Polka Dot Life

What is Carnevale you ask? Think of Mardi Gras without the boobs or beads (reward for the boobs). Every year it is celebrated in February about 40 days before the Easter holiday. Since it is such a HUGE celebration, the streets are always packed, sometimes it is extremely annoying! Men and women are dressed in amazingly gorgeous costumes, some quite detailed and others simple but breath taking. Everyone wears a mask and if you show up without one then you're gonna need to buy one ASAP. Unfortunately the only large Carnevale celebration that I've been to is in Venice, which is still wonderful. But I would like to make it a little south to Tuscany for one of the biggest!  I regret that I wasn't able to make it this year, but here's a few photos that I took last time. I forgot to mention that everyone in costume plays the part with seriousness. Their costumes were very heavy Their passion was portrayed so well I named them Hanzel & Grettel I fell in l...

(Gondola rides...around 60-80 euro for 30 to 45 minutes) Venice...thought of as a beautiful and stunning place filled with romance, boutiques, cafes on every corner, lavish architecture, and the ever famous gondolas. It must be said, the American image of this foreign city is mostly correct! The only downfalls I find are the tourists, the prices, the stairs & no ramps (hard to do with a stroller), and of course the FAKE purse people that drive you crazy. Of course, the great things about Venice trump the not so great. (Basilica di San Marco) (Basilica di San Marco) (Piazza di San Marco) The Basilica di San Marco is the #1 must see in Venice and is located in the famous San Marco's Square. I have been in Italy for 2 1/2 years now and am sad to say that I have yet to go inside the church (Basilica di San Marco). The line is always so long that it wraps around to the back side...and when you have a toddler with you waiting in such a long line really isn't an option. I ...