Stephanie Serino's Travel Blog

I usually advise clients to explore the Amalfi Coast when stopping in Sorrento to enjoy a relaxing day enjoying the stunning scenery and little resort villages. Instead of taking my own advice, I went to tour the ruins of Ancient Pompeii . It was as hot, long and tiring as I have cautioned; the four-hour walking tour over uneven terrain in the very hot sun of July was not for the faint-hearted, especially considering all the important artifacts have been moved long ago to the museum in Naples. Still, it was a rare chance to experience a Roman city and is an essential stop on the Grand Tour. It was an hour by bus from Sorrento to the ruins with some great views of Mount Vesuvius along the way. Upon arrival, we entered the Roman city of Pompeii. The tour visited the Forum, the bakery shop, the fast food joint and the plaster cast of several victims including the Dog of Pompeii. We also saw the Roman mosaics, some wall paintings and the iconic dancing fawn. Here are my photos from Po...

The ship arrived in Katakolon, Greece which is on the mainland. This area is close to Olympia, Birthplace of the Olympics . Our Guide was fascinating and helped bring the ruins to life. Unfortunately the tour did not include admission to the museum, but I was able to skip our brief shopping time to go in and browse the extensive collection. There was a whole room devoted to bronze miniatures, and the statues were impressive. There is nothing much else of interest in this area, although some tours include a "Zorba Event." How could it be as good as Anthony Quinn dancing in the film?! Here are my Photos .

Welcome to the Greek island of Corfu! Here's the tour I selected for the morning: Achilleion Palace, Perama & Corfu Town , which visited the Austrian Empress Elisabeth's home built in 1891. There were very pretty gardens, sculpture and lovely views from the three terraces. Corfu Town was small and charming, pretty easy to enjoy on your own. Perhaps next time, I would choose to travel North to one of the beaches and swim in the Aegean Sea... Here are my photos from the morning.

This walled Medieval city looks exactly the same (well, except for the tourist shops). The old square, the narrow streets, the Franciscan Church were all enchanting. Here's a link to more information about Dubrovnik . This is the Shore Excursion we chose: Historic Dubrovnik & Village Life . The village farm was really charming and we tasted some delicious treats. Here’s a link to my photos from Dubrovnik.

"To spend one's mornings in still, productive analysis of the clustered shadows of the Basilica, one's afternoons anywhere, in church or campo, on canal or lagoon, and one's evenings in starlight gossip at Florian's, feeling the sea-breeze throb languidly between the two great pillars of the Piazetta and over the low black domes of the church — this, I consider, is to be as happy as is consistent with the preservation of reason." — Henry James, "Venice: An Early Impression" (1872) The flight arrived a few hours late so I splurged on a water taxi to the hotel (fabulous, felt like James Bond arriving in style). Hotel Cipriani is wonderful, a quiet oasis 5 minutes by boat from St Mark’s Square (complimentary hotel shuttle operates every ten minutes 24 hours a day). The “Palladio Suite” has a lagoon view from the balcony, lovely. Immediately headed to St. Mark’s Square. Enjoyed Bellinis and lunch at Harry’s Bar , fave haunt of Hemingway (cold zucch...