2010 European Vacation: Italy-Greece-Santorini-France

Italy:

My life changed forever when my family and I decided to vacation in Italy, Greece and France in the summer of 2010. This was our first trip ever to Europe. It was prompted by the hit movie Mama Mia released in 2008. I am from Puerto Rico and when I saw the stunning beaches and waters in the movie, I suggested to my husband we visit Greece. My husband and I also love art, culture and history. So, we ended-up booking a European vacation to include Greece.

Out first stop was Florence, Italy. We flew into Rome and took the train to Florence. The train ride through the countryside was beautiful. Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance and has been called “the Athens of the Middle Ages.” It is home to some of the most beautiful landmarks and art works in the world. We stayed at the Hotel Caravaggio in the city center. The hotel is ideally located minutes away from the train station, major landmarks, museums, cultural points of interests, excellent restaurants, and cafés.

Our “must see” attractions in Florence included the:

Piazza del Duomo located in the heart of Florence. The nearby square is also home to the Florence Cathedral and the Brunelleschi Dome, Giotto’s Campanile, Baptistery of St. John, and San Lorenzo Market;

Uffizi Palace and Gallery are best known for its collection of works from the Italian Renaissance;

Galleria dell’Accademia is home of the Statute of David by Michelangelo;

Ponte Vecchio is a medieval stone arch bridge over the Arno River, and is steps away from the historic center, marketplace Piazza del Mercato Nuovo, and Loggia della Signoria that includes statutes of Perseus, Hercules, Centaur, and Fountain of the Piglet; and,

San Miniato al Monte is a church located high on a hill overlooking the Arno River with stunning views of the historic center of Florence.

Mid-way through our stay in Florence we traveled by train to Venice to celebrate our daughter’s 11^th birthday. Venice is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. I will never forget seeing for the first time the famous Rialto Bridge, sumptuous Venetian palaces along the bustling Grand Canal, and of course, the sea of tourists. It was surreal. We shopped, rode the water taxi the length of the Grand Canal to the domed Basilica di Santa Maria della Statue, browsed St. Mark’s Square and Basilica, crisscrossed the back canals, and lost ourselves in the labyrinth of walkways.

Near sunset, we boarded a “serenade gondola” to celebrate our daughter’s birthday. We traveled the back canals and the Grand Canal. It was a mesmerizing experience and one we will never forget. Our daughter was serenaded the whole way. When the singer belted-out “That’s Amore” the entire city came to a stand-still. Tourists stopped in their tracks to watch, and residents leaned out windows waving in approval. It was a perfect and unique birthday celebration. We returned to Florence the next day to finish the remainder of our stay there.

Next, we took the train to Cinque Terre which consists of a string of five charming fishing villages along the coastline. Also known as the Italian Riviera, it’s a popular tourist destination. The coastal landscape is breathtaking. Each village consists of a combination of colorful houses perched along cliffs overlooking the rocky coast and connected by narrow cobblestone streets. All villages are close to train stations, hotels, restaurants and beaches but access to accommodations required at least some uphill walking, which could be physically challenging for some visitors. Also, only paths, trains and boats connect the villages. The narrow mountain roads make travel by car precarious. Cars can only park in parking lots situated above each village.

Cinque Terre 2010 — Cinque Terre Express Train

We stayed at the Ca dei Duxi Hotel in the village of Riomaggiore. It’s famous for its wine bars, restaurants and pubs. The hotel is located only minutes away from restaurants, the train station and beach. Our room overlooked the 14^th century Church of San Giovanni Battista with the Mediterranean Sea in the background, which was nice. Interestingly, we were in Riomaggiore for the World Cup. I had never seen so much fan fervor. Every day was a series of wall-to-wall block parties that engulfed the town as fans crammed the streets to watch the games on outside TVs. It made for a fun experience.

During our stay in Cinque Terre, we took the time to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower has been titling ever since construction was completed. The original height of the tower was 196 feet. Today it stands about 186 feet. We climbed the 297-step spiral staircase to the top observation deck. The panoramic view of the surrounding countryside is beautiful. A fun thing to do is to stand in the grassy area of the Piazza del Duomo where visitors can take photos of others tilting their hands in a way that gives the impression they are “holding up the tower.” The square around the Piazza del Duomo is also fun for browsing and includes the Pisa Baptistry, Campanile, and Camposanto Monumentale, each of which is worth visiting.

