Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Italy. Show all posts

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Christmas in Italy

Stained glass
Stained glass window on the walls of the duomo in Siracusa

How do you sum up three weeks of travel around a country that included 8 cities? After spending two days sorting through pictures I'm not at all sure I'm up to writing anything extensive; so I thought I'd share some of my highlights from our time in Italy.
  • The brightly colored houses on the island of Burano outside of Venice
  • Riding the funicular part of the way up the mountain around Trento to Sardagna and the spectacular view of the Dolomites from that vantage point
  • Some of the unusual nativity scenes scattered around Assisi
  • Discovering my favorite church window in Italy is still the rose window of San Rufino in Assisi...from the outside
  • The bridge of angels leading across the river to Castel San'Angelo in the Vatican
  • The pure cheesiness of visiting Juliet's house and tomb in Verona
  • The absolutely spectacular golden mosaic behind the altar in the Church of Maria in Trastevere, Rome
  • Relaxing among the historical building and sea front on Ortygia Island in Siracusa, Sicily
  • Even more cheesiness at the Boca della Verita  on the wall of Santa Maria in Cosmedin in Rome where legend has it that if you tell a lie with your hand in its mouth it will bite your hand off
  • Hearing the church bells ring through the clear clean air
  • Watching mom enjoy gelato almost every afternoon
  • The overwhelming size of the Colosseum sandwiched in the middle of Rome
  • Not having to spend Christmas alone this year and having my mom for company
Mom and I in the Arena in Verona