Show No Fear! DIS Exclusive Viva Italia+DLP TR Sept 2014*COMPLETE* New TR link added 7/3

[Cousin Orville]

That shopping excursion looks like high danger

 

[OKW Lover]

That shopping excursion looks like high danger

Oh it was. It certainly was.

 

[KelleyK75]

Love the statues of people walking up the sides of buildings. Those are pretty cool looking! All of the statues and portraits are really beautiful! And yes, the one with the birds is, um, interesting.

The Dr Seuss books are neat to see in another language.

And yum, the chocolate I bet was amazing. That sounds like a great idea to keep the bitter ones and sprinkle it on gelato.

Can't wait to hear about your lunch.

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

Well of course they didn't mind you joining them for breakfast. You're all family after all.

The art installation is pretty cool, but I have to admit. If I'd seen that at night I think I'd be a little freaked out. Actually, A LOT freaked out.

Ha, interesting that the gallery gift shop had Dr. Seuss.

 

[morgan98]

Just as an FYI...

The Doni Tondo does not mean Holy Family. Tondo in Italian means round (rotonda, rotondo) and the Doni family is the family that commissioned Michaelangelo to paint the painting.

No big deal in the scheme of things, but just something else about the painting.

 

[missangelalexis]

That's some cool art Dusty pointed out to you guys!

Wow, the 3d model next to the painting is such a cool concept!

So many beautiful paintings and sculptures.

Can't go wrong with chocolate! Love your idea to use some on gelato.

 

[courtneybelle]

Great shots of the Uffizi! I love that they have the 3D model of the Birth of Venus for the visually impaired.

Venchi I really should have bought more to bring home, but at the time I hadn't ever traveled internationally and was paranoid about getting into trouble at customs. Now I know it wouldn't have been a problem…hindsight is 20/20.

 

[KathyTX]

I'm still loving reliving the trip through your eyes, Kristy!

And, yeah... the jeweler had a pretty nice sales day. Seems to have been a pattern in all of Kevin's shopping outings.

 

[MEK]

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Think I fell behind a big - so taking advantage of the holiday break to catch up!

Must have been so cool to see The David in person and it is great you can take pictures of it now. I found the fact they had the unfinished sculptures there too very interesting ... Were they ones that he wasn't happy with and that is why he stopped or did he multi-task and work on multiple ones at once and just didn't get to finish those?

That is great that you got to go to mass in Florence. I've gone to mass at St. Patrick's in NYC which has a bit of the same thing of tourists taking pictures while others are there for mass. There they keep them to the back but you can still hear them talking and stuff.

That meal at Aqua al 2 sounds amazing! Love the idea of a pasta tasting and neat that they do tastings of all the courses as well. I thought the same thing you did when I saw the picture that it looked like too much balsamic and would overpower the steak, but obviously they know what they are doing

Those outdoor art installations are pretty cool!

I recall from the Podcast Pete and Kevin and John talked a bit about the wholesale jewelry store and that it is like an unmarked building and you have to kinda know it is there - also sounds like the prices were legit pretty good as someone said they saw a similar piece while vacationing in the Caribbean and it was quite a bit more there vs. in Italy

I really like the Doni Tondo as it seems a bit more casual take on the Holy Family if that makes sense ... like, no halo over Mary or anything and more just them as a family which is kinda cool

Love the Italian Dr. Suess books ... like that it isn't just regular green ham, but prosciutto

Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

 

[afwdwfan]

I've finally had a chance to read your last 3 updates... and wow. Your time in Florence looks amazing. I mean when you get to see a famous work of art like the David and then you're following that up by going to a gallery where you're "just" looking at some less famous works by Da Vinci and Michaelangelo... well, I think you made the right call to skip out on the jewelry store. How often do you get to walk around an art gallery full of works from artists like them?

 

[amazingact21]

Sorry for being so absent on this report, Kristy. I have been slowing playing catch up on all your updates, and I wanted to let you know I'm up to the start of your Florence leg. Everything has just sounded so incredible so far. The history you have been able to see; the art, the culture, and the food! Oh, the food has made my mouth water. I almost wept tears of envy when I saw your genuine Quattro Formagio pizza. (And even a mediocre dinner is totally worth to have a great view of the colosseum.)


