It is impossible to describe the emotions you feel when you walk into the room in the Accademia and glance at David for the first time. It doesn't matter if you have seen the copy in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, or maybe seen the statue at Piazzale Michelangelo, there are no words to describe when you see the real thing.  So tall, handsome, almost perfect and I say almost perfect because I think his right hand is slightly disproportioned. But who I'm I to go against Vasari who stated with " feet, hands, and head so well realted to each other..."
The visual effect of its placement by the half dome at the end of the corridor, with the natural light of the skylight dome, and accentuated with some artificial light it's superb.
I enjoy just walking in finding a quiet spot to sit and just look at him. Sometimes I read about the Renaissance under his watchful guard.
The Accademia has other works by Michelangelo. The Prisoners, a series of unfinished pieces can also be found in the same room. Large figures trying to come out of the marble that surrounds them. They lead the way to David, it's almost like they mark the struggle a sculptor goes through to work a solid piece of marble with David being the Capolavoro of such struggle. I'm not an art critic, it's just what I feel...

Today my say started with a 7:30 train from Firenze to Roma, my goal: to see Pope Benedict deliver his last Sunday Angelus. I left  all my opinions about the Catholic Church behind and headed south to Rome open to whatever the day would bring

As I headed to the Uffizi Gallery this morning I decided to take pictures of the different door knobs and door knockers I saw along the way. Needless to say I got so distracted with looking at the different doors that I lost track of my route and ended up God knows where, but eventually I found my way back and made it to the gallery. Below is a sample of my finds along the way, the last one is mine...

Images of Il Duomo or the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence are iconic. The Cathedral is so large that it fills you with all sort of emotions just by trying to capture its splendor. But there are many treasures in Florence in smaller places that are not particularly packed with tourists...

By far if you are going to be spending a 4 or more days in Florence, this card is a great deal.
For 60€ you can get a yearly membership to the Uffizi which gives you unlimited access to the Galleria UffiziI and several other museums in Florence, including La Accademia where you can see Micheangelo's David. The year is a calendar year (Jan-Dec) not based on the date of purchase. For two adults and two children the membership is 100€, youth up to age 26 (I'm not sure why after 18 you are not an adult) the cost is only 40 €

If you consider that the admission to the Uffizi is 10.50 € (16€ with reservation), add 6.50 € for the Accademia (10€ with reservation), same for the Medici Chapels, the Pitti Palace, etc ...
Reality that you need more than one day to really explore the Uffizi, and the money goes back into the gallery for restorations and up keeping.

If you are in Florence with limited time the Firenze Card for 50€ may be a good option, it is valid for a 72 hour period from the time it gets activated with your first visit to a museum. However you can only use the card once at each museum.

I intend to get every Euro worth out of mine, I started today ...

Today was the day to try different transportation methods in Italy. Sadly I had to say goodbye to some of my new found friends, but I'm sure some of us will keep in touch.
My morning started (after a nice little walk to the bus station with my luggage) with a prompt bus from Teatro Politeama to the PMO Airport on the Prestia e Comandé bus (6.10€) each way. Once at PMO after a little wait it was time to catch an Easy Jet flight to Rome. Easy Jet is a no frills airline sort of like Jet Blue or South West. The plane departed on time, but apparently "noonish" is the preferred time for parents to fly with their kids because the plane was full of lil noisy brats, and quite a few loud adults too. The whole flight felt more like sitting at a Piazza watching families do their passeggiata than an airplane ride. To add to the experience the plane stopped at Terminal 2 obviously you follow the signs to bagagge claim to find out that your luggage will be at the baggage claim area on Terminal 3. Nope they didn't say anything when we landed or got off the plane.
Luggage in hand I walk to my next stop to catch a bus to Roma Termini, of course after my little detour trying to find my luggage by the time I got there, well that bus was packed. So we wait, outside, in the cold for the next bus. Yes, maybe in my other life I would have hopped on the next taxi no matter what, but I'm trying to save every € / $ for more important things like shoes. 40 minutes later I was on route to Termini on a crappy looking bus owned by Terravision, and when I mean crappy I mean the seat next 
 to mine was missing its back, and only one door for the undercarriage luggage compartment was operational. It was only 5 Euros and at least it got me to Termini on time for my train to Firenze. An hour and a half later I was walking the streets of Firenze looking for my new "home". Actually I was looking for my landlady which was so nice and had the place set up with a basket of fresh pastries.  We are up to a great start....

