Trip to Italy - 1997 (Click on any image to load a larger copy)
Introduction
In the spring of 1997 one of my friends, Thuan, was fortunate to be transferred from Virginia to Bern,
Switzerland. Soon after moving to Bern, Thuan offered me the opportunity of coming over to his place and going
on an tour of one of the nearby countries (France, Germany, or Italy). I accepted his offer and we decided that
we would make a tour of Italy in early September.
In mid-August, Thuan was informed that the project he was working was no longer going to exist and that he would be moving back to the US at the end of September. He also was informed that he could not use any of his vacation until he moved backed to the US. This put a damper on our vacation plans, but as I had already booked my ticket and Eurorail pass, I decided to go anyway and if necessary travel in Italy by myself.
I left the US on the 3rd of September and arrived in Geneva where I spent the night with a family friend. The next day I took the train to Bern where Thuan met me. After dropping of my stuff at his apartment, we walked around the city and had a good Swiss Rosti for lunch. I also picked up a Genuine Swiss Army Knife
We headed back to Thuan's place to determine what our plans would be. We figured out as the weekend was about to begin, Thuan could go with me to our first destination, Venice. But rather than continue the trip after Monday, Thuan would head back to Bern at that time and I would continue to go to Florence and Rome by myself. So we went to the train station to take the late night train to Venice.
We arrived in Venice very early on Saturday and after waiting for the Hotel Reservation place to open, booked a room at a nearby pension. After dropping of our bags, we began walking to the Piazza San Marco. Of course we got lost and walked in circles for a time. But we did see the Fish market and a few off the beaten path places in Venice. Eventually we found vaporetto stop and took the boat to the Piazza. We took the tour of the campanile (bell tower) and had some very expensive drinks at one of the cafes in the Piazza (but the drinks were worth it for the people watching we were able to do). After walking around a little more and having a good meal, we headed back to the pension.
The next day, we took a ferry out to Lido and from there to the island of Murano (famous for its glass making). After having lunch and picking up some glass, we headed back to the main part of Venice to watch the Regatta. The Regatta is held every September and we were lucky to be in Venice for the correct weekend. Soon it began to rain and we headed back to the pension for a rest. Later we had probably the best meals I have ever had. It was just a Calazone and a serving of Tiramisù but somehow they just tasted better.
Monday morning Thuan headed back to Bern and I took the Eurostar Italia to Florence. After finding a pension I went to the Dromo. While there, I climbed up to the top of top of the dome to get a great view of the city. The next day, I went to the Uffizi Gallery very early to beat the crowds and saw the works of my favorite painter, Botticelli. His most famous painting is the The Birth of Venus. After seeing the art of the museum, I toured the Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, and the Palazzo Pitti. I was pretty exhausted by that time and went back to my hotel after having dinner at a good trattoria. I decided to take it easy on Wednesday and only went to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's statue of David. I spent the rest of the day just walking around town.
On Thursday I took another Eurostar Italia train to Rome. I soon discovered that the weather in Rome was quite hot and I decide to do things at a slower pace. In the afternoon I took a walking tour of Rome starting at the Colosseum, passing by the Forum, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain before ending at the Piazza Navona. I spent Friday at the Vatican museums and St. Peters. Saturday brought the end of my vacation and I took a train to the airport and flew back to the US via London.
In mid-August, Thuan was informed that the project he was working was no longer going to exist and that he would be moving back to the US at the end of September. He also was informed that he could not use any of his vacation until he moved backed to the US. This put a damper on our vacation plans, but as I had already booked my ticket and Eurorail pass, I decided to go anyway and if necessary travel in Italy by myself.
I left the US on the 3rd of September and arrived in Geneva where I spent the night with a family friend. The next day I took the train to Bern where Thuan met me. After dropping of my stuff at his apartment, we walked around the city and had a good Swiss Rosti for lunch. I also picked up a Genuine Swiss Army Knife
We headed back to Thuan's place to determine what our plans would be. We figured out as the weekend was about to begin, Thuan could go with me to our first destination, Venice. But rather than continue the trip after Monday, Thuan would head back to Bern at that time and I would continue to go to Florence and Rome by myself. So we went to the train station to take the late night train to Venice.
We arrived in Venice very early on Saturday and after waiting for the Hotel Reservation place to open, booked a room at a nearby pension. After dropping of our bags, we began walking to the Piazza San Marco. Of course we got lost and walked in circles for a time. But we did see the Fish market and a few off the beaten path places in Venice. Eventually we found vaporetto stop and took the boat to the Piazza. We took the tour of the campanile (bell tower) and had some very expensive drinks at one of the cafes in the Piazza (but the drinks were worth it for the people watching we were able to do). After walking around a little more and having a good meal, we headed back to the pension.
The next day, we took a ferry out to Lido and from there to the island of Murano (famous for its glass making). After having lunch and picking up some glass, we headed back to the main part of Venice to watch the Regatta. The Regatta is held every September and we were lucky to be in Venice for the correct weekend. Soon it began to rain and we headed back to the pension for a rest. Later we had probably the best meals I have ever had. It was just a Calazone and a serving of Tiramisù but somehow they just tasted better.
Monday morning Thuan headed back to Bern and I took the Eurostar Italia to Florence. After finding a pension I went to the Dromo. While there, I climbed up to the top of top of the dome to get a great view of the city. The next day, I went to the Uffizi Gallery very early to beat the crowds and saw the works of my favorite painter, Botticelli. His most famous painting is the The Birth of Venus. After seeing the art of the museum, I toured the Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, and the Palazzo Pitti. I was pretty exhausted by that time and went back to my hotel after having dinner at a good trattoria. I decided to take it easy on Wednesday and only went to the Accademia Gallery to see Michelangelo's statue of David. I spent the rest of the day just walking around town.
On Thursday I took another Eurostar Italia train to Rome. I soon discovered that the weather in Rome was quite hot and I decide to do things at a slower pace. In the afternoon I took a walking tour of Rome starting at the Colosseum, passing by the Forum, Pantheon, and Trevi Fountain before ending at the Piazza Navona. I spent Friday at the Vatican museums and St. Peters. Saturday brought the end of my vacation and I took a train to the airport and flew back to the US via London.
Photo Info
I took these photos with a borrowed Nikon Point & Shoot camera and used print film. The camera was nice to
use and very compact but had I found problems with some of the photos due to distorting. You can see this on the
Ponte Vecchio photo where the sky is very light in the center of the picture but dark at the edges. The photos
were digitalized using Kodak's Photo CD and were cleaned up a bit with Adobe PhotoShop Elements. Additional Camera Information
Venice, Italy
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| A vaporetto emerging from the fog early in the mourning | Boats racing in the Regatta held in September each year | Venice viewed from the bell tower in Piazza San Marco |
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| Piazza San Marco | The Bridge of Sighs | The grand canal |
Florence, Italy
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| Florence and the hills of Tuscany | The Duomo | The Ponte Vecchio crossing the Arno river |
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| A street as viewed from atop the Duomo | Another view of Florence and the hills of Tuscany | The Piazza della Signoria |