May 8 - 11, 2026 - Florence

Florence - May 8 - 11, 2026

Florence is also very beautiful and magnificent. We visited Uffizi.  70% of the artworks in the Uffizi are about Mary, Madonna, or Jesus.  There are also works by famous artists during the Renaissance (15th, 16th Century) such as Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael.  At Accademia Gallery, we met David. David is much taller and bigger than what I used to see in the pictures. The Leonardo Da Vinci Interactive Museum visit was added to our trip along the way. The museum is full of prototypes of Da Vinci's designs. It was so cool and fun to visit the museum. Da Vinci was very genius indeed. I also love the unforgettable view of Florence from Piazzale Michelangelo. It is a MUST visit when going to Florence.

We had a nice dinner at "Il Santa Maria Ristorante Steakhouse". Ducky ordered Chianti steak 8.5 euro per 100 grams. They picked a gigantic 1.2 kilograms for us. This meal costed 225 euros. LoL  It was delicious and not to chewy for me.  We enjoyed the meal and the experience. The leftover fed us as the following day lunch.

May 5, 2026 - Amalfi

Amalfi - May 5, 2026

Amalfi is a coastal town in the Salerno district, take a high-speed train from Rome to Salerno for about an hour, and then take a boat to Amalfi and Positano.

Amalfi builds houses on overlapping hills. It looks very beautiful. Here people grow gigantic lemons with very thick skins, and lemon skins are used to make cups of Lemon Sorbet ice cream. One order for 15 euro!!! The lemons are used to make limoncello as well. We really enjoyed the beautiful coastal, the boat rides, seafood with pasta, ravioli, lemon sorbet, limoncello, and the visit to the ancient sites there. 

"The most famous and dominant church on the Amalfi Coast is the Amalfi Cathedral, known locally as the Duomo di Amalfi or Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea (Cathedral of Saint Andrew).
The Basilica of the Crucifix (Basilica del Crocifisso): This is the oldest part of the complex, dating back to the 9th century. Built on the ruins of an even older 6th-century early Christian church, it now serves as the Diocesan Museum and houses beautiful historic treasures.

The Cathedral of St. Andrew: Built right next to the older basilica in 987, this main church features a stunning, dramatic 19th-century Norman-Arab-Byzantine facade with brilliant gold mosaics."

May 4 - 8, 2026 - Rome

Rome - May 4 - 8, 2026

Rome is very beautiful. Walking everywhere is like being in Roman times. The old buildings have statues, columns, and beautiful balconies from BC to the present.  In Rome, we vsited the Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Vatican Museum, and St. Peter's Square. In Rome, putting on high heels is quite a challenge. The heels can easily get stuck in between the 12 cm x 12 cm stones used to pave the walkways. These iconic paved ways also are not friendly for luggage wheels.

"The iconic cobblestones that pave the streets of Rome are called sampietrini (sometimes spelled sanpietrini).

The Origin of the Name: They are named after St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro), because the stones were first used there in the late 16th century to make it easier for heavy papal carriages to roll through the square smoothly.

The Material: They are hand-cut, pyramid-shaped blocks made from black basalt, a volcanic rock. Most of it was historically quarried from the volcanic areas near the Alban Hills just southeast of Rome.

How They Are Laid: Unlike modern paving, traditional sampietrini aren't cemented down. Instead, artisans wedge them tightly into a loose bed of sand and river gravel. This allows the ground to "breathe," flex, and absorb water during heavy rains."

 

May 3, 2026 - Istanbul

Istanbul - May 3, 2026

We used stopover program offered by the Turkish Airlines. I picked the Grand Yavuz hotel in Sultanahmet, known as the heart of old Constantinople.  Walking inside and around the Bazaar was a joyful experience. There are gold shops, sweets and spices shops, Turkish lamp shops, all kind of shops. Buying ice cream here was very fun. The seller played tricks with the ice cream and its cone. Every time I thought I got a hold to the cone, then, it disappeared. We laughed a lot and I got hungry when finally got a hold on to it. Buying fresh little short of coffee here was very fun too. The seller heated the coffee using sand. Pistachio coffee was delicious. Turkish delights and Turkish teas were very delicious too. The shops around the Bazaar are like the shops over Pahurat in Thailand. They sold both retail and wholesale goods. The shoe district was the whole strip of shoes shops. We visited the ancient site of Basilica Cistern and The Blue Mosque, which are very beautiful. Women must also have a hair covering. Hotel rooms use perfume with very strong scent. Ducky had to open the window to get rid of the smell. It was good that it gradually faded. Turkish people seem to drink tea regularly. The tea vendor will walk to deliver the tea and deliver the snacks using a tray. The used teacup and snack dishes are brought back to wash. No need for disposable cups or plates or plastic bags. I like the idea.