Highlights of Italy 2017

I have now come to the end of  this remarkable first visit to Italy. I would just like to record (as a diary and photo album all in one)  some of the highlights. It seems that I have visited most of the well known sites.(I need to create a  record  because of the difficulty in remembering names with ones aging brain). Firstly Rome - The Colosseum, the Forum, the Palatine Hill, the Vatican museum, the Sistine chapel and St Peter’s Basilica, the Galleria Borghese. In the latter there was exposure to Bernini’s sculptures and Correggio’s paintings. Rome is remembered for the huge crowds but excellent guides. Also for figuring out how to get around by different means of transport. There was also a wonderful performance of the opera Tosca.

Then there was Florence - staying in an Airbnb in the middle of the city. The Uffizi Gallery with its remarkable collection of paintings and sculptures, the Ponte Vecchio, then the Galleria dell’Accadaemia with the famous Michelangelo’s David. I was fortunate to get a ticket to hear Puccini’s opera La Rondine at a very modern Opera House.

Then there was Mantua (Mantova) - in the steps of Monteverdi although I was not able to hear any music there. More museums and history going back at least to the 14th century.

In Venice at the Basilica San Marco I visited on a Sunday and sat through most of a Catholic Eucharist. What was so special was the choral music in this amazing building.

On the second day I took the ferry (about an hour) and visited Burano. It is on an island and officially part of Venice. The history of lace making, the colorful housing, the canals and a very enjoyable lunch made for a relaxing day.

Traveling on the Vaporetto to the Rialto market where I purchased a fish (dorado?) and cooked it myself in the Airbnb.

Italian design, Italian leather (Florence), Italian food (Prosciutto), Italian wine (excellent Rose and Prosecco) and remarkably cheap. The history of Italian art over the centuries. Modern Italian technology - particularly in appliances in the Airbnbs.

The book  " Medici Money" and the role the bank played in the church and in the development of art during the Renaissance.  

Here are a few food scenes to preserve the memories of part of the reason to visit Italy.