Bolzano, Italy. There is not much activity during the summer, since it is the center of lots of skiing and winter sports. This is where I felt a bit chagrined that I didn't know some Italian. I felt handicapped and a bit rude when trying to order lunch. I wanted to order coffee with my lunch and although the staff was very helpful and gave me an English language menu, the large listing of coffees didn't suggest my "normal" coffee. I ordered "poured coffee" from the menu and got an espesso with ice cream on top. It was delicious, and one that I enjoyed as dessert. DH and I finally figured out that we should order "American coffee," but I did start to be more adventurous and enjoy the different styles of coffee in Europe.

We visited a winery in Conegliano, Italy and sampled three different types of prosecco wine. When we arrived, each person's place was set with three glasses and a very nice appetizer plate with cheeses, meat, vegetables and bread.

A gondola ride in Venice. Very tippy to get into!

One of the many lovely sights on Venice's waterways

Time and the water is taking its toll on some of the buildings in Venice

The Doges' Palace, Venice. It borders on St. Mark's Square.

A walkway alongside the Doges' Palace and St. Mark's Square. Late one evening, DH and I stood across the square where there were restaurants and listened to a group of classical musicians playing, and further down, a group playing more contemporary, "easy listening" music. Really lovely.

A staircase ceiling in the Doges' Palace.

The staircase

The prison in the basement of the Doges' Palace. A very grim place. It was apparently used as a prison until about 1930.

St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. We didn't go in because it was so busy there, being a Sunday.

Apparently water often rises above the floors in Venice. As I stood in line to use a restroom, the floor next to where I was standing was under water, as can be seen by the ripple on the tiled portion. The floor was dry under my feet, thankfully.

More St. Mark's Basilica

Lots of activity in Venice. Just noticed, someone has set their bag down and left it unattended, risking theft.

An alleyway in Venice.

Roses in a Venice park. DH and I were relieved to find a very nice park where we could rest and enjoy some greenery.

Buildings in Venice. Beautiful architecture.

As DH and I sat on a bench near St. Mark's, a woman came along and lay down on the bridge, holding out a styrofoam cup. There was lots of foot traffic and after a time she sat up, removed the contents of the cup and settled down again.

Water and boats

A narrower canal

A glass sculpture at the Murano glassblowing establishment in Venice. We were given a demonstration (nothing as large as this!) and the speed and skill of the glassblower was amazing.

Stresa, Italy, on Lake Maggiore. Some of the streets were so narrow that when DH and I encountered a car, we had to flatten ourselves against a wall to let it pass!

Stresa is absolutely lovely and was lush with all sorts of flowers when we were there. A couple of locations that we admired

Lake Maggiore. Apparently George Cloony has a villa in nearby Lake Como. There were many very old, luxurious villas in Stresa, just beautiful.