- Venice: Day 2
- Weather: 60-80° / sunny & winds 5 mph
From a distance is the best view of the largest church in Venice, San Giovanni e Paolo. Magnify its splendidness by glimpsing it under a bridge.
From Down Under – September 12, 2026
Category: Italy
Climb Every Step – September 12, 2026
- Venice: Day 2
- Weather: 60-80° / sunny & winds 5 mph
Santa Maria della Salute’s dome dominates the sky. For more gumption than money I climbed the dome stairs for a spectacular view. The church was commissioned as thanks for preserving Venice from the 17th century plague.
Garden – September 12, 2026
- Venice: Day 2
- Weather: 60-80° / sunny & winds 5 mph
The Seaside Gardens of Chiesa del Santissimo Redentore are a welcome pause from the hordes of tourists in Venice. My favorite tourists today were a couple carrying matching Hermès shopping bags. She had two bags to his one.
Staying People- September 11, 2026
- Venice : Day 1
- Weather: 60/80° / sunny & winds 10-15 mph
By night the throngs of day visitors are gone. We are the staying people settled in for the night. A quartet in St Marks Square is playing the “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly.”
Vogue Neighbors – September 11, 2026
- Venice: Day 1
- Weather: 60/80° / sunny & winds 10-15 mph
Giorgio Armani, Brunello Cucinelli, Gucci, Chanel, Ferragamo, Prada, Valentino, Cartier, Lou’s Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Dior are all within two blocks on my accommodation. Yet walk 50 feet between two blind alleys and with luck find my humble digs in a hidden square. This is truly Venice.
Vaporetto – September 11, 2026
- Venice: Day 1
- Weather: 60/80° / sunny & winds 10-15 mph
Though Venice is only 2 and 1/2 square miles, it’s a spider web of canals making walking on land a challenge. Water taxis are the best way to go. I sat in the immediate front of the Vaporetto taxi with a grin on my face riding to my accommodation. I’m here.
Familiar Becomes Unfamiliar ~ October 12, 2015
- October 12, 2015
- Day 35
- Firenze
- 70-78 degrees
Departure brings a rush of emotions. Leaving the familiar. Encountering a long planned destination with all its unfamiliarities. Our trio of friends wish each a bon voyage at the train station for our own destination.
- 1st Florence Train Station
- 2nd Snav Ferry, Ancona, Italy
Sunday Stroll ~ October 11, 2015
- October 11, 2015
- Day 34
- Firenze
- 60-75 degrees
A Sunday stroll across the Arno River was free from the usual tourist trappings. I simply went where my feet lead me. I discovered a cafe with a charming outdoor garden complete with a grassy amphitheater for small productions and a dog park by the Rome Gate.
- 1st, 2nd Chalet Antana, Bosle Galileo 7, 50125 Firenze
- 3rd, 4th Regolamento Del Giardino, Florence
Synagogue ~ October 11, 2015
- October 11, 2015
- Day 34
- Firenze
- 70-78 degrees
A visit to the Jewish Synagogue helped balance the Catholic Cathedrals seen. Lunch next door at Ruth’s Kosher Vegetarian restaurant was a delightful twist.
- 1st Jewish Synagogue
- 2nd, 3rd Ruth’s Kosher Vegetarian Restaurant, Florence
Santa Croce ~ October 10, 2015
- October 10, 2015
- Day 33
- Firenze
- 70-78 degrees drizzled all day
The Basilica di Santa Croce is one of the principal churches of Florence. The austere interior, stupendous in size, creates a calming effect. The wooden ceiling with elegant simplicity seems to magnify the height of the church. It contains the tombs of Michalangelo, Dante, Galileo, Nd Machiavelli.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Basilica of Santa Croce
Linda Scandore 