Yes folks, I'm very lucky this year to be living "The Sweet Life" as they say in Italian and yes, I'm back traveling again and this time in Italy! Welcome to all you new folks who are just joining our little travel club for these daily emails. For those that have been with me for awhile, rumor has it that the "Sheep Thingies" from China have gone viral on You Tube but I haven't been able to confirm that! So for this trip I decided to go back to my roots and go visit my heritage. My rough itinerary is 6 days in Rome, 4 days in Sorrento to do the Amalfi Coast and 5 days in Florence. I flew into Rome today. The flight was a little delayed out of Philly but it was a pretty smooth flight and I got to my hotel by about Noon or so. Good ol' Rick Steves travel book set me up with a great hotel for a really reasonable price right near the main train station but away from all the noise. All the trains, buses and Metros leave from a block from my hotel so it's really convenient to get anywhere. This afternoon I just went exploring around my hotel and jumped on the Metro (subway) to check it out. Very easy to get around. I have to admit, my Catholic genes are coming out in force! There must be a beautiful Catholic church on every other block. And I haven't even been to the Vatican yet! They say Rome is just one big outdoor museum and I think they're right so far. The architecture on the buildings and churches is also really cool. And the Italians love their "piazzas" or town squares and I've included pictures of several I saw today. The one with all the people on it is the famous Spanish Steps. I swear in that one picture I did not bring that palm tree over from Hawaii! Well it's been a long day of travel so I'm going to pack it in early. Hope everyone's having a great Tuesday!
The Wandering Italian 