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Showing posts from April, 2026

Siracusa, Sicily 4/14-18/2026

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Siracusa, Sicily Syracuse is a city on the Ionian coast of Sicily, Italy. It's known for its ancient ruins. The central Archaeological Park Neapolis comprises the Roman Amphitheater, the Teatro Greco and the Orecchio di Dionisio, a limestone cave shaped like a human ear. The Museo Archeologico Regionale Paolo Orsi exhibits terracotta artifacts, Roman portraits and Old Testament scenes carved into white marble.  ― Catania is an ancient port city on Sicily's east coast. It sits at the foot of Mt. Etna, an active volcano with trails leading up to the summit. The city's wide central square, Piazza del Duomo, features the whimsical Fontana dell'Elefante statue and richly decorated Catania Cathedral. In the southwest corner of the square, La Pescheria weekday fish market is a rowdy spectacle surrounded by seafood restaurants.   This was one of our ports from the world cruise.  I did not get off the ship then, but Mickey did.  These 4 days were pretty restful, so we didn't...

Verona, Italy 4/9-13/2026

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  Verona, Italy Verona is a city in northern Italy’s Veneto region, with a medieval old town built between the meandering Adige River. It’s famous for being the setting of Shakespeare’s "Romeo and Juliet." A 14th-century residence with a tiny balcony overlooking a courtyard is said be “Juliet’s House." The Verona Arena is a huge 1st-century Roman amphitheater, which currently hosts concerts and large-scale opera performances.   I am adding new pictures from this stay but including some of the older ones too. The top picture is the coliseum of Verona, which we were told was older than the one in Rome, and in much better condition.  It was also quite a bit smaller.  Kind of a mini me... This is the Adive River and has two main bridges that cross it, the Ponte Della Vittoria and the Ponte Pietra Bridges.  The Ponte Pietra connects the fortress that was built to protect the royal family.  A lot of Roman influence here, the center picture in the collage is a Rom...