My 2022 Italy Trip

[Jim Oaks]

My girlfriends 16-year-old son had an opportunity to go to Italy with some of his waterpolo teammates to train and play against some Italian teams. My girlfriend (Laura) invited me to go with them several months ago, and suggested I get a Capital One Adventure card to earn miles to pay for my flight. I got the card and used it instead of my debit card when I made purchases, and then immediately paid off the card balance from my checking account so I wasn't getting charged any interest. Making purchases allowed me to earn reward miles that I could use for hotels, flights, etc. I was able to earn enough miles that I only had to pay around $100 out of pocket for my round-trip flight to Italy. When I booked my flight with American Airlines, I contacted Capital One, told them I just made a purchase with American Airlines using my Adventure Card, and then had them apply my reward miles and credit the money back to my account. Another advantage to the card is that they don't charge you any transaction fees for purchases made outside of the USA, so I used the card for most of my purchases in Italy. I know this sounds like an advertisement for Capital One, but I don't think the trip would have been possible if I hadn't earned those miles using the card and then paying it off instead of my debit card. And since I paid the card off as I went, I never got charged any interest. I'm already earning miles for a trip next year. Seeing how this helped me earn reward miles so I could afford to travel, I thought I would share the information with my friends here. If you want to know more about the card, check out the Capital One Adventure Card.

Around 9:00 am on June 14th we left for the Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) airport to catch our flight to Philadelphia PA, where we switched planes and took an international flight to Venice, Italy. We arrived in Italy at 9:00 am on the 15th. Even though we arrived 24-hours later, we didn't travel a true 24-hours because Italy is 7-hours ahead of Texas. I actually watched the sun go down and then come back up on that flight.

This was the first time that I was served dinner and breakfast on a flight. They also provided us with a small pillow and a blanket so we could sleep, but I couldn't get comfortable to actually fall asleep.

Venice Italy:

Known for its winding canals and gondolas, Venice is a picturesque romantic architectural marvel. The ornate Renaissance Gothic style architecture throughout the city speaks for its rich fascinating history. The main tourist attractions include St. Marks Square, Rialto Bridge, Doge’s Palace, Saint Mark’s Basilica, Bridge of Sighs and Grand Canal. Art has also thrived in Venice for centuries and is home to many beautiful paintings and sculptures.

(The Rialto Bridge)

I fell in love with these wooden boats, and paid to have one transport us to another part of the island.

And how can you go to Venice and not take a Gondola ride??

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Although I'm not Catholic, I enjoy checking out old cathedrals. I admire the architecture and the paintings you find inside. They are a piece of art in their own right.

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Speaking of art....

I was looking forward to buying some street art in Italy. I found this guy that was selling his paintings, and purchased this one for $90.

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I even had the artist hold it so I could get a photo of the artist with the painting.

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The artist rolled the painting up in cardboard so it was protected when I took it home. I then went to the information center where I laid the painting down to pay for a map and walked out. When I realized that I no longer had the painting, I went back to the center but the painting was gone. The employee claimed they never saw it. I hope the new owner appreciates it.

The food in Venice didn't impress me. I ordered lasagna at a restaurant and I swear it tasted like Chef-Boy-R-Dee. Very disappointing.

Heading To Recco Italy:

We spent two days in Venice and then took a train to Milan, Italy.

(Milan Train Station)
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From there we switched to a different train that took us to Genoa, where we got on the final train to Recco, Italy.

(Recco Italy Train Station)
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My girlfriends son would be staying at a monastery with his teammates, and the parents were staying in one of two designated hotels. My girlfriend and I chose to rent a small apartment in a house that sat next to the Mediterranean Sea so we could have some privacy. We chose to split the cost to make it more affordable.

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More to come.......

 

[ryan]

Looks like yall made the right choice. That view is ridiculous

 

[Blmpkn]

Looks like Jim's next purchase Is one of those boats lol

 

[97RangerXLT]

Looks like you had fun. Too bad about the painting though

AJ

 

[ericbphoto]

Looks like a great trip. I enjoyed my visits to Italy back in the 80's. Would love to go back.

 

[Ranger850]

Thanks For Sharing those pictures.

 

[snoranger]

This looks an awful lot like a Capital One ad… I should probably report it as spam.

It looks like you you had a great trip. That view of the water from you’re front porch is just amazing.

 

[Ranger850]

I like the one with your GF standing on the seat and the sign right behind her says " Please Don't stand on Sofa" -

That really sucks about losing the Painting.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Rome Italy:

We decided to take a day trip to Rome. We missed the morning high speed train and had to take a different one which got us there later in the afternoon, so we ended up spending the night. We took a bus tour of the city to see what was where, and then visited some of the sites the next day.

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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. Citizens of the ancient city referred to this space, originally a marketplace, as the Forum Magnum, or simply the Forum.

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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. The teeming heart of ancient Rome, it has been called the most celebrated meeting place in the world, and in all history. Located in the small valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Forum today is a sprawling ruin of architectural fragments and intermittent archaeological excavations attracting 4.5 million or more sightseers yearly.

