The Grand Finale

Today was a bittersweet day. We've had so much fun on our trip, but we're also ready to be back in the comfort of our own home. We've made wonderful new friends we won't see every day anymore, and we'll resume the craziness of life at home. With all this in mind, we began with another early day. After meeting Carol, Denise, Nick, and Fontaine at the bar, we made our way to the gangway and found our handsome Italian driver, Mario. After a few minutes in the van, I was again reminded that no one could pay me enough to drive in these cities!

The plan was to take in the Amalfi Coast via a van ride (with Johnny's Tour Service), while stopping a few times to explore and take pictures. I'll be honest. When we got in the van and began to drive I was disappointed. The weather forecast included fog through the day, and it certainly didn't help our tour! However, the fog slowly began to burn away which made viewing (and picture taking) much more enjoyable. The scenery along the way was like nothing I've ever seen before. After a relatively short drive through Sorrento and a few stops for photos along the Coast, we ended up in Positano. Of course the town was gorgeous, but also had a quaint sophistication about itself. We wandered and stumbled upon an old ornate chruch, which is still used today. A few of us ventured down to the beach. I think it was the most stunning view we saw all day. This shot from the beach, up the cliff is just amazing! It almost looks like the buildings are just stacked on one another. Positano had some super cute shops, but I was more impressed with the bakery. I got a meringe cookie the size of my hand for €1.50! It was almost like being in Venice again, but without the canals and with a very steep hill to climb.

From Positano we traveled to Amalfi Town. We had the most time to explore here, and I'm glad! After some window shopping, John whippped out his handy dandy Rick Steves book and found that the oldest paper mill (now museum) in Europe, Museo della Carta, was just a short distance away (uphill, of course). We made it up the hill just in time to join in with a tour that had recently begun. To watch the paper making process was interesting, and the old presses and tools were ancient! Well, maybe not literally, but does that even matter? Once we finished the tour, we rejoined the touristy area of the town, stimulated the economy, indulged in some pizza and much needed gelato (I couldn't help it. After being spoiled with it for an entire week, I was jonesin' for it!), and met up with our group in time to board the van for our next stop. As you may or may not know, this particular area of Italy is known for many things: ceramics, beautiful coastline, citrus fruits, and of course...limoncello! In true Nick fashion, a decent sized bottle was purchased, and it was gone (with everyone's help) by the time we arrived in Pompeii. But I digress...back to the tour!

The final town we visited was the highest we traveled, Ravello. To this point, most of the scenery looked similar. But, as we climbed the cliffside, we were awestruck. Terrace upon terrace layered the landscape with farms of many types: vinyards, olive trees, citrus trees, and even some shepherds with their herds of sheep. This town was much less crowded (and less touristy). We attempted to make the most of our time there, but we had less than an hour. We found a few treasures (both to bring home and to visit), and look forward to exploring more at some point in the future. The end of our tour here began our decent down the cliffside.

We arrived in Pompeii and allotted two hours for the tour (even though RS says three hours). There's only so much you can accomplish during the time you're in port. However, we had all seen so many ruins throughout the trip that we weren't exactly jumping with joy to trip over more, and some were already dragging from exploring three other towns prior. Not to mention that some more than others were feeling mighty fine after polishing off that bottle of limoncello! John played tour guide with his RS book and led us to the major sites throughout Pompeii. He did a good job; we all returned to the ship in one piece having learned something new. We saw the theatre, fast food joints, the largest home in Pompeii, and the most visited attraction: the brothel. As we exited, we finally captured a phenomenal picture of Mt. Vesuvius, the reason this site is so famous. One last look at the distant volcano and so came the finale of our land tours. It was a short trip back to the ship, and we all dreaded the imminent threat of real life as the ship came into view: packing. Mario took very good care of us all day, ensuring a safe trip and a timely arrival at the cruise port. To be honest, I don't quite know how he managed with all of us being loud and obnoxious all while driving up and down a cliffside of crazy sharp turns and scooters weaving in and out of traffic. But, he did and bid us farewell with bottles of more limoncello.

Our final embarkation was just another reminder that it was time to pack, and so we did. Well, we tried. First we packed. Then got frustrated and went to dinner. Then we packed again...and still we weren't finished. So, we met Nick and Fontaine for drinks. Then, you guessed it, we packed again! This time we finished and were glad to be done with it! We left the luggage outside the door and headed to the bar for one final get together with part of our group.

