It’s been a few months since we returned from our 13-day trip to Italy. We look back with gratitude on a planned trip and waited for almost ten years. We shared our memories and experiences with our family, friends, and colleagues. They asked many questions about the places we visited and the things we did. Most people shared our enthusiasm. Probably the most frequent question we had was, “Why Italy?” My immediate answer was, “Why Not?” I wanted to share with you should consider going to Italy.
The History / Art and Architecture
Italy’s origins date back almost 3,000 years. History abounds with every step. Art and Architecture are on every corner. No matter what city you explore or region you travel through, you will be amazed by the many opportunities at your fingertips. You can spend days learning about the early Roman civilizations and how you can still see the remnants of these cultures in modern-day Rome. You can spend hours gazing at the artwork and sculptures of Renaissance artists in the Academia Gallery and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and then step outside the gallery and see the same buildings where these artists lived over 500 years ago. Italy would be a dream come true for history geeks and museum nerds.
The Colosseum in Rome
The Food
One cannot think of Italy and not think of food. Pasta, Pizza, Olive Oil, and Gelato immediately come to mind when most people think of Italy. Italian food is known worldwide and is probably the favorite of many people. I have experienced many fine Italian restaurants here in America, and I knew the authentic Italian food would not disappoint. To my amazement, the true Italian food was even better than I could have imagined. Each region of the country had its specialties and its takes on classic dishes. The pizza in Rome is entirely different from that of Bellagio. The fish prepared in Como is not the same as in Burano. We ate pork in Assisi and Venice and had spelt soup in Tuscany. Italy would be a dream come true for Foodies and Food Lovers.
Dinner at the 4 Fiumi Restaurant on the Piazza Navona
A Multitude of Opportunities
Italy comprises twenty regions, similar to the states that make up the United States. Each region offers visitors different opportunities with food, culture, and experiences. Milan, in the north, offers a more cosmopolitan experience with its high couture shopping districts as the country’s financial capital. While Sorrento, in the south, is an agricultural city and offers a more laid-back atmosphere with shops that most people could shop at. Venice focuses on canals and gondolas, while Pompeii focuses on volcanic ruins and excavations. Assisi talks about St. Francis, while Como speaks highly of George Clooney, even though I’ve been told he doesn’t visit as much as he used to. Italy would be a dream come true for adventure seekers and travel enthusiasts.
Gondolas of Venice
The People My wife and I like to joke that Italy is the land of beautiful people. We often hear people say that Italian people are more sophisticated and have more style than their American counterparts. In many respects, we found that to be true. It was not uncommon to see a woman wearing a fur coat and combat boots while walking her dog in the park, or a couple having lunch in a local cafe while wearing a formal gown and a suit. Italy would be a dream come true for people watchers.
I often tell people they don’t need any specific reason to experience the magnificence of Italy. If you desire to go, just do what you need to make it happen. Pick your cities, design an itinerary and do it. You will not be disappointed. Italy is just that special.
The bags are packed. The COVID test results are negative. The travel documents are double-checked.
It is time to make our way to Italy. After dreaming for years, it is hard to imagine that the day is finally here.
I attempted to check in with the airline the day before. I needed to upload our contact tracing form and COVID test results into our passenger profiles. I mistakenly uploaded the rapid test instead of the standard test. The rapid test results were received on Wednesday, but the required date had to be Thursday or later. After a call to the airline, the agent advised that we arrive at the airport three hours before the flight so that they could review the itinerary and the COVID tests and get everything processed. Our flight out of Saint Louis lifted off at 2:55 pm, so we had plenty of time to get to the airport and get checked in. I planned to get to the airport by noon anyway, so we didn’t need to make any adjustments to our schedule.
Just before leaving for the airport
We woke early, said our morning prayers, and prepared for the day. We loaded up the jeep, ate breakfast, and were ready to leave home by 10:30 am. We dropped off our puppies Seppe and Lucca at Happy Tails, the spa kennel that we have been using for years. However, this was the first time they would be staying there for two weeks. I wanted to provide detailed instructions for their care and feeding. Our home, the kennel, and the airport are near each other, so there was not much time to get from home to the kennel and then to the airport. We arrived at the airport parking lot by 11:30 am. The first lot we tried was full, so we had to go to a second, which was larger and had many more open spots. We rode a shuttle to the airport terminal from the parking lot and arrived right at 12 pm. Perfect timing.
