Italian Riveria, Rome, Florence & Venice, Italy

The following day we took the train to Camogli to have some beach time and eat the famous focaccia col formaggio. Beaches in the riviera are rocks. Very hot rocks. Not all riviera towns have an actual swimming beach, but Camogli has several to choose from. We chose the one less populated and enjoyed hours of shaded rocks and perfectly temperate waters. For lunch we ordered two focaccia col formaggio's (cheese stuffed focaccia) and not too soon arrived two large plates of a very thin pastry (resembling phyllo dough) oozing with white creamy cheese. We should have ordered one but dove into our respective meals with anticipation. I was expecting a mozzarella like cheese but this was dry, mild flavored and slightly sour cheese. The cheese, crescenza or stacchino, has a very distinct, delicate taste. In the States I can only compare it to a very fresh ricotta, but less sweet. I make focaccia and we expected it to be similar to this, a soft white bread drenched in delicious olive oil and sea salt with maybe a touch of rosemary. It is nothing like this, but certainly worth a taste. We advise this as a snack, shared between at least two people. And if you are allergic to dairy (like me) it is advised to enjoy the bloatedness and sleep it off. The lactose intolerant are further advised to drink white wine while eating cheese, apparently this helps with the breakdown of the substance and in Italy is cheaper than soda.

San Fruttuosso Abbey is located in a little alcove of Camogli. It is only accessible by foot or boat. Lucy recommended we stop here as it is slowly sinking into the sea. There is a lovely little beach (remember..."beach" means rocks in the riviera) here and a small restaurant and kiosk to order food and beverages. You can also rent a kayak or little porter boat and head out to see Christ of the Abyss (Google it). We watched a group of free divers suit up, fin up and swim out to him. Fifty feet under the sea, free divers (scuba divers are not allowed) can swim down and hang with Jesus. We toured the abbey and got on the next ferry to gawk at the absurdly rich views and people in Portofino.

Portofino. We had read that the average person would find themselves lucky to be able to afford an espresso while in Portofino. I took this on as a challenge and Jason succeeded in finding a small restaurant near the ferry, and I enjoyed a delicious cappuccino while Jason ate the best pizza he had in all of Italy (of course this was his first pizza in Italy, but as I write this, in Germany, he still says this was the best). The pizza was 8 euro, which is a very average price in all of the Italian cities we have been to. It was a simple margherita pizza: tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, basil and olive oil on thin crust, baked to a prefect crisp. The tomato sauce had so much flavor, saltiness and tang I'm assuming from freshly grown and recently picked tomatoes - this was never again matched in all of Italy.Yachts. Everywhere. Madame Gu (Google her - sleeps 12, with a staff of 36) coming in at the top for size, ability and gawk worthiness. This thing is like a transformer. As we were enjoying our adorable rock beach, we watched as one patron decided to swim. Out popped a platform, a staff person and one lone lady with a towel. She was looking at us, I believe envious of our "normal" lives, our simpleton ways of existing and ability to "blend in" on crowded streets. I watched on as she dove into the sea and then climbed up the ladder to rest on her private perch. A short time later a small portion of the back side of the yacht opened and out flipped a man to frolic in the sea. Was this really necessary, I thought to myself, what an arrogant prick...they had just rolled out the private perch for the lady and now he has to have the side of the boat open so that he could show off with his diving ability (it was a good dive). This guy waited in the water while staff lowered down a Seabob (Google it - I just did). As he Seabobbed around the yacht out came children and another female adult and two staff, presumably lifeguards / towel boys / waiters. I could not take my eyes off this damn yacht.

There are a few things to see in Portofino, we went to the free cemetery and church at the top of a hill and got incredible views of the town and sea. There is a small castle that we hiked to but did not want to pay the entrance fee, but enjoyed the views nonetheless. The homes are perfectly kept up, with perfect, beautiful gardens. Rumor is, Johnny Depp likes Portofino. Truth is, I like Johnny Depp, especially in Benny and Joon. As we waited for our ferry we watched the comings and goings of the smaller yachts. Fascinated with the people on them. We heard the staff on one yacht be told that they must be quiet as the client was eating their early evening snack. I'm rendered speechless...but I did put in a job application.