We enjoyed spending time with our Aussie and American friends, but the day's trip was taxing, and some of us were fading a little faster than others. Then, the life of the party showed up, Dustin! We all made sure to leave rave reviews about him on our comment cards, and we're hoping the next time we see him, he'll be our Cruise Director. A heartfelt and misty-eyed goodbye to our new friends left us feeling a little blue as we headed to our room. Although it was a long day, it was difficult to fall asleep with the excitement of returning to our own (much more comfortable) bed, along with the amenities we've evidently been taking for granted all our lifes (washer, dryer, iron, normal sized refrigerator). So now, it must be time to get some sleep, or it's going to be a long day of traveling back tomorrow!

Ancient Rome

I'll be honest. Yesterday was interesting, but I hoped today would be much more fun. In our experience, the further south we've traveled the less we've enjoyed the cities. Luckily today placed Rome only slightly below Florence, with Venice way out in front. It's not like we didn't enjoy Florence and Rome, but Venice was just amazing. The early morning trip to the Colosseum and surrounding ancient city was full of fact finding, but also shed some light on modern Roman society.


A few interesting tidbits about the Colosseum:

• The Colosseum was the world's first domed (awnings stretched about a third of the way to the center by sailors) stadium in the world.
• Gladiators were much like today's sports stars, with loyal fans and even sponsors.
• This is where the word "vomit" originated. Hallways to the seats were called vomitorium. It was said that all 50,000 spectators could enter or exit the Colosseum in about fifteen minutes, essentially vomiting out its contents quickly and efficiently. Certainly not like Beaver Stadium!
• Often times POWs and criminals were forced to perform their deaths based on well known stories (ie: Hercules).
• We might assume spectators were assigned seating based on social class, and this is true. The emperor and other VIPs had thier names carved in their seats, which were ring side. The next level up seated those of noble birth. Plaebians, free Romans, sat in the next level. In the highest level (think nosebleed section) were the foreigners, slaves, and of course the women. But it was more complex than that. All admitted had a ticket made of broken pottery with the appropriate entrance, section, row, and seat number. Very organized!

While touring, we saw groups of children dressed in activewear. From the view inside the Colosseum, we found that our instincts were correct and there was an outdoor volleyball tournament going on just a few blocks away. After the tour, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure came bursting through the streets. It was inspiring to see how many people were running for such a good cause. It's quite admirable to participate in such an event. But to have the opportunity to do so with such a magnificent backdrop is like icing on the cake!

We continued to the Roman Forum, which was just a short walk away. As we made our way to the Temple of Julius Ceasar, we passed by the Temple of Romulus (still with its original bronze doors). According to legend, Romulus and Remus were raised here by a she-wolf. Back to Ceasar...Ceasar's temple wasn't as grand as I thought it would be, but I guess that's what happens sometimes when you're looking at ruins! Most interesting regarding the temple was the mound of dirt behind it. This is the spot where Ceasar's body was burned after his assassination. Romans leave flowers here in honor of Ceasar's personification of the city of Rome. He was the first Roman to become a god. It's amazing how the grandeur of what was once the heart of Rome is reduced to ruins. Along our RS audio tour, we learned more about Roman culture and government. As our tour came to a close we came across the Arch of Septimius Severus (six stories tall). Although Severus was an efficient emperor, the downfall of Rome was eminent. (Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for including Roman history into your books.) Another point of interest were the active archaeological sites. Since it was Sunday, no one was digging. Disappointing, but still very cool to see!

We stopped for a bite to eat, then walked to the market at Campo de' Fiori. Here we bought [what we hope will be] some great pasta and locally made candy. We also made a new friend, who in this picture has moved onto the next person to beg for food. We began the RS Heart of Rome walk. It took us from Campo de' Fiori to Piazza Navona, which is built on an ancient race track.

Next was the Pantheon. As we arrived it began to rain. It was pretty cool to see the rain sprinkling through the occulus overhead. From there we went in search of Rome's most famous gelateria, Giolitti's. They had some original flavors there, ranging from champagne to biscotti Oreo (which John got). I landed on a mix of orange and pear, an interesting combination. The gelato was good, and so were the prices! We made our way to the conclusion of the guided walk: the venerable Trevi Fountain. The fountain was enormous. So enormous such that no matter where I stood, I couldn't capture it entirely in a picture. We both threw coins into the fountain, in hopes that it will bring us back to the city.

