Day 27-29: Florence, Pisa and Assisi

Our time in Florence really made us realize that we will have to plan to come back and visit sometime soon. We had only planned to spend half a day in Florence, but that was not nearly enough to see everything that we could have. Luckily it was a cloudy and rainy day, and we really enjoyed the feeling of walking around without sweating. We got to see the statue of Benvenuto Cellini, the Ponte Vecchio, the Piazza Della Signoria, the Basilica of Santa Maria del Fiore, and the Galleria dell'Accademia that holds Michelangelo's statue of David. It was a very full afternoon, but it helped to pique the kid's interest in Renaissance art and architecture so much that they are talking about wanting to spend more time in Florence again too.
The next morning we woke up to another rainy day and were able to drive to Pisa to see the leaning tower and the Cattedrale de Pisa. We bought advanced tickets to go up the tower just before noon, and that was a very interesting experience since it felt like we were going to fall over on the learning side. By the time we got to the top, the kids were able to see the bells ringing for noon, and they were amazed at the size of the bells and how loud they were so close up. We finally spent some time getting souvenir shopping done here too, but left for home quite quickly to avoid more rain.
Our final tourist day was spent driving back to Chieti. On the way back we stopped in Asissi to see the Basilica of St. Francis that holds the remains of St. Francis of Asissi. This was much more amazing than I expected it to be! It has three levels and the final level on the bottom has the tomb of St. Francis. We got there just in time to participate in the liturgy of the hours with the Franciscans (and other public members who wanted to stay). This was just an amazing experience for us and made this one of my favourite stops.

Julian:
Today we got up early so that we could get to Florence on time. Once we got there we checked into our apartment and left to go to downtown Florence. When we got there we saw a statue of one of our ancestors. We walked some more and then finally got to a plaza where there were some statues. We looked at them for a while. Once we were done doing that we walked a little farther and saw a big church. The line up to go inside it was so long so we just walked on. When we finally got to the museum that David is in we waited half an hour and then got in and saw it. It was bigger than I thought. When you look at it you just don't know how to describe it. After we left we went and had the best gelato ever!! That night we had dinner and went to bed.
The next day we drove off to Pisa. Once we got there we had a small breakfast and walked to the tower. I thought it was going to be smaller than it actually is. When we finally got in we walked all the way up it which took forever! When we got to the top we looked down and almost instantly regretted it. It was soo high! For the first time, I noticed that it was actually just a bell tower. That evening we went shopping at a great outdoor mall but all we bought there was chocolate because there was a big chocolate store.
The next morning we got up early and drove off to Assisi. There we saw the church and Saint Francis tomb while we were looking at it the Franscians closed it off for a mass so we stayed for the mass. It was great.

Alie:   
Today we got up and started our drive to Florence right away. We got there in time for check-in and then drove to the main part of Florence and parked. We started to a long walk around Italy just as it started raining which felt amazing because then we weren't walking around in the hot sun beating down on us. We walked to this really cool bridge and then saw a statue of our ancestor and then went to an entire plaza full of statues and looked at those for a while. Afterwards, we went to the Galleria dell'Accademia which held David and I loved to watch Julian get so excited to see it. It was funny to watch him be super bored while we walked through all the paintings and then perk right up at the sight of the David. After the museum, we went to a Fiorentina shop for Nonno and then went to an amazing gelato place that I had heard of way back at Christmas. Later we had dinner and then we went to sleep.
The next day we got up and drove right to Pisa where it was still raining and we got a coffee and some breakfast before taking pictures and then getting in line to wait to go up the tower. After we got inside the tower we had a huge walk up a bunch of stairs all the way up to the top where we got to see the view from the top and we got to stand and the leaning side of the tower which was super cool. After coming down we got a little shopping done and then drove to a mall in Florence to get some more shopping done and to waste some time. Later that night we ate at home and then crashed.
The next morning we started our long drive back home to Chieti but stopped in Assisi to see a church. It was super cool to look at the Basilica of St. Francis and go to a short mass in the church. Once we were done we got lunch and then finished the drive home. It was an amazing last few days of doing touristy stuff.                 