Where can you wander the same streets Archimedes, Plato and Cicero walked? Here in Siracusa! If you don’t know Archimedes other than shouting: Eureka!!! he was a genius, he invented the catapult, the magnifying glass, and many other things.

One of the great sights in Siracusa is it’s Duomo, mainly because as our local tour guide told us, it expresses the history of Siracusa in just one place, from it’s early rise as a Greek Temple to honor Athena to it’s current state as a christian church, with Greek pillars, Norman traits, and Baroque façade. It really is a beautiful hodgepodge!  

Near il Duomo is the Church of St. Lucia, which host Caravaggio's "The Burial of Santa Lucia" it's really worth seeing if you have the time.We also visited the Archeological Park of the Neapolis (New City), which has a Greek Theater, the second largest in the Mediterranean  with seats for 15k spectators. It is also the only Greek theater that is monolithic, carved out of one mountain. It also hosts a Roman Amphitheater, which is one of the largest in the world. The Roman Amphitheater was made with part of the Greek Theater, apparently the Romans were the jealous kind.

What a wonderful day in Taormina! I'm not sure if it is because the weather took a turn for the best ( I'm sure thanks to all the good energy my BFF is sending my way and maybe because all the praying while at the convent in Cefalú) or maybe because it's off season and the town is not super crowded. 
One thing I now for sure, I've known this for a long time, it pays off to get up early in the morning to watch the sunrise on a glorious day. The view of Mount Etna at Sunrise was breath taking...

Lots of people tell me that they can't travel for many days with just one small suitcase. I didn't use to travel like that, my first trip abroad I took my largest suitcase and took everything but the kitchen sink and I was only going for 5 days!!!
When I booked my first Rick Steve's tour, one of their rules was to pack light since you were going to be carrying and handling your own luggage at all times. By then I had already gotten into to habit of putting things in large ZipLock bags in order to get organized. I knew large ZipLock bags although handy, do not last long, so I decided to try travel bags. I bought a couple from Lewis and Clark, and some from Eagle Creek. There are also a more economical version in your " As seen on TV" Space Bags. They all do the trick but my favorite are the Eagle Creek brand. Hands down they last longer than any other brand. 
From travel bags I moved to the Eagle Creek packing system, they really help you organize your luggage and keep everything accessible. Nowadays, there's nothing in my bag nowadays that is not perfectly contained in some sort of packing cube, envelope or bag. Give Eagle Creek a try , you will not regret it.

Last year I decided to upgrade my 19" rolling suitcase which I bought in Target for $60 and that it's still holding on strong after rolling around five countries in Europe, countless trips to Las Vegas, Puerto Rico and I can't remember how many other cities in the U.S.; really it's only fault is that  it is black. Around Xmas season taking advantage of available sales I bought a 19" red Delsey Helium 3.0 spinner for my 3 weeks in Italy. I have only one thing to say: "Thank GOD for Lifetime Warranty", unfortunately although super light and spacious enough for a 3 week trip with room to spare, the wheels did not handle well the cobblestones in Italy and its hilly towns. One a good note upon my return to Florida I was able to find an authorized Delsey center which replaced the wheels at no charge. Other than a good packing system and a good suitcase, it doesn't matter if you fold, roll, stack your clothes, the secret is don't be afraid to mingle with the locals and get out and DO LAUNDRY!!
Also check with your airline as nowadays even though a 19" suitcase is advertised as a carry on, fully packed it may exceed the overhead space capacity. 

There's really more to Cefalú than my adventures at the convent, which in reality did not turnout to be that bad.
Cefalú is a fisherman's village of 18,000 habitants that still maintains a medieval charm. 

Walking distance form the convent you kind find a stairway that leads you to the Lavatoio (the laundry) a site that dates back to the 9th Century where the locals use to do their laundry.

Another great place is Piazza Duomo, where you can chillax and people watch , have a caffé, and later wonder inside the Norman Cathedral to wonder at the magnificent byzantine mosaic portrait of Cristo Pantocrator, which so far is the most beautiful depiction of this image that I've seen.

Cefalú has a small museum that houses a Sicilian collection from the Baron Mandralisca. One of the most important pieces in the museum is a Portrait that has been attributed to Sicily's most famous Renaissance artist Antonello da Messina, called "Portrait of an Unknown Man". A nice little collection for a 
3 euro admission.
If the weather is good you can hike up to La Rocca for some outstanding views, which unfortunately I can't vouch for because it rained a lot while I was there.