Home Again

After a trip, I like to reflect on what stood out and what was most meaningful.  The entire trip was quite a lesson in Western Civilization, beginning with ancient Rome and moving towards Italy of today. I especially loved the Pantheon in Rome.  In Florence, I was captivated while learning about the Renaissance and how after 1000 years in the Middle Ages, the masters reached back to early Rome to advance in the arts, architecture, and sciences. David was such a masterpiece. I especially enjoyed our visit to Siena with its hills, old buildings, and learning about the contrade. These 17 districts create civic pride and have kept the city clean and crime free over the centuries.  The relaxed pace on the Italian Riviera was a welcome change, but I’m more of a mountain girl than sea, so I loved our time in Bolzano. The scenery was spectacular, and I found their 20^th century history very interesting. Changing between German and Italian speaking populations as countries drew new borders after the wars, South Tyrol is a multicultural area. When I asked some of the locals if they consider themselves German or Italian, the usual response was, “I speak both German and Italian. I consider myself South Tyrolean.” Our final destination, Venice, was also quite interesting with its history, canals, and palaces.   

This trip supplied such rich scenery. There seems to be no drought in Italy as everything from Rome onward is so green. We saw rolling hills, small coastal cities, majestic mountains, farms with terraced crops of grapes, kiwi, and apple trees, drove through many tunnels, and rode in the vaporetto through canals. Our Program Directors and city guides were outstanding, plus we had the most convivial group of travelers one could ever hope for. All this made for a trip that will be long remembered.  

Below is an eleven minute slideshow of our trip set to some Dean Martin Italian/American songs.  Enjoy as you have time and interest.

https://youtu.be/IhiHGkoztn4