I have to say, both your updates involving the Pieta statue and the relevance of standing within some ancient Catholic Churches were really touching. As I was reading about your feelings about finally being able to see this piece of art you've studied and loved for years, combined with seeing your photographs, it really made me understand the importance of that moment for you. And I just have to say, I can't imagine standing in front of that now that I'm a mother. I hadn't really seen the piece since I'd been in college, and since then I've had Landon and the statue has taken on a whole new level of meaning for me.

And, I would think whether you're a religious person or not, you can appreciate the significance that that time in Rome was for you, as a Catholic. I can't even imagine how breathtaking and sometimes overwhelming it had to have been.



I promise I'll try to catch up quickly! Although, I don't know what will land in first place for the event I'm most envious of. Your pizza...getting to see the Sistine Chapel...or getting to see my absolute favorite piece of artwork, the Statue of David.

At least, I'm assuming you got to see it. I just figured Florence...that's kind of a popular spot to hit up when you're there.

 

[stacy~**]

I have officially caught all the way up! Yay!

I feel overwhelmed on what to comment on as everything is so beautiful and must have been amazing to see in person! (especially The David!!).

I can only imagine how attending Mass must have been for you. What an unbelievable experience.

That pasta tasting looked so delicious and fun! Glad your meal was so great!

....now to head on over to the ABD website....where I end up every time I read your report. Maybe you should look into receiving commission?

 

[khertz]

Lots of famous art, very cool! But, even better, yummy chocolate! Coincidentally, I was eating Lindt truffles (one extra dark one) while reading your updates!

It was pretty cool to check out all of the art, even if they weren't all from artists I recognized.

Sweet! I do love some good dark chocolate. Definitely appropriate for this update.

That shopping excursion looks like high danger

It sure did. I think my DH was glad I would rather spend the morning checking out the museum for free.

Love the statues of people walking up the sides of buildings. Those are pretty cool looking! All of the statues and portraits are really beautiful! And yes, the one with the birds is, um, interesting.

The Dr Seuss books are neat to see in another language.

And yum, the chocolate I bet was amazing. That sounds like a great idea to keep the bitter ones and sprinkle it on gelato.

Can't wait to hear about your lunch.

It was neat seeing such modern art mixed in with such an old city's architecture.

I loved seeing all those little touches of "regular" Italian life in areas that were so touristy. I mean, of course kids all over the world enjoy a good Dr. Seuss! We really got that feeling when visiting the Disney stores. There wasn't as much Italy or city stuff as we expected, but then we had to remind ourselves that it's just the regular city Disney store where people go to buy their kids all the current stuff.

Venchi definitely knows their chocolate!

Well of course they didn't mind you joining them for breakfast. You're all family after all.

The art installation is pretty cool, but I have to admit. If I'd seen that at night I think I'd be a little freaked out. Actually, A LOT freaked out.

Ha, interesting that the gallery gift shop had Dr. Seuss.

You got it right there! Not only was it great to not have to wait long for a table, it was really great getting some one on one time with different adventurers and enjoying nice conversation.

I totally agree. It was nice to see in the daytime, but had we come across it at night I would have been a little spooked!! What do those Italians put in their wine?!

Just as an FYI...

The Doni Tondo does not mean Holy Family. Tondo in Italian means round (rotonda, rotondo) and the Doni family is the family that commissioned Michaelangelo to paint the painting.

No big deal in the scheme of things, but just something else about the painting.

Thanks for the info.

That's some cool art Dusty pointed out to you guys!

Wow, the 3d model next to the painting is such a cool concept!

So many beautiful paintings and sculptures.

Can't go wrong with chocolate! Love your idea to use some on gelato.

It was so interesting to see something so modern amidst the old architecture of the city. Definitely unexpected.

I loved that! They had it for several famous pieces, and I thought that was a really great addition to let the visually impaired enjoy the famous works too.

Great shots of the Uffizi! I love that they have the 3D model of the Birth of Venus for the visually impaired.

Venchi I really should have bought more to bring home, but at the time I hadn't ever traveled internationally and was paranoid about getting into trouble at customs. Now I know it wouldn't have been a problem…hindsight is 20/20.

