August is the time when Hong Kong teachers are on summer holidays! Together with Adam and Betsy, we went on an amazing 8-night trip to Rome, Siena, Florence, Pisa and London! We were blessed to catch up with family (Isaac) and friends (Lisa Lee, Timothy Leung, Philip Leung, Sarah Cheah, Shawn Salerman, Kenny Fong & Cloris Long) during our short stay in London.
Here’s part of our itinerary:
- [ACCOM] Hotel Farnese, Rome – good accommodation, very friendly staff, near the subway (but it was down when we were there)
- [ACCOM] Hotel Mulino di Firenze, Florence – very good accommodation, picturesque
- [ACCOM] Seraphine Hammersmith, London – affordable but tiny
- [FOOD] Gelateria dei Gracchi, Rome – good selection of gelati
- [FOOD] Golden View Open Bar, Florence – excellent atmosphere, food and service
- [FOOD] Grotta Azzura, Rome – huge selection of antipasti, pizza, pasta and dessert (very good service, but diminishes with large tour groups)
- [FOOD] High Tea at The Capital Hotel, London
- [FOOD] Torrefazione Fiorella, Siena – simply the *BEST* coffee we’ve tasted!
- [SIGHT] Borough Market, London
- [SIGHT] Camden Lock and Markets, London
- [SIGHT] Cappuchin Crypt, Rome
- [SIGHT] Colosseum, Rome (get the Roma Pass* to avoid the long queue!)
- [SIGHT] Galleria dell’Accademia, Florence
- [SIGHT] Houses of Parliament, London
- [SIGHT] Legoland, Windsor – didn’t know it costs an arm and a leg (GBP44.40pp) so we headed back to town
- [SIGHT] London Bridge, London
- [SIGHT] London Eye, London
- [SIGHT] Piazza Navona, Rome
- [SIGHT] Pantheon, Rome
- [SIGHT] Ponte Vecchio, Florence (oldest bridge across the Arno River)
- [SIGHT] Spanish Steps, Rome
- [SIGHT] Tower of London, London
- [SIGHT] Trevi Fountain, Rome
- [SIGHT] Windsor Castle, Windsor
- [TOUR] Rome by Segway – by far the *BEST* way to sight-see. Segways are fun! (There’s a discount if you have a Roma Pass*)
*Getting the Roma Pass is definitely recommended as you can use it on the public transport as well as many major attractions.
Here are the (648) photos – enjoy! (Some photos are courtesy of Adam & Betsy)
Our Europe trip began with saying goodbye to two dear friends who came to visit us in HK
Hello fellow traveller!
Our last meal before going to Italy 
The cheapest flight we could find was via Finland
Making use of the phone charging station
Via Alessandro Farnese
Checking out the map while getting the Roma Pass
Hotel Farnese
Grand.
One of very few restaurants open during this holiday season
Bread for starters
Prosciutto…
…with melon!
Olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Garlic bread
Very friendly waiter
Zucchini flower and anchovy pizza
Spaghetti carbonara
House ravioli
Salted sea bass
Tiramisu
Crema di limone
More shots on the house
Zucchini flower is so cheap here!
Coca-cola senza caffeine
Gelati
Coffee gelati
LARGE room
EVEN LARGER bathroom!
Sleepy Stitch & Boo…
…say hi from Rome!
Cappuchin Crypt
Adam ‘fro
Spanish Steps
Ah, some good coffee!
Cartier
Trevi Fountain
Coca-Cola + Coke Zero
More coffee!
Breakfast at Hotel Farnese was superb!
Make your own juice
Roma Pass – for PT, discounts and skipping queues
Red Vespa
Rome by Segway – highly recommended tour (thanks Chung!)
10mins of testing the Segways
Wish we could ride that X2!
Rome was built on several layers
Winged Skull
Old street level is about 3-4 metres below
Olives
Circus Maximus
Parts of the tour were conducted by iPod
Circus Maximus panorama
Team BASS!
Betsy, where are you going?
There she goes again! 😛
Looking through the keyhole at the Order of the Knights of Malta
Orange Tree Gardents Illusion: St Peter’s Basilica…
…seems to travel…
…further as you near it.
Rome panorama
Nun test riding a Segway
Imperial Roman Forums
Capitoline Hill Square designed by Michaelangelo
That gold disc marks the very centre of Rome
Capitoline Wolf shaped hedge
Open road…
…let those Segways fly!
Team BASS at the Colosseum!
Food hunting again
Prosciutto with cheese
Bruschetta
Truffle ravioli
Looking for the best spaghetti carbonara
Piazza Navona
Desserts under a blue sky
Melon and Lemon Granita
The “Apple” (cf. Assassin’s Creed)
Pantheon
Dining al fresco at Grotta Azzura
Gelateria dei Gracchi
Used the Roma Pass to skip a LONG queue – WIN!
Colosseum panorama
Need coffee!
She doesn’t look happy
Busking statues
Stretch like a limo!
Near St Peter’s Square
Don’t dine here – they’re a rip off!
Tour of Vatican City
Picture of the Sistine Chapel roof
Emperor Nero’s bathtub
Blue is a very expensive dye in those days
A style of painting to give a 3D effect
3D illusions, an early form of trompe l’oeil
The eyes follow…
…you as you walk from left…
…to right
Whole tapestry changes perspective
Notice the table is narrower, the chair on right has grown?
Map room
Map of italy
Map of Venice
Swiss Guard
Had to run in the rain all the way around to the entrance to retrieve our bags and umbrellas!
St Peter’s Square
Inside St Peter’s Basilica
St Peter’s Basilica panorama
Only one name matters..
List of Popes
Winged Skull
Our hire-car
To Florence, via Siena
Siena
The Palio di Siena takes place on 2nd July and 16th August. They were prepping the grounds for the race
Some truffle-infused pasta to take home!
We bought a LOT from this store
Crema di Limone
Cruets to store both olive oil and balsamic vinegar
Miniature decanter
BEST COFFEE EVER!!!
ShoppinIg
Will the postcard reach its destination?
Preparing the ground for the horse race
Siena panorama
Capitoline Wolf
Radio people smoking
Prosciutto!
Tuscan market
Mushroom
Spaghetti pesto
More 3D illusions at Galleria dell’Accademia
A funny replica of the Statue of David
Duomo di Firenze
Lindt
Battistero di San Giovanni, an octagonal building
Arno River
Ponte Vecchio, oldest bridge spanning the Arno River
Golden View Open Bar
Ponte Vecchio in background
Garlic bread
Seafood soup
Mussels
Scallops
Swordfish steak
Rissotto
Sunset over the Arno River
The weirdest collection of statues
Statue of David replica
Hunting for more gelati
Breakfast with a view
Some men…
…sunbathing..
…amongst the moss
Heading towards Pisa
Leaning Tower of Pisa
posers
For Homer
Lunch in Lucca
Parmesan and truffle on toast
Prosciutto and melon
Spaghetti carbonara #3
Mini
Seraphine Hammersmith Hotel – tiny as!
Sleepy Stitch and Boo say hi from London!
Late dinner at a nearby bar
The only window we’ve got is a skylight
“Tower” of London
This has got to be the worst mascot ever. Steph went to pose with as many as we could find.
Hip joint for breakfast near the Tower of London
Statue of David bust
I wouldn’t even try coffee after Italy!
English breakfast
Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs
