Friday, June 27, 2014

Italy

Connie and Hewitt left for Italy on May 31, 2014.


It was a long flight, but we arrived at Naples Airport (not the one in Florida mind you) at 11:35 on Saturday.  A day ahead of the others in the group.  Tauck picked us up at the airport and drove us to our Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in Sorrento, Italy. What a room it was.  It had a terrace with table and chairs and a lounge chair right off the bedroom that had a beautiful view of the gardens.  We were tired from the trip so we just did some walking in the gardens and walked out to the main pizzasa.



 Views from our terrace, and the outside bar area of the hotel.  Beautiful or what!!






June 2    The first day of our tour.  We had a welcome reception and dinner in a small private dinning room in the hotel.  We meet everyone on our trip.  Some of the people had come in the day early as we did. 

June 3,   Day 2 our our trip.  We were on the bus at 7:45 ready to view the Amalfi Coast and Ravello.  Lunch would be in town of Ravello at Cumpa Cosimo.












June 4   Happy Birthday John.  Day 3 we are leaving lovely Sorrento and the terrace off our room  to go to Pompei and on to Rome.  We had lunch in a little place called Restaurante President in Pompei and then departed for Rome and the Hotel St. Regis.  We will have a private visit to the Vatican museum and Sistine Chapel at 7:00 PM.












June 5  Day 4 on our Classic Italy tour.  We will be going to St Peters Basilica.  Afternoon is ours and then to dinner at a characteristic neighborhood restuarante in Roma.  Osteria Romana.









June 6 and Day 5  Today we are touring Rome and the Colosseum with lunch and dinner
 on our own








June 7 Day 6  Leaving Rome for a little town of Orvieto and the Cathedral of Orvieto where we will have lunch at Ristorante la Grotta and departed for Torgiano and the Hotel le Tre Vaselle.  We have a wine tasting and then dinner at  Le Melagrane at the hotel.




June 8  Day 7  We are going to Assisi and will have a tour conducted by a local guide.  Lunch at on our own and a cooking class back at the hotel Le Melagrane.








June 9, Day 8  Trip to San Gimigniano and lunch on our own then to a little town  called Viareggio and the Principe Di Piemonte Hotel.




                                      Bus had a fuse problem so we stopped at a local home which had a large drive
                                         and  we played with a kid and water balloons.
                                         Leaning Tower of Pissa

June 10  Day 9  We are getting on a boat and tour the Cinque Terre island and on to Florence at the Westin Exelsior Hotel . 








June 11  the 10th Day  Florence  We will go to the Accademia and see David. and walk around with a local guide.







June 12   the 11th day of our trip and Florence
 We are to go with a walking local guide to the Uffizi Gallery.  Lunch and dinner are on our own.

June 13  12th day.    We will be taking a high speed train to Venice and go to St Mark's Basilica.  We are staying at the Hotel Europa and Regina in Venice.   This evening we are taking a gondola ride and dinner is on our own.
















June 14 the 13 day of our tour.   The day is on our our and we have a farewell cocktail and dinner tonight.
We will be staying an extra day in Venice and leaving on  Monday the 16th and arriving back in Ft Myers, very late.













June 15  Day on our own.  We have plans to go to Murano, the isle of glass.  We will take the Vaporatia which is about a 40 minute boat ride and see what gems we can buy.