What do you get when you mix 56 people, 3 hotels, 9 nights, and 20k steps a day? Pure magic and many new friendships that will last a lifetime!
We joined up with The History Chicks podcast for our 11th Field Trip to see Rome, Florence and Venice over the course of nine days. It was our most active tour yet averaging 20k steps a day over all kinds of terrain, but so worth it to see some of the world’s most iconic sites.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I think we saw most of it in a couple days! We kicked off the party as we always do with cocktails followed by those double decker sightseeing bus tours of the city. I like to do these when I am in a new place. Not only are they a great way to whiz past the cities highlights, but they also provide you a lay of the land and help you decide what you like to see in more depth. The next day we hit the ground running and checked off St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. We had a special experience at St. Peter’s as 2025 is a Jubilee year. This only happens every 25 years and is the only time you can enter the basilica through the holy doors. We participated in the pilgrimage path to enter the holy doors and Jo got to carry the cross for us! It was truly a once in a lifetime- but I am going to say that a lot in this post. The Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill visit was a walking tour with some of the most knowledgeable guides that taught us about the women that called ancient Rome home. You never hear the stories of these women in a typical history lesson.
The next day in Rome had us up before sunrise to experience another once in a lifetime event! Imagine visiting one of the world’s busiest most visited museums all alone! That is just what we did. We arrived at the Vatican Museum, including the Sistine Chapel, before opening hours and toured the empty museum with an expert guide. We finished up with a lovely breakfast right there in the museum courtyard as the hoards of daily tourists began to file in. We felt like VIP’s for sure. It is the only way to experience the Vatican. As we left the lines were wrapped around the building. We boarded our private motor coach for a visit to Ostia Antica. Just outside of Rome lies Roman ruins that rival the more crowded and well known Pompeii. Ostia Antica was a thriving city with about 50k people living there. There is so much that is still intact. I really loved the pub, with the menu still on the wall. I was so impressed by how advanced this town was. A highlight for all of us. We got back to Rome and had a free evening. I chose to explore the Trastevere neighborhood and absolutely fell in love with the charm of the area.
Today we left Rome and her ruins behind and dived into Tuscany! We stopped in the beautiful hilltop town of Siena. This is the perfect halfway point between Rome and Florence and the group scattered in many different directions in our three hours here. There are many shops, cathedrals, and cafes to explore! Once we were back on the bus we made our way to Florence. What a grand city! We saw the Uffizi Gallery where we admired Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, roamed the lavish Pitti Palace and took a Women of Florence walking tour that not only told stories of the incredible women of Florence, but took us past the cities most iconic sites. The highlight of our time in Florence, at least for me, was our dinner in a 12th century Tuscan Castle. It was a truly magical arrival just as the sun began to set in the rolling hills of Chianti country. We had a cocktail hour in the castles courtyard before moving in for dinner. A night to remember!
Then it was on to Venice by way of Emilia Romagna- the culinary capital of Italy. This area is home to parmesan, prociutto, and balsamic vinegar! We made a stop at a parmesano reggiano factory where we saw the stacked wheels of cheese, met the cows and had an in depth tasting of the best cheese you have ever had. But we weren’t done eating! We moved on to a balsamic distillery and tasting many vinegars including one that was 35 years old! A group member bought the 150 year old vinegar that they had to go get from a secret vault! We stayed on the property for a lovely farm to table lunch and were gifted with the best possible weather for this outdoor lunch- I’ll be thinking about that tortelloni with the sage butter sauce for years to come.
Arrival in Venice was unlike any other people moving I have ever done! We loaded our luggage on to a luggage boat and then boarded a people boat! A first for sure. Venice ends up being the groups favorite city and I can see why. There is a certain romance and allure in the decay of this unique city. We packed it in and saw the Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Basilica, Correr Museum, and the Murano Glass Factory. I think my highlight from Venice was out afternoon tea at Caffe Florian. This is a timeless cafe right in Piazza San Marco with the orchestra playing we drank prosecco, tea, and had our fill of delightful treats. It was such a nice break after a busy pace.
It is time to say goodbye. We met up one more time for a classic gondola ride and dinner at one of the oldest restaurants in Venice- Le Taverna Fenice. A beautiful setting for our final event.
