Some final amazing days in Italy!

We have had an amazing time enjoying Italy.  Everyone loved Tuscany and our visit to Pisa.  Most could not really believe that there was so much more to see there than just a "leaning tower".  It made me feel so good to know that everyone really did appreciate the beauty and history of this one special spot in Tuscany.  Then we stopped in Lucca for a visit.  It was also a big hit.  There was time for a short walking tour and shopping.  Then we hit the Autostrada and headed north through the mountains.  We hit the rush hour traffic in Florence, but made it fine to our overnight location near Modena.  

We checked into the hotel and made a mad dash to the restaurant as everyone was pretty hungry.  We enjoyed a delicious meal with many of the favorite dishes found in the Emilia Romagna region.  Everyone was pretty tired and all were ready for a good night's sleep.

Saturday was a fun day with a visit to the town of Maranello, home of Ferrari.  It was a special day for Russ and Joy as they were able to participate in a super special Ferrari exhibit.  Several others in the group went along as well.  Everyone in the group also visited the Ferrari Museum.  No matter how your feel about cars, one cannot help but be impressed with the world of Ferrari.

Then we stopped for our lunch at Eataly World located near Bologna.  This mega-food store had every type of food and food product produced throughout Italy.  You could spend days looking at all the exhibits and tasting all the different foods from every region in Italy.  We only had a short time, but it was a fun experience.

Finally we made our way to Venice and all boarded water taxis for a ride to the island of Venice.  After time to check into the lovely Hotel Ala, we met for a welcome drink in the hotel's bar.  What a perfect way to begin our last few days together in Italy.  This was followed by a short walking tour before everyone was off on their own to enjoy the evening. 

We woke to a dreary Sunday, but made our way to the viewing terrace on top of the Tedacio Shopping mall.  The view of the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal is unmatched from this spot.  You can also see all over the city and the domes of St. Mark's Basilica.  Afterwards, we did walk to St. Mark's square hoping to visit the museum at St. Mark's, but it was closed.  Still do not know the reason why as it did open up later in the day.  Everyone then had time to enjoy Venice on their own. 

I left this group and met with the new Bella Italia group who had all arrived today.  I will tell you more about that in another posting later.

Finally, we met for our farewell dinner at Da Raffalle restaurant.  We luckily were seated at a table in the back of the restaurant.  By the time we closed down the place, we had enjoyed another delicious meal together with plenty of laughter.  This had been a fabulous group and after dinner several of us headed for St. Mark's Square and sat to enjoy the music.  It was a perfect way to top a perfect tour group.  As always, I feel so blessed when I have a group who enjoy each other and the places that they have seen along the way.  Several will head home tomorrow but a few will stay on a bit to enjoy Venice and Rome.  Thank you to all for making the Kemm Family and Friends tour one of the best.  Ciao,  Suzan