There I stood, a child of just 13, gazing up at Michelangelo’s majestic David, still not believing I was actually in Italy. As I glanced around the room, I couldn’t recognize any other works of art, but had a sinking feeling that I was surrounded by countless masterpieces. But how did I end up in Italy, you may be wondering? Well, through our local travel agency my family and I booked Brendan’s Worldwide Vacations’ Real Italy tour, guided by Trafalgar Tours, for Christmas 2007. Our tour guide, the sweet and charismatic Antonella Perfetto, made all the arrangements regarding hotels, attractions, transportation, and even attained special access to certain sites. This made for an unforgettable experience that I would recommend to anyone.
Quarter Finalist 2011 Teen Travel Writing Scholarship
Our vacation began in Rome, where we stayed at the Sheraton Roma Hotel, and I purchased my first souvenir — a miniature, mint green Smart car. The next day was Religious Rome, which included tours of the larger-than-life Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museums, St. Peter’s Basilica, and the optional excursion into the mysterious Catacombs. It was an enlightening tour and displayed all of the Vatican’s religious splendor, while also flaunting the richly painted, sculpted, and carved art works of Michelangelo and his contemporaries. We even saw the Colosseum! The following day, we traveled to Assisi, where inside the crowded Basilica, we witnessed the famed Giotto frescoes of the life of St. Francis, while taking in the picturesque view from atop Mount Subasio.
We next traveled to Venice by way of water taxi, sailing on the same waters that have been traversed for thousands of years. Upon arrival, we stayed at the Boscolo Hotel Bellini, which was in slight disrepair. However, everywhere I looked, beautiful, hand-blown, Murano glass chandeliers provided the light. In the city of Venice, we were treated to a tour of St. Mark’s Basilica and a glass-blowing demonstration at a Murano glass factory. Following the tours, my parents explored the canals on a gondola, while my sister and I ate gelato for the first time and visited all the tiny shops selling glass-blown jewelry. Rather than waiting for the rest of the tour group, my family and I decided to walk back to the hotel…which was not such a great idea. We got lost, several times. However, we did make it back to the hotel (after several hours) by way of small, rural neighborhoods that were dripping with history.
Our next stop was Florence, where we made camp at the Palazzo Ricasoli, a hotel with rooms as bare as monk cloisters. This was the fateful day I met Michelangelo’s David in the Gallery of the Accademia, a small, off-the-beaten-path museum, which houses some of the world’s greatest treasures. My family pounced on the opportunity to take an excursion to Pisa, the leaning town. We had a lot of free time in Florence and roamed around the city for several hours, taking in the Santa Croce Basilica, the Florence Cathedral and Baptistery, and even bought genuine Italian leather jackets — quite an exciting stop.
After Florence, we journeyed to the Amalfi Coast, by way of extremely winding roads in a large bus. This was what caused me to throw up once we arrived in Sorrento. In Amalfi, we resided in the San Francesco hotel, an exquisite, sophisticated abode, built on the side of a cliff, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea. Following Amalfi, we returned to Rome for the final night of sightseeing, and flew home the next day. This was one trip that will never leave my memory and keeps me longing to return.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
1 Reply to “Christmas in Italy—10 Days of History, Art, & Culture”
Comment on this article
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Very tasty.
Dubai is a glorious city in the world but the desert safari is most thrilling tour in Dubai since 1980 . This is a great post and great team work .
When I was reading this I realize that this is the best blog as compare to others. Its really appreciated.
Don’t stop keep posting this type of posts
Good address for ski. My daughter loves skiing very much. It will be a good option for us for the next winter holiday.
Good to know as I have a daughter at 10 YOD and she loves skiing very much.
Seems there are lots of fun for kids in Las Vegas. I have never though about a such thing there. It will be a good option to consider for our next family holiday. Thank you.
What’s a wonderful & luxury holiday. I am dreaming about it.
It’s Fantastic And Useful Blog About World Heritage Sites and There information is very informative and useful.
Thanks for sharing.
I love reading your blogs, there are many useful information for travelers. Thank you very much for sharing.
Good advices when traveling with kids. Thank you very much.
What’s an amazing trip. Thank you for sharing.
Very nice day. We don’t have it in Vietnam 🙁
Amazing hotels. I love eco-resort with nature style instead of modern hotels.
Good to read this before I prepare my family trip in the summer.
Good to know this. Thank you for sharing. I will consider this for my children.
Thank you for these tips on how to plan a family safari! I’d like to be able to take my whole family and show them the beauty of Africa. But it always seemed so daunting to plan a whole trip that everyone would enjoy. I mean there’s always the age differences, and differences in interest as well to think about. Just thinking of ensuring that everything goes well planned is stressing me out. That’s why I turned to the internet in search of tips! Definitely will use your tips on how to choose a safari.
Very good tips. We all should follow these tips for a safe road trip. Thanks for the great help.
