Bologna • Venice • Florence • Pisa • Rome
2008 May
The family hits the road to see the sights in Italy.
Wedding cake Rome
Two gentlemen in Bologna
Apartment bedroom
The sitting room.
One of the bedrooms
Noah on the kitchen balcony.
Bologna. City of porticoes
Bologna tower
Main piazza - Bologna
Piazza Nettuna - the heart of the city - a few blocks from the apartment.
Her majesty visiting Bologna?
Lunch with the Ralphs at Piazza Galvani.
Lunch in the piazza
Cosette helps herself to a drink on our walk through the park.
Jay and Jill stroll in the shadow of one of the towers.
Jay and Jill stroll in the shadow of one of the towers.
Luisa, our hostess, presents another course of homemade delights.
Torte
Bolgona church
Food city
Atop one of the towers
Due torri
The top of the tower provides a perfect vantage point for getting the shot
The view from above.
Let's get out of here.
Noah climbs the stairs inside one of the towers.
Dinner tonight is at Il Ducale. The owner is a character who delivers to Mac the best calzone he has ever had.
Il Ducale is apparently the king of calzones in Bologna but the owner say that the ones in Napoli are even better.
Does life get much better than a gelato stand on each corner?
This happy shopper found a 99¢ store.
Every meal a feast...and a picture.
And, of course, more courses.
The smile of a guy who knows that the food will just keep coming.
Noah takes a breather between courses.
Early in the morrning Noah and dad begin the climb up through the 666 porticoes to St. Maria de Luca.
Mass has just ended at St. Maria de Luca.
The halls of the Archiginnasio - the original home of Bologna's university - probably the first in the western world.
Archiginnasio Palace - Anatomical Theater
Anatomical Theatre detail
The Rossini Room of the Archiginnasio.
Back down in the city these bikes are all waiting to swarm through the narrow streets.
Neil finds morning coffee and a brioche marmelatta.
Maranello highlight
Ferrari display
Horsing around
Shopping for a ride
Droolers.
Can't I have one of these too?
Lamborghini shopper
It looks fast standing still.
Sleek
After the car factory visits it's on to Ferrara.
Lunch is on its way
The students begin their lesson on how to make pasta from scratch.
An eager student.
Noah in knead.
Cooking at the villa
Enjoying the fruits and vegetables of their labors.
Today it's time for cooking lessons at the villa in the countryside outside Verona.
Porticoes
On to Venice
Canalside
Noah takes a breather on the bridge
Two breathers on the bridge.
Noah's sore throat takes us on an adventure to the ER at the hospital in Venice.
Fortunately we didn't need the ambulance.
Murano glass blower
Wind swept
"Now, what news on the Rialto?"
Gondola
Bridge of sighs
Resting gondolas
Piazza San Marco
Definitely not Dominos
Post pasta
On to Florence.
Palazzo Vecchio in Florence
Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
David in the piazza
Bruschetta and chianti.
Salami
Pecorino, walnuts and honey.
Another outdoor meal.
Duomo dome
Praying to return
The bar is the boys' favorite room.
Palazzo Vecchio
Piazza Michelangelo
Arno bridge
Bridge couple
Reveller
Churchgoer
Piazza dei Miracoli - Pisa
Everyone does his part to help.
...or her part...
or his part...
PIsa guy
Tuscan countryside
Restaurant entrance
Restaurant entrance from inside
Starters
Glassware
Orvieto overview
Orvieto duo
Picking up a bottle
One of countless gelati we found.
Sampling every flavor.
Mac finds the limoncello merchant before we leave for Rome.
Ponte Cestio over the Tiber - Rome
Rome dude
Another Rome dude
Carabinieri
St. Peters Rome
Swiss guards
Swiss guards' footwear
Vatican post
Holy card
Vatican map room ceiling
St. Peters trio
Vatican art
Vatican map room
Vatican tourist
St. Eustachio - The caffé Caffé.
Time for a snack
Carabinieri transport
il gatto
Arriving for her wedding
Wedding cake Rome
When in Rome.
Mac wants to go swim for the coins.
Neil preventing Mac from going in for a dip.
Trevi with shades.
Partheon oculus
The king's tomb.
Starting to tire
We stumbled upon a simple, little church...
Mac refilling at the fountain.
The attic in Rome.
The coin toss - hoping to guarantee his return.
Throwing away the last Euro...
The last stop on the tour. Trevi fountain t night.
"Is there a doctor on board?" A passenger has an allergic reaction - but all ends well - just like the trip.