If you want to meet a planner, let me introduce you to Alice. This year was not the Alice Alice. With her heart surgery, her work and my photo shoots. we had little or no time to prepare. We decided not to commit to the vacation until we were confident with Alice's surgery result. When the Dr came into the recovery room to speak with Alice and I, he prescribed a vacation to Italy.

This year we decided to "live like the locals" on our vacation to Italy. The only thing we locked down was the airplane and the the apartment in Rome.

Alice's preparation was mainly what shoes to buy and bring.

My preparation was what camera equipment to bring. My biggest dilemma was which camera to bring and should I bring a backup. Our focus was different but the result will be amazing.

My chosen camera get for our Italy trip.

Train ride from Delray Beach to Miami Airport

We love to take the train from Delray Beach to Miami airport. The Tri-Rail train does not compete with Brightline. However, it drops us right off in the middle of the airport. We love that. You would be amazed how many people actually take the Tri-Rail to the Miami airport.

Alice on the plane with the Italian Stallion

Due to our last-minute scheduling of our flight to Rome, we were unable to book a pair of contiguous seats on the airplane. Our confirmed seats were with someone else between us. We had hoped we could talk the middle person out of their seat so we could sit together and hold hands. So here we are in the middle aisle with three seats, and both of us, taking the aisle seat and the middle seat, waiting for the unknown traveler. I was worried we may get a 400 pound Covid infected traveler laden with twins who she was nursing mid flight and refused to change the seat. While we are boarding the plane, I teased Alice telling her that some lady may take the middle seat, and I may mistakenly hold her hand. as the travelers boarded the plane, I looked anxiously at each person coming in one by one. Oh no this can't be the guy. This is the guy. Yup the Italian stallion with the look of a cross between Dr Mcdreamy and George Clooney. His looks, his aura, his clothing .... I knew I was in trouble. Sure enough it was him. He has the middle seat. I looked at Alice and she smiled. After asking the young Sylvester Stallone if he could exchange seats, she looked at me and smiled, "I get to sit by the two best looking men on the plane". I wasn't alarmed I knew he didn't have the entire Schmuki package.

Alice with the second best looking guy on the plane. What a lucky girl!

Our first walking tour and night out

We had a great first day in Rome. After resting a bit and unpacking we went out and took a look at our neighborhood. We love it here.

The food is so cheap here!

Girls from Vienna Austria

British Embassy

My favorite model: Alice

We had a great dinner at an Italian resteraunt just next to our apartment. We enjoyed the best pasta with pesto we have ever had.

Limoncello

Pasta with Pesto, the best ever!

We met 2 great fun couples from Long Island at the resteraunt who promised to read my Pompeii city of sin blog. They asked me to take their picture because they saw my fancy Nikon on the table.

Our new friends from Long Island New York

Day one is over and we still like each other a lot. Looking forward to days 2-40. Please let me know you are reading and enjoying my blog. This is a lot of work, but mostly a labor of love and a documentation of our wonderful life together.

Tom Schmuki

June 28, 2022

Italy City by City - my favorites

Tom Schmuki

June 28, 2022

We have had the vacation of a lifetime with a month in Italy. I thought it would be interesting for me to pull out some of the highlights in each city. This may be a very difficult task but I will focus on those moments and events that come to my mind most. I hope you enjoy this. This is a short list of my favorites and Alice may have a totally different list. This is NOT my final blog on our trip to Italy as I have a few more topics in mind. A little encouragement from my readers may help me create them.

I will attempt to go from city to city and point out a few things that bubbled to the top of my list in each city. This is an impossible task as each day we spent every waking moment and then some taking tours, visiting sites, taking thousand of photos, etc. Some moments are sort of a blur to me. This is a very good exercise to bring back clarity. The good thing is we have thousands of photos and videos to go back over to fill in all the details later.

Venice

About the city of Venice

Venice is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges.

Venice was our first city to visit on our trip to Italy. I really had no idea what the city was going to be like even though I had read about it and seen television shows about it. We only spent two nights and three days in Venice. I would love to have spent at least one more day there. I believe it may be a very difficult city to live in if you don’t have a boat. The photography here was incredible. I just couldn’t stop taking photographs of the gondola riders and “captains”. I call them captains but they probably have a much more official name.

