Love My Passport

Morning Vatican Tour- LivTours

Grab your Passport you are officially entering a new country!

Imagine having the Vatican Museum all to yourself. Well, that's exactly what Liv tour has to offer. Liv Tours offers this exclusive tour package. Your morning will start with an early morning walk up call. I know waking up early on vacation does not exactly sound fun but, there is no better way to see this gem of a museum without all the crowds. Believe me if you've been to Italy in the summer you already know the lines are LONG and you will appreciate this early morning tour.

After arriving to the Vatican Museum you will start your tour before the museum is open to the public. During your private tour you will view the Staize di Rafael enjoy viewing Pope Julius's private apartment and learn about the life of Raphael. Gallery of the Maps marvel at the intricate details of the hand stitched flemish tapestries that align the historical walls. On this tour you will be escorted into an empty Sistine Chapel. During your time in this jaw dropping chapel, your tour guide will tell you stories about the history and explain the paintings and significant of each masterpiece. You will spend around 30 in the chapel to walk around and soak up all the history.

You will end your morning with a personal escort to the museum's lush garden for breakfast. Breakfast consist of pastries, cheeses, meats, a selection of breads, eggs, and a delicious cup of Italian coffee. Now it’s time to go out and explore the rest of this Eternal cities rich history.

One of my favorite parts of this tour is being able to take sunrises pictures of these masterpieces without all the crowds. You will have ample time to take all the phots you would like. A photographers dream!

*No pictures are able to be taken inside the Sistine Chapel. All pictures were taken by me on this tour.

Pin on Pinterest for later ♥️

Day Trip to Tivoli Villa d' Este from Rome

Listed as a UNESCO Heritage Site. Tivoli is a stones throw away from Rome. A perfect day trip from the Eternal city.

The villa and museum is a gem of a place to visit on your trip to Italy. Villa D' Este is the home to beautiful renaissance Italian gardens. Made up of 51 grand fountains, 64 waterfalls and stunning views of the city. An amazing example of this time and its culture.

We started our day visiting the gardens. We walked the grounds and enjoyed the waterfalls. Make sure to leave ample amount of time to slowly walk the property. And take in all the ground fountains and waterfalls.

After the waterfalls we enjoyed walking around the town of Tivoli.

Below you will find pictures of our time we had at the gardens.

Where to eat in Tivoli-

After our time enjoying the waterfalls and grounds we were off to a delicious lunch. Tivoli has many choices for dinner and lunch. I don't think you can make a bad choice while in the area. We enjoyed a late lunch at Bottega Del Grano. A cozy restaurant with lots of charm. We started our lunch with a glass of white wine. We enjoyed fresh ravioli and a delicious made to order boar ragu accompanied by a fresh salad. Bottega Del Grano is still one of my favorite restaurants in Italy.

Pin on Pinterest for later ♥️

La Festa di San Giuseppe

On March 19th, Italy celebrates La Festa di San Giuseppe or commonly known as Saint Joseph's Day.

On this day in Italy you will find many cafè's selling

Zeppole di San Giuseppe a traditional pastry served today. The pastry is filled with a sweet cream and dusted with powdered sugar. I enjoyed my Zeppole with sweet strawberries and an espresso.

Throughout Italy this day is significant to Sicilians for whom Saint Joseph is a Patron Saint. On this day you will find Italians all over the world honoring the patron saint of all fathers Saint Joseph.

One of the celebrations takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana. Catholics in New Orleans celebrate St. Joseph's Day by constructing large altars to honor St. Joseph. The tradition began in the late 1800's when Sicilians immigrates settled in New Orleans.

What makes the New Orleans celebration special is the contributions of the Mardi Gras Indians, whom are not Native Americans but African Americans dressed in regalia based on Native Americans history. You can view these historic tribes on Mardi Gras day, Super Sunday the Sunday closest to La Festa di San Giuseppe.

Photo by American Documentary

Photo provided by Rebecca Todd, NOTMC

The Floral Carpets of Genzano, Italy

Every year in June, Genzano turns into a floral dream. The streets are decorated with a floral carpet. Genzano di Roma is located in the hills of Castelli Romani. A quick easy day trip from Rome. The town itself is small and full of history.

Genzano Floral Festival dates back to 1778. Every year local artist cover the street with floral carpets, inspired by famous artwork, geological shapes and religious paintings.

Pizza Cooking and Wine Tasting in Italy

Over the weekend we traveled to the historic Minardi Winery for a pizza cooking class and wine tasting. Your day will start with a short train ride from Rome, only 25 mins.

Castelli is a group of hills that surround the Eternal City, each with hilltop village and countryside dotted with vineyards and olive groves. Once you arrive, you will be greeted by your host and they will escort you to the vineyard.

**You will catch the train in Rome Termini Station at 9:49 a.m. towards Frascati. You will arrive at the Termini Station at 10:15 and your host will be at the station to escort you to the winery by car.

Let’s Make Some Pizza!

Our pizza class was divided into two parts.

First part: how to prepare the perfect Italian dough.

Second Part: learning to roll, top and bake the perfect Roman pizza.

This is a hands on class, you will get your hands dirty. You will learn the perfect technique to rolling your pizza dough.

Time to Sip Wine!

After making the pizzas, we were lead through the vineyard to the garden where we sampled wine. We tried three types of wine red, white and a sweet wine.

Now it was time for us to try the pizza we made earlier in the day. We were led to the old wine cellar, where we were also given a tour of the cellar and farm house.