After a good dose of patriotism, it was time to explore once again!
I decided to continue on counter-clockwise (a direction I never usually take across the World Showcase).
Which, of course, brings me to Italy!
To be honest, Ive never really liked the Italy pavilion.
Ive heard not-so-good things about the restaurant, we were never interested in the shops, and theres not too much else to do there.
Needless to say, Im very excited about Via Napoli since how can you not go to Italy and get pizza?!?!?
For now, I decided to explore and see if I could find some hidden gems.
Ive read once upon a time there was a secret location from which you can blast water at people in the plaza but I couldnt find it.
Does anyone know if that still exists?
Instead I decided to go see some old friends - Lady and the Tramp.
The topiaries were set up for the Flower and Garden festival and there was no line.
Unfortunately, there was no Photopass photographer either.
So I had to make due with my own skills
Next I wandered into the back of the plaza.
The statue of Neptune (or Poseidon depending on which mythology you use) is always very regal.
Im excited to see what happens once this back area opens up to Via Napoli.
I imagine it will change the landscape significantly and I think that could only be a good thing here.
But heres where I started finding some hidden gems.
First, when I started back to the lagoon, I noticed a very neat vantage point of the pavilion.
I dont think Ive seen this angle very much so I figured it was worth a shot:
But rather than leave the pavilion right now, I wandered the outsides of the Merchants of Venice to see the architectural details.
One of the highlights was this little guy just sitting in the wall of one of the shops guarding it from evil I imagine.
Maybe thats why theres no Kim Possible Adventure here Italy has its own protectors!
After wandering the streets, I crossed the walkway outside the pavilion toward the lagoon.
And found a whole new area of Italy to explore that I bet many miss on an average hectic day!
This side of the pavilion is modeled after Venice the City of Lights.
First, you can enjoy the fountains with the great view of Spaceship Earth
Then the famous striped poles and lanterns from the canals and waterways of the city.
Here are some with yet another shot of the iconic Spaceshipe Earth in the distance.
Of course, with those canals, one might expect some gondolas.
And, since this is Italy, those expectations would only prove to be correct.
Lined up nicely and just awaiting weary travelers, are several of the citys finest crafts waiting to taxi you to your destination.
Continuing over the bridge, I found a Photopass photographer just standing there lonely.
I could not allow that!
So first, I asked for a shot on my camera.
Take a look at this one and see if you can tell if Im in Italy or Epcot
Yeah, Spaceship Earth probably gives it away.
But if we photoshop that out, I bet it would be hard to figure it out!
The photographer then got a nice closeup of me and the Epcot icon.
Once again fun angle that I never thought of before (Ive never seen Photopass photographers over here before).
I crossed back over the bridge to the main walkway and noticed on the other side, a gondola had just returned to the plaza.
This one deserved a better picture to appreciate the details of these works of art.
I always wished Epcot would consider using these gondolas for a short trek around the World Showcase Lagoon in lieu of an Italy attraction.
It would be a nice touch.
I am also surprised they never added a Pinocchio, Gepetto, and Jiminy Cricket Meet and Greet here similar to the princesses.
That would be awesome as they tend to be rarer characters and harder to find.
Ah, well at least I found areas worth visiting on my next visit to Italy.
Now I dont need to just speed along on my way to the next country!
Speaking of next countries, looks like were headed on a trip into Deutschland.
But, before we go, say goodbye to the great little donkey cart!
In fact on Earth Day they had an all day marathon on 
Hmph! 
