Italy
Florence, Italy
For such a small city center, Florence really packs in a number of sites. The best place to take them all in is from Piazza Michelangelo. Spanning the Arno River is the Ponte Vecchio, a stone arched bridge lined with jewelry shops. Hundreds of years ago, the bridge hosted butchers but the leaders of … Continue reading
Nocturnal Rome
Rome didn’t capture me right away. It was much busier and more crowded than I was prepared for. But each day, I found something that I really enjoyed and I would revisit my favorite spots each night where I appreciated them even more. The Colosseum. The Trevi Fountain. St. Peter’s Basilica. … Continue reading
Rome, Italy
Unless I’ve miscounted, you’ll only see the Colosseum for the first time once. I was a bit bleary eyed from my morning flight as the airport bus rounded the corner and suddenly, there it was and my mouth fell open. Everything about the Colosseum is, well, colossal. It was built over a decade and was … Continue reading
Giro d’Italia: stage 9
Today’s stage was 181 kilometers long with several steep climbs thrown in. Beginning in Sansepolcro, the stage featured several rated climbs and finished with one last climb up to Florence’s Piazzale Michelangelo. I found a great spot just a couple of meters shy of the finish line where I watched the crew finish setting … Continue reading
Giro d’Italia: stage 8 time trial
I was literally up with the sun this morning just to be sure that I would catch a train and arrive in Gabicce Mare, Italy with enough time to secure a prime viewing spot for today's stage of the Giro d'Italia. Stage 8 was a 54.8 kilometer individual time trial on a tough and unusually … Continue reading