When we walked into the terminal, we found the American Airlines ticket booth just a few steps to our left. We had to wait a few minutes while the ticket agent assisted another family. We provided her with our passports, COVID test results, and confirmation number when it was our turn. I had more documentation at the ready in case she asked for it. However, she didn’t, and we were good to go. She tagged our luggage and put them on the conveyor belt without weighing them. All that rearranging the suitcase for nothing, but oh well.
After getting our boarding passes, we walked downstairs to go through the security checkpoint and make our way to the departure gate. We didn’t need to take anything out of our backpacks or take off our shoes at the Saint Louis airport. Our airport is small by comparison and the number of people going was minimal. This was by far the quickest and easiest security checkpoint that we encountered during our entire trip. With only a few people in line, we settled at our gate a little past 12:30 pm.
I was thankful for a smooth check-in process and that we were ready for our first of three flights. We had just over two hours before we would take off for Chicago. Looking back at it now, we didn’t need three hours to get checked in. However, I would rather be early and wait at the gate than rush through the airport to get to the gate before the airplane leaves.
We boarded the plane at 2:25 pm and departed on time. Our quick flight to Chicago was just over an hour. We arrived in the Windy City just after 4 pm, almost two hours before our next departure. Our flight to London was scheduled to leave at 5:50 pm. We quickly transitioned to our departure gate because we did not have to change terminals or go through any security checkpoints. By the time we found the gate, we had over an hour before boarding would begin. Since it was a long time since breakfast, we found a Wolfgang Puck’s Bistro for a quick sandwich and chips. We would be getting dinner on the plane, but we didn’t know what it would be or how long it would be before eating.
We returned to the gate and had thirty minutes before boarding would begin. The boarding process started about an hour before the scheduled departure time because the international airplane’s capacity was more than the typical domestic plane, with the third set of seats in the middle of the plane. More people on the aircraft meant that we had less room to store our backpacks. By the time we got to our seats, the overhead storage bins were full, and there was not any free space anywhere near us. We didn’t want to be so far from our bags, so we stored them under seats. There was enough room, but our feet had a tight fit, and difficult to find a comfortable spot.
The flight to London was seven hours and there was a six-hour time difference. Leaving Chicago at 6 pm meant that we would arrive the following morning at 7 am. Not long after takeoff, we enjoyed our dinner, BBQ chicken with peppers and rice, and a salad. It was just enough since we ate not long before. Once we finished dinner, we tried to sleep, knowing that by the time we arrived in London we didn’t have much time to catch our next flight to Rome. Getting to sleep was not hard, but staying asleep was. The turbulence hitting the plane, people walking by for the bathroom, and just trying to get into a comfortable position meant that asleep was often interrupted, not to mention having to sleep with a mask on. The CDC still required masks to be worn the entire time on the plane, with the exception of eating and drinking. I found myself waking up and having to take the mask off so I could get some fresh air. As we approached London, the cabin crew came back around with a quick breakfast of yogurt and granola. Just enough to get the day started off right.
In the air, over London
We arrived at London Heathrow Airport 45 minutes early, which proved to be needed to make our connection. We arrived in Terminal 3 but needed to get to Terminal 5 for the next flight scheduled to depart at 9:50 am. We now had almost three hours before leaving so I thought we would have a chance to rest before leaving. Little did we know that the most intense part of the journey was just beginning. We will be sharing our experience at London Heathrow Airport and our arrival in Rome in the next installment.
The land of art and culture, pasta and pizza, gladiators and gondoliers. The land of leaning towers, archaeological ruins, and scenic coastlines. The land of fashion and faith; grapes, lemons, and olives.
After dreaming for more than ten years and then being denied the chance to visit for more than two and a half years, my wife and I returned from our two-week journey through Italy.
For some years, we saved money while searching for the tour right package. With so many tour options available, we looked for the one that offered the most of our must-have experiences at the best value. After an intense search, we selected the BEST OF ITALY from Trafalgar to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We decided November 2019 would be the time to go since it was the off-season, and the price was better. However, Trafalgar canceled when not enough people signed up for it. Bummer! But thankfully, we could reschedule for any time without worry. We decided March 2020 would be a great time to go because it was still the off-season, and the spring weather would be ideal. Yet again, our tour was canceled when the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed its ugly head on the world. The world shut down, people were forced to stay home, and traveling anywhere was forbidden. We rescheduled for March 2021, thinking everything would be back normal by then and we would not have to be concerned with any COVID-19 travel restrictions. Sadly, the pandemic was still in full effect and Italy had not opened its borders to foreign travelers. We waited a few months before deciding to reschedule our trip for March 2022. As the pandemic still had its hold on the world, we didn’t know if we would be denied once again. But thankfully, travel restrictions were lifted, Italy opened its borders and enough people had signed up for the tour. So finally, the wait was over and our vacation of a lifetime would soon become a reality.
