| Food, wine, food, deserts, food, pasta, food, beer, food, fish, food, veal, food, and more. Did I say food? |
| Day 1. Flying 1st Class from San Francisco to Chicago to Rome. 1st Class Food. Not bad. |
| Real linen, real glass, real silverware, real food. Steak! Shrimp! Endless wine, and yes, Ice Cream! |
| Day 2. First night in Rome! Endless pizza, wine, and salad. Hey, is that coffee? Kinda small. |
| Day 3. Second day in Rome! A deli near the Vatican. I just had wine. (big American style breakfast that morning). |
| Day 3. Second night in Rome! John treated Jeanne and I to a fantastic dinner. John had found this place and we are glad he did. |
| Started with wine, then bread, olive oil, basalmico. Then a platter of delights, then pasta. The main course. Then they gave us lemoncello for Jeanne, and Grapa for John and I. |
| While doing some after dinner shopping, we saw this sign and this display. Glad we didn't do fast food, and we were so full, no room for treats. |
| Day 4. On to Pompeii and Sorrento. We stopped for lunch break at a "truck stop?" Saw these displays |
| Day 4. On to Pompeii and Sorrento. We continued south to the Amalfi Coast and stopped to take photos and some refreshments. And that lemon desert was lunch. |
| Day 5. Sorrento and the Island of Capri. The ferry to Capri had a snack bar and served beverages (beer?). On Capri, we had a special home made batch of lemon ice cream, YUM! |
| Night 4. Dinner in Sorrento. |
| Day 5. Back at the hotel, our lunch was wine and cheese! But a special cheese. Buffalo Milk Mozzerella! A Sorrento specialty. And an expresso mini. |
May 24, 2016 To June 5, 2016
| Night 5. Dinner at Ricardos La Tavola Di Lucullo in Sorrento, Italy. What a night to behold. |
| Antipasti ! |
| Grilled Mussels ! |
| Deep Fried Anchovies ! |
| Thin Crust Cheese And Basil Pizza ! |
| Fresh Made Ravioli ! |
| Fresh Fish Grilled In Olive Oil And Salad ! |
| Desert And Endless Home Made Sicilian Wine ! |
| Day 6. Assisi. Lunch at a the highway stop. Chard and meatballs, cheese, egg, and tomato salad. Oh, Italian beer. Chard for me, salad for Jeanne, but we sampled from each other's plate. |
| Day 7. Varona, then to Venice! Spent the morning in Verona (Romeo and Juliet). Enjoyed a very popular Italian beverage, the Spritzer with some light snacks. A long time establishment in the Arena. |
Italian Aperol Spritz. 3, 2, 1. 3 parts Aperol 2 parts prosecco 1 part sparkling water Garnish with Orange and/or Lime slices |
1st night's dinner in Venice. Pesto Risotto and Porchetta (with peas and carrot puree) Add bread, salad, and wine. |
| Even in Italy. This sign made Jeanne and John hungry for a burger! |
| Day 8. The Markets Of Venice. Some of the markets we enjoyed seeing. |
| The wines, the breads, the fresh produce, meat markets, pizza places, and the sweets! Wow. |
| Lunch in Venice! Beer! Pizza! Calamari! Jeanne and John finished those large pizzas. So Good. |
| Dinner on the Island of Burano at the Trattoria Raspo De Ua |
| Day 9. Depart Venice in the morning. Milano midday, then to Baveno at Lake Maggiore. |
| Day 10. Lake Maggiore and Lake Como |
| Day 11. Depart Baveno heading for Lucca, then Florence. After breakfast in Baeno, Robert, John, Jeanne and I headed to Lucca. The rest of the tour group went to Pisa. We had lunch in the car. (Cheese, sausage, bread, and cookies). Robert then went north to Romaggi. John, Jeanne and I took the train to Florence where we met up with the tour group for a very special dinner at the Saraceni Vineyards - Ristorante I Tre Pini |
| Day 12. Florence. |
| Day 13. Depart Florence to Siena then on to Rome. |
| Day 14. Depart Rome, Fly Home. After Italy, even business class meals seem dull. |
| When our tour of Milano was over, we happened to see the golden arches. So naturally, we had to do some research. Jeanne and John finally got their home style burgers (as close as a McD's can be). |
| We finally got together with cousin Robert at Lake Como. As the other stops on our trip, the food was great. Look at that pizza! |
| So on Jeanne's birthday, she had breakfast in Venice, Lunch in Milan, and Dinner on Lake Maggiore. Our dinner was at the hotel we stayed for two nights. Happy Birthday Jeanne ! |
| Dinner was on a little island in the middle of Lake Maggiore, Isola Madre (Mother Island). The theme was Pirates! The restaurant name is La Piratera. Harrrrrrrr |
| In Siena, we only had time for a quick refreshing beer. Lunch was at a roadside stop. The food was good and fresh! Pasta while you wait. |
| Our final dinner in Italy. On the outskirts of Rome. Locanda dei Massimi |
| Celebrating our anniversary with John. In Florence, Italy. Another great meal! |