I had never seen anything like that, and thought it was really incredible to have something for the visually impaired to enjoy the famous works of art too. The Uffizi was so interesting! We really enjoyed wandering around and viewing all of the different artwork.

I won't lie, I was a little nervous about it too, but it was all fine. I couldn't believe we ended up spending so much on chocolate, but now I can say it was totally worth it. SO GOOD!

I'm still loving reliving the trip through your eyes, Kristy!

And, yeah... the jeweler had a pretty nice sales day. Seems to have been a pattern in all of Kevin's shopping outings.

Thanks, Kathy! I am too! But it is also making me REALLY miss that trip & all of my Viva family!!!

Kevin definitely knows his shopping!! I imagine the ladies at the pottery shop and the folks at the jewelry store LOVE when they see him coming!!

Thanks, Mary Ellen!! We had a wonderful Christmas. I hope you & yours did as well!

 

[khertz]

Think I fell behind a big - so taking advantage of the holiday break to catch up!

Must have been so cool to see The David in person and it is great you can take pictures of it now. I found the fact they had the unfinished sculptures there too very interesting ... Were they ones that he wasn't happy with and that is why he stopped or did he multi-task and work on multiple ones at once and just didn't get to finish those?

Seeing the David in person is beyond words. Florence was kind of on the bottom of our list of cities overall that we visited on the trip, yet seeing the David (and our meal at Acqua Al 2!) were at the top of our list of awesome things we did!

Elena explained that the unfinished works were sometimes because he was commissioned to do a piece, then the commissioner changed their minds and wanted him to work on something else. Some were things he wasn't happy with and abandoned, and some just had mistakes in the anatomy of the people so he had to start over. I never really thought about him having unfinished pieces, but once we saw them, it only makes sense. Not every one can become a masterpiece!!

That is great that you got to go to mass in Florence. I've gone to mass at St. Patrick's in NYC which has a bit of the same thing of tourists taking pictures while others are there for mass. There they keep them to the back but you can still hear them talking and stuff.

It was a really incredible experience to go to Mass in such a famous and iconic church. And as a tourist who was fully appreciating visiting so many beautiful churches and cathedrals and wanting to capture it all in photos, I totally understand the struggle. But at the same time, you have to pay attention a bit! Once that lady left, there were no more tourist disturbances. There's a time and a place for everything! Mass is not the time and place for photos.

That meal at Aqua al 2 sounds amazing! Love the idea of a pasta tasting and neat that they do tastings of all the courses as well. I thought the same thing you did when I saw the picture that it looked like too much balsamic and would overpower the steak, but obviously they know what they are doing

Oh my gosh, that meal...It was truly the most delicious meal ever! The pasta tasting was so perfect for us, and if I had more room in my stomach, I would have loved to do an entree tasting too. We were stuffed as it was, and we didn't even get dessert!

Those outdoor art installations are pretty cool!

I recall from the Podcast Pete and Kevin and John talked a bit about the wholesale jewelry store and that it is like an unmarked building and you have to kinda know it is there - also sounds like the prices were legit pretty good as someone said they saw a similar piece while vacationing in the Caribbean and it was quite a bit more there vs. in Italy

Yeah, they had to be buzzed in or something?! No telling how they found it in the first place!! Although we didn't join them, I thought it was very kind of them to share the experience with adventurers who were interested in checking it out.

I really like the Doni Tondo as it seems a bit more casual take on the Holy Family if that makes sense ... like, no halo over Mary or anything and more just them as a family which is kinda cool

I had never heard of that piece by Michelangelo before, so it was a real treat during our Uffizi tour. Very cool & interesting take on the Holy Family!

Love the Italian Dr. Suess books ... like that it isn't just regular green ham, but prosciutto

Hope you had a wonderful holiday!

Right?! Everything sounds so fancy in Italian!!

Thank you! We had a great Christmas! Hope y'all did too.

I've finally had a chance to read your last 3 updates... and wow. Your time in Florence looks amazing. I mean when you get to see a famous work of art like the David and then you're following that up by going to a gallery where you're "just" looking at some less famous works by Da Vinci and Michaelangelo... well, I think you made the right call to skip out on the jewelry store. How often do you get to walk around an art gallery full of works from artists like them?

