Indulge me!  Art, travel and good food – these are “a few of my favourite things”. (No surprise, music is in there too.)  And my recent holiday to Italy, with my daughter, was a splendid cornucopia.

Where to start? The travel!
We went from Rome to Venice, Verona, Lake Como, Cinque Terra, back to Rome. It’s all over my Facebook, a pictorial daily diary. My earlier blog, The Art – and Architecture – of Travel, also wrote of these wonders. No real need for words, as photos tell their own stories. The one (above) is a view of the grandest of ladies, Santa Maria Della Salute, at the mouth of the Grand Canal, Venice. Does it get any better than that?

                  
Art is everywhere – look up, over there, you can see it, you can touch it, you stand in awe of it. We were in Venice at the time of the Biennale. Here’s a sampling of the Biennale art, and a mere snippet of Rome:
                              
Wine, food, conversation and conviviality are the heart of the Italian people. You’re welcomed into their restaurants, they’re proud of the produce, they love to share. From the vitality of Rome’s Piazza Navona, to the village street markets, those smart restaurants with sweeping scenic views and the little gems you find – particularly in Venice!! – where to dine and what to eat is a daily highlight. And, the memories of those meals linger on your taste buds.

             
Verona          Lake Como   Lake Como       Verona        Vernazza, Cinque Terra
                              
Cinque Terra                 Rome                 Piazza Navona
grilled octopus         drizzle the oil            al fresco Roma

Wine, Campari spritz and Bellinis are all good too!  When it comes to ‘favourite things’, this photo is one of them. Our last night in Venice. A drink at dusk, alongside The Rialto Bridge.

© 2015 Photos tPRo/Pamela Reid