Gabe:
Today we got up early so that we could get to Florence on time. When we got to our apartment, we realized we were a couple minutes early so we went to a gas station but it had not food. Then we went over to a place that was open but it had not much food, so we went to a supermarket, got some sandwiches, and went and signed in at the apartment.  After looking at the apartment we ate our sandwiches and then we drove all the way down to Florence. It was pretty easy to find parking because it was raining. Once we found parking we walked over to a bridge where we saw a statue of one of our ancestors. Once we crossed the bridge, we walked to a church and saw, but didn't go into, a Leonardo DaVinci museum. Then we walked over to another museum where we saw some weird paintings. It was boring until we saw the statue of David. After, we went to the gift shop and bought some stuff. I got a magnet of the statue of David. After the museum, we went to go get some ice cream. It was the best gelato ever!
The next day we went to Pisa to see the leaning tower of Pisa. We climbed the tower, but it was kind of weird because we couldn't bring our bags to the top so we had to put them in a locker. Before we got to the top we heard the bells ringing so we rushed up the stairs. When we got there only Julian and I saw the bells ringing because when everyone else got there the bells stopped. Then we looked around at the top before going back down. We drove all the way back to Florence and went shopping at an outdoor mall. We spent the last night in Florence.
The next day we got up early and drove to Assisi and then home to Chieti. The church at Assisi was really cool. We got to see a mass that was kind of boring because it was all said in a different language. Then we went back to a restaurant and had some food before driving back to Chieti.

Day 25 & 26 - Bologna and Venice

Northern Italy is truly beautiful. The history, especially the older buildings and different landscapes have really captured us, and the kids are really enjoying something different here from what they have seen before.
Yesterday we spent the day travelling from Rimini to Venice, but we made a pit stop in Bologna to see a few of the famous sites. We did get a chance to do a quick 2-hour tour of the university and some old buildings, but I know I could spend so much more time in that city to really see everything it has to offer. Next time we are here, that is a must-stop for a few days. As the kids noted, we finally caved and did a McDonald's stop here for lunch. Tastes a bit different, but the airconditioning really helped to hit the spot.
Today we spent the entire day in Venice. It really is a beautiful city, and we did not see even half of the area. We did walk a lot instead of taking the water taxis, but this gave us a chance to really appreciate how big the island is and see how the locals live. We got some shopping done here too, and, although it was super hot, we found the city was one of our favourites. The icing on the cake here was the 45-minute gondola ride we enjoyed with Tony and Lynda. It is not something we would have done on our own, but it was worth it to see the city by water. It was an amazing experience.

Gabe:
This day I got to get up late because we were having a driving day to Bologna and Venice but it didn't take that long to get there. First stop...Bologna. When we got there, we went out of our parking stall and walked around looking at some cool stuff. Saw a tower that has 500 steps, but we didn't go inside it. We saw lots of cool buildings, and got to have McDonald's for lunch! Then we went back to the car and drove to Venice. When we got there we saw our apartment, and then got some time to relax. Later on, we went for dinner at a place where we had potatoes that tasted like doughnuts and deep-fried grilled cheese. Then we went back to the apartment and went to bed.
Today when we got up we stayed at the apartment and had some breakfast, then we went to the bus stop. We caught the bus that drove us all the way to Venice. When we got there we walked over a glass bridge and then walked around and saw some cool buildings that had water around them instead of grass! Then we had lunch and found a gondola to take us for a ride. When we got on the gondola, I was pretty freaked out because it kept on tipping, but the person in charge was good. He showed us some cool houses and told us about some history. Then we walked, and walked, and walked. We finally got to a grocery store and bought some coke and water. We also bought a fan for me to remember Venice. We finally made it to the bus and got to go home to have showers and relax for the night.

Julian:
Today I got up early so that we could get on the road in time. About an hour later we are halfway into our drive and we stopped in Bologna. We walked around a bit until we went to see the first university that had two towers. One of the towers was half broken but it was still very cool. Half an hour later we had lunch and drove off for Venice. Once we got there we spent the rest of the day relaxing and had a tasty deep-fried dinner.
The next day we got up at eight which does not feel right because eight here is midnight in Canada. Anyway, we took the bus all the way to the centre of Venice and saw that the water streets were way cooler than I thought. We walked to the St. Marks Basilica and saw the church. Then we went for lunch and had gelatos. After that, we walked for an hour trying to find a gondola that would take us around the beautiful city. Once we found one we got on a took off. It was great. we got to see the bridge of sighs and other cool things. Once we were done we went back home for the night.