La Spezia was chosen for its proximity to Cinque Terre and for its more affordable lodging. It's a cute little port city with a fantastic fresh outdoor market. We were excited to eat some Ligurian specialties and stumbled upon a highly recommended (by TripAdvisor) restaurant called All'Inferno dal 1905. They do not accept credit card and there was a line waiting for them to open. We did not have reservations but were able to get in. We told our waiter we were on a budget and he said no problem and made recommendations, including a bottle of their house white, for 5 euro!! It was delicious, not only because the price was right, but because it was light, crisp, very slightly carbonated and oh so refreshing as this restaurant must be named Inferno because of the sheer heat in the sitting area. We were sweating. Other tourists around us were sweating. The Italians seemed not to notice. Italian meals are eaten in courses. The first course being the heaviest, often a pasta or rice dish followed by a fish or meat dish. Our waiter recommended four traditional dishes for us: fresh pasta with their famous pesto, another with fresh tomato and basil (half portions), a cod stew and the sweet and sour cod (all specialty dishes). The pesto was delicious, I should have ordered a full portion of just this, nothing else, except the wine, of course. The fish, however, was overcooked, dry, tough and quite frankly, boring. Soggy vegetables and weak sauce. We came in under budget and full, but disappointed.

Riomaggiore is the smallest of the Cinque Terre towns. It is the last one, if you are hiking from Montorosso al Mare.We took the train here from La Spezia (a 7 minute ride) and quickly walked away from the town to find our spot on the rocks. This beach wasn't too crowded, shockingly as it is the main swimming beach in the town.

You can swim right in the town at the boat launch as it is surrounded by large rocks that you can lay out on, jump from and snorkle around. You just claim a spot on a rock and hang out. The popular thing to eat here seems to be one of the many "fish cones". This is a large paper cone filled with fried sea foods, octopus, calamari, shrimp, a variety of small fish (which were the best, in both of our opinions). You can custom order your fish cone as well. Ours had some tempura vegetables in it. A squeeze of fresh lemon and some mayonnaise and a tasty snack is had.

*Note: if you want to get into the cathedrals, churches and basilicas (trust us, you want in to most of them), dress like a puritan. There is a dress code: cover your shoulders and have a shadow cast over your knees (men and women). Although, the bootie short, was out and proud at the Sistine Chapel...but then people were turned away at St. Mark's. So, when in doubt....Mormon undergarments are an excellent measuring device.

ROME

Trevi Fountain

Rome, in my minds eye was littered with cats and well, litter. I was not extremely excited to be coming to this city. I was misinformed and/or serendipitously protected from the dankness, as I continue to hear about the dirtiness of the city. Public transportation is clean, affordable, on time and quite extensive. We were conveniently located within walking distance of Vatican City. We purchased our entry tickets online (we highly recommend this or you will be in line for hours, we aren't exaggerating). You choose an entry time, and walk right in at your designated time. This place is extremely crowded, just know that before you show up, if you are here during the summer. You enter the Vatican Museums and slowly meander through seemingly endless halls of art, history and architecture, all leading to the Sistine Chapel.

As the crowd gets closer to the chapel the atmosphere changes. The pace quickens, the excitement fills the air and then you are there...being ordered by security to keep it moving, be quiet, no pictures, SILENCE! There's just too many of us in there to be quiet. Every minute a guard announces over loudspeaker "shhhh, silence, shhhh". This is actually never attained, but repeated nonetheless. Once you find a place to stand and you finally are able to look up, you realize you are in a place of beauty.

The Sistine Chapel is actually quite plain. I had learned of The Sistine Chapel as a child and in my child's imagination I had pictured it's ceiling hundreds of feet high made of intricate arches and small nooks and crannies that Michelangelo had to weasel his way into, all while on his back with a toothbrush sized paintbrush. It is not this. It really is a basic structure with a plain exterior. It is what's inside, on the walls and ceiling that are extraordinary, rich with religious history and mind-blowing artistic talents. The ceiling is 131' x 46', so yeah, it's an impressive canvas.

Ceiling shot of Sistine Chapel

The walls of the chapel are incredible in their own right and were painted by some of the world's greatest artists. I was erroneously taught that Michaelangelo painted most of the ceiling while on his back and was somewhat relieved to learn that he painted it while standing on a platform, that he devised, which was half the size of the ceiling. The platform was moved halfway through the project. Remarkably, he never viewed his work from the ground looking up, but rather from where he stood on the platform, only inches away from his art. The chapel is now the site of the papal conclave, the process in which the next Pope is chosen. There is so much history in this unassuming chapel that it makes it seem so much grander than what it actually is, in size anyway. Maybe this is where my childhood image was born, in it's history, in the stories of what have and will continue to transpired in and from this chapel.