Tomorrow we leave for the cruise. We had a wonderful, memory making time in Italy, but I am very excited to get on the ship, relax, and not pack again until we're headed home!

Michelangelo's David for €30

Our day began with a late start, thanks to the late night at the opera. Another lesson learned: sleep is just as important as play! Of course that meant we missed something on our tight itinerary (Bargello). Once we had breakfast, the first stop was the Uffizi Gallery. The museum took us through the Rennisiance. Although I've seen art from this period, it was interesting to see how it evolved all in one gallery. Of course, the stand out pieces were beautiful (Birth of Venus and Holy Family). The gallery bookshop was when I hit the jackpot! There were books! Not just the kind of books you would expect, but children's books of all types (and in many different languages). No more searching for my Italian children's book (and I got another in Italian just for fun). The next search for books will be in Greece and Turkey, but not until the cruise.

We did a little roaming in the direction of our next destination: lunch. Another page out of RS's book and we were more than pleased! Cantinetta dei Verrazano is a quaint little restaurant, pasteria attached. We shared a plate of crostini and the tagliere di focacce (sampler of focaccia sandwiches); both were absolutely amazing! The real gem here was the service. Jonathan, the manager, was ever so helpful and very entertaining. An avid Red Sox fan, he was eager to talk sports and catch us up with what was going on in the American sports arena (baseball, hockey, basketball). We got a history lesson on the origin of the term "yankee" (Every Red Sox fan's next favorite team is the Yankees, right?), while Jonathan recommended some good wine. Actually, these were our first ordered glasses of wine. The finishing touch was our exit past the bakery counter...with purchase, of course (a shortbread cookie with chocolate filling and a meringue cookie--very good)!

I'm not sure what we were thinking, but next on the list was climbing the campanile. Ugh, how ridiculous! What cruelty to trek up 413 (the tower is 270 feet tall) stairs for fun. Who does that?! I'll tell you who--we do (and what seemed to be about a bazillion other tourists creating jams in the very narrow staircase). Once at the top, the view was beautiful and we were less inclined to complain about how much our legs hurt after the eleven and a half minute, steep, and narrow climb. After the much easier climb down, we went in search of some well deserved gelato.


As many of you know, John is a peanut butter fiend. He hasn't experienced withdraw symptoms yet, but I'm expecting them any day now. Each time we stop to check out the gelato selections, he's disappointed there isn't a peanut butter flavor. I suggested he begin looking for Nutella flavored gelato, since that is the spread of choice here. After lots of searching, we finally found some! He enjoyed it, but I could tell he would've preferred peanut butter. I passed on the gelato and tried some lemon sorbetto. It was good, but I think I'll stick with gelato.


A short break to shed what we accumulated throughout the day, and we were on our way again. The short walk to the Accademia was refreshing, as was the short line (thanks to the reservations John made). Once inside the congested museum, we listened to the RS walking tour. Michelangelo's David left me speechless. I know you can't possibly imagine such an instance, but it's true! Again, picture taking was not permitted, but this one time I may have bent the rules. (I don't think it said anything specifically about phones, and I turned the flash off). Unfortunately, tickets for the museum were €15 and the only notable piece was David.

We continued on with the RS Renaissance Walk. This took us through the Piazza del Duomo and the Piazza della Signoria, ending at Ponte Vecchio. I suppose the Ponte Vecchio could be compared to the Rialto bridge, but I'm not so sure. Yes, they are both bridges with great views and shops lining both sides...but this one just had gaudy touristy junk and expensive jewelry (talk about one extreme to the other). The Rialto had varied goods and was less crowded.


Anyway, it was time to explore! We came across another gelateria, Caffe delle Carrozze, with some interesting flavors. Finally John found his peanut butter! I chose an eclair-like flavor with bits of chocolate and pastry dough in it. We were both content with our choices. We began meandering through the streets and ended up purchasing a watercolor painting of the bridge from a local artist. Our travels ended up taking us to the Pitti Palace. Unfortunately, they were already closed.

Our dinner plans took us to Golden View Open Bar (another RS suggestion). The restaurant sits along the Arno River and has a beautiful view of the bridge. The vegetable risotto I had was wonderful, and John had his first taste of fresh pasta (gnocchi in a Gorgonzola and cream sauce with arugula). The food was great and the decor was...modern (in a good fun, interesting way). So began our final walk "home". Along the way we shopped at H&M (which allowed dogs?!), appreciated some Italian street painting (excited for Arts Fest already!), and got some gelato to share (amaretto, yum).

