Wow! Venice is even more enchanting when you come here with the one you love! We are having a marvellous time in the most romantic city and kicked it off with making a dream come true. A gondola ride! It was something we have both wanted to do with the love of our life and so we didn't waste a moment. We hired our private gondolier and spent a magic 30minutes sliding thru the narrow canals, under bridges and past other happy travellers. We toasted 11 years marrie...

We are staying two nights in Bologna as a walk down memory lane for Chris who studied here in a university exchange program over 15 years ago. He says it is coming back to him now, the familiar places, streets and culture and remembering why he loves this city. Bologna is unlike any of the other towns we have been to. It is not touristy and is rougher around the edges with its university crowds and punkish culture. Graffiti art is big here and political messages...

Though we are staying in Bologna for a few days we couldn't pass up the day trip to Ravenna, an hours train trip away. It is a small town that is a Unesco World Heritage Site with several Byzantine Mosaics dating back to the 5th and 6th Centuries AD. There are six sites we visited today that each have their own distinct styles and stories. The mosaics are found in little Baptistries (a circular brick church) and in Basilicas and Mausoleums. The incredible detail ...

It is a special place. We can't get over that. Cinque Terre is like no other and we have been enjoying its charm, beauty and unique feeling. We haven't explored all five towns but tried to savour each one and take it easy. We took a little hike to capture the famous view of Vernazza from above, climbing the steep stone steps that wind their way up, up, up. And what an incredible view! The town is notorious for its Oceanside harbour and the rocks its little colour...

We have gone from one scenic vista to another are are totally enamoured with Cinque Terre on the Ligurian coast of Italy. We arrived by train in the afternoon and were warmly welcomed by our host Christian...a lively and friendly local who knows everyone in town. He introduced us to a sommelier steps from our room with a view who poured a tasting of local and regional Italian wine while we took in the view. Our terrace looks over the sea and is stunning. We are s...