I'm not a huge shopper or jewelry wearer, so I wasn't too tempted by the visit to the jewelry store (more just curious). For us, visiting the Uffizi was definitely the better choice. While Florence is not as jam packed with famous landmarks as Rome is, the things they had there were SO impressive, like the Duomo and of course, the David. Three days there was a little too much for DH and I since we are not big shoppers and that's most of what there is to do there, but I was definitely glad we had more than just a day trip like the regular Viva trips. It's better to have too much than not enough!

Sorry for being so absent on this report, Kristy. I have been slowing playing catch up on all your updates, and I wanted to let you know I'm up to the start of your Florence leg. Everything has just sounded so incredible so far. The history you have been able to see; the art, the culture, and the food! Oh, the food has made my mouth water. I almost wept tears of envy when I saw your genuine Quattro Formagio pizza. (And even a mediocre dinner is totally worth to have a great view of the colosseum.)

No worries, Alicia! I am spending the day doing the same thing, as I have been out of commission most nights when I get home from work and haven't had the time or energy to DIS like I used to. Trying to get back in the swing of things!

Trust me, I nearly wept when I saw that pizza myself! It was glorious! It was hard to stop myself from eating the entire thing. We are planning to eat at the Via Napoli equivalent Naples on our upcoming DL trip, and I'm looking forward to it, but I hope it won't be a disappointment now that I have had the "real thing"!

I have to say, both your updates involving the Pieta statue and the relevance of standing within some ancient Catholic Churches were really touching. As I was reading about your feelings about finally being able to see this piece of art you've studied and loved for years, combined with seeing your photographs, it really made me understand the importance of that moment for you. And I just have to say, I can't imagine standing in front of that now that I'm a mother. I hadn't really seen the piece since I'd been in college, and since then I've had Landon and the statue has taken on a whole new level of meaning for me.

As much as I was looking forward to Rome and the Vatican, I was not at all prepared for how overwhelming and emotional it was going to be for me. I am so thankful to have been able to have that experience at least once in my life. Hopefully it's not the last time I ever get to see it in person, but if it is, I feel satisfied and blessed. In college, it impressed me so much because of the way he made stone look like draped cloth and how he got such detailed expressions on their faces, but it does take on a whole new meaning as a mother and having to think of what Mary went through.

And, I would think whether you're a religious person or not, you can appreciate the significance that that time in Rome was for you, as a Catholic. I can't even imagine how breathtaking and sometimes overwhelming it had to have been.

That's so true. It's hard not to appreciate it, even if you are not religious. Several of the people on our trip said that. To have that extra layer of seeing the capital of the faith that has been a part of me since I was born was truly an incredible experience. I know my mother would love it for the same reasons, but being that she won't even fly from New Orleans to Disney World, I doubt I will ever convince her to fly across the ocean!

I promise I'll try to catch up quickly! Although, I don't know what will land in first place for the event I'm most envious of. Your pizza...getting to see the Sistine Chapel...or getting to see my absolute favorite piece of artwork, the Statue of David.

At least, I'm assuming you got to see it. I just figured Florence...that's kind of a popular spot to hit up when you're there.

My list of things I loved the most on this trip changes ALL the time! Just when I think, "Oh yes, that was the best thing we did," I remember something else to contend with it. Oh yes, David was a must...you won't be disappointed!!

I have officially caught all the way up! Yay!

I feel overwhelmed on what to comment on as everything is so beautiful and must have been amazing to see in person! (especially The David!!).

I can only imagine how attending Mass must have been for you. What an unbelievable experience.

That pasta tasting looked so delicious and fun! Glad your meal was so great!

....now to head on over to the ABD website....where I end up every time I read your report. Maybe you should look into receiving commission?

I know the feeling, our days were so packed with activity that it is overwhelming to me too sometimes! I can't believe how much we did in just a little more than a week.

Mass was a fantastic experience. I'm really glad it worked out perfectly with the timing of our day that we were able to go.

Ahh that meal. My mouth still waters when I think about it!