We've visited two Italian cities so far...I think it's safe to say that Venice is our favorite. It has more of a homey, small town feel to it (because it is). I like the fact that no matter where we went, we had no choice but to buy local products from locals. Here you need to be more discerning and really search for that experience.


Definitely looking forward to a full night of sleep in preparation for an early morning rise to drag our luggage through the streets to the train station. Watch out Rome, here we come!

Firenze and the Opera

Today marked our first travel between two cities, a train ride from Venice to Florence in the morning. Of everything involved in our trip, one of the things I was most anxious about was the train travel, in particular navigating the stations. We were up very late in St. Mark's Square the night before, and I had trouble falling asleep, presumedly due to my worry about the travel in the morning. So what ends up happening? We slept through our alarm... giving us approximately an hour to get showered, finished packing and get to the train station. Luckily, we managed to succeed, even with a few minutes to spare. The train ride was wonderful, and my fears were unfounded. Navigating the stations was superbly easy. I only wish that long distance train travel were more well developed in the United States. The ease and convenience makes going to the airport seem like cruel and unusual punishment.


We arrived in Florence and took the 15 minute walk to our B&B, Soggiorno Panerai, which included passing the famed Duomo. More on this later, as at this time we were solely focused on arriving and unloading our luggage. We were greeted at the B&B by its supremely friendly owner, Albena, who showed us a room and then told us she had a second room at another location around the corner and that we could pick which one we wanted. She told us it was a "very pretty room" and she was ever so correct. The second room is also closer to the train station, a plus for when we head to Rome on Saturday. So, we took the second room and she generously helped us move our luggage from one building to the other, while pointing out the directions of all the major sites. Once we were settled, she whipped out a map and marked all of the sites, as well as a number of recommended restaurants and other locations. A tremendously helpful woman who got our time in Florence off on the right foot.


About noon, we set out for the day, with our first stop being the Mercato Centrale, a large indoor market. After browsing we ended up with some delicious choices. Sarah had a slice of pizza (center of picture), I had some type of panini (rear left of picture) and we topped it off with our first Italian cannoli. An enjoyable, cheap meal which we enjoyed in the piazza outside the market.

Our first historical stop was the Medici Chapels, a facility designed by Michelangelo in order to house the tombs of the ruling Medici family of Florence. This was my highlight of the day, with the main room having beautiful statues, a wonderful ceiling, woodwork, etc. Unfortunately pictures were not allowed, and while many people appear to ignore these directives at the museums, we have, for the most part, obeyed them.


Next stop, the Baptistery, a thousand year old building (the oldest in Florence) next to the Duomo. The Baptistery was not originally Christian but, as you can tell by the name, it was converted. The most famous feature of the Baptistery is its bronze doors with 3D scenes designed into them. Following this we explored the Duomo. The dome consists of 500 steps in order to reach the top, which we decided against taking part in. I have plans on getting us up the only 400 step Campanile on Friday.


After the Baptistery and the Duomo, we headed to the Duomo Museum, which includes a number of impressive items related to the dome, including models used by the builders, etc. Our favorite piece in the museum was Michelangelo's Pieta, which a group of art students also enjoyed, as they were sitting on the steps in front of it, creating drawings of the work.


The below pictures are, clockwise from upper left: Baptistery doors, Duomo and Campanile from the ground near the Baptistery, inside of Duomo knave, and Michelangelo's pieta in the Duomo Museum with art students.

Following all of that, it was time for some gelato. Sarah had crema/melon and I had bacio nero, or black kiss. The photo shows our gelato being scooped. Next, after a short rest in our room, we headed across the river to Oltrarno, the less hectic side of town. At the recommendation of our hotel owner, we headed to dinner at Trattoria La Casalinga, a restaurant which we could tell would be good by the line of locals waiting for it to open up at 19:00 when we arrived at about 18:50. It didn't disappoint, some pasta for Sarah and some steak for me.

