When I last left you, dear readers, we were on the glorious coast of Croatia. It was late August 2023, which feels like a hundred years ago. We had just stopped in Split (you may remember a post called Two Cities in Croatia), and the next day we were bound for Dubrovnik. 

As the trip from Venice to Rome continued, there were so many – too many! – amazing things to see and do, thus I had trouble making the time to write and share the adventure. We docked at various ports, excursions came and went, markets and museums drew us to their doorsteps, locals welcomed us, incredible food and wine was enjoyed, and still my fingers just couldn’t find the keyboard. I thought three days in Rome would be time to catch up, but that turned out to be a false hope as Roma’s glory kept us moving from dawn til dusk. 

This admittedly very long post wraps up that trip, mostly with photos. Hopefully they capture some of the feelings and perspectives my words might otherwise express.

Michael

Nota bene: On October 4, 2023, I was in a terrible accident when I got hit by a truck while riding my bike. Since then travel has been very limited…so not much to write about. Things are looking up as a trip to Japan is coming on March 16, 2025!

So picking up where we left off, after Split, Croatia was –

Dubrovnik…

An amazing city that feels like it was purpose-built as the setting for many a scene in Game of Thrones, but no, some of this has been here since the 13th century! Of course, we had to do the Game of Thrones Tour. Our guide had a whole binder of stills from the show, and took us to the shooting locations. Fans will recognize much of this!

In the late afternoon, we made our way to a 400-year old family farm. It really doesn’t get more “farm to table” than this! Even the wine came from the vineyard next door. What an amazing evening, complete with our chef on the guitar…

Bari, Italy…

This wasn’t our favorite stop. It felt like a city wanting to become a tourist destination, but there’s not much to experience. I do have to admit that seeing the women making pasta and drying it in the sun was cool (and yes, I had to buy some!).

Corfu, Greece…

Loved Corfu! Corfu Town was charming and friendly for the brief time I was there; my day was mostly spent on a fantastic bike ride high up into the hills above the town.

Scenes from the cycling adventure…on the way up, we stopped for ice cream. On the way down, our guide climbed a wall to pick fresh figs. A perfect energy boost to get back on the bike!

On the sea from Corfu to Malta, we did a cooking class that was a blast. They have an amazing demo kitchen, complete with induction cooking stations for each person. The drizzle over our creation was caramel made from honey…who knew?!

The next evening we did the super fancy 12-course extravaganza, created and served by the culinary team in the same demo kitchen where we had done the cooking class the day before. It was truly amazing, so here’s some food porn for ya:

Valletta and Mdina, Malta…

Malta is an interesting visit. Thousands of years of history on this little island. Having been here before, it was familiar and a nice stop along our journey.

Noto and Siracusa, Sicily…

It was blue skies and perfect weather to explore these Italian cities, and of course, an Aperol spritz at lunch is obligatory (as is gelato at least once a day).

The drama of an Italian fountain never disappoints…

We ventured outside of Siracusa to Neapolis…spectacular ruins of a “new city” that once was thriving complete with the remnants of a precursor to Rome’s Coloseum. The coolest part of this was the cave that once held prisoners. An operatic tourist began singing, and it was incredible (watch/listen to the video).

Palermo, Sicily…

We ventured through the Messina Strait at night, on our way to the other side of the island. It’s a bit of a squeeze for ships to get through – from the upper deck, you can see the lights of Sicily on one side, and the tip of Italy’s boot on the other. When we awoke, Palermo beckoned.

Y’all know how I love a colorful, vibrant street market, and this one did not disappoint! Made me want to stay, rent a little flat, and cook up a storm!

One of the most surprising highlights of Palermo was a visit to the church of St. Catherine of Alexandria, which had a connecting nunnery of a particularly strict order. The nuns never left. If you came from a wealthy family, you got a room with a window to the cloister below.

The cloisters below the nun’s apartments (each was a single room…tiny), and from the roof, looking out over Palermo…

Sorrento, Italy…

One of my favorite places in Italy. There’s just something about Sorrento, perched high above the sea, with the fertile hills showering abundance on all who visit.

I’ll never pass up an opportunity to visit an old local farm, especially if Mama Sorgente is making fresh mozzarella from her own cows’ milk!

As we ventured back to Sorrento from the farm, the views were beyond belief, and thank god we didn’t have to interpert that road sign as we drove past it.

Just a few more bits of Sorrento (did I mention it’s famous for lemons and limoncello?!).

Rome, Italy…

We bid farewell to our ship at Rome’s port (Civitavechhia, which is not actually in Rome), and made our way into one of my favorite cities on the planet. It’s a truly magical place I can come back to over and over and love it even more. Bobb had never been, so it was fun to see it through new eyes. We jammed so much into the few days we had…the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Palatine Hill, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Popolo, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, Castel Sant Angelo, and on and on! We even visited with some friends who have an apartment there, and got to feel like locals when they took us out to dinner. What a treat that was!

Some scenes from around the city…

We did a super early “skip the line” tour of the Vatican, which got us in before the crowds. Our guide took us to the top of the dome…both inside and out. Absolutely incredible.

Inside…

And from above…

The Colosseum is astonishing every time I’ve been. This time they have partially reconstructed the floor so you can see how elaborate it was below the sand that would be stained red with gladiators’ blood.

And finally, as one does in the waning days of a Roman visit, we tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain. It is said if you do so, you will return to Rome. The coin toss has not failed me yet…so I eagerly await my next Roman holiday.