Italy Tour Review: Venice, Sienna, Tuscany, San Gimignano, Rome, Gondola Ride

Venice was absolutely amazing!! I would highly recommend a gondola ride because seeing Venice from the water gave me an appreciation for how the Venetians use every inch of their foundation above the sea for housing, passageways, squares, and businesses. And, as an American, I am impressed by how so many countries in the world restore their ancient buildings instead of knocking them down and building new ones.
We also enjoyed visiting some of the ancient walled medieval cities in Sienna and Tuscany. One of the towns we enjoyed was San Gimignano with all its towers and the streets paved with ancient stones.
One of the delights in Rome was walking down a city street with modern buildings on each side and coming up to a square with ancient buildings surrounding it. Many times the square we came upon had a fountain in the middle with one or more street performers playing music. Other times we would be walking around and happen upon a block that had several ancient churches clustered together.
Oh, the hotel breakfasts were amazing!! They were big smorgasbords with platters of cheeses and cold cuts, along with fruits, cereals, eggs, bacon, breads and amazing Italian pastries.