All in the family Italy 2005/2006 - Lili on the Loose

15 12, 2016

Colourful Christmas Doors of Burano, Italy

By Lili|December 15th, 2016|Categories: Attractions & Sights, Photography, Travel|Tags: 2006, All in the family 2005/2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Burano, Christmas, door, Europe, Italy, New Year's Day, New Years Eve, Photo Essay, Travel Thursday, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Venice, Venice Lagoon|0 Comments

I love taking photos of doors and windows. Here are some of my favorite from the little island of Burano, near Venice, Italy. I had the chance to wander around the deserted streets of Burano on New Years Day a few years ago and to peek into the windows and see the families celebrating together. I also enjoyed the chance to see the beautifully decorated doors amongst the multi-colored houses. Every other week Travel Thursday brings you travel tips and information on the amazing sights and activities the world has to offer.

7 11, 2016

Travel Missteps: Static Cling Terror

By Lili|November 7th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2005, 2006, All in the family 2005/2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, bus, Bus Tour, Europe, Florence, group, Italy, micro beads, neck pillow, static cling, styrofoam, tour group, Trafalgar, Tuscany|0 Comments

Source Do you know what that is? No? Consider yourself lucky. What those are, are little styrofoam balls called Micro-Beads and they are found in a lot of those travel neck pillows that people have. I discovered what was inside mine the hard way on a tour of Italy. I think it was halfway through the trip, somewhere around Florence or Tuscany when it happened. I remember my black neck pillow had fallen to the floor and gotten stuck. I was late getting off the bus, so I tugged as hard as I could, and it still wasn't

17 10, 2016

Museum Monday: Egyptian Antinous

By Lili|October 17th, 2016|Categories: Museums, Travel|Tags: 2005, Alexandria, All in the family 2005/2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Antinous, Egypt, Europe, Hadrian, Italy, Middle East, Osiris, Roman Emperor, Rome, statue, The Vatican, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vatican City, Vatican Museum|0 Comments

Antinous was a lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian who drowned in Alexandria in October 130 AD. After his death Hadrian commemorated him with many different statues and elevated Antinous to an almost god-like hero/deity. This version shows Antinous as Osiris, an Egyptian god who came back from death after his body was scattered in the Nile. This is actually a remarkable Roman take of the typical Egyptian statue pose of royalty, with one foot forward. It is on display at the Vatican Museum. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.

25 06, 2016

Souvenir Saturday: Siena Palio Contrade Banner

By Lili|June 25th, 2016|Categories: Events, Souvenirs, Travel|Tags: 2005, 2006, All in the family 2005/2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Banner, contrade, Europe, horse race, Italy, Palio, Piazza del Campo, Siena|0 Comments

The Palio is a 90 second horse race in Siena, Italy that takes place twice a year in the heart of the city at Piazza del Campo. It is a race for honor and prestige for the winer representing one of the 17 Contrade (districts) within the city. Of the 17 Contrade, only 10 are randomly chosen to participate in the race. They then go on to get randomly assigned a horse, and then must find a jockey to represent them. There are very few rules to the Palio, its sort of a "anything goes" and rivalry between the different

25 04, 2016

Travel Missteps: Minutes in Pompeii

By Lili|April 25th, 2016|Categories: Photography, Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, ancient city, ancient civilization, Europe, history, in a rush, Italy, museum, Photo Essay, Pompeii, ruins, rush, tour, Trafalger, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

I love ancient history, and have poured over history books and documentaries since I was a child. So when my family planned a trip to Italy, I knew I HAD to see Pompeii. I had been fascinated with this town ever since I saw a carbonized baked bread in a school book. The fact that life changed so suddenly and this town was erased from history in mere hours was shocking. But unfortunately I found out we'd only have a short amount of time at Pompeii, likely less than 30 minutes. Since I had just completed a semester on Italian Art

