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THE BOUNTY OF ITALY IMPRESSIONS OF AN ITALIAN HONEYMOON By: Christine Arnold Never take the path down the altar without a well planned honeymoon to follow. While the essence of the marriage is the ceremony, the true test of that marriage begins on the honeymoon. Scott and I became engaged in a small café in the artsy corridor of the left bank in Paris. Shortly after our return home I started gathering travel information for the honeymoon. Our destination choice was Italy, and I focused on six-city tour to include visits to Rome, Siena, Verona, Assisi, Florence, and Venice. We departed March 10 from Detroit for our flight to Rome aboard U.S. Airways. I booked all the hotel reservations and Eurail train passes in advance. Upon our morning arrival in Rome we boarded a train and headed north to the Tuscan city of Siena. Our hotel room view was spectacular. It overlooked the Tuscan landscape with a view of the green and white marbled Romanesque-Gothic Duomo (the cathedral). The fractured red brick roof tiles melted into the lush green hillsides. The Sienes landscape is a blend of smoky hillsides and winding brick roads, red tiles, and vaulted archways. The heart of the city is the Piazza del Campo, which is dominated by the Mangia Tower. Here tourists and locals blend, giving this ancient village a sophisticated edge over larger, more congested metropolis. Our next stop was the great city of Florence. It was in Florence that the Renaissance spirit of civic giving was fully realized. Florence is truly a city with monumental history. The city was dominated by Brunelleschi's immense Dome, which can best be viewed from the hillside of Bellosguardo. Florence was built within a great valley with the Arno River dissecting the city. Out hotel suite was situated along the Arno with a beautiful view of the Ponte Vecchio and the Uffizi. Florence is littered with magnificent sculptures, open air loggia, and palaces. The city blossomed through the eyes and skill of such masters as Michelangelo, Giotto, Ghiberti, Donatello and Raphael, to name just a few. Today their works are painstakingly preserved by the finest artisans in the world. In Florence the past is not a whisper-it is bold, brazen and sublime. The footpaths of Florence are forever etched on our memories. The trip to Verona gave us an opportunity to leave the busy streets of Florence and again head for the openness of the countryside. Vernona is a clean, cosmopolitan city with rich architectural ties to Rome. The amphitheater there is one of the best preserved monuments of Roman Francis and even today visitors come to the Basilica di San Francesco to view the great renaissance frescos of Giotto. Through Giotto's hand the life of St. Francis was preserved in full color and proportion. Even today the Basilica serves as a place of healing and mystery. The first century A.D. Temple of Minerva is a unique contrast to the rest of the city, which was built of pink stones quarried for centuries and still in use today. The streets are narrow and steep, but the view of the Umbrian countryside spans for miles. Our hotel was connected to the wall of the great monastery where we enjoyed two balconies and an ethereal view of the domed Basilica di Santa Maria Degli Angeli down below. This past September an earthquake struck the region and damaged the Basilica. Two frescoes by Italian masters Giotto and Cimabue were lost. Restoration costs are estimated to exceed $29 million. The city of Rome was our final stop before the flight back to the U.S. This spirited capital blends new world chaos and urban congestion with the poetry of sculptures, fountains, hollowed alcoves, garden terraces and ancient monuments. The hardy traveler will find Rome physically exhausting, yet at the same time spiritually uplifting. There is no shortage of great dining in Rome and taking the extra time to enjoy true Italian hospitality was rejuvenating. The flavors of Rome are simple: spaghetti and tortellini bolognese with red wine or spaghetti with red pepper oil and parmesan. Within the city are dozens of historic cathedrals, but none are more famous than St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. Our trip into the Vatican was splendid and the one-hour line into the museum was well worth the wait. As the modern shops and villas of Rome flaunt Italian fashion and style, the Colosseum, Forum and Pantheon have triumphed over the passage of time and are eternally en vogue. Rome is a thriving capital with many treasures that don't disappoint. Even the hardiest traveler will find Rome exhausting, but by taking part in an afternoon siesta, and making a well-planned itinerary exploring Rome is a necessity. The French Scholar Emile Male writes about Rome: "…the traveler who made his way from the Colosseum to St. Peter's by way of Constantine's Basilica and the Pantheon, who visited the Sistine Chapel and the best of Raphael's Stanze, has seen, in a day, the finest things in Rome. He will have learned, at the same time, what the Renaissance was; it was Antiquity ennobled by the Christian faith." Our journey together through Italy was punctuated by golden arches, cobblestone Streets, rugged farm pastures and expressive monumental structures. Italy is a country filled with wonderment and beauty. It is a country so striking that doorknobs become art, windows speak from the voice of God and stone is honed into living flesh. Generation upon generation has flocked to her neighborly streets to walk in the shadows of mankind's great artistic masters. Even today the road that lies ahead will indeed be winding, both uphill and down, but together we have seen the setting sun over the hills of Tuscany forever changing our lives and eternally accentuating our vows. About Christine Christine Arnold is the Sales Manager at Classic Travel and has been with the agency since 1993. She has a degree in Travel and Tourism from the College of DuPage in Illinois, is an International Travel Institute Certified Travel Consultant and has been voted "Travel Agent of the Year" for the Greater Lansing Area since 1998 and has a very loyal client following. A native of Chicago, Christine has traveled extensively in Europe, the United States, Canada, Mexico, Russia and South America. Utilizing her backround in hotel management and her contacts around the world, Christine's travel experience, her passion for travel and personalized attention for her clients result in exciting trips and incredible travel values.   | Home | Hot Specials | Go With a Group | Tips & Tid Bits | Been There Done That | | Gift of Travel | FAQs | Glossary | Links & Resources | Contact Us |