Gondola ride

This probably will end up one of the most memorable events of this trip for me. It was so incredible, so perfect. It was the golden hour of the gods when we went, right at sunset. Just before we entered our one hour trip the weather started turning bad and our gondola captain was concerned about it. The ride with Alice through the canals and rivers of Venice was most amazing and incredible. Words cannot describe nor pictures re-create the experience.

Our “captain” a very nice man. Very fit and needs no Peloton.

Taken right at sunset, maybe my favorite photo of our trip

Touring the town by foot and taking photos

The town of Venice seems to be built on a myriad of canals and waterways. Inside the heart of Venice very narrow roads and alleyways. No cars allowed. Only walking. I felt like I was a rat in a maze. It was very easy to get lost. I guess this was the fun of it. Walking around the city with my camera in hand and taking photos after photos. I couldn’t help taking so many photos of the gondola riders and passengers.

Hallways in Saint Mark's square

San Marco Square - floods full moon and high tide

St. Mark's Square

Model in Venice

Basilica di San Marco

Kids taking a break

Verona

About the city of Verona

Verona is a on the Adige River in Veneto, Italy, with 258,031 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region. It is the largest city munipality in the region and the second largest in northeast Italy. The metropolitan of Verona covers an area of 1,426 km2 (550.58 sq mi) and has a population of 714,310 inhabitants.[5] It is one of the main tourist destinations in northern Italy because of its artistic heritage and several annual fairs and shows as well as the opera season in the Arena, an ancient Roman amphitheater.

Verona was the second city on our vacation to Italy. To get to Verona from Venice we had to take a water taxi to the train station. We took a train from Venice to Verona. These trains are not like the trains we are used to in the United States. They are fast, clean, and efficient. When we arrived in Verona at the train station we took a taxi cab to our hotel which was located only a few blocks from the Colosseum. We were both a very concerned about the “neighborhood”. Not the greatest location if safety is your main concern. We only spent two evenings and three days in Verona.

Photographing the children musician by the Colosseum.

I was so very impressed by the children and young musicians in Verona. They had congregated near the Colosseum and we’re all practicing their own chosen instrument. They were all very focused on developing their craft. It was a pleasure to see young kids without a phone in their hand.

Young musician practicing her flute

Photographic art - musicians developing their craft

Music theory taught at a young age to these talented lads from Verona

Opera night at the Colosseum

There is no question in my mind that this evening will be the most memorable evening and event of our entire vacation for me. On our way to dinner we walked past the Colosseum. It was about 6:00 PM there was a full-blown orchestra, choir, opera singers practicing and rehearsing for their performance soon to come. We were just so happy just to see them practice. We were even happier to find out that we could get tickets for free and sit nearly upfront to hear this incredible performance by the most professional musicians I have heard in a very long time. Alice kept pinching me just so we knew it was real. It was in the evening I will never forget.

Opera was held just in front of this government building adjacent to the coliseum

The Verona coliseum lit up at night

Male lead opera singer

Female lead opera singer

Conductor - amazing

View my 2 minute video on our Opera night. Turn your sound on!

A visit to Juliet’s house

On our last day in Verona we ventured out on her own and walked to the main part of old Verona city. We found Julia‘s house, I couldn’t find Romeo. Where art thou Romeo? It was fantastic to see Juliet‘s house and enjoy this time with Alice.

Juliet's bedroom

Juliet's balcony

A squeeze for good luck - Juliete

Alice inside Juliets house

Romeo's outfit

Dining table at Juliet's house

The line is long to get your photo with Juliet

Florence

About Florence

Florence is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.

Florence was a centre of medieval European trade and finance and one of the wealthiest cities of that era. It is considered by many academics to have been the birthplace of the Renaissance, becoming a major artistic, cultural, commercial, political, economic and financial center.

We took the train from Verona to Florence. It was about an hour and a half ride. We stayed in Florence for 11 days. There are so many incredible things we did in Florence it is almost a blur to me at this moment. The art, the history, the food, the people.

Scooter ride in Tuscany

This was great fun for me. No a 50 cc scooter does not compare with my 114 cubic inch Harley, but it was so much fun. Take a look at my video which also include a very interesting tour of a private winery in Tuscany.