Pisa 2010 — Piazza del Duomo Plaza in Pisa, Italy

Our last stop in Italy was Rome. It would also be our last train trip. We stayed at Hotel Veneto, a fully renovated 19^th century building filled with Italian frescoes and antiques. It’s an excellent boutique hotel located very close to Villa Borghese the largest park in Rome, the famous Via Veneto Street, the Spanish Steps and other attractions, fine restaurants, and public transportation.

There’s a lot to do in Rome. We spent five days there. Here’s our list of “must see” attractions we visited:

Trevi Fountain is the largest fountain in Rome;

Domus Aurea the vast landscaped palace built by Emperor Nero. Since our visit, archeologists have discovered new palace ruins underground including, large rooms, chambers, frescos, and grottos, which are now open for visitors (on a limited schedule);

Roman Forum located in the center of the ancient city of Rome and includes impressive temples and monuments where important religious, political and social activities took place;

Vatican Museums that include the painted Sistine Chapel, one of Michelangelo’s most famous works, the Raphael Rooms with its grand frescos, and St. Peter’s Basilica that includes Michelangelo’s famous carving of the Pieta and a number of other works of art; and,

Colosseum, the grand amphitheater is the largest in the world, where up to 50,000 spectators could watch gladiatorial combat, hunts and wild animal fights.

Greece:

Our visit to Greece included four days in Athens and two days in Santorini. We stayed at the Airtel Stratos Vassilikos Hotel in the heart of Athens. It’s an excellent hotel, close to public transportation, excellent restaurants and short distances from major landmarks. The walkability around the hotel and city is safe and pleasant.

Our private tour of Athens landmarks was amazing. The guide was one of the foremost archaeologists in Greece, a retired college professor, and author of major publications on Greek art. She conducted the tour as if it were a “graduate level course” in the arts. The knowledge she shared was scholarly. Under her tutelage, we visited:

Acropolis which is perhaps the most important ancient site in the Western World, along with the Acropolis Museum, Parthenon, Ancient Agora, Philopappos Hill, and Odeon of Herodes Atticus.

Temple of Olympian Zeus, Panathenaic Stadium and the National Museum of Archeology (which our guide helped design).

Hellenic Parliament Building, Syntagma Square and Changing of the Guard;

Monmastiraki Square in the City’s Old town which is known for its shopping, restaurants and cafés, and street entertainment; and,

National Gardens and the Zappeion.

For my birthday, my husband surprised me with a trip to Santorini. It’s located about 4-hours away on a fast ferry form the Port of Athens. Our hotel in Athens made all the reservations for us.

Greece 2010 — Church Dome on Santorini Island with Aegean Sea in Background

Church Dome on Santorini Island with Aegean Sea in Background

Santorini is the most popular island in Greece. We stayed in the village of Perissa, which has one of the best “black beaches” on the island, as well as lots of hotels and restaurants. The villages of Fira and Oia are nearby. Fira is the island’s largest village and the center of Santorini’s nightlife. Oia, is the most picturesque spot on the island. The views of Oia are iconic and renowned throughout the world, from the white colored houses carved into the cliffs, sapphire waters, and buildings topped with blue half-spheres, and beautiful sunsets.

The island views are post card perfect. We literally lost ourselves in its charm, walking the beaches, browsing Perissa, Fira and Oia, enjoying traditional foods, visiting the local winery, taking-in the sunset from Oia, and visiting the famous Church of The Akathist Hymn of The Virgin Mary a popular landmark in Oia.

The beaches in Santorini are topless. This shocked our 11-year-old daughter. I will never forget her reaction the first time she saw women sunbathing topless on the beach. She tugged on me and kept saying, “Look, look, those women are not wearing tops.” I’m sure the topless women smiled at her reaction, as I did.

France:

Next, we flew from Athens to Paris. After landing and getting our luggage, we found ourselves in the midst of a nationwide public transportation strike for higher wages. Fortunately, we had reserved a private taxi to take us to our hotel.

