Venezia's Canals and Streets

We stayed at a hostel in Venice, which is something that I have always wanted to do. Although it was extremely hot, I enjoyed being there! There were two little cafes right across the street from us, which is where we ate our breakfast every morning. We also got to watch the World Cup on a big screen at one of the restaurants, which was really fun (Despite everyone smoking about 10 cigarettes during the game). LOL. I think I took the most photos in Venice. It seems like everywhere we went, there were amazing buildings, canals, and streets!

A charming Ristorante!

Canal!

The Grand Canal! To the left of the canal was the bus stop...to the right there are no more vehicles! Only gondolas and taxi boats!

This was our first day in Venice......and also the millionth time we got lost in Italy. Don't worry, we got lost one day in Venice for over an hour! The city is one big maze! Haha! It was actually fun! :) We had to find our way back, which is hard when everyone speaks Italian!

The Gondolier's!

Some random building on the Grand Canal....but I wanted to get a picture of the taxi's!

This is how narrow some of the streets were! On the day of the World Cup there were a couple of little kids who kicked a soccer ball on a street like this for over an hour..... it was cute, but it kinda made me sad that they didn't have grass to play on.....it made me appreciate the big lawn, that I had growing up....

This little lady was so sweet- walking home with her groceries from the market!

I'm pretty sure this guy should be on The Jersey Shore.....

Another canal!

I love how creepy the gondola's are! They remind me of a honeymoon suite from the 1970's.

Piazza San Marco (Saint Mark's Square), or should I say Pigeon Square? LOL this place was filled with pigeons! Of course we tried to catch them.....but no success :( I also didn't do a very good job at getting a picture of anything here....But it was a neat place, with a museum, lots of little shops, expensive shops, and huge cruise ships in the harbor....which is just to the left of the square. We did ALOT of shopping in Venice, but not here....it wasn't in our price range :)

Another view of the Grand Canal!!!

Did I mention that it was hot in Venice???

Venezia's Windows and Doors!!!!

Last, but not least- Venice!!!! Wow, what a great city! We were able to spend four days walking around the main island, enjoying the shopping, site-seeing, and of course taking pictures of the windows and doors. :) This first post is dedicated to all the 'molto bello' doors, windows, and shutters of Venice!!!!

Doors....

Windows....

Shutters....

BELLISSIMO!!!!

Firenze

Our next stop was the beautiful city of Florence! We were only here for two days, and I wish we could have stayed a bit longer! There was so much to see!!! We spent both days touring the city, and also spent both days in scorching hot temperatures!!!! We pretty much baked the second we stepped out of the hotel.

The Florence Cathedral, which is one of the largest churches in Europe. It is a law that no building can be higher than the Duomo!

The Arno River. One night we went to a really nice restaurant located right on the Arno....it was the most money I spent on dinner during the trip, but it was worth every euro! Yummy!!!!

The Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge), supposedly built in Roman times.....I thought this bridge was so charming with all of it's little shops! So picturesque!

Alli and I with a great view of the city! We took a double-decker bus on a tour of the city! I have always wanted to go on a double-decker! LOL, and it was a great way to see the city in such a short amount of time.

Fontana Del Nettuno.

This guy was amazing! I really should have bought a CD from him :(

Another view of the River Arno.

Basilica of Santa Croce. This church was so ornate and really beautiful! It is called the Temple of Italian Glories, because it is the burial site of many famous Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli!!!

Another view of the Santa Croce.

Il Porcellino!!! It is tradition to rub this little piglet's nose to ensure a return to Florence! I hope it works! :)

The Statue of David!!!

Alli and Jami on the double- decker!!!

The Doors to the Battistero di San Giovanni.....also known as "The Gates of Paradise."

We decided to take the scenic route on the bus to visit the town of Fiesole, located in the hills above Florence. The views were amazing and the nice cool breeze made it even better!

Many of the rich people lived in Fiesole because of the cooler climate. The houses were so pretty!

A cute little restaurant in Fiesole. :)

Yummy licorice in Fiesole!

Another pretty church, San Gaetano.

Last but not least....my obsession with window shutters....LOL

Italian Road Trip!

We took a bus from Grosseto to Florence, and the drive was beautiful!!! We kept seeing things that we wanted to stop for, but we knew that if we stopped, we would never make it to our destination. So, we decided to take pictures out the window.....haha, some of them are really bad, but I wanted to remember that the countryside looked like. :)

Sunflower Plantation- these were everywhere!

I know, just another boring window for some.....but I thought it was pretty!

We made a pit stop and everyone got a potty break, and we stocked up on goodies as well! Italy was so impressed with Lisa Pickup, that they named a candy bar after her! ;)

Me and my sis.

I love IKEA!!!!

Almost to Florence!!!!