Cinque Terre

I think one of the most relaxing days of our trip, although also one of the more physically strenuous, will be our day hiking the Cinque Terre.  As these five towns are so closely and easily connected by train and boat this will be a great opportunity for everyone to define their own level of activity.

The details of our Day tour of Cinque Terre

Tuesday, October 19th 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
As taken from Avventure Bellissime website description

• Riomaggiore - Manarola: 1.0 km: Completion time: 25 min.
• Manarola - Corniglia: 2.8 km: Completion time: h 1,00.
• Corniglia - Vernazza: 3.4 km: Completion time: h 1,45.
• Vernazza - Monterosso: 3.8 km. Completion time: h 2,00.

Our private day tour of the Cinque Terre will start at Riomaggiore, the first village of the Cinque Terre where we will start on an easy walk along La Via dell’Amore "Lovers Walk" trail that affords magnificent views of the coastline, and forms part of the famous coastal footpath that links all of the Cinque Terre (five villages).

We'll then continue on to the village of Manarola with a guide who will accompany us to catch the boat to transfer to Vernazza, the most beautiful village of the Cinque Terre, stop for lunch and exploration in Vernazza.

 After Vernazza, we'll drive up to the quaint village of Corniglia to enjoy some of the best views of the Cinque Terre. Perched on the hillside, surrounded by terraced slopes of vineyards you can celebrate your day on the Cinque Terre with a glass of the famous local wine.

PLEASE NOTE: As a Private tour of the Cinque Terre, we can manipulate this itinerary to suit the particular requirements of your family. A popular alternative to the above itinerary would be to continue to walk along the famous coastalk footpath from Manorola to Vernazza, instead of catching the boat. This would involve a more strenuous two-hour walk, and would mean that there would no time to visit Corniglia.

Florence Activities and Museums

Taken from Visit Florence

Florence's museums, palaces, and churches house some of the greatest artistic treasures in the world.

The most popular and important sites in Florence include

• Duomo/Cathedral
• Baptistery
• Uffizi
• Bargello
• Accademia

Wander some of the oldest streets in the city until you reach the Arno River, cross the Ponte Vecchio, and experience the "newest" area of Florence, the Oltrarno. Be sure to set aside time to see the vast and varied art collection housed in the Pitti Palace. When you grow weary of museums and monuments, head outdoors. Spend a day at the Boboli Gardens or climb the hill to the church of San Miniato al Monte to experience an enchanting view of Florence.

Campanile di San Marco (Bell Tower) - Landmark Review in Venice at Frommer's

Campanile di San Marco (Bell Tower) - Landmark Review in Venice at Frommer's

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Venice Maps & Things to See

Here's a few maps of Venice and the places I'm thinking we may want to visit, items I'm suggesting are in red:

THE MUSEUMS
OF ST.MARK’S SQUARE

1. DOGE’S PALACE
2. MUSEO CORRER
3. Museo Archeologico Nazionale*
4. Monumental Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana**
5. CLOCK TOWER
6. CA' REZZONICO - Museum of 18th-Century Venice
7. MUSEO DI PALAZZO MOCENIGO
8. CARLO GOLDONI’S HOUSE
9. CA' PESARO
10. MUSEO FORTUNY
11. GLASS MUSEUM - Dean may like this
12. LACE MUSEUM - Kathy may like this
13. MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Detailed information about Venice museums is available on the Fondaziona Musei website.




Or, the recommended walking tour to get from our hotel to St. Mark's Piazza:

Hotel Room Questions & Power Adapters

Based on some questions Brad had, I looked into room safes, laundry, power adapters, etc. Here is what I found:

Boscolo Bellini - Venice Rooms Feature

1 king bed. Desk. In-room safe. Television - Satellite service. Minibar. Bidet. Bathroom telephone. Hair dryer. Complimentary newspaper. Air conditioning. Climate control. Non-smoking rooms only. Internet Access (surcharge), Laundry facilities

La Diamora Degli Angeli - Florence

Double bed or two single beds combined, hair dryer, mini bar, safe, TV lcd Sat, Wi-Fi, adjustable air conditining warm/cold, daily cleaning, bed linen and towels change after 3 days. - This B & B does not have any laundry services

Marriott Courtyard Central Park - Rome

Air conditioning, Alarm clock, Electrical adapters, Individual climate control, Safe, Wireless Internet (fee), Hair dryer, Valet dry-cleaning

Outlets:

Electricity in Italy comes out of the wall socket at 220 volts alternating at a 50 cycles per second. In the US, electricity comes out of the wall socket at 110 volts, alternating at 60 cycles per second. Not only the voltages and frequencies, but the sockets themselves are different. The adapters sold at REI were recommended by frequent Italy travelers online.

Ciao!

Aqua Alta - Surfing in Venice

Just saw this video of the Aqua Alta in Venice and got a kick out of it.

Florence to Rome Transfer

I've booked our transfer from Florence to Rome.

AVVENTURE BELLISSIME TOURS
PRIVATE LIMOUSINE FLORENCE TO ROME

Pick-up at the Hotel Degli Angeli at 8:00 am

General Information

(paraphrased from the Avventure Tours website)

During our transfer tour, we'll pause along the way to visit the city of Siena, Tuscany's most famous hill town for a few hours of exploring before arriving in Rome between 2:00 and 3:00 in the afternoon. we'll visit the famous Piazza del Campo, and walk around the enchanting medieval city centre.And after 3 or more hours in enchanting Tuscany, we'll make our way to the Eternal city, where the transfer tour will end.

Trip Insurance

For anyone who is interested, I've been researching trip insurance options:

Through Delta I've found Access America a reasonably priced package with a reputable company, the options are below:

Air Ticket Protector - $93.38/person
Trip Cancellation and Interruption coverage for your non-refundable air ticket costs (up to $3,000) if you have to cancel your trip due to reasons like medical emergencies, certain terrorist acts, bad weather or strikes that completely shut down your common carrier.

Comprehensive Protector - $114.13/person
A comprehensive package of benefits to cover your trip investment and emergency medical costs while you travel.

Package Protector - $134.88/person
A comprehensive package of benefits to cover your trip investment, emergency medical costs, and your belongings while you travel.

If anyone would like to weigh in, or has experience with travel insurance I could use your input, this is NOT my area of expertise.