We will continue our journey through Italy with this blog Memorable Italy II
When we first started making plans to visit Italy we almost did not go to Florence. We put more emphasis on Milan, because of my love of fashion and design. Milan, actually was not our favorite destination. Unless, of course you had the funds to shop till you dropped! ;)
Florence was a different experience, as it was so beautiful with much to do and see.
We stayed at a lovely Palace that was renovated to accommodate travelers called Leone Blu Suites UNA Esperienze. (see image below)
The proprietor of this property was Andre' who was so very helpful, pleasant, kind, and accommodating. Plus, a delicious breakfast was included daily in the dining room with windows open to see the landscape of that wonderful view. The menu was varied and would be pleasing to most. If we ever return to Florence we will definitely stay at Leone Blu Suites again!
Near the Santa Maria del Fiore basilica there was a separate building that was solely for the sacrament of Baptism . (See image below)
While we were in Florence we took a trip to the Tuscany region of Siena with our daughter and her family. It was a lovely spot. The entrance to some of the residences were so interesting. This one caught our eye to make us stop to capture. We hope you’ll enjoy looking at it as much as we did.
Next stop Rome! We took the train to Rome from Florence. It was about a 2 hr trip. The trains are clean, quiet with comfortable seating, and with a/c. A very pleasant experience. We suggest you obtain your train tickets beforehand to make things simpler and less hectic when travelling.
We booked our hotel and found it was the BEST accommodations we experienced in Italy. It was a new boutique hotel called The Liberty. Our room was so clean, modern with a balcony with potted tree's, chaise lounge and small sofa for outdoor seating. Also, available was a garden setting off the lobby where they serve light snacks and beverages. Either experience is a great choice as we needed to have down time and what a pleasant way to do just that. (see images below)
The Liberty was a half hour walk from the train station but a pleasant walk as you experienced the area firsthand. Also, the cabs would not bring us to the hotel because it was so close, which was disappointing but we made the best of that situation and took in the sites along the way. Also, the location of this hotel was very close to a laundromat which was helpful as we only brought two carry-on's per person on the plane. During our 16 day travel, we washed our clothes twice. Once in Rome , and in Florence as well.
Upon leaving we found out they were constructing a second location in Rome as well. Its hotel accommodations are done with quality amenities with a great modern aesthetic style. You'll even experience a fresh potted orchid plant in your room! :)
We strolled down the street one day by the various embassy's and caught a photo of the gates to the British Embassy and that of the colorful Turkey Embassy. (see below)
We wanted to catch a glimpse of the United States Embassy, but it was a farther distance than we wanted to walk....in hindsight I wished we did.
Rome is noted for many sites to visit both historical, religious, and as a customary traditional site to visit; like the Trevi Fountain. The historical ones are the Colosseum,The Spanish Steps,The Pantheon,(see image below), Vatican City, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and our favorite was Saint Peter's Basilica.
Inside Saint Peter's Basilica one experiences reverence. In this holy place, the choir was singing from a recording, as moving as that definitely was, I could only imagine if it were a live performance how more impactful that would have been. My hopes are to revisit a Mass next time we travel to Italy.
The carvings and figuratively works of art are magnificent. It truly is a monument of splendor to our creator. (see featured image above and below of the interior)
In closing, if you're wondering why we do not have more sites of interest blogged here, it's because some of our reservations were cancelled for various reasons. We had this happen in France for the D'Orsay Museum. In Italy, our planned trip to Pompeii and the Colleseum in Rome was also cancelled.
As a heads up, our experience was not the best with the agency Viator. In fairness, other family members did not have the same experience.
The next and final Italian journey will be blogged in Memorable Italy III - Stay tuned!