Next stop was just a half a block down the street, to St. Mark's Anglican Church to see some intimate opera, in this case, La Bohème. The operas are performed (in Italian) in the knave of Florence's English speaking church with a small cast (in this case four performers and a pianist) and a minimal set, and the audience of less than 100 is sitting just feet away from them. We were sitting in the second row. You can see Sarah in the picture, which I took from behind the "stage" (made up of the table on the left and furnace on the right) before the show began. We spent time chatting with Virginia, the girl sitting next to us (a student?), who is traveling Europe by herself staying in hostels. A very interesting perspective, and she shared some tips for Rome, which she had recently left. The opera was beautiful, and was a very enjoyable, but late evening. We of course topped off the evening with gelato (panna cotta for Sarah, cookies for me). The cookies gelato is probably my favorite at this point. So ended our night. Tomorrow...our second and final day exploring Firenze.

Rain boots, museums, and Penn State?

Our final day in Venice proved to be quite the experience. We began by venturing out in the rain, umbrellas in hand, rain boots on our feet. A huge thanks to Stacy, the owner of our lodging, The Chef's Wife B&B, for the boots. I can't imagine our day would've been half as enjoyable without them! Although it was raining, we took our time getting to the Rialto Mercato. We took in the sights and smells of the city as we went. The smell of fresh baked bread filled the streets as children took their sweet time getting to school. We found a bookstore Stacy recommended, but they didn't have the book I'm looking for. I swear this city was made for me...a shoe store and a bookstore across the street from each other! Anyway, we finally made our way to the traghetto when another downpour began. That meant we had to walk in order to cross the canal. The plan was to walk across the Rialto Bridge at some point during the day, so why not now? It certainly was a sight to behold! It's amazing to build an entire city on pyles...but to build a bridge with shops along the entire length of it in that same city is quite a feat! From the bridge we made our way to the market. You know the happiness you get in your tummy when you walk into Wegman's and the first thing you smell is the ripe strawberries? OMG imagine that, but 20 times better! We made a snack out of fresh strawberries, apples, and parmigiano reggiano cheese. We perused the rest of the market, which was mainly seafood. There certainly were some interesting sights considering our lack of tastebuds for things that come from the ocean.

Once we finished our snack, we began to explore without much of a plan, just a general direction and final destination: the Frari Church. Along the way, we stumbled upon an amazing candy shop. John got a coffee and we got some candy to share. We haven't eaten all of it, but what we've had is to die for! Amaretto, and lemon and cocoa jelly candies...mmm! We continued the short walk to the church, and as we arrived the rain finally stopped. What a beautiful church! We listened to the Rick Steves audio tour, and it was definitely helpful. Since most of the display explanations are in Italian, it was a lifesaver! The tombs in the church were purchased by the wealthy, and boy is that clear...some of the altars are bigger than our house!

After we left the church, we just plain got lost. The intent was to know where we were in relation to certain landmarks. That went out the window awfully fast! A lot of time (at least an hour) was spent wandering aimlessly, just hoping to stumble upon somewhere to eat or find a restroom. That was probably the best lesson learned from this excursion...when you find a restroom, use it whether you need to or not! Those things are well hidden and hard to come by. Anyway...we eventually found a place to eat with some stromboli-like dish and it was just what we needed. After much brow furrowing, we ended up at the Accademia and gathered our bearings.


The remainder of the day was spent in St. Mark's Square. Because we spent a little more time than expected being lost, the afternoon was a little haphazard. First was the visit to St. Mark's Basilica. The basilica is stunning, with its intricate, storytelling mosaics and gothic architecture. The view from the balcony was beautiful, but nothing compared to those we were about to see!

From the basilica, we went straight to the Doge's Palace. I think this was more interesting for John. (And by this time my feet were killing me from walking in rain boots all day!) I digress...the palace was ornate and over-the-top (as we've found many of the sights are in Venice) with an enormous courtyard and detailed frescos. We also toured the prison. Pretty much what you would expect...stone walls and floors. Some prisoners were lucky enough to have wooden beds and chamber pots; others just the cold stone floor. The palace and prison are connected by the Bridge of Sighs. In the eighteenth century, the bridge was romanticized. The story goes that as prisoners made the journey from their sentencing in the palace to their time in the prison, they would stop on the bridge and sigh, as that would be the last they would see the beautiful city and sunshine.


