We actually visited Italy twice on our trip.
These pictures were taken as we headed for Venice from Austria.
You have to see for yourself, pictures can only hint at the scenery.


Reifenstein castle, on the left, guards the southern entrance to the pass through the Eisack valley.
On the other side of the valley is Trost Castle .
Together they provided formidable defense before modern warfare.


The dolomite mountains.
We will see them again from Venice.


More castles.
Is it my imagination or is each one bigger than the one we just saw.


We are getting close to Venice.

Any doubt?


Venice is noted for its canals which take the place of highways, roads and alleys.
We were in a powerboat and came on some gondolas carrying passengers and one with a crew preparing for a race.
Skip to 55 seconds to see them.


Along the Grand Canal.


We went ashore and walked to the main square.
A popular place for tourists and local folks.

Just a note when planning your visit try to avoid new and full moons when the tides are especially high and sometimes flood the square.

We enjoyed music and a drink.


We had to take a ride to see what it was like.


A lot of fun.  Hope you get a chance to try it some day.


The view from the balcony of our hotel room.
Most buildings are only two or three stories tall.
It is hard to put in a foundation that will support more than that when the land is a filled in swamp and is still waterlogged and sinking.


We were greeted by an amazingly clear day.
The dolomite mountains can only be seen from Venice about three days a year.
The highest mountain, Marmolada, is 73 miles (117 Km) away.


At the gondola boatyard on the island of Morano we learned that each gondola is custom made to the specifications of the gondolier.
Details like the exact curvature of the keel to allow them to go in a straight line while propelled by a single oar .


Of course we couldn't leave Morano without visiting a glass workshop


Most of what we saw was too expensive for us to consider but we did buy a few small pieces.


The view from the bell tower.
  

If you look closely in the panoramas the mountains are visible.


I am sure that there are times to avoid visiting the top of the tower.
It could get loud.
The carvings on the yoke that held the bell caught my eye.


Looking down at the waterfront.


On a walking tour of the city .we saw canals small and large.


Which means bridges of all sizes.


Even with the weak subsoils there were occasional towers.


Some doorways had floodgates to keep high tides from entering.
This has become a more common problem as the average water level keeps going up.


Did a little shopping.
A glass jigsaw puzzle caught our eye in one shop.


Strange figures.


And the home of Marco Polo according to this plaque which says that, here were the houses of Marco Polo who traveled to the most remote regions of Asia and described them.


Another boat ride, this time to the island of Burano.
As we approached we noticed the tipsy bell tower. 


Some novice gondoliers were working hard on their lesson.


Colorful shops and homes.


The island is known for lace.


After dinner and a few drinks we saw that tower we noticed when we were coming in.
It seems to be much straighter.
You suppose it was the change in perspective not the drinks.


Another great sunset.


On Mother's Day Nancy got a surprise from Wendy and Soahn.


Another couple of churches as we were leaving the city.


From Venice we returned to Austria.
Then on to Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece, before seeing Italy again after sailing across  the Adriatic Sea.


A church on every hilltop.


A modern city street along an ancient city wall.


Or through a old city gate.


Restoration work and across rivers.

To the Vatican
The entrance to the museum


Some of the grounds and our first view of Saint Peters.
Art and historical artifacts from around the world.


Inside the museum.
Art everywhere, check the ceilings.


We had seen vessels like these in St Petersburg Russia.


One of the popes had a spiral roadway built so he could get to the upper level without getting out of his carage.


And the view from that window.


Grecian urns.


A table of astronomical observations.
Specifically the time it takes the sun to pass the meridian and it's apparent diameter at various times of the year.
From this data it should be possible to determine several parameters of the earth's orbit.


Egyptian statues, another immense bowl, and some roman sculptures.
That one seems to have a migraine.


Some of the art in the hall leading to the Sistine Chapel.


The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.


The ramp outside took us to


Saint Peter's Square.


Inside Saint Peter's only the Pope can walk down the central aisle.


The Swiss guards have been protecting the Pope since the 15th century.


Here is their changing of the guard ceremony.
Simpler than others we have seen.


Making mosaics requires heating and blending colored glass fragments to get the right shade for each of the bits of the picture.
Then drawing out a strand and cutting it to tiny chips that are assembled to produce the final work of art.

More of what you see everywhere, driving through the city.


Some fakirs faking.
I would like  to see how they get set up.


The Coliseum
   

Centurions?


More sights around Rome.


Trevi fountain. 
It is named for the three roads that meet here and has been a source of water since ancient Roman times.
It has been a place to gather, share bits of news, and gossip ever since then.
From this we get our word "trivia".


Another fine dinner.


Traveling south.


Limoncello production and bottling plant and would you believe those are the lemons that they use.

The city of Pompeii, buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, rediscovered 1500 years later, and slowly revealed as excavations proceed.


The Quadriportico dei Teatri


The amphitheater


Roads had stepping stones so you could cross when they were flooded.
The gaps between the stones permitted the wheels of carts to pass unobstructed.


The fast food shop of the day, a cauponae.
Traces of stews of meat, beans and lentils have been found in the pots.


More of the city
 

The residents died when the ash from the volcano buried the city.
When their bodies decayed a void was left.
Some of these have been filled with plaster revealing an image of the person.


It is fortunate that the roof of the baths didn't collapse since it lets us see the decorations.
The third picture shows another part of the bath where the columns supported the floor so that hot air could be circulated under it to warm the rooms and water above.


A picture from the bordello.
This and others served as a "menu" for the patrons.


A lead pipe which brought water into the city and a fountain where residents could get it.


One of the mosaic floors.


The Forum


On the way out we passed more of the ruins.
 

Mount Vesuvius about 5 miles (8Km) away.


Returning north along the coast.


Then inland toward Florence.


A visit to the Piazzale Michelangelo and a bronze replica of the famous marble statue of David carved by Michaelangelo.
A great place to get a view of the city.
The red dome at the center is the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore or Basilica of Saint Mary of the Flower.


Pizza for lunch


The Palazzo Vecchio clock tower on the town hall and the Ponte Vecchio bridge


And I can't pass up the chance to take a photo of another bride.


Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore from the street.
It is not curved that is just an artifact of a very wide angle view.


Inside


Also inside is the tomb of Galileo Galilei.
Interesting, because he was condemned by the Catholic Church for "vehement suspicion of heresy"


Time has taken a toll on some of the artwork that once decorated the walls.
Flooding as recently as1966 has added to the damage.


The white marks on the wall show just how high the water has been at various times since the cathedral was built.


Across the square was the Baptistry of Saint John and its Paradise Gate.


Town hall close up.


A still and Pinocchio in a couple of shops nearby.


And a firetruck for our friends at Route 504 VFD.


We enjoyed an evening of good food, wine, music, and dance at the I Tre Pini not far from Florence


One of our traveling company had been a professional dancer and asked Nancy to join him for a turn around the dance floor.


Everyone joined in a sing along as we were returning to our hotel.