A couple weeks ago my wife and I took a trip to Venice, Florence, and Rome, over the course of 10 days. Laying eyes upon masterpieces of art I've only seen in art history books is an experience I've lusted after for years. Above all else in that realm, I've been a Michelangelo fanatic since I was a wee lad; having the opportunity to view his works in person had me excited beyond words.

Each of the three cities has a totally unique character and feel: Venice is smaller, intimate, completely comprised of tiny connected islands with transit via boat. Florence is supersaturated with Renaissance masterpieces, architecture, amazing food and scenery. Rome is a large bustling city with ancient structures intermixed amongst modern-era graffitied shops and buildings. In any event, here are my iPhone 4-taken notes from the journey, which (once reaching Florence on day 4) was ultimately an art-lover's heaven; it's practically too much to assimilate. All photos/videos are from our trip, with the full album available here.

Day 1

After the 9 hour flight to Rome, we barely make our connecting flight to Venice. From the airport we take the bus into the city. Following the hotel check-in, we stagger through the narrow Venice streets fighting off jet lag. See the Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square), which, being the principal square of the city, is absolutely bustling. After a quick nap, we have our first authentic Italian dinner, indulge in the first of numerous gelato samplings, then turn in. Wide awake at 2am from jet lag. Turn on the tv, there's an ad for home improvement featuring a topless woman. No sleeping this night.

Day 2

You need to master the water bus ("ACTV") route/stops quickly, since it's the only feasible system for getting around once your legs tire out. We take the ACTV back to the Piazza San Marco, where we visited the Doge's Palace and Saint Mark's Basilica. The evening was spent at the Accademia with prosciutto pizza and grilled salmon for dinner.

Day 3

This ended up being one of two rainy days of the trip. Being completely surrounded/interconnected by water, the streets of Venice flood easily, so there is water everywhere. After browsing through the endless storefronts lining the various winding Venice streets, we ended up at Museo Correr, with a gondola ride at sunset. Hop the ACTV over to the famous Rialto Bridge at night. Nearby we have dinner, then head back to the hotel to pack back up. Board the Eurostar train bound for Florence in the morning.

Day 4

The 2 hour bullet train ride to Florence gets us in around noon. We walk to the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (a.k.a. the Florence Cathedral, a.k.a. the Duomo), then ascending all 463 steps to the dome's top. The walk up that insanely narrow corridor is brutal, but the view once you reach the dome's top is breathtaking. In the afternoon we visit the Palazzo Vecchio. We call it a night after dinner. I have trouble falling asleep knowing tomorrow I'll be laying my eyes upon Michelangelo's David.

Day 5

First thing in the morning we head to the Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze (a.k.a The Accademia Gallery) to see David. Airport-like security getting in, and an insanely long-line, even with advance-purchased tickets. Absolutely indescribable seeing the 17-foot tall masterpiece in person; I could've soaked it in for hours. A short walk after, and we visited the Uffizi Gallery where, among works by Leonardo da Vinci (The Annunciation) and Michelangelo, we saw Botticelli's The Birth of Venus. Florence is absolutely gorgeous, and everything is walkable. Speaking of which: lots and lots of walking...at least a few miles a day. More fantastic food, coffee, and of course, gelato.

Day 6

Today in the midst of a downpour, we headed to the Palazzo Pitti (a.k.a. the Pitti Palace). The day cleared up by late morning, and after some shopping and a stop in a cafe we walk to the Piazzale Michelangelo, known for having the best view of Florence; hot damn, it delivered. In the evening, our last in Florence, we had more amazing food and wine. Florence is a city I could spend a month alone in; easily my favorite city of the trip. The art, the history, the scenery, the food, the shopping, the people...absolutely a fantastic experience.

Day 7

In the morning we take the bullet train to Rome. After picking up a Roma Pass at the train station, and a ride to the hotel from a surly cabbie, we set out exploring. A bus ride later and we're walking in the Pantheon; walking in these locations only seen via static media previously is still insanely surreal. From there it's just a short walk over to Trevi Fountain, which is pretty much impossible to take a bad photo of. That evening, on the walk back to the hotel from dinner, we ascend the Spanish Steps.

Day 8

When you get off at the subway station for the Colosseum, the massive ancient amphitheatre is right in your face. Walking in and around this structure gave me the same intense sense of history I only felt before when walking in the Forbidden City. It's a really short walk from the Colosseum over to the Roman Forum ruins, which in ancient times was effectively the hub of Roman civilization. I had a moment of techno-lust in which I wished for an iPhone AR app that would allow me to pan around the ruins, seeing a fully-constructed Forum brought to life on the retina display. A geek can dream. Walking back to the hotel revealed quite a bit of Rome's interesting urban juxtapositions: Roman columns and ancient ruins interspersed between modern graffitied structures being a commonality.

Day 9

On the final day of our trip we take the subway to Vatican City first thing in the morning. Again, despite having bought tickets for the Vatican Museums in advance, we're in line for about an hour. The collection of artwork and masterpieces once you're in, though, is almost too much to assimilate. The marble Augustus Caesar ... paintings by Caravaggio, Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian ... The Gallery of Maps ... and, the creation I pretty much hand blinders on for the duration of the visit, Michelangelo's 12,000 square feet of painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Like David, processing that I was actually seeing this masterpiece in person was an epic task. No photos are allowed of the ceiling (or most any of the iconic pieces of art throughout Italy, for that matter), but I snuck an iPhone 4 photo despite my wife's admonishment. When in Rome, do as the jackass American tourists do.

From the Chapel you can go pretty much directly to Saint Peter's Basilica, the scale and grandeur of which are absolutely insane. Inside the Basilica was the last masterpiece of Michelangelo's I was dreaming of seeing on our trip: his Pietà. This was an ultra-rare occasion in which you're actually allowed to take a photo (although the sculpture is still behind bullet-proof glass). Exiting the Basilica leads you directly into Saint Peter's Square. And, with that, our journey had come to and end, and it was back on a flight to Chicago early the following morning.