We stayed at the Renaissance Paris Hotel La Défense located a short subway ride from Paris. We chose this hotel based on reviews suggesting travelers stay near the city center and away from the crowded touristy areas. It’s a fine hotel that caters to business travelers. It offers excellent amenities and is minutes away from the subway, restaurants, and the Grande Arche de la Défense. We enjoyed the unencumbered convenience of either dining at one of the restaurants or grabbing sandwiches after a day of touring, and afterwards sitting on the grand staircase of the arch to enjoy the Paris skyline with the Eiffel Tower in the background. The skyline is exceptionally beautiful at night. Paris, also known as the “City of Lights,” lights-up its boulevards and monuments on a grand scale.

Our first full day in Paris was surprisingly unique. After getting off the subway and walking a couple blocks to the city center, we found everything was closed. We soon learned from police officers on horseback it was Bastille Day a national holiday. They directed us to walk a few blocks towards Champs Elysées, where we joined tens of thousands of Parisians awaiting the start of the Bastille Day military parade.

Bastille Day commemorates the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789. It is celebrated like our Independence Day. It begins with a military parade along Champs Elysées and ends with fireworks at the Eiffel Tower. The parade is a sight to behold. We watched as thousands of military personnel units marched-by, including French Foreign Legions and French Marines wearing combat uniforms and carrying weapons, heavy military equipment rolled-by, and various military aircraft flew overhead spewing streams of red, white and blue. My husband, who is a retired US Marine, was excited to see the French Marines also wearing “camouflage paint” on their faces. I thought he might jump-up to join them. It was an amazing serendipitous experience we will always remember.

We spent an abundance of time at the Louvre Museum, which is the largest and most visited art museum in the world. The museum is best known for the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci, but it includes many other masterpieces from around the world, like The Winged Victory of Samothrace. It houses over 38,000 pieces of art. We spent almost a full day at the museum with a private tour guide and it was not nearly enough time to see everything. So, we ended-up visiting the museum again on our own.

There is more to the Louvre than the museum. The building is a former palace. The exterior is beautifully designed in a French Renaissance style with gargoyles decorating the eaves and corners. Some gargoyles have scary faces which is believed to scare away evil spirits. There’s also the Place du Carrousel the large outdoor courtyard, the glass-and-metal Louvre Pyramid, and the Tuileries Garden which is a large outdoor museum that includes a number of statutes.

The outside attractions are alluring. We picnicked every afternoon in the Tuileries Garden. After touring in the mornings, we’d pickup fresh cuts of luncheon meat, fresh bread and wine and make our way to the garden. There, I’d pull a sheet to lay on the grass and plastic glasses out of my husband’s backpack and we’d enjoy ourselves in the shadows of the museum and outdoor statutes. It was a lot of fun.

The “must see” landmarks and attractions we visited included:

Notre-Dame Cathedral;

Eiffel Tower and nearby Place de la Concorde;

Seine River Cruise where you can also see Norte-Dame Cathedral, Sainte Chapelle and the Conciergerie;

Champs Elysées, one of the world’s most beautiful avenues, runs from the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris, to the majestic Arc de Triomphe;

Les Bouquinistes, the “open air bookshop” where booksellers set-up along the banks of the Seine River.Palais du Luxembourg Gardens, known for its Boating Pond where children play with their toy boats and a perfect place to stroll and relax among the garden statues; and,

Roué de Paris, a 200-foot tall Ferris wheel, overlooking Paris.

We also visited the Palace of Versailles, which is the former residence of the French royalty up until the French Revolution. For anyone visiting Paris, there are many reasons to visit Versailles. It’s not only a short train ride from Paris and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but also one of the world’s biggest palaces containing lavish and ostentatious rooms including the Hall of Mirrors, beautiful murals such as The Apotheosis of Hercules at the Chateau de Versailles and The Gallery of Great Battles, expansive gardens, marvelous fountains like the Apollo and Latona Fountains, a Grand Canal and the Lake of the Swiss Guards. After spending most of the day touring the palace and gardens, we rented a rowboat on the Lake of the Swiss Guards while enjoying a lazy warm afternoon in the shadows of the palace. It was a wonderful way to end a fantastic visit.

Finally, regardless where visitors may travel in Europe, if plans include visiting popular museums and historical sites, I’d suggest they can make the best of their time by booking private group tours, most which also offer “skipping-the-line” privileges. Viator Tours is our preferred go-to tour provider. I found all the guides extremely knowledgeable, passionate advocates for the arts and history and provided a scholarly level of education on the topics.

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