Italy 2000

April 16th, 2000 by alephnaught

The journey ends

We had to cross another marathon to get to the airport, and the cab driver cursed out another driver, which reminded us of home here in Chicago. Otherwise, the return flight was uneventful. However, the airline decided to deliver one of our bags the next day, which meant we had to wait around until all […]

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April 15th, 2000 by alephnaught

Our last day (and a last supper)

Fittingly, on our last full day in Italia we saw the Last Supper. See it fast, its almost gone off the wall entirely. We went to the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, a large art gallery on two floors, with most of the paintings on the second floor. Here is a work by Carravagio. There are also really […]

April 14th, 2000 by alephnaught

Training to Milan

We almost missed out train because the signals for the trains are very confusing in the Venezia railstation. Luckily a conductor pointed us to the right track ten minutes before the train left. The hotel we stayed at, the Starhotel Ritz, is a four-star hotel, and it was very nice, including TV and internet in […]

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April 13th, 2000 by alephnaught

The islands

For our last full day in Venezia, we took an afternoon cruise to three islands: Murano, Burano, and Torcello. Murano is famous for their glass works – we bought some nice gifts there (including one low priced vase for ourselves). Burano is famous for their lace making. Torcello is the oldest center of civil rule […]

April 12th, 2000 by alephnaught

Dorsoduro

We took a vaporetto to the tip of Dorsoduro, the Basilica di San Maria della Salute. Then, on to the Peggy Guggenheim and then ending at the Galleria dell Accademia, which has a huge painting collection and is most worthwhile to visit. After a hearty lunch at a trattoria with an old, energetic waitress, we […]

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April 11th, 2000 by alephnaught

Walking and riding (sailing?) around Venice

The Ca’ d’Oro is a large art museum on the Grand Canal one stop north via Vaporetto No. 1 from the Rialto bridge. You get off at the Ca’ d’Oro stop and walk part way down the alley, er, street to the entrance. One of the famous pieces inside the museum is a painting of […]

April 10th, 2000 by alephnaught

St. Mark's

Our hotel is right on a small canal, which explains why there is an odd odor when we open the window. However, its worth the odor to hear a guitar or accordion played on a passing gondola. We walked less than five minutes and spilled out onto St. Mark's Square and Basilica. The square is […]

April 9th, 2000 by alephnaught

Training to Venice

We had a slow morning. While some work was being done by the rail line between Roma and Firenze, a World War II bomb was discovered. They decided to detonate it during the time our train was to arrive, so we were delayed two hours. But, we finally got our train and got to Venezia. […]

April 8th, 2000 by alephnaught

Fiesole

When the weather is clear and warm, you must take the number 7 bus from the train station out to Fiesole. Fiesole is an old town (it dates back to the original Etruscans that settled before Firenze existed) on a hill that overlooks Firenze. Its small and charming. We ate at Ristorante Aurora overlooking Firenze […]

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April 7th, 2000 by alephnaught

Around town

We did the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, which was another Medici residence. There is a dynamite chapel upstairs in this building with a full-surround frescoe in exceptional condition. The frescoe tells the story of the Magi, with various real-life participants (including a portrait of Lorenzo Medici) and vivid color. We went back to the toy store […]