…do as the Italians do!
We had an opportunity to visit several Italian cities this summer. It was an interesting trip. Our cruise ship brought us to coastal cities of La Spezia and Napoli (Naples). After our cruise, we visited the cities of Roma (Rome), Milano (Milan), and Venezia (Venice).
We flew to Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci-Fuimicino Airport. A shuttle drove us north to the coastal town of Civitavecchia where we boarded our boat. We initially planned an ‘on-your-own’ trip to Pisa when our ship docked in La Spezia but opted to go to the Milano (Universal) Expo 2015 (www.expo2015.org/en) instead. The bus ride to and from Milano allowed us to see the Italian countryside. On the last day of our cruise, our ship docked in Napoli. From the port, you will have a good view of Mt. Vesuvios. When it erupted in 79 AD and buried the city of Pompeii.
At the end of our cruise, we took the train from Civitavecchia to Rome (Roma Termini). It was a busy station as Grand Central Station in New York City. Our hotel was several blocks from the train station. We took the HOHO (hop-on hop-off) Bus to see the major tourist sites of the city.
The following day, we took a high-speed train ride to Milan. We went to the Duomo di Milano. There were thousands of people in the square. Some street vendors offer photo printing from your camera’s memory card. After a few hours in the city, we boarded another train to Venice. Our hotel was close to the Venice Airport and not in the island. However, there are buses and trams that go to the island every 20-30 minutes. We spent the whole day in Venice (mostly walking). And yes, we had a meal near the Rialto Bridge.
We took another high-speed train back to Rome the following day. We had more time walking around the Trevi Fountain (which is under renovation) and The Spanish Steps. We stayed overnight at a hotel near Leonardo da Vinci International Airport and flew back the next day.