Our trip this October took us to:  Italy, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Egypt, Sicily and back to Italy.  We flew from LAX to Chicago, then on to Rome.  Our return was from Milan to New York, and then back to LAX.

Cities were:  Acre, Alexandria, Athens, Ephesus, Florence, Haifa, Herculaneum, Jerusalem, Messina, Milan, Naples, Piza, Rome, Taormina, Venice and Verona.  Trip lasted 30 days.

Below are highlight photos.

MORE  photos may be seen on Facebook @ Tom Guilfoyle

Click on photos to ENLARGE.

Athens (Greece)

Athens, the capital city of Greece, is an ancient city, steeped in many centuries of history. It may not be the most attractive or appealing city in the world, but if you look just a little bit harder you will see the charming, exciting and vibrant city of Athens appear before your very eyes.

Acropolis

Far left photo is the worlds first theater.  Far right is the first Olympic Stadium.

Cairo (Egypt)

Cairo is a sprawling, capital city that can be hard to understand and find your way around, but it sure is worth the effort. A huge city with many millions of inhabitants living alongside the banks of the River Nile and close to the breathtaking Pyramids of Giza. Cairo is home to some of the world's most famous sights, including the much loved Sphinx and its well-known broken nose, and the treasures of Tutankhamun.

Ephesus area & Temple of Apollo (Turkey) 

Florence (Italy)

Florence, Italy is the capital city of the Tuscany region and is one of the country's most important and historic cities. Full of beautiful, Renaissance-style buildings, including wonderful churches and enormous palaces, Florence is steeped in culture and atmosphere, and has not changed greatly since the 16th century.

Above:  The real David is located in the Florence Museum.

Below:  Copy located in Florence town center where the original stood for 400 years.

San Lorenzo Church in the City Center.

24 carat  gold doors.  Marge getting "bunny ears" and Tom putting on a fashion show.

City Center and the Old Bridge, (only bridge left after WWII).

Haifa & Acre (Israel)

Haifa (2nd largest seaport in Israel).

Bahai (Corporate Center for Bahai Faith).  Not allowed to practice in Israel.

Acre (Home of the Knights Templar).

Herculaneum (Naples Italy)

Naples is the largest city in South Italy and one of the most beautiful, particularly around the Bay of Naples. The capital of Campania, this sprawling metropolis was founded by Greeks and later enlarged by Romans, and as a result is rich in history and stunning architecture.

To one side of Naples is Mount Vesuvius, and near to the bay are the pretty islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida, which all lend themselves to day trips. Pompeii and Herculaneum are full of some of the most interesting and revealing Roman ruins in Italy, after being destroyed by Vesuvius when it erupted almost 2,000 years ago.

City buried in ash 2000 years ago (79AD).

Far left photo is first known drive-up fast food restaurant.  

Far right photo is Marge's first taste of Naple's Pizza.  Where pizza was invented.

Jerusalem (Israel)

Both Israel's capital and largest city, Jerusalem lies alongside the Dead Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, and is a very spiritual center for all things Jewish, whilst also containing a number of highly important Christian and biblical sights, such as the Dome of the Rock. The holy city of Jerusalem is especially sacred and roughly carved up into three main areas, the Old City, Arab East, and West.
 
Surrounded by an ancient wall, the aptly named Old City is of most interest to tourists looking for history and is now a World Heritage Site, with rich tourism offerings and endless information about its religious heritage being spread around its Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim quarters. Also of note is the region known as Arab East Jerusalem, as well as West Jerusalem, which is a very modern part of the city and has seen much economic development over the past 50 years.

Jesus Tomb

Marge's new bodyguards.

New Jerusalem

Stations of the Cross

The rock where Jesus was first arrested.  The oldest tree in the world (2600 years).

The Lion's Gate where Jesus received the cross.

This the the route from the Rock to the Tomb. 

The Wall

Messina/Tormino (Sicily)

Sat out on an Italian limb and reaching for North Africa is the Mediterranean's largest island, Sicily. This triangular-shaped island is known for its fiery volcano, Mount Etna, and more so for its (now waning) mafioso link. It is a land of extremes, with incredible beaches, sprawling cities and ancient hilltop villages.

Messina

Tormino

Milan (Italy)

Most of the main attractions in Milan are located in the city center and there is plenty to see. Amongst the many sights not to be missed is the simply enormous Milan Duomo - the third-largest cathedral in the world, taking some four centuries to finish; the Castello Sforzeco - a fortress built in 1368 that later became an elegant and stunning Renaissance residence; the Teatro alla Scala Opera House - completed in 1776 and hosting some superb theatrical productions; and Santa Maria delle Grazie - an elaborate church dating back to 1463, where Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting 'The Last Supper' is on display.

Milan is about 4 things.  The Duomo, the Castle (Castello Sforzesco), Leonardo Di Vinci's "Last Supper" located at the Santa Maria delle Grazie church and more gelato.

Pisa (Italy)

Pisa, located in western Tuscany, is known throughout the world for its famous Leaning Tower, but there is so much more to Pisa than just this striking landmark. This ecclesiastical city began its life as a seaside settlement around 3,000 years ago and was first laid out in the mid-eleventh century.

Rome (Italy)

If you were to sum up the city of Rome, Italy, in two words, they would be 'busy' and 'historic'. This beautiful city is over 2,700 years old and has become one of the most popular cities in the world. Rome is simply full of history, with an enormous amount of spectacular ancient Roman monuments located here, including the Vatican City, the Forum - from where Julius Caesar once governed ancient Rome, the Colosseum and the ruins of the Circus Maximus - where if you use your imagination, you can almost picture the 200,000 spectators cheering at gladiator fights and other barbaric sporting events.

Colosseum

Forum

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

St. Angelo Castle

Misc. Rome

Vatican City (Italy)

Venice (Italy)

The city of Venice, Italy, is simply stunning and completely unique. Founded more than 1,500 years ago on 117 different islands, Venice is linked by a series of over 150 canals, 400 bridges and many ancient pavements.

Marge and Tom / Marge and Karen

Verona (Italy)

The setting of Shakespeare's famous, fictional play Romeo and Juliet, Verona is often referred to as 'Italy's Little Rome' (Piccola Roma) due to its rich history. Old Verona (Centro Storico) is fairly small in size and is cram-packed with interesting buildings and squares, being surrounded by lengthy city walls and relatively simple to navigate your way around.

Romeo's House and Juliet's Balcony.  Also the wall for messages.