This trip was a graduation present from my family for graduating high school.

 

On Day One, we left BMW Airport in Maryland for Russia, where we took another plane to Rome. We then took a train to the Rome Train Station where we walked to the hotel. After we got settled, we walked to Trajan's Market, the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and the Victor Emmanuel II Monument. We walked around these places until dusk, at which point we walked back to the hotel.

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On Day Two, we had a walking tour of Vatican City and St. Peter's Basilica. We saw the most significant spaces in the Vatican Museums and the tour ended in St. Peter's Basilica. We walked to the Castle of the Holy Angel afterwards and we walked to several major landmarks of the city, specifically the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. After this we took the Rome Metro back to our hotel.

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On Day Three, we had a walking tour of the Colosseum where we went on each level, including the very top of the stadium. After that, we walked to Palatine Hill, where we walked through the ruins and down into the Roman Forum where the tour ended. After that, we returned to the hotel but we left at night to see the Castle of the Holy Angel at night.

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On Day Four, we checked out of the hotel and left for the Rome Train Station; before we left Rome we went into the Church of Our Lady of the Angels and the Martyrs. After looking through the church, we left and took a train to Florence. When we first arrived we went to the hotel and dropped our stuff off. We then walked around the city, going to the New Basilica of St. Mary, the Basilica of St. Lawrence, Florence Cathedral, the Florence Synagogue, the Basilica of the Holy Cross, Piazza della Signoria, and Republic Square. We ate at Republic Square and returned to our hotel after that.

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On Day Five, we took a day-trip from Florence to Pisa, where we walked around the Pisa Cathedral complex. There we saw Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. After walking to the top of the tower and around the rest of the complex, we left and returned to Florence.

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On Day Six, we had a tour of the Accademia Gallery where we saw David by Michelangelo. After walking through the museum, we left for Florence Cathedral, which we entered and walked around. We then went to Uffizi which we walked through. We then crossed the Old Bridge to Pitti Palace, where our tour ended. We walked to Michelangelo Plaza overlooking the city which we stayed at for a while. We then walked to the Gate of St. Fridianus, one of Florence's original city gates. After seeing this, we walked back to the hotel.

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On Day Seven, we checked out of the hotel and took a train to Venice. After arriving in Venice, we walked to the hotel. We took a walk to St. Mark's Square; on our way we noticed something unique, Venice was starting to flood. We ate near St. Mark's Square and I took a walk to St. Mark's Square myself. We then walked through the partially-flooded Venice to the hotel.

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On Day Eight, we walked to St. Mark's Square and took a water taxi to Murano, an island separate from Venice which is famous for its glassblowing. We watched some glassblowers make a vase and we toured a glassblowing factory. After that, we took the boat to Burano, another island famous for lacemaking and the brightly-colored paint used on its houses. After walking around the island, we left for Torcello, another island that is famous for its archeology. After walking through Torcello, we boarded the water taxi and they brought us back to St. Mark's Square. We then walked back to the hotel.

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On Day Nine, we had a long walking tour through parts of the city, we ended at St. Mark's Square which we toured for a while; we entered part of St. Mark's Basilica. After that, we chose to end the day early and we returned to the hotel.

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On Day Ten, we returned to St. Mark's Square where we went to the top of St. Mark's Campanile. We then took a water taxi to the Island of St. George, where we went into St. George Major, one of Venice's churches. We walked around the church and went up its campanile. While we were in there we saw some pieces on display as part of the Venice Biennale, specifically pieces by Jaume Plensa and Lin Utzon. After going through the church, we took the water taxi back to St. Mark's Square and we walked back to our hotel.

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On Day Eleven, we checked out of the hotel and left for Venice's bus station. We then took a bus to Venice's airport. Like the trip there, we took a plane to Russia and we took a second plane back to BWI.