Your entrance fee includes St. Peter's Basilica. The tour guide companies will try and sell you a guided tour, saying that the line for the basilica will take you back out of Vatican City to the back of the line. This is a lie. So, don't bother with paying extra. You will have to wait in another line, but this moves quickly. The lines are slow because you have to go through metal detectors (this is true at all the big tourist sites).

St. Peter's is enormous. All I can say is that you must come here if you find yourself in Rome. This was absolutely my favorite place. The sheer size is mind blowing. The artwork, sculptures and final resting places of some important Catholics is awe inspiring. Jason's favorite was the Sistine Chapel.

The Colosseum

Words escape me when trying to convey what it feels like to walk around this place. The thought that went into the creation of this megatheater is beyond comprehension. The hallways, entrances, exits, cages, subfloors, risers, cells, storage all contained beneath the main floor is absolutely incredible. Netflix Gladiator and let your imagination run free. This place is eerily spectacular! (Buy your tickets ahead of time, but you'll still have to wait about an hour in the line, to get through security). I also highly recommend the audioguide.

The Roman Forum & Palatine Hill, Pantheon

A bunch of really old shit. Check it out, just because it's accessible and the museum in the Hill is somewhat air-conditioned and has a free toilet. The Pantheon is free and the other stuff is across the street from Colosseum, and included in your ticket. Line is short and moves quickly.

FLORENCE

There is something so romantic, just thinking about Florence. Arriving via the Tuscan country side Florence just kind of appears out of green rolling hills and lush vines. Our apartment was in the old part of the city, amongst artists studios and small cafes and shops. Our first meal was a phenomenal spaghetti carbonara and a mushroom pizza. So simple and yet so delicious. We enjoyed a sunset from Michelangelo Plaza, totally worth the walk, about 20 minutes from Ponte Vecchio.

Ponte Vecchio

But we were here to see David. He lives in an unassuming building. You'd walk right by it, never knowing the rich collection of art inside, it's that basic. It looks like an apartment building. Again, we bought our tickets ahead of time, which didn't really get us anywhere any quicker than anyone else. I told a lady I'd save her place in line, right in front of us, if she wanted to check on the wait time...she returned and tried to smuggle 20 of her friends in front of us.

The Renaissance art on display here, is similar to the Renaissance art displayed everywhere we've been in Italy. It's mono thematic. It's bible story after bible story. It's censored. It's repugnantly restricted and I get the sense that many artists felt bored, unchallenged and had they had the freedom to let their freak flags fly we'd have a more diverse and rich artifacts from this time. I felt myself getting bored, until I turned the corner and found myself in a hall of Michelangelo's unfinished statues. Several varieties of the male form, in differing displays of life's conflicts are emerging from his preferred material, marble. I am so enthralled with his unfinished work that when Jason nudges me to look down the corridor, my breath literally leaves my body in one gasp. David. He is beautiful. He is perfection. I just want to sit with him, for hours. He is that spectacular. You just have to experience it.

VENICE

Venice is one of a kind and it's sinking, it's always been sinking. But recently the city is taking on more water. We decided to splurge on a night in the city to experience it day and night. It's better at night, when all the tourists leave. Most tourist stay outside of the city and therefore it becomes quiet and enjoyably walkable at night.

Gondola rides are expensive, $80 for 30 minutes during the day (up to 6 people) or $100 for 30 minutes at night (up to 6 people). I think the singing is extra, and then they probably want a tip. We were here for one night, just to experience it. To taste it, walk it, hear it, feel it, live it.

Of course, there's St. Mark's Cathedral and some other stuff you're supposed to see, but for us it was just trying to get lost down the narrow streets, corridors and along the canals.

Jason's favorite thing about Venice was walking the streets at night. The best thing for me was the artisan tiramisu at I Tre Mercanti. This is another one of those things that I will crave throughout this trip and possibly my life, it was that memorable. When we arrived they had three flavors on display: traditional, pistachio and passion fruit. I ordered the traditional. Breaking through a generous layer of lush cocoa the spoon connects with a subtly rich vanilla cream and dives into a coffee soaked ladyfinger to make the perfect blend of flavors. I licked the serving cup and went up for another. Pistachio was strongly encouraged. We were a bit hesitant, but so glad to have listened. I licked this serving cup clean as well. Tiramisu is made fresh, every hour in the window of this adorable shop. They are made in small batches, so although they may offer 16 different flavors, depending on the time of day, and how busy they've been, dictates what your flavor choices will be. Pistachio is one of the most popular.

If you are on a diet, don't bother coming to Italy.