It is hard to describe the two weeks we spent in Italy with adequate words. Each city offered a unique opportunity to learn something new. Bucket-list experiences or I like to say “God manifested dreams” were checked off the list. Visualizing places that had previously only been seen through a television lens. One post on the blog would not be sufficient to talk about everything we want to share. We will address the individual experiences and other topics in more specific posts. I will share the daily itinerary for this post, with the details to follow in the forthcoming posts.
JT at the Leaning Tower of Pisa Photo by J
Andiamo (Let’s Go!)
We leave home and our journey to Rome begins.
Day One
We arrive in Rome and check-in at our hotel. After meeting our travel director and our fellow travelers, we head out for a bus tour of Rome, followed by dinner at a local restaurant.
Day Two
We tour the Vatican museums, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, and conclude with a walking tour around Rome with stops at the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.
Day Three
We leave Rome to visit the Pompeii ruins and a drive along the Amalfi Coast.
Day Four
We arrive by ferry to the Island of Capri for a walking tour. We head back to Sorrento for free time in town, concluding with a dinner at a local farmhouse.
Day Five
Our journey continues to Assisi to view the Basilica of St. Francis and free time in the peaceful town.
Day Six
We arrive in Venice and view the islands by private water taxi, and experience a gondola ride through the canals.
Day Seven
We take a walking tour of Venice and go inside St. Mark’s Basilica, followed by a glass-blowing demonstration on the island of Murano, and stroll around the island of Burano, followed by dinner.
Day Eight
We leave Venice and have a free morning in Verona, a walking tour of Milan with a tour of the Duomo in the afternoon, and arriving in Como for the evening.
Day Nine
The day begins with a bus tour of Lake Como, then a boat ride to Bellagio and free time back in Como.
Day Ten
After leaving Como, we see the Leaning Tour of Pisa before heading to Florence with dinner at Villa Machiavelli.
Day Eleven
The day begins with a chance to see David at the Academia Gallery and continues with a walking tour around Florence to see the Duomo, gold and leather demonstrations, free time for shopping, walking over the Ponte Vecchi,o and concluding with dinner at Castello del Trebbio.
Day Twelve
After leaving Florence, we stop at a World War II cemetery before heading to the medieval town of San Gimignano and then returning to Rome for our farewell dinner.
Day Thirteen
Returning back Home
Stay tuned for more details about each day, the individual experience, and other things we learned about traveling aboard during the time of COVID.
Have you ever had an event so special that you dreamed of coming true, even though you have no idea how or when it would happen? My wife and I enjoy the music of Andrea Bocelli, and attending one of his concerts would be a dream come true. Thankfully, that dream became a reality this Sunday night when we attended his concert in Saint Louis.
Andrea Bocelli concert program cover
Our first experience listening to Mr. Bocelli’s music was when we purchased perfume from Victoria’s Secret in 2001. At the time, my wife enjoyed wearing Dream Angel, and the purchase included a gift – a compilation CD of the Italian tenor’s music. Having never heard anything from him, we did not know what to expect. However, from the first time we played the CD, his mesmerizing voice hooked us. We often played the CD as we would get ready for the day or night before bed. We couldn’t get enough of it, and we wanted to learn more about him and his music.
Since that Victoria’s Secret purchase, we experienced his newly-released albums and discovered his previously-released works. We did not understand most of the music since it was sung in Italian, but Mr. Bocelli did have a few songs in English. His voice is so powerful that it does not matter if it is Italian or English; he can move you, stir your emotions, and fill you with great joy. My wife would often say that she would enjoy going to one of his concerts if she had the opportunity.
A few years back, probably in 2018 or 2019, I had learned that Mr. Bocelli would be performing in New York City. It might have been Christmas special, although I don’t recall for sure. I thought it would be great to surprise my wife with a trip to the Big Apple for that concert of a lifetime. I went as far as looking at airline ticket prices and hotels near the concert venue. But the timing wasn’t right, and the trip didn’t happen. Since we had never been to New York City and knew almost nothing about getting around, I decided it would be best to wait for a better opportunity.
