Recently named the best hotel in Venice by Travel + Leisure, the Gritti Palace exceeded our expectations. We were very excited for the opportunity to stay here for our two nights in Venice. We booked this hotel using SPG/Marriott Bonvoy points and it was worth every point. The Gritti Palace is a 15th century palazzo…
Author: Amelia
Osteria Alla Frasca
We reached this tiny osteria after a delightful walk through the winding alleys of Venice. It is in the Cannaregio area about 20 minutes north (walking) of St. Mark’s Square. The food was fresh and delicious. We started with the grilled octopus. It was very tender and was served on a bed of polenta and…
Le Relais de l’Entrecôte -Marbeuf
We decided to eat at Le Relais de l’Entrecôte for our last dinner in Paris. There are several locations. This one is very close to our hotel and they do not take reservations so we were able to arrive at our convenience, which meant early as we wanted to get back to the hotel at…
The Long Road Home
All good trips come to an end. We left Hotel Artemide at 6:30 am Rome time on Saturday morning, June 22nd. That’s the same as 11:30 pm Friday, June 21st, at home. We were a little concerned about relying on taxi availability due to our early departure time so we allowed the hotel to arrange…
Rome Day 3: June 21, 2019
We had another delicious breakfast at the hotel this morning. The servers walk around and offer extra treats to all of the tables. Today it was homemade cannoli and carrot cake. Not necessarily breakfast food, but delectable. After breakfast we walked to Campo de’ Fiore, which translates to “field of flowers”. We wandered through the open air…
Venice Day 2: June 15, 2019
We started day two in Venice with breakfast on the terrace at our hotel, the Gritti Palace. The breakfast was very good and the view was amazing! A group of men out for their morning exercise. After breakfast we took a water taxi to the island of Murano. It felt great to be out on…
Osteria Al Cicheto
Osteria Al Cicheto is another delightful little place in the Cannaregio area in Venice. Cicheto also known as cicchetto and cicchetti are small, traditional Venetian snacks. We started with several. Our waitress chose for us from a glass case at the front of the restaurant. From the left they included prosciutto, anchovy and blue cheese,…
Rome Day 1: June 19, 2019
We took another Italo train from Florence to Rome. It arrived to Florence about 15 minutes late, not too bad and it gave us time for a quick breakfast at McDonald’s! We have had McDonald’s twice in two weeks. Kinda funny considering we go many months without it at home. We’ve had fun trying it…
Florence Day 3: June 18, 2019
Started the morning with a walk across the Ponte Vecchio bridge to the Oltrarno (south of the Arno). What a beautiful morning with the sun shining and the river sparkling. Looking up river heading toward the bridge. The Ponte Vecchio Bridge The bridge is lined with jewelry shops. The Rolex store was closed so Trey…
Rome Day 2: June 20, 2019
This morning we tried the complimentary hotel breakfast. The customer service at Hotel Artemide is excellent. They are genuinely friendly. Breakfast is a nice selection including pastry (maritozza!), salami, prosciutto, cheese, salad fixings, bread, juice, and even bacon, eggs and sausage for the Americans. Also, the cappuccino is great! First stop, the Forum, the five…