We continued to the Correr Museum. It was interesting, but the best parts were the books and bookcases. I wish photos would have been allowed in there. Maybe my dad could help me build the floor to ceiling bookcases with glass doors, beautiful columns, and detailed carvings. Yeah, right! Back to the trip...from the Correr we traipsed across the square to the Campanile. The Campanile is the bell tower in the square. Lucky for us, the only way up and down is the elevator! As you can see, the view from the top was breathtaking!

Time for dinner! Thanks to RS, we ended up at Ristorante Antica Sacrestia. The food was delicious, but there was so much! The lasagna was interesting. I've never had meat lasagna with peas in it before. From dinner we went to find another bookstore, but when we finally found it (only slightly lost this time), the store was closed. Boo! This means I'm still searching for my book! Bonus points for anyone who can guess which book I'm hunting!

We headed back to St. Mark's Square for the RS walking tour of the square itself. The space is grand, to say the least. In the lantern light, it's even more beautiful than before! Throughout the tour, we came across the world's first digital clock (which keeps time in 5 minute increments). And for our fellow Penn Staters...are you ready for this?! The winged lion (found everywhere in Venice-flags, statues, labels, etc.) was St. Mark's symbol. Venice adopted the symbol in honor of him. There's a statue of a lion in the square which everyone has their picture taken with. Young and old wait in line, just for a picture with it. Sound familiar? So yeah, we totally did it! Unfortunately, the For the Glory flag was not on hand (another lesson learned). Again, we ended the day with some gelato. John got strawberry, which was delicious! Definitely no imitation flavoring, just fresh strawberries. The chocolate chip was good, too. The salted caramel from Grom is still the best. So, even though we're so far away, we still had great reminders of home today. After all, what's better in Happy Valley than ending the day with some Creamery ice cream and a walk on campus to the Lion Shrine?


In the end, we didn't get to do everything we had planned. We missed a museum, and no gondola ride for us...just not enough hours in a day! All in all, the city was everything we had hoped for, and so much more.

Conquering jet-lag

Our first day in Venice was a resounding success in which we soundly defeated jet-lag and had a productive day with only a few minor changes to our originally planned itinerary. Our flight landed at approximately 09:00 local time (six hours ahead of Eastern time) and we briskly went through customs, rode the bus to Venice, walked to our B&B, and arrived at approximately 10:15. After an extremely helpful briefing from Stacy, the B&B owner, and quick showers, we were on our way by noon. From wheels down to sightseeing in three hours after an international redeye is what I call a success.


Our first stop was for a quick bite to eat. There is a small cafe outside the B&B which we stopped at, and it was totally uneventful. The food was edible, but that's about all that I can say about it.

Next was our "Venice Orientation". We hopped on the vaporetto (essentially a water bus) and popped on our headphones for Rick Steves' "Grand Canal Cruise" audio tour. Rick Steves is a name you will hear frequently throughout our blogging, as a significant part of our trip planning was based on his guidebooks. The audio tour was a narration of the 45 minute ride from one end of the Grand Canal to the other. It introduced most of the major sights that line the canal and allowed us to get a strong sense of direction for the city (all while getting to rest and relax on a boat). To the right is a view of the Rialto Bridge from the vaporetto.

We departed the vaporetto near St. Mark's Square and wandered about until we ended up at La Salute Church, a beautiful domed church with a number of altars inside and gorgeous architecture. In the picture to the left, you can see the church in focus behind us. From there we visited the Gallerie dell'Accademia, which housed an incredible collection of Catholic paintings depicting mostly Saint Peter and Mary. For some reason, the fire alarm went off during the last half of our time there. It was quite bothersome.

At this point, we were both running out of steam and looking for dinner. Our only criteria was that it had to be nearby. We needed some fuel before more walking. Luckily, a restaurant listed in the RS guidebook happened to be right outside the Accademia. It also happened to be right along the Grand Canal, which made for nice views (seen to the right). The food was better than lunch, but we still hadn't found any culinary masterpieces... until after dinner.

With our batteries recharged enough for a bit more exploring, the new goal became gelato. RS recommended a place called Grom, which was not too far from the Accademia. We got there and hemmed and hawed over the flavors which were only listed in Italian. Once we sucked it up and just picked something, we tasted success. This gelato was pitch perfect, and a sorely needed treat to wind down our day. We had intended to take a gondola ride after the gelato (around 20:00), but jet-lag finally got to us. We hopped back on the vaporetto and headed back to the B&B. We will need to charge our batteries well, because a gondola ride has just been added to the already packed itinerary for tomorrow.