Day Eight (Last Day in Italy)

Last day in Italy so we crammed in a bunch of stuff. We started the day back at St. Peter's.


This amazing wooden alter is one of several built one on top of the other directly over Peter's grave.

The dome above the alter.


Next we did the Vatican tour. Actually our tour guide never showed so we did a self guided tour wich really worked out better anyway and saved us about $60. To get to the Sistine Chapel you have to go through the Vatican museum which is a very long labyrinth of overcrowded hallways full of the most incredible artwork. Expect to spend some time here if you want to or not.


You are allowed to take pictures in the museum but not in the Sistine Chapel. So here is the illegal picture Penni took. (Shh.... Don't tell anyone.) It is a little out of focus because she took it blindly snapping it from the waist. What a rebel.


The Vatican is guarded by Swiss guards. Here they are getting onto a tourist. Leave it to my people to have the silly clothes.


The Roman Fourm.



And of course, the picture at Trevi Fountain.


We did thow a few coins in.


Final shot in Rome.


These are our friends from the bed and breakfast. They are the friendliest people in Rome. If you ever visit Rome this is the place to stay "Guest House Arena". Great people, nice rooms, and only two blocks from the Colosseum.

Day Seven

Day seven was a side trip to Pisa and Lucca. Not really a lot more to see in Pisa other than the leaning tower.



Of course when you go to Pisa you always have to take a cheesy picture of someone holding up or kicking over the tower. I decided to do the kicking over picture. I might should change the title of this blog to "The dork traveler." Look at that goofy picture.What they don't tell you about Pisa is that the baptistery on the other side of the church from the tower also leans. This amazing structure was build with such brilliant acoustics that it will resonate a note for 10 seconds. Each hour the guard demonstrates this amazing resonance by singing three notes that sustain so long that they form a cord. This is inside the church in Pisa.


The wall around the city of Lucca. This is a medieval walled city in the heart of the Tuscan valley.


A very small beautiful city that was at one point given by Nepolean to his sister as a gift. She did not care fore the wall because it gave the city a military feel, so she built parks on top of the wall at each of the corners.

Day Six

Day six. We did a little shopping in the markets and then took the bus to Fiesole (a small village just up the hill that overlooks Florence.

The Tuscan hillside. View from Fiesole.


looking back down on Florence.


You can see the Duomo through the fog.
This is at the San Miniato al Monte. This artist is painiting with a fork.


The ceiling in the San Miniato al Monte.


We met up with John and Angela and walked back down into town to have dinner. We had a really great time with these guys. (Look us up if you are ever in Texas!)

Beautiful view.