We arrived at il Ciocco Resort late last night, so we didn't get to see much of our hotel. This morning we were taken aback when we walked out on our balcony and saw the beautiful mountains on the horizon and small towns in the valley below us. After breakfast, we decided to go on a little hike. The Navigator at the hotel recommended a hike that would take us down to the town of Barga. The trail was a narrow, winding path that took us by small vinyards, th...

Fact #1: Arin has had at least two scoops of gelato each day since we got to Italy. Fact #2: Arin has also ordered 4 pizzas so far. Fact #3: Peter wished he ordered pizza for lunch today, but instead blindly ordered something he thought sounded good, which turned out to be sauceless spaghetti mixed with about 30 clams. It wasn't good. Fact #4: Mercedes > Fiat Panda Today was another long but fun-filled day in Italy.  After a delicious breakfast at the hot...

After getting lots of good rest and maybe sleeping in a bit more than what we would have liked, we left to grab a bite to eat at a sidewalk cafe down the street from our hotel.  With full bellies and a big day ahead, we hopped on the Metro to the Colosseum.   Using our Roma Passes, we skipped the long line for tickets, and headed right into the impressive Colosseum.  Making a last minute reservation, we were able to join a short tour, which gave us a quick ov...

Today was our first day in Italy - and it was exhausting! We took an overnight flight and landed at around 9:00am this morning; after getting off the plane, navigating through the airport, buying a "Roma Pass", taking a bus to Termini Station, taking the Metro to the Barberini Station, and wandering the streets until we found the Boscolo Hotel Roma where we were staying, it was after 11:00am. No time to sleep though - we were off to Vatican City! Just outside ...