Sun rising over Venice on the morning we left.
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The Pantheon (notice all the people).
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Inside the Pantheon with a view of the oculus above us.
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The Spanish steps, which were about a five minute walk from our hotel in Rome.
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Looking down on the remains of the Roman Forum from Palatine Hill.
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View of the Colosseum in the distance from Palatine Hill.
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Inside the Roman Colosseum…
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…and outside. Not pictured: hundreds of people also trying to take a picture.
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The Swiss Guard at the Vatican
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Inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. Again, notice the crowds. The Vatican museums were definitely the most crowded places we visited.
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Outside of St. Peter’s Basilica in St. Peter’s Square
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An afternoon maritozzo (a Roman pastry) and espresso
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Rome has four “signature” pasta dishes — cacio e pepe, carbonara, amatriciana, and alla gricia. We tried them all, and the amatriciana (pictured here) was our favorite.
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We also tried lots of gelato, but this place in Rome was one of our favorites.
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Piazza Navona with Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers behind us.
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The famous Duomo cathedral in the city center of Florence.
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Giotto’s Bell Tower in Florence. We climbed the 414 steps to get to the top.
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Mid-Giotto’s Tower climb…
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The views from the top were worth the climb!
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The Duomo cathedral at night.
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Took a day trip around Tuscany, and our favorite stop was Siena. This is the Piazza del Campo, where Siena holds its famous Palio horse races.
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Views from inside the Siena Cathedral
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We got to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but we mostly laughed at all the people taking photos with it.
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The dome inside the Duomo in Florence.
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Me awkwardly posing on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence.
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Michelangelo’s famous “David” statue.
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Florence at night from the Piazzale Michelangelo. We (and a few hundred of our closest friends) watched the sunset from here.
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A viral coffee drink called an affogato — half ice cream and half espresso. There’s a reason it went viral.
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View of the Grand Canal from a water bus in Venice.
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The Rialto Bridge in Venice
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And us on the Rialto Bridge
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Walking the books at the Librairie Acqua Alta, the most famous bookstore in Venice.
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Outside of Harry’s Bar — birthplace of the bellini and a frequent hangout of Ernest Hemingway.
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Banksy’s work on one of the buildings in Venice — Migrant Child.
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Views of the Grand Canal on our gondola ride in Venice.
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St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, covered in gold.
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Sun rising over Venice on the morning we left.
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The Pantheon (notice all the people).
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