Marlene & James

Visiting south of Florence, we will stroll along the city's political heart flanked by the Palazzo Vecchio. Next, we will visit the town hall and the Uffizi Gallery, one of Italy's leading art galleries. We'll visit the church of the Santa Croce home to frescoes by Giotto and tombs of some of Florence's greatest men: Michelangelo, Machiavelli, Galileo and Rossini and no visit would be complete without a tour of the Gallery of the Academy with the original masterpiece David by Michelangelo!

We'll be in one of the most glorious parts of Europe for two weeks. We'll surely find things to bring home and little luxuries in which we wouldn't indulge were it not for your generosity.

A gondola ride is the quintessence of romantic Venice! We will enjoy a soothing journey along the canals and be captivated by the glamour and elegance of this true Italian honeymoon experience. We'll be taken to a spectacular water front Venetian restaurant to be wined and dined in style. Simply heaven!

This will help us wind down from the excitement of the wedding and really begin to enjoy our honeymoon!

We will explore the quintessential wine region of Tuscany! We will learn about the history of the distinctive and historical wine making region of Italy while our expert guides will share their vast knowledge of wine, and more important, offer us a sampling of some of their favorites. Tuscany is not only famous for its wine but also its olive oil. We will taste some of the famous Crostini Toscano as we learn why extra virgin olive oil plays such an important role in Italian Cuisine.

Can you imagine a better honeymoon activity for an artist? Help us get tickets for the festival each day of our visit. This year's theme: "Think with the Senses – Feel with the Mind. Art in the Present Tense" http://www.labiennale.org/en/art/

We will tour through the fertile and picturesque Tuscan countryside towards the historic university city of Pisa. Together, we'll take the panoramic drive along the Arno embankments, visit the Piazza dei Miracoli famous for the celebrated Leaning Tower, and unequalled masterpieces of Romanesque art carried out between the 11th and 12th centuries. This will be a great honeymoon day!

We'll relax on a romantic gondola ride along the Grand Canal, Venice's largest waterway. We will be serenaded by live music as we wind through secret canals and enjoy the ornate Venetian architecture. This will be very romantic!

With your wedding gift we will explore three of Venice's most fascinating islands, Murano, Burano, and Torcello by boat. This romantic honeymoon guided tour takes us to Murano's ancient glass-making factories, Burano's centuries-old lace-making houses and Torcello's Byzantine churches.

Our first week will be spent in Cinque Terre, on the beautiful northern coast of Italy. Read more about Cinque Terra here: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/cinqueterre.htm Check out our guest house here: http://www.cdh.it/giuliano/

A beautiful medieval city outside Pisa(built in the 3rd century BC) for our last night in Italy before flying home. We'll see the roman forum and its collection of ancient art. See La Boheme here: http://www.boheme.it/

Off to Venice for four nights for the wonder of the city and La Biennale international art show! See our digs at https://www.hotelalleon.com/location.html

James prefers to leave some things flexible, unplanned, so we'll be popping into someplace in the Tuscan countryside ... or maybe Rome. He is an international man of mystery, after all.

We're staying in town for a few days before we fly out, but we'd like to kick off the marriage in style. We'll be staying in a swanky honeymoon suite our first night as a married couple.

What could be better than knowing we'll have breakfast to enjoy between the sheets? We'll order eggs florentine, cinnamon rolls, freshly squeezed orange juice and hot coffee which all seem to taste better served to us in bed!

We've left several days unstructured, so we can amble about northern Italy, looking for surprises and charming, family-run places to eat.

We will have to choose from all the local Italian restaurants in town to reserve the perfect table in the most romantic setting. We will tantalize our taste buds with homemade pasta, Panini, fresh Seafood, select an Italian vino and enjoy the best dessert ever, ending with a cup of cappuccino. Now that's amore!

So we can enjoy the cafes we pass as we wander the streets of Vernazza (and the other villages of Cinque Terre), Tuscan villages, and Venice.

So we can bring home something from Italy to remember our honeymoon.

Send us on our honeymoon with luggage that is stylish and beautiful. With your gift, we can say good-bye to our old and tired gear and do a little shopping for some new luggage!

Help us get from place to place, by train, cab, and metro!

Any help to get to and from our destination is a wonderful gift. We will be thanking you long after take off.