The Uffizi museum

The Gallery entirely occupies the first and second floors of the large building constructed between 1560 and 1580 and designed by Giorgio Vasari built by the Medici family. We took a tour and of course I was overwhelmed. I was focused on getting the photographs while Alice paid close attention to the tour guides every word. I was so impressed by all the tour guides that we used in our trip to Italy. They were all very educated, very engaging, They loved their art and history. We could’ve spent days there and never seen all of it. Wow. I plan on doing a separate post on the incredible art we saw in the Uffizi.

The statue of David

Again words could not describe the feelings when seeing this marvelous work of art for the first time. What a blessing to be able to see it in person.

David is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture, created in marble between 1501 and 1504 by the Italian artist Michelangelo. David is 17 ft sculpture created 1501– c. June 8, 1504. I stood in the very spot the sculpture was created my Michelangelo.

Amalfi Coast

about the Amalfi Coast

The Amalfi Coast is a 50-kilometer stretch of coastline along the southern edge of Italy’s Sorrentine Peninsula, in the Campania region. It’s a popular holiday destination, with sheer cliffs and a rugged shoreline dotted with small beaches and pastel-colored fishing villages. The coastal road between the port city of Salerno and clifftop Sorrento winds past grand villas, terraced vineyards and cliffside lemon groves

To get to the Amalfi coast we took the bullet train from Florence to Naples. From Naples we took a private ride to our hotel location in Amalfi. This was a most beautiful and incredible ride over and around the hills of Amalfi. The roads were narrow, curvy, and dangerous. Thank goodness we had a professional driver that could handle it.

Once we arrived at the street level of our villa I was very surprised to learn we had a 300 step climb to get to our Villa. I think this small detail was left out of the marketing materials lol. Even after arriving at our hotel villa we had to go up a number of stairs to our penthouse room which had the most incredible view I have ever seen.

The Amalfi coast, no stair master required

I took this photo from our patio at Villa Rina.

In the heart of Amalfi

Alice overlooking Positano Italy

The hillside of Amalfi

Our view from Villa Rina

Alice enjoying the view at sunrise in Amalfi

Villa Rina, only 250+ steps up

Photograph taken from our Ferry to Positano

Cooking lessons

We took two cooking lessons at our villa in the Amalfi coast. Our first lesson wants to learn how to make limoncello. Let me give you one big tip: it’s all about the lemons. The lemons and Amalfi coast are probably the best in the world for limoncello. Most important thing is to only use fresh lemons pick that very same day. What a great experience.

Our second cooking lesson was fresh home made pasta. This was great fun and I think the results were fantastic as the food we made was served to all the guest for the villa that night.

Sea Bass

Caught the very same day in the Amalfi coast

Home made pasta ala Alice and Tom. How about some sauce?

Alice learning from the master Rina

Our boat rides to Positano and Sorrento

The destinations were fantastic but we are both very pleased with the ferry rides to and from Amalfi to Positano and Sorrento. Such a beautiful ride.

Not the boat we took, but I took this from our ferry

Pompay

Pompeii is a vast archaeological site in southern Italy’s Campania region, near the coast of the Bay of Naples. Once a thriving and sophisticated Roman city, Pompeii was buried under meters of ash and pumice after the catastrophic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. The preserved site features excavated ruins of streets and houses that visitors can freely explore. ― Google

The only remaining Pompey corpse, all others brought to museum in Naples

Lady in red - Pompay

The streets of Pompay

Amphitheater in Pompay

Alice with our tour guide - Pompay

The streets of Pompay

Teramo

About Teramo

Teramo is the capital of the province of Teramo.

The city, 150 kilometres (93 miles) from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines and the Adriatic coast.

To get to Teramo from Amalfi we took a private car over and around the Amalfi mountains to Naples. From there we took a Train to Rome. From Rome we took a bus ride to Teramo. We went to Teramo to visit Alice’s good friends Brian and Julia. We spent two nights in this beautiful country house. We had such a great time and it was such a different experience than the hustle and bustle of the big cities we had previously been in. Brian and Julia were such incredible hosts.

Great meals in their garden

Julia, Brian and Alice

Brian's paella

Julia - how about some wine

Brian, what is the meaning of life?

