotel Nerva. We were literally across the street (and a very narrow street at that) from the Roman Forum. Here's the view from Rick's and my window:
We walked over to the Forum to peek into the ruins.
I forgot to mention we arrived in Rome on Wednesday morning, Sept. 2. We chose Sept. 1-12 for our travels so that we could utilize Labor Day. (Paul and Rick don't get nearly as much vacation time as I do. ) The weather was terrific for the entire trip.
OK, so we're still dead on our feet, plus we're starving. It wasn't quite noon yet (and the Italians don't start lunch until 12:00), so we stopped at a sidewalk cafe quite near Hotel Nerva for the skimpiest and most blah meal of the trip. But hey, we were in Rome! So who cares? We got to sit in the shade and look around while fueling up. Then we walked 6 blocks to the Colosseum. Wow -- we're really HERE!
That's Rick in the red shirt, with Paul and Robbie behind him. Since I was constantly stopping to take pictures, I saw mostly their backsides.
But I finally got them to turn around because, after all, we needed PROOF that we'd been there!
Ignore Rick's semi-sneer. He loves to do that when I'm taking his picture, so I publish it as-is.
However, Rick WOULD smile when Paul took a picture of the two of us -- thank goodness!
Here's what I learned about the Colosseum from Rick Steves' book on Rome. (I relied heavily on Rick Steves for hotels, restaurants, and travel tips and recommend him highly. For those who don't know, Rick Steves has travel shows on PBS. This year is the first time I've used his books. I his advice!)
The Colosseum was built at the height of the Roman Empire in A.D. 80. Originally known as "Anfiteatro Flavio," the structure was used for gladiator contests and public spectacles. Later, the colossal structure was nicknamed a "coloss-eum" and was the wonder of its age. Basically, the Romans created two semicircular theaters and stuck them together to create this enormous amphitheater that accommodated 50,000 (!!!) fans.
The Romans pioneered the use of concrete and the rounded arch, which enabled them to build on this tremendous scale. The exterior is a skeleton of 3.5 million cubic feet of travertine stone. It took 200 ox-drawn wagons shuttling back and forth every day for four years just to bring the stone from Tivoli. Iron pegs held the larger stones together -- today, you can see the holes.
Only one-third of the original Colosseum remains -- hard to believe, as huge as it is. Earthquakes destroyed part, but most of the loss occurred during the Middle Ages when the building was no longer being used -- cartfuls of the stones were taken for churches and paved roads. There are probably pieces of the original Colosseum all over Europe.
The Romans were great engineers. They stacked stone blocks (without mortar) into the shape of an arch, supported temporarily by wooden scaffolding. Finally, they wedged a keystone into the top of the arch, which not only kept the arch from falling, but allowed the arch to bear even more weight.
What remains in the middle of the arena are the underground passages beneath the playing surface. (See my last picture above.) Animals and prisoners were kept down there, beneath a wooden floor covered by sand ("arena" in Italian). Shafts of little elevators in the center brought up surprises for the gladiators -- surprises like wild animals.
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