That would be fantastic! Really though, I can't recommend ABD highly enough, just based off of this one trip. The service is just beyond amazing.

 

[khertz]

Day 7 Continued: Sunday September 21st

Sorry for the delay in posting, it has been tough for me to find the time or energy for DIS'ing lately, but I'm going to try to do better! Also, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

When I left off, we had just met up with Marco and some of our fellow adventurers to head off to lunch. Soon enough, we were following this as we walked to the restaurant.

07-196 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We were having lunch at a restaurant called Trattoria San Lorenzo. This is not usually included in Florence, but it is a favorite restaurant of Kevin & John, so they worked it into the itinerary.
 

07-198 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We were led upstairs to an area of several tables set aside just for us. DH and I sat at a table with Chris & Chuck, Rick, Mike, and Grant & Lesley.

07-199 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-201 by disneymom1024, on Flickr ​

First, we all started with an appetizer of cold meats and bruschetta with pate. I had never eaten pate before, but I decided to try it, and it tasted pretty good. Then Dusty informed us it is chicken liver. This is where Show No Fear came into play again for me! Normally I wouldn’t have even tried something without knowing what it was, and I definitely wouldn’t have had someone told me ahead of time it was chicken liver. I wasn’t even really that bothered once I knew what it was, because it tasted so good! I think I surprised DH a little bit because I kept eating it.

07-202 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Next up was the pasta course. DH had gotten lasagna, and I had been thinking of getting it too, but I decided to go instead with the shells stuffed with cheese and spinach.

07-203 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
DH’s lasagna​

I had a bit of the lasagna, and it was delicious! DH cleaned his plate, so I know he liked it as well.

Now, I had ordered the stuffed shells expecting something like this (image from google):

stuffed shells by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

However, my actual plate looked like this:

07-204 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

They were enormous!! They were very good, but I barely put a dent in them because they were so huge and we still had 2 courses to go.

07-205 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Next course was the meat course. I had gotten chicken in a mushroom sauce while DH had gone with the steak. Both were, again, delicious. No funky tasting pieces of chicken here!

07-206 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-207 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

We were also served potatoes family style, and they were SO good! I could have eaten a whole platter of them by myself.

07-208 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

Again, the guides were just amazing at this meal. They were helping to serve and clear plates while trying to shovel food down themselves. And they gave us lots of information about the area where we were. The restaurant was across from the chapel where Michelangelo had locked himself away to create the David.

At this point, the chef came up to check on us and earned a well deserved round of applause. The meal had been absolutely delicious, and it wasn’t over yet. We still had dessert, chocolate cake!

07-210 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-211 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
Some décor.


ABD 07-039 by disneymom1024, on Flickr
And just a little wine…​

One of the guides got this great photo of Joyce on their camera.

ABD 07-035 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

And once we had started to filter out of the restaurant, the other got this shot of the adventurers waiting down in the piazza.

ABD 07-042 by disneymom1024, on Flickr


07-212 by disneymom1024, on Flickr​

It had been a really fantastic, not to mention filling, lunch!

UP NEXT: Pisa!

 

[Cousin Orville]

Looks like an excellent lunch! I'm getting hungry just looking at the pictures.

 

[Dugette]

Mmmm, looks like a delicious lunch! I love lasagna, so I'd have to get that - but yours looks really good too. Way to be brave on the pate - I could not have managed that one.

 

[afwdwfan]

Yeah... lunch looks like it was ok.

I've had pate before. I'm not sure if I knew what it was or not. But I do remember that I didn't particularly care for it. I definitely applaud you for trying something new.

And if you already knew you liked it when you found out it was chicken liver, there's no reason not to continue eating it. It isn't like they told you it was made from gum scraped off the bottom of the local bus seats or something. Chicken liver is perfectly edible...

 

[DisneyKid4Life]

It must be so nice to have such well travelled hosts who know the area so well. But more than that, know of great places to add to the itinerary.

Haha, I have to admit, if finding out I was eating chicken liver, I'd be done. Then again, I'm a chicken when it comes to many foods, so in this case I would feel like a cannibal. Good on you for not letting it bother you if it actually tasted good.

"And just a little wine…" I have images of the rest of the group chanting "CHUG, CHUG CHUG!"