Link to more photos (View the photos individually to read the captions.)
We took a two-week tour of Italy. It went pretty well. The weather was cooler than I expected, and there was some rain. My sore hip slowed down my walking and was a constant low-level pain.
Victor had never been to Italy. Fifty years ago, I was in Rome, Florence, and Venice. This tour included those cities along with much more. The tour began and ended in Rome.
Our flight leaving Los Angeles was delayed and we missed our connecting flight to Rome, so we arrived several hours later than expected, and missed the Mouth of Truth, St Valentine Bones, and the first group dinner.
The first full day, we toured the Vatican and the Colosseum. The following day we traveled to Pompeii and Sorrento. Next was the Bay of Naples and Capri, then Assisi the day after. In Verona, we glimpsed Juliet's house and continued to Venice. While in Venice, we cruised to Burano.
Next were Milan, Como, and Lake Maggiore, including the Borromean Islands and the Palazzo Borromeo. After that, we were in Pisa and Florence before returning to Rome.
My favorite stops were Pompeii and the bays and lakes.
Differences from 1975: The all-too-frequent bag checks (ever since 9/11). Far more tourists now, meaning more crowds and queues. But at least, with smart phone cameras, we took many more photos; Victor took over 500, and I took 75, including many more photos of Michelangelo's David than the single one I had in 1975.
Oh, and why, at IAH (Houston) and IAD (Dulles) is there no TSA Pre-Check for international arrivals making a connection? GRRR!
