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…
Tag: Italy
Osteria Alla Frasca
We reached tiny Osteria alla Frasca 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…
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…
Florence Day 2: June 17, 2019
We started our morning with Nespresso in the cottage then stopped at Bar Pasticceria Piccioli for cappuccino and three pastries (yes we are piggies). They did not speak English and I was able to order our breakfast. I even asked for a knife (coltello) to cut the treats in half. From there we headed to…
Florence Day 1: June 16, 2019
Today we headed to Florence. We took a vaporetto (water bus) from next to our hotel in Venice to the train station. We decided to take the vaporetto that makes all the stops so we could soak up the last of Venice as we left. The train station in Venice was quite nice and fairly…