ROME REPORT 5 days - Last trip to Rome was 10 years ago. Major impressions in June 2024: everything we did was packed with tourists, to the point of being spoiled. Colosseum: bought basic entrance tickets weeks in advance, the entry was fast, quick (less than 5 minutes). Inside, it was very crowded, and difficult to see things. I'm glad we didn't pay extra for arena and underground access, because it was so overcrowded. Pantheon: very crowded, paid cash, arrived around 4pm. The cash line had no wait, while the credit card line was very long and people looked miserable waiting in the sun-filled piazza. St. Peters: arrived around 3pm, waited in the scorching sun for 45 minutes to go through security. Major disappointments: La Pietà by Michelangelo and the main towering bronze altar were both completely covered due to restoration. Trevi: staggering crowds, so many people posing for selfies to the point of being ridiculous. Bocca della Verità: 30 minute wait, everyone posing for cameras. Had great food at Pizzeria La Montecarlo (near P. Navona), delicious panini with sliced meats at La Salumeria and incredibly great carbonara at SantoPalato. On our final full day, we relaxed in the Borghese Gardens, rented bikes for exploring the park---very fun and a great way to see the sights especially if you have young ones who've tired of museums and churches. The park has a nice amusement ride area for kids and a small movie theatre. Took Frecciarossa from Rome to Florence, in business class with assigned seating and small snack. FLORENCE REPORT 2.5 days: Crowded, but not as bad as Rome. We had advance tickets for the Uffizi for 10am. The entry line moved fast, less than 10 minute wait. The museum got very crowded. We stayed for about 2.5 hours with a 13 year old. Duomo: bought tix about 3 weeks in advance, entry at 6:45pm was quick with less than 10 min. wait. Trekked up the 463 steps; it was definitely a workout. One middle-aged man ahead of us had a panic attack, and had to exit. The views at the top were incredible as the sun was beginning to set. Took italo train to Venice, premium business class, with small sandwich, beverage, and cookie provided as snack. Both Frecciarossa and Italo were clean, ran on time, with Italo getting slightly higher ratings for the food and pleasant ride. VENICE REPORT: arrived by train, immediately bought the 72 hour ACTV pass, which I highly recommend because single tickets cost 9,50 Euros. Venice was crowded near the main bridges, but was actually quiet and relaxed if you walked 5 minutes away from the bridges. We found it very confusing to use Google Maps for directions, especially if you wanted to take a vaporetto. A few times Google thought we could magically cross to the other side with a few dotted lines on the map. We especially enjoyed the Cini Foundation galleries and the Peggy Guggenheim collection (no wait, beautiful paintings and sculptures, nice gardens, good food at the cafe). We left Italy via Marco Polo airport in Venice. We booked a water taxi through our excellent hotel Locanda Leon Bianco (near Rialto). The hotel has its own dock, the water taxi captain helped with our bags, was very professional, and the ride was very fun and quick (about 15 minutes).
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