Holst Happenings: Katie goes to Italy

A week after going to Italy with my sister, I headed back (a rough life, I know). I went to meet up with my aunt, Carin, who was there for about 2 weeks while her husband helped run a baseball camp in Rimini. Even though I boarded the wrong train, was delayed and as a result missed my connection in Milan, and rode from Milan to Florence without a reservation (meaning I played musical seats), I managed to make it to Florence with all my stuff and only an hour late - God is good! Carin was there waiting for me with her friend Jill. We immediately jumped into sight-seeing mode and saw most of the major sights in about 2 hours. I couldn't believe the detail of the architecture and how ornate all the carvings were. We saw some beautiful things and we hadn't even been inside anything yet! We then had a reservation at the Accademia Gallery which is where Michelangelo's David is. I really enjoyed seeing the different sculptures, but I admit, David couldn't help but overshadow everything else. At 17 ft tall, it towers above everything and really looks like it could come to life at any minute.

That night we headed to a Bed and Breakfast in nearby Panzano. Over the years, Carin has become friends with the owner, Giulietta, and I can see why! She was so friendly and welcoming and her place was just beautiful. One of the unique things about her place is that she offers Tuscan cooking classes, which we participated in our second night there. We made a 3 course meal including home-made ravioli and everything turned out wonderfully! The picture is of me and Giulietta rolling out our sheets of pasta, soon to become stuffed ravioli. After tasting that pasta, I might have to invest in my own pasta machine...

After an enjoyable day in the country, we headed back to Florence on Thursday for a little shopping and then traveled on to Venice. We stayed at another quaint little B&B and then spent Friday exploring Venice. We took a water bus down the Grand Canal so we saw all the gondolas, speed boats and houses literally built right on the water. We got off at Piazza San Marco and the slowly meandered our way back towards the train station. We wandered up and down numerous twisty-turvy streets and over countless bridges - everything was so enchanting. We managed to find Carin's restaurant of choice and had some delicious mushroom lasagna for lunch. I discovered that I love Murano glass (made on the Venetian island Murano), so I enjoyed going into the shops and admiring all the pretty things.

And then, alas, it was time to go home. It was a quick trip, but I really enjoyed what I saw and it was fun to see my aunt and have her as a tour guide. Her husband has been doing the baseball camp most every year for the past 10 years, so she has had quite a few opportunities to explore Italy and made an excellent guide!