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One of the things I noticed in Italy are the cars. They drive very small cars here in Italy.

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I saw a couple of Ford Rangers while I was staying in Recco, but for the most part I saw these little 3-wheeled trucks:

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I also noticed that in the area I was actually staying in Italy at least a 3rd of the vehicles were scooters or small motorcycles.

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There was a lot of law enforcement in Rome. You had the Polizia, Carabinier, and actually armed soldiers.

Carabinier - the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic policing duties. It is one of Italy's main law enforcement agencies, alongside the Polizia di Stato and the Guardia di Finanza. As with the Guardia di Finanza but in contrast to the Polizia di Stato, the Carabinieri are a military force. As the fourth branch of the Italian Armed Forces, they come under the authority of the Ministry of Defence; for activities related to inland public order and security, they functionally depend on the Ministry of the Interior. In practice, there is a significant overlap between the jurisdiction of the Polizia di Stato and Carabinieri, although both of them are contactable through 112, the European Union's Single Emergency number. Unlike the Polizia di Stato, the Carabinieri have responsibility for policing the military, and a number of members regularly participate in military missions abroad.

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I saw soldiers like these in various locations in Rome. All carrying rifles.

My girlfriend bought me a piece of street art. It was a record album with a painting of the Colosseum and some Vespas on it. I made sure I didn't lay this one down anywhere so it wouldn't get stolen.

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Rome was an interesting city. Plenty of well-dressed people, and I swear most of the women were wearing perfume and most weren't wearing bras.

Next up, the Colosseum........

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[ericbphoto]

Excuse me. Do you have any pertinent information regarding the olive skinned beauty photobombing you in picture #9?

 

[dvdswan]

Awesome pictures. Thank you for sharing.

 

[sgtsandman]

Looks like a great trip!

It might be a nice thing to visit Europe when I'm not on a "business" trip. Assuming I'm not burn out on traveling on "business" trips by then.

 

[Jim Oaks]

The Colosseum (Colosseo) - Rome, Italy:

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According to Wikipedia:

"The Colosseum (Italian: Colosseo) is an oval amphitheater in the center 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 began under the emperor Vespasian (r. 69–79 AD) in 72 and was completed in 80 AD under his successor and heir, Titus (r. 79–81). Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (r. 81–96).

The Colosseum is built of travertine limestone, tuff (volcanic rock), and brick-faced concrete. It could hold an estimated 50,000 to 80,000 spectators at various points in its history, having an average audience of some 65,000; it was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles including animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles, and dramas based on Roman mythology, and briefly mock sea battles. The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

Although substantially ruined by earthquakes and stone robbers taking spolia, the Colosseum is still an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and was listed as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions and also has links to the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit "Way of the Cross" procession that starts in the area around the Colosseum. The Colosseum is depicted on the Italian version of the five-cent euro coin."

Something that impresses me is the size of the colosseum and the fact that it was built in 8-years. Then consider that it was built between 72 and 80 AD (1,942 years ago). Imagine how other cultures in other countries were living. Grass huts, caves, teepee's, log homes, etc. Then go to Rome and see how advanced the Romans were. Also imagine the area you live in now, and then imagine a building in that area that was 1,900 years old and still standing.

Impressed yet?

This place is huge.

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Part of the floor has been recreated. There were rooms under the Colosseum floor and numerous trap doors that used a lift (elevator) to raise people, animals, objects, etc up to the colosseum floor. The lifts were operated by men turning a large wheel that raised and lowered the lift.

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On the inside of the Colosseum you can check out exhibits that show artifacts and the history of the building and the people.

 

[Jim Oaks]

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When we were done touring the Colosseum we decided to go to the Hard Rock Cafe in Rome. I came across one of these electric powered scooters on the sidewalk and decided to download the Dott app and rent it. My girlfriend stood in front of me and we rode it together. You have to push it with your foot to get it going and then you can use the throttle to power the motor. It's a little work to get it going when there's someone standing on it with you, so I didn't want to stop if I could avoid it.

Once I got it started I didn't want to stop, and was weaving in and out of people and traffic on our way to the Hard Rock Cafe. At one point my girlfriend screamed because she thought I was going to hit a guy, and I think she scared him so bad that he may have crapped himself a little bit when he jumped out of the way. We got a lot of attention zipping down the streets and alleys ringing the bell to let people know we were coming. Damn Americans!

After dinner we headed to the train station to catch a train back to Recco. When we got there I bought a ticket for the last train out of Rome for the night, but then realized that it was leaving from a different train station. There was no way we were going to make it in time by walking, and we really needed a car, so we went outside and jumped on another scooter. It was going to be a 15 minute drive to the station, and we managed to make it on time with the scooter. Fortunately we didn't get ran over in the process. We did get some interesting looks from people. My girlfriend took a video. I really need to get it from her. That crazy scooter ride ended up being one of the funnest parts of the trip.

 

[superj]

that is pretty awesome!! what a cool trip.

i agree that the funniest photo is the one where your chick is standing on the boat seat and the sign says no standing on sofa. but really, awesome pictures and super cool trip