Visit to the Fortress of Civitella del Tronto

The Fortress of Civitella del Tronto is one of the largest and most important military strongholds in Europe and is situated on the top of a rocky cliff at an altitude of 600 m, a strategic location to control the borders between the Kingdom of Naples and the Papal State.
It is about 500 metres long, for a total surface of 25,000 square metres

The first building dates back to the Middle Ages, but it was renovated by Philip II of Spain in the second half of the 16th century and subsequently by the House of Bourbon (1734).

Sculpture in the courtyard - amazing

The streets atop the fortress

An amazing place

Rome

About Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy. It is also the capital of the Lazio region.

Romes history spans 28 centuries. While Roman mythology dates the founding of Rome at around 753 BC, the site has been inhabited for much longer, making it a major human settlement for almost three millennia and one of the oldest continuously occupied cities in Europe.[9]

To get to Rome from Teramo we took a bus. The bus ride took about three hours. We were in Rome for 11 days and was our final city on our fantastic vacation to Italy. We packed every day with tours and personal walks. It was unseasonably hot in Rome. We certainly understand why everyone in Rome takes a Siesta between 2 and 4 PM. It was just too hot to be outside. Many establishments actually close our doors between two and four including pharmacies.

Vatican City and Saint Peters Cathedral

I am personally still digesting the majesty and historical impact of this place. I will remember it forever. I plan on writing a very personal blog on religion and my feelings as I walked through this hallowed grounds.

The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City.

Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelango, Carlo Madermno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and the largest church in the world by interior measure

Our tour to the forum and the Colosseum

We had a fantastic tour guide take us to the forum and the Colosseum. Again that was such a great experience. Everything was absolutely breathtaking. Again Alice pinches me to make me realize this is real. The photography was off the chart.

the Roman Forum

The Roman Forum is a rectangular forum (plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Founded: 8th century BC-608. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.

For centuries the Forum was the center of day-to-day life in Rome: the site of triumphal processions and elections; the venue for public speeches, criminal trials, and gladiatorial matches; and the nucleus of commercial affairs. Here statues and monuments commemorated the city's great men.

Magnificent temples the site of triumphal processions and elections

The Forum was the center of ancient Rome dated 5-600 BC

The Colosseum

The Colosseum is an oval amphitheater in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy, just east of the Roman Forum. It is the largest ancient amphitheater ever built, and is still the largest standing amphitheater in the world today, despite its age.

Construction started in 70 A.D. and only took 10 years to complete. As is to be expected, there were a lot of deaths at the Colosseum. It was used for entertainment (mostly fights, of course) for just shy of 400 years and in this time, it is estimated that 400,000 people died within the walls of this particular amphitheater.

Let me put this in my perspective for a minute. The ancient Romans spent a fortune to boat the fiercest and wildest animals from Africa to Rome Italy. Lions and tigers and bears oh my, and of course anything else that would or could kill a man and eat him up in front of tens of thousand of onlookers. Now lets put these animals in a darken dungeon for 4-7 days, don’t feed them or even give them water. I can tell you being in Rome, it is HOT there. Lets pack this stadium on with the Romans thirsting to see blood and guts. The animals are worth a lot of money to the Romans, it took a lot of effort to get them there. Lets throw in some “worthless slaves” all adorned in costumes to entertain the crowd, open up the doors and let out 2-dozens of blood thirsty animals. Now lets watch the poor souls get bludgeoned to death. Oh MY!!!! 400,000 or more of them.

Note: Alice won’t even go to a boxing match because it is to barbaric!

Where the animals and slaves were winched up to the stage

The hallways under the coliseum

Underneath the stage floor

The upper left photo is where the winched the animals up to the stage so they could attack the costumed slaves.

The upper and lower right photos were taken from ground level where the slaves and animals were staged before the match

Our final night with Ilian Rachov

Our final night in Rome was a most incredible experience with my good friend Ilian. I have been privileged to know this man for a number of years now. After photographing his work at a show at the Versace mansion in Miami we have been following each other ever since. Ilian was gracious enough to give us an entire evening of his life. I photographed him in his studio in the heart of Rome and then we went for a very fun walk as I took some more photographs of him. We then had a very nice drink and chat with him in the courtyard of the Spanish steps. During our walk to our hotel Ilian purchased some sandwiches to deliver to his homeless friend on the streets of Rome. He delivers this man sandwiches every day. What kind soul he is. Not only a fantastic artist but a real person. Thank you Ilian.

