Italy - JournoHQ

Italy

6 months ago

@tomandelaine

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Dulles International Airport (IAD), 1 Saarinen Cir, Dulles, VA 20166, USA

Apr 17 2026

We started the trip in Greenville, SC and flew to Dulles. We met Tom’s sister,Sue, and her husband Dale, and Tom’s brother, Bill. We’re headed to Italy to show them where their grandparents came from.

Tom planned the entire trip! \240Since we’ve been to Italy many times, he has one day in the big cities, Rome, Florence and Naples, but has planned day trips to less touristy places.

We’re sitting in the Turkish Lounge for about 4 hours before our flight leaves for Rome.

@tomandelaine

Rome

Apr 18 2026

St Peter’s

All rested and ready to see Rome

Vatican City

Inside Basilica

Sunrise over the Alps

Our plane arrived in Rome 50 minutes early and by the time we got through customs and got the cars it was 10:00 before we arrived at the Sheraton. We had to wait about 2 hours until our rooms were ready.

After finally getting our rooms, we rested about 3 hours then got a taxi into Rome to see a few sites before dinner. First stop was Vatican City to see St. Peter’s. We had to stand in line about 30 minutes to go through metal detectors. The church was packed with tourists, and there was a service and a wedding in one of the side chapel areas.

@tomandelaine

Orvieto

Apr 19 2026

We left Rome and began our drive to Tuscany.

Our first stop was Orvietto. It is a quaint little city on a hill with a beautiful Duomo. We took a funicular up to the top.

Our apartment for 4 nights north of Florence

View from our bedroom

Dinner where we were staying

Sue and Elaine

Sunset

Duomo

On the funicular

@tomandelaine

Lucca

Apr 20 2026

Cathedral Square

After lunch, we drove a few km into the town of Lucca. It was a small quaint little town, much less people than the big cities of Rome and Florence.

We climbed to the top of a tower and had some amazing views of the city. \240

A piazza in Lucca

The Baptistry

Looking down on the Baptismal

We were greeted by a rainbow this morning

After breakfast, we drove to Pisa. It was extremely crowded with tourists!

Inside the cathedral

I wouldn’t want that job!

After Pisa , we drove to a winery near Lucca for lunch and a tasting. Tom did a good job finding this unique place. It was beautiful!

We were sitting at a table next to 3 women from North and South Carolina and one of them was a music major at Salem College class of 1971. Small world!

Street in Lucca

The Baptismal

@tomandelaine

Florence

Apr 21 2026

Today is our day in Florence along with thousands of other people. The crowds were unbelievable!

Our first stop was the Duomo. We didn’t have tickets to go in, and the line wrapped around the building, so we just marveled from the outside.

Woodwinds

Bill getting his book signed

Big crowds!

After Ufizzi, we walked around a little and then went to the Academie museum. \240It was also packed with people, especially around David. When we visited many years ago, they wouldn’t let people take pictures of David, since everyone now has a phone there is no way they could enforce it.

Signing Bill’s book

For lunch went to Pizza Gusto. It was featured on the show Diner Drive In and Dives. It was Bill’s 1052nd one that he’s been to.

When we came out the line wrapped around the building

After lunch, we had tickets for the Uffizi Museum. According to chat gpt, it averages over \2406,000 people a day and I think they were all there when we were!

Oldest upright piano

For dinner we went to another DDD in Florence. It was typical Italian and very good.

Pizza crust bread

Ponte Vechio

There was a musical instrument gallery with many old instruments.

Old harpsichords

@tomandelaine

Modena

Apr 22 2026

Today we drove about 90 mins to Modena which is in the region of Emilia-Romagna. Our first stop was a dairy farm where we took a tour and learned how they made parmigiana oreggiano cheese. It was very interesting.

First step for cheese

Big vats for milk

Each one weighs about 100 pounds! 😂

Our tasting

They have about 1300 cows.

Barrels of balsamic

Old grape vines

Traditional tortellini pasta for sale

What they put around cheese to stamp it.

Cheese with stamp

Aging cheese

Testing for quality

Our next stop was a place where traditional balsamic is made. In order to be labeled traditional, it must be made with only heated \240grape must. The best is aged a minimum of 12 years or 25 years. Modena is the only place where balsamic can be made.

Next we went to the Ferrari museum. It had some nice cars and had a lot about racing which we don’t know much about.

Making tortellini by hand

2nd process

Each one has to be turned over many times during aging.

@tomandelaine

Alberobello

Apr 23 2026

Today we drove 9 hours to Alberobello. We drove through 5 regions.

We are staying in a Truli, which is a typical dwelling in Alberobello.

The outside of our Truli

@tomandelaine

Matera

Apr 24 2026

Today we drove about \24090 minutes to Matera, an ancient town in the Basalscata region of Italy.

We met a tour guide for a tour of the Sassi, the ancient cave district where homes, churches and entire neighborhoods were carved from the limestone rock. People lived in these rock dwellings for thousands of years making Matera one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world.

