We had another private tour arranged from the port of Naples to see both Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii first. We had a separate driver (Fabio) and guide (Patricia). The ruins Of Pompeii (and their reconstruction) are both amazing and surreal. Patricia gave us tips on how to interpret different details so we could try to visualize what things might have been like and how to recognize the purposes of various structures and rooms. It's surprising to see the adv...

Sunday was Rome day, but since we were going to be in Rome for 8 days at the end of our trip, we took a rest day on the ship (except for a 2-hour jaunt by Steve and Tom into the port of Civitavecchia in search of free wifi and a SIM card for Steve's iPad - no luck, since most businesses were closed :-( ). So, here are two more photos from Florence - one with our fabulous guide Clara and the other of us with Florence and the Duomo in the background. Did we menti...

Near the end of our long day of touring Florence on foot, Clara drove us to a small park overlooking the city. The beautiful river of Arno runs through the city. The top photo is a good overview of the city with the Duomo prominently in view. The second shows the bridge of Ponte Vecchio over the river which, in olden times, connected two palaces. Now, it has lots of shops for us tourista's.

After lunch we visited the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, one of the other most well-known and visited historical sites. All of the churches, basilicas, and cathedrals we visit are unique and impressive in their own way (though we're told that those in Rome will make these look plain in comparison).

Florence is a city of art - sculptures, paintings, architecture - and it is everywhere. At the Basilica di Santa Croce there was a replica of the Statue of David, but also several other original sculptures and statues. It is hard to fully grasp the magnitude of these pieces of art and the lives of the passionate artists who created them.