Ilian Rachov, painter and a great human being

Ilian Rachov, Alice Haigh and Tom Schmuki

Ilian outside his studio in Rome

His design, shirt 1/5

Alice and Ilian

Ilian in his studio in Rome

Tom Schmuki

May 4, 2022

Italy Trip Planning - my first blog about our trip

Tom Schmuki

May 4, 2022

A birthday gift from Alice

It was my birthday last year when I was surprised with Alice’s offer to fly us Business Class to Italy. Due to her business commitments and scheduling we decided the best time to go would be the month of May. We finally set our specific dates from May 23rd through June 23rd. One month in Italy. WOW! The plane tickets have been purchased and we are flying Air France to Paris, then a plane with 1 hour layover time to Venice Italy. We are a bit concerned about the short layover time. We are assuming if we miss the connection, Opps, lunch in Paris and we take the next flight.

I have never in my life flown first class or business class. I smile at the SNOBS in the front seats as I clank people on the head with my luggage as I am passing by. Alice tells me they want you to fall to sleep on the plane as we fly over the “big pond.” Here is a photo of what the business class seats look like on Air France. Oh Alice, where are you?

Air France Away…

When the lights go out the bed goes down. Oh flight attendant, where is my cognac?

Amenities of flying business class

Some of the amenities of flying Business class on this airline include: socks, an eye mask, a tooth brush and Clarins skin care products. We will be offered a multi course meal designed by a rotating cadre of top chefs. Starters include things like lobster or shrimp, foie gras, hot bread and of course French butter. Alcohol is complimentary. I think we will be drinking wine and a cognac after dinner.

Time to plan

As of September 12th last year (my birthday) we have been planning our agenda. Alice has been to Italy two times in the past, last time being about 11 years ago. I have basically never been out of the country except for cruise line ports in most of the Caribbean. I have never been to any country in the Eastern Hemisphere. Go figure, my heritage is German and Swiss. Where do you think I got my blue eyes and blond hair from? Yes I have most of the features of a handsome German man — NOT.

Alice the master planner

Let me introduce you to a planner…… Alice. She has diligently spearheaded our agenda including flights, cities to visit, hotels, tours, etc. Of course she has included me in every decision. Take a look at the stack of books and brochures Alice poured over to plan this trip. If I move that stack of books I get the “don’t move those books.”

Italian Trip Planning — Just a subset of all the books, periodicals, internet queries (GOOGLE) and of course Rick Steves video series

Lets buy some luggage

Of course we needed matching luggage. I just hope there will be enough room for my Nikon ha ha.

Tri Rail test ride

We decided to try using Tri-Rail from the Delray station to the Miami Airport. In our planning mode we decided today to test the theory. We love it. The train takes about 1.5 hours, just a few steps to the shuttle which takes just a few minutes to the airport. All in it takes 2 hours from the train station in Delray Beach to walking in to the airport and checking our bags. I highly recommend this! Here are a few photos of our Tai-Rail planning day:

Cities we are staying in

Venice, Verona, Florence, Naples, Sorrento (Amalfi Coast), and Rome.

Some of the tours we have already booked

Tours we have already scheduled: Vatican and Saint Peters, Colosseum and underground Rome, cooking classes, Pietrantoni Palazzo Colonna and others.

Ilian Rochev - an amazing artist and talent!

I also plan on meeting my friend and fantastic artist Ilian Rochov in Rome. I hope to be shown many of his great works. He is also going to help coordinate a few hours with a model in Rome.

I will be bringing my Nikon mirrorless camera with just a few lenses and flash. Alice is concerned about what fashion to bring, I am concerned about what camera gear to schlep around the country. I plan on taking many fantastic photos and writing and sharing my blogs with those photos as much as I can. Stay tuned for my next blog which may be the day we leave.

Read all my blogs

You can read all my blogs in reverse order as I have created them. I am always amazed when I run into people who I never knew would read my blogs but have been all along. Just follow the link air the bottom of each blog to the previous blog. This makes me very happy. Support me with some encouragement and you will see some great blogs with photos on our trip of a lifetime to Italy.