Thinking of Italy

Remember the 70% off sale on books? I would have gladly paid $2.00 for this book, but I certainly wasn't going to argue with the sale price of $0.60 either.

Now I want to spend my Sunday reading this and looking at the pictures. Hubby and I visited Italy a few years ago. We traveled to Civitavecchia, Rome, Florence, and Pisa. It was a wonderful trip. (I guess I have digital pictures somewhere, but I don't know where they're stored. I've gotten a new camera since then.) But, I found these for you so you can see some of the amazing sights we were fortunate to see.

Civitavecchia

Civitavecchia is a town and comune of the province of Rome in the central Italian region of Lazio. A sea port on the Tyrrhenian Sea, it is located 80 kilometers west-north-west of Rome, across the Mignone river. The harbor is formed by two piers and a breakwater, on which is a lighthouse.Civitavecchia means "ancient town".The modern city was built over a pre-existing Etruscan settlement.The harbor was constructed by the Emperor Trajan at the beginning of the 2nd century. The first occurrence of the name Centum Cellae is from a letter by Pliny the Younger (AD 107). The origin of the name is disputed: it has been suggested that it could refer to the centum ("hundred") halls of the villa of the emperor.In the high Middle Ages, Centumcellae was a Byzantine stronghold. Captured by the Saracens in 828, it was later acquired by the Papal States.The place became a free port under Pope Innocent XII in 1696. The main port of Rome in modern era, it was occupied by the French in 1849. On April 16, 1859 the Rome and Civitavecchia Rail Road was opened for service. The Papal troops opened the gates of the fortress to the Italian general Nino Bixio in 1870.Civitavecchia is today a major cruise and ferry port, the main starting point for sea connection from central Italy to Sardinia, Sicily, Malta, Tunis and Barcelona. Fishing has a secondary importance.
Font : Wikipedia

Hubby and I strolled along the sea where there was a bazaar set up and visited a museum to see the Etruscan ruins.

Colosseum

Florence

(I couldn't get a picture of the Leaning Tower of Pisa without messing up blogger.)

I wish I could adequately express how wonderful this trip was. For instance, I stared at the Leaning Tower of Pisa with tears in my eyes. It was a sight that I never thought I would see.