Thankyou Mr Ralph S for giving precise information on the overland.
i will be travelling for the 1st time from adelaide to melbourne this month end. it will be of grt help.
Soon I’ll be planning a trip to Dubai. Thanks for the information about what’s worth visiting.
Hello Lansdell family! This is a great place for a long weekend of outdoors exploration and a beautiful park. In late May, a new business is opening = https://www.floattheriver.net/ = which will run float trips on inner tubes on portions of the river. I asked some locals and they suggested that after biking and hiking and riding the train, your kids might enjoy day trips to nearby Canton, Akron or Cleveland. Each has lots of Metroparks (the public system of urban parks) and museums, etc to do and see. With some planning, all your days can be as full of variety as you would like. We hope you have a wonderful trip.
How did you get around the Darien Gap?
Very good
Thank you for sharing these warm and touching thoughts of yours! I’ve only been the Belarus once, but I wish I read it before going, something in my experience would definitely be different then. I did use some advise – from the telegram channel for foreigners https://t.me/Belanews but I guess your opinion would be great to consider and embrace too.
Thanks for all the info. We are planning on going in August, and are trying to find a nature-centered vacation for our family of 4, kids ages 7 and 4. We are from Southern Ontario, Canada and we came across this national park. Would you recommend this place for 3-4 days? Is there enough to do (hiking, train rides, exploring etc)? Somewhere else? We also looked at the Smoky Mountains but its about a 11-12 hours vs the 5-6 hours to Cuyohoga. Any advice would be helpful.
That place is really amazing. I want to spend my vacations on this beautiful place. Thanks for sharing this nice information.
I've been there last year. If someone is looking for a nice hotel I can highly recommend to take a look at the Hotel Rappen Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Such a good information.Nice work.Very useful for us.
The gardens of Suzhou are absolutely beautiful and something that you don’t want to miss while you are there.
Traveling with your children in s Suzhou is super easy and safe. My family had a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed there time there. One thing they really loved was going down all of the canals. Here is some great information on all the beautiful canals that you can explore.
It looks like a beautiful experience. Turkey is a wonderful country -and the fact that it’s not that expensive compared to other countries makes a visit there even more tempting. Thanks for sharing.
good tips, safety comes first so that our trip may be remembered as a happy memoir when we went to see and explore new places and have fun. and not as a terrifying night in the ER. god bless you all , be safe
Thanks for your insight for your fantastic posting. I’m glad I have taken the time to see this.
Great tips for road trips!
Thanks for posting, very valuable information .
Being visiting is one of the best experiences of my life. Being there and enjoying every bit of time is wonderful. Personally, my best experience is an underground aquarium and desert safari. One visited Dubai must go for these two activities.
Would love this for our family!
We’ve always wanted to go and now they are old enough to enjoy it.
Thanks so much for doing this!
The beaches, the weather, the food, the attractions and the activities- everything was perfect.
I think parents should focus more on preparing or educating their children about the proper etiquette and behaviors before the flight to avoid being a nuisance to others. I don’t know much about kids but as a first-time mom, that’s what I will do.
Hi,
You have explained the timeshare information for Spain country very well.Share more blogs which will we helpful for people like us in future.
Thanks
Seeking for your positive reply.
Hi,
I would like to travel out of the US with my son. I understand that I would need his father to sign and notarize a letter. He had not been a stand up dad to take care of his responsibilities so he left and I can’t find him. What can I do in a situation like that to travel with my son?
happy you enjoyed the story. This park is in Ohio where the climate can be capricious! It’s hottest between late April and November, however even April has the danger of some snow. In case you’re enjoying the great outdoors with children, the most secure wager is June to August, since it’s hotter and there’s little downpour. Make the most of your trek.
Wonderfully informative article!
I want to go travel with kids but I was not decided where we go. Your post is helpful for me. Thanks for sharing.
Tenerife is SO stunning! I love this volcanic landscape, sometimes you feel like you traveled to the Moon. This place has it all – great views, pleasant weather, awesome food, wine and laid-back people. Thanks for sharing ideas, I’ll use some of them on my next trip 🙂
Very nice article and msg we likes so much
I automatically think the word “gumbling” when I heard Las Vegas. I never knew that Las Vegas has something to offer for youngsters. Will bring my children here soon.
Nice Article, it is very helpful to me.
There is no Doubt, Dubai is most popular destination among tourists from across the world and have gained high popularity in last decade. If you are in Dubai and dhow go for dhow cruise, there is some thing missing on your list. There are Dubai dhow cruise, Musandam Dibba dhow cruise and Khasab Musandam dhow cruise. Try some of them and you will love.
Istanbul layover tour is a great service to use the best of your time in Istanbul Airport. However if you like to have a private attention and flexibility, you can check private tour services of ISTANBUL LAYOVER TOURS. They are offering the layover tours from Istanbul International Airport.
Great article! Wanted for Christmas again. Do you know anything about this place ? It is very interesting to know the opinions. How much advance it is necessary to book a hotel and various entertainment before the holidays?