A couple of months back, as I was out running errands when I noticed a billboard with Mr. Bocelli’s photograph and the date October 17. Intrigued, I rushed home to see what I could find. To my amazement, Mr. Bocelli was bringing his world tour to Saint Louis. Our better opportunity now required no airline tickets or hotel reservations, but instead a quick fifteen trip from our house. The original tour, planned for 2020, was canceled when the pandemic was still lingering in December. How did we not know he was coming to our hometown? How did we miss it? But thankfully, good seats were still available, and we quickly purchased our tickets for what we knew would be a memorable evening.
Without a doubt, Mr. Bocelli did not disappoint the crowd of almost 18,000 people. As a man of few words, he let his music speak for itself. He had no long introduction at the opening; he spoke only one brief sentence, saying it was great to be back together since the pandemic had canceled the previous opportunity. His powerful voice filled the Enterprise Center with a mixture of songs from his most recent BELIEVE album and earlier selections. He moved from song to song without long soliloquies, and in some instances, Mr. Bocelli spoke no words. Larisa Martinez, Loren Allred, and Edward Park joined Mr. Bocelli on stage for spectacular duets. You could feel their passion and feel it deep down in your soul. My favorite moment of the night was when nine-year-old daughter Virginia Bocelli joined her father on stage for a heartwarming rendition of Hallelujah. Ayanna Witter-Johnson’s cello solo and singing added a punch of the unexpected. Brittany O’Connor and Paul Barris masterfully danced during many of the songs. Steven Mercurio conducted the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Orchestra to add the finishing touches for an amazing night.
The two-plus-hour show left my wife and me speechless, not wanting the night to end. Mr. Boceilli and his friends could have performed for another hour or two, and it would have been wonderful. Their performance left us in awe. Never have we been to a concert quite like it. I don’t know what concert could be any better than this one — only another Andrea Bocelli concert, but this time in Italy at the Duomo in Milan. That would be utterly mind-blowing, but one can dream.
The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are forever engrained into our hearts. We will never forget the horrific images of the airplanes careening into the Twin Towers. Or hearing the telephone messages of passengers calling their family members and telling them what was happening and they weren’t going to make it out alive. Or listening to someone talk about their loved one who died fighting in the war of terror that ensued after the fact.
September 11th invokes a wide range of emotions. My heart aches for those who lost their loved ones on that day or in the war. But at the same time, it is a day of much joy and happiness. You see, while today marks twenty years since the terrorist attacks, it also marks twenty-two years that JT and I walked down the aisle and became husband and wife.
The highs of knowing that my life has been forever changed by the most wonderful woman in the world, remembering the beautiful ceremony, eating wonderful food, and sharing great memories with friends and family at our wedding. To the lows of know that just two years later, life as we knew it had changed, terrorism was a real threat, and so many people died in the name of preserving the American freedom that we have lived in.
Now twenty years since that horrific day, I find that I have changed. In the years past, while I felt a deep sadness about what happened that day, I still wanted to celebrate our wedding anniversary. I found myself saying, “We were married before this happened, so I am going to celebrate.” But this year, it was different. I could only post things related to the terrorist attacks and the war on terror on my social media. I wanted to post photos of my wife as a countdown to our anniversary, but my heart told me NO. It wasn’t right. Maybe it has to do with the end of the war in Afghanistan and the recent loss of the thirteen soldiers in Afghanistan. Maybe it is the heartache for the people who died on that day truly hit me.
The terrorist attacks of September 11th and the war that followed became so real to me today. After eating lunch at Red Lobster for our anniversary, we went to see the Flags of Valor presentation. Over seven thousand United States flags are placed on Art Hill in Forest Park in Saint Louis, MO. Each flag includes a photograph of a soldier who died fighting in the War on Terror, along with a replica dog tag that gives their name, date of death, and where they died. There are also flags honoring the first responders, police officers, and firefighters who died while helping the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. A panel display includes photographs of each of the people who died on September 11th. Fox News captured this video shows the magnitude of the presentation.
Seeing more than seven thousand flags, each with a photograph and a dog tag of a man or woman who sacrificed their lives so that I can continue to live in freedom. So that terror would not prevail, and that evil has no place in this world. All I can say is, “Thank You!” And we all must say, “We Will Never Forget!:
A flag honoring Vincent G. Danz, New York Police Officer who died at the World Trade Center during the September 11th Terrorist Attacks
Learn More About JT Bubbling with Elegance and Grace is a place for life long learners. The Bubbling With Elegance And Grace team was created 14 years ago. A passion for fashion sparked a lifestyle blog for our Elegant Community to enjoy. We are thankful and in gratitude to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for those who have been with us from the beginning and those who have just started riding with us on this lovely journey.
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