7 04, 2016

Gondola Ride in Venice, Italy

By Lili|April 7th, 2016|Categories: Activities, Travel|Tags: 2006, All in the family 2005/2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Christmas, door, Europe, Gondola, Gondola Ride, gondolier, Italy, New Year's Day, New Years Eve, Photo Essay, ride, Travel Thursday, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Venice, Venice Lagoon|1 Comment

On a cold rainy (and a little snowy) New Years Day I found myself in a actual Venetian Gondola. I was being serenaded by a man with an accordion. And while it was rainy, it was also magical. We were the only boats out that morning, and due to the cold the typical "smelly water" was nowhere to be smelled. It was amazing gliding through the side canals, under bridges. The few other tourists we saw took our photos like they were the paparazzi. If you make it to Venice you must take a ride in a gondola, no matter the

21 03, 2016

Museum Monday: Antinous as Dionysus

By Lili|March 21st, 2016|Categories: Museums, Travel|Tags: 2005, Alexandria, All in the family 2005/2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Antinous, Dionysus, Europe, Hadrian, Italy, Roman Emperor, Rome, The Vatican, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vatican City, Vatican Museum|0 Comments

Antinous was a lover of the Roman Emperor Hadrian who drowned in Alexandria in October 130 AD. After his death Hadrian commemorated him with many different statues and elevated Antinous to an almost god-like hero/deity. This version shows Antinous as Dionysus an Roman god of wine and ritual madness. It is on display at the Vatican Museum. Museum Monday is an every other week series about museum news, objects, and reviews.

29 02, 2016

Travel Missteps: “It’s a Gift” Scam at Pompeii

By Lili|February 29th, 2016|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Europe, Italy, Pompeii, scam, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site|0 Comments

The view of Vesuvius. Pompeii is an incredible site. Covered over by Vesuvius' explosion in 79 AD, it wasn't rediscovered until 1748 and has had ongoing digs since then. I had spent a semester studying ancient Roman architecture and this frozen city is a perfect place to relive the past. But like most amazing tourist sights, the entry/exit is swarmed with souvenir and chotskies sellers. After heading out of the bathroom an old local woman slipped a shell bracelet onto my wrist. She said it was a gift. Immediately I knew this was not the case, and tried to hand it back

8 02, 2016

Museum Monday: Laocoön and His Sons

By Lili|February 8th, 2016|Categories: Museums, Travel|Tags: 2005, All in the family 2005/2006, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Europe, Greek, Hadrian, Hellenistic, Italy, Laocoön, Laocoön and His Sons, Laocoön Group, Pliny the Elder, roman, Rome, statue, The Vatican, Trojan, Troy, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vatican City, Vatican Museum|0 Comments

I was lucky to have taken an entire class on Ancient Italian Art & Architecture the semester before I went to Italy. So when I turned a corner in the Vatican Museum and saw this statue I was very excited. This statue was re-discovered in 1506 but is thousands of years older. It is unknown if this was an original Hellenistic Greek Statue, or if it still dates from that period but is a copy based on a lost bronze version of the statue. It is so old that the famous ancient historian, Pliny the Elder, even referenced the statue on the

28 09, 2015

Travel Missteps: Wrong Exit

By Lili|September 28th, 2015|Categories: Travel, Travel Missteps|Tags: 2005, All in the family Italy 2005/2006, Europe, Italy, Rome, Sistine Chapel, swiss guard, tour guide exit, UNESCO, UNESCO World Heritage Site, Vatican City, Vatican Museum, wrong|0 Comments

The Sistine Chapel - known for Michelangelo’s beautiful ceiling and the grand finale of most Vatican Museum tours. After craning my neck trying to take it all in, it was time to leave...except I went through the wrong exit. There are two ways to exit the Sistine Chapel. The main exit is to the left of the room as you enter. I’m told that this has a long walk back. The other exit is for licensed group tours only, and lets you out close to the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica saving you a long hike back and skipping an