Alie:
Today we woke up and immediately rushed ourselves out the door to start the drive to Bologna and then Venice. It took about an hour and a half to get to Bologna where we stopped and walked around for awhile site seeing and looking at the two towers Bologna is known for. After an hour or two we stopped at a McDonalds to eat lunch which was so delicious and then we continued our drive to Venice. One we arrived there we got into our apartment and relaxed for a few hours before going out for an amazing deep-fried dinner with deep-fried grilled cheese like things and potatoes that tasted like mini doughnuts.
The next day we got up at eight and slowly got ready before heading out to the main area of Venice at around nine o'clock. We bussed into the main area and then walked to St. Marks Basilica, but decided not to go inside because there was a massive line up. Afterwards, we went for some amazing pizza for lunch and some gelato before going to try and find a spot to get on a gondola. We searched for what like felt like forever before we finally got on one and saw the amazing waterways of Venice. Once we got off the gondola we got some shopping done and then started the long trek home. After we got home we ate our leftover pizza and relaxed before going to sleep.

Day 22, 23 & 24 - Visiting Family in Rimini

Our last three days have been spent visiting with Zio Franco, Zia Paola, and our cousin Serena in Rimini. This has been such a nice visit and so amazing to get to know these three! We hope it leads to more visits in the future!
We had a cute Airbnb outside of the city, but it did not have air conditioning, so we have struggled with the heat at night as the kids, have noted. Our visits with family have been so wonderful. We have been welcomed with such hospitality and love that we are all feeling overwhelmed with the connections we have made here. And, there has been so much food. The kids are learning  'Mangia' means to eat and that there is always something to eat when we are with the family. We also got some more time at a different beach here and that was a really nice change for the kids, and it was also really needed with the heat we've been having. As much as I don't want to complain, heat in the high 30s into the late evening is pretty wearing after a while. Our visit here also included a quick morning trip to San Marino, and independent state found inside of Italy and just a few minutes from our Airbnb. It was very beautiful to walk the castle streets and climb the towers on the top of the hill.
As we enter the last stages of our trip, we are looking forward to our whirlwind ending with a trip to Venice, Florence and Pisa all in the next 5 days. Looking forward to sharing those pictures!

Gabe:
Over the last three days, we have been to some very cool places. We went to San Marino, we went to the beach, and then we went to the beach again...it has really been a relaxation week this week. I also met three new people. Their names are Zio Franco, Zia Paola, and Serena.
San Marino is a place where there are three towers on a big hill. Only two towers were open. The first one we went into was the best because we got to go on a ladder and there was a hatch at the top that you push open to get to the top of the tower. The second one had a museum in the tower with knight armour, swords, weapons, guns, arrows, and lots of other stuff.
After San Marino, we went to the beach and stayed there for about three hours. Then we went back to Zio and Zias and got ready for dinner. We went to Frankie's restaurant where there was a lot of seafood. Some stuff looked gross but I still tried it. We were up pretty late that night but it was fun getting to know our new family members.
The next day when it was lunchtime, we ate lunch at Zio and Zia's house, then we said goodbye to Zia because she had to leave for work. Then we all got ready for the beach. I had a lot of fun jumping into waves, getting covered by waves, and playing in the sand. I had lots of fun. Then we drove home, dropped off our stuff and went for dinner at a cafe where we got pizza, more seafood like the night before, yummy food and ice cream, then we went to bed.

Alie:
We haven't done too much over the last two days. We drove to San Marino and got to explore the castle towers and walk around the museums. I loved being able to climb up a ladder to go into the top part of the first tower. We stayed the last three nights in a very hot Air Bnb which had no AC so we spent most of our time at Zio Franco's and Zia Paola's. We went to the beach with them on the first day after San Marino and spent a good two hours in the water cooling off. Afterwards, we went to a restaurant called Frankie's where we had lots of food but had a hard time ordering it. We had some really good pasta and a big plate of seafood which tasted really weird. We got home at 12:30 and went straight to bed. The next day we met up at Zio and Zia's house to say goodbye to Zia Paola because she had to go to work until late that night. As soon as she left we immediately went back to the beach where we had so much fun in the water. I loved to watch the boys jump over waves and play in the water because they looked like they were having lots of fun. That night we went to a small cafe and had pizza and some appetizers. After we said goodbye to Zio Franco and went home to sleep.

Julian:
Today I woke up and got on the road super quick after that late night. Once we finally got to our Air BnB and dropped off our luggage and went to Zio Franco's for a snack. About three hours later Serena came to have dinner with us. The rest of the night we just played cards. The next day we got up and went to San Marino and saw some castles and saw some ancient weapons. It was cool that San Marino is its own country. That afternoon we spent at the beach and met Zia Paola. That night we went out to dinner with Serraina, Zio Franco, and Zia Paola. I tried some food there that I thought I would never eat like swordfish. The next day nothing really happened other than is saying goodbye to Zia Paola and spent the rest of the day at the beach. That night we went to a cafe for dinner and said goodbye to Zio Franco and left. Today was a good last day in Rimini.