Continuing towards Alberobello, we stopped to see some caves in Castellana, Italy.

Our tour guide took us into a 10th century church built in the rock. It was locked except for tour guides.

Churches in caves

In 1953 the government began evicting people because of the unsanitary living conditions in the caves. Large families were living in caves with animals and livestock. The last families left in 1968.

86 movies have been filmed in Matera. The most recent was the first 12 minutes of James Bond No Time to Die. Mel Gibson’s Passion of Christ and scenes in The Chosen were also filmed here, and it’s easy to see why.

Inside a cave house that a family of 6 lived in as it was left in 1968. Up the stairs was where they kept the animals.

A restored cave with hotel reception in middle, hotel rooms on the right and a restaurant on the left

After leaving Matera, we stopped for an olive oil tour and tasting.

Rock church

@tomandelaine

Via Colombo, 10, 70011 Alberobello BA, Italy

Apr 25 2026

Today we spent the day in Alberobello without any driving for Tom.

We had a walking tour of the town. Today Italy was celebrating Liberation Day, and it was a holiday. The town was packed with large tour groups. Several stoped in front of our Truli to admire it.

Dipping the lady fingers in espresso

St Anthony made of paper mache

I think one of the highlights of the trip was our cooking class. It was in Putignano, a small town about 15 minutes away. They picked us up and brought us to their home.

The palace

Inside an original Truli church

Soaking artichokes with lemon

We began by making espresso to use in the tiramisu, but of course we had to drink some first.

First house built with mortar in 1797 after collapse of feudal system.

Beating the eggs

Cutting the artichokes

15% of Trulis are uninhabitable.

Elaine’s egg toast

Our Truli hotel

We had a leisurely breakfast.

St Anthony church

First, we picked \240artichokes from the garden.

Our finished tiramisu

Whipping the cream

Fried artichokes, focaccia, prosciutto and mozzarella

Cooking the tomatoes in the fire

Pasta with pesto sauce

Pasta with tomato sauce

Our bruschetta appetizer

Dinner with the family

Making the pasta

Tiramisu

@tomandelaine

Sturno

Apr 26 2026

We left \240Alberobello and started driving to Naples. We stopped in the small town of Sturno. This is where Tom,Bill and Sue’s grandfather was born.

In 2010 Tom and Elaine took Al Grella to Sturno to see where his father was born.

We went the town square where there is a monument to WW1 and WW2 soldiers who were killed. There are several Grella’s on it.

We also found a street with the name Grella.

Grella home appliances

We drove to the Naples airport and turned in our rental cars. We drove 1351 miles since picking the car up in Rome 8 days ago! I think the last week of our trip will be much less stressful for Tom!

We found a restaurant on the street and had a great first meal in Naples.

Grella funeral home

2010 when we took Al Grella to see where his father was born

As we were leaving town we saw several signs for businesses with the name Grella on them.

@tomandelaine

Vico Sergente Maggiore, 17, 80132 Napoli NA, Italy

Apr 27 2026

Today was a day of touring Naples on our own.

View from our room

Coffee break

We took the funicular to the top of the hill to visit Castel Sant’Elmo. \240The views were amazing.

Funicular

Galleria Umberto

Naples Duomo

Street in Naples

Today was the most walking we did with 24,500 steps total-almost 10 miles!

@tomandelaine

Ischia

Apr 28 2026

Today we took a ferry to the island of Ischia. We had a 3 hour tour by taxi that took us around the entire island. About 60,000 people live in Ischia in the winter and 300,000 in the summer. \240

View outside the church

We took the ferry back to Naples when the sun was setting, so we had beautiful views.

The castle

We bought some artwork from a local artist

We took the ferry back to Naples when the sun was setting, so we had beautiful views.

Sant Angelo

Entrance to Sant Angelo. No cars allowed.

Ischia

Beach

Church by the sea

@tomandelaine

Amalfi Coast

Apr 29 2026

Today we had a driver who took us along the Amalfi coast. We started at Ravello, the town farthest away. \240This is where there is a famous summer music festival every year.

There were 67 steps

Ravello cathedral

Lunch with a view

1871 organ

Tom’s red snapper with head and tail

Beach

2026 music festival

Ravello

Amalfi

View of Ravello

Elaine’s lemon sorbet

View on the way to Ravello

Elaine’s pasta with fish

Our driver took us to a restaurant outside of town that wasn’t touristy.

Shopping street

City street

13th century Fresco

After lunch we continued along the coast to Positano. This was the most crowded town.

Organ

The courtyard

Mosaics

Our next stop was the town of Amalfi. It was more crowded with tourists than Ravello.

The main attraction was its cathedral.

@tomandelaine

Rome

Apr 30 2026

Today we took the train to Rome. We rested at our apartment, then walked to dinner and the opera.

Leaving Naples

Romeo and Juliet was good, but very long. They sang in French, but there were Italian and English subtitles above the stage. The opera was 3 hours plus a 30 minute intermission. It took Romeo and Juliet about 45 minutes to die!