I concluded my stint in Italy yesterday after enjoying its many offerings for just shy of 2 weeks.
We visited many corners of this obscurely "boot-shaped" country and were never once disappointed. Starting in the beautiful but somewhat bizarre Venice and finishing in the steep, pastel washed towns of the Cinque Terre, ingesting Rome, the Amalfi coast and Florence along the way, my Italian adventure is one that will be etched in my mind forever. To summarise each and every place I visited in any depth would be an arduous task, thus, I have decided to offer a short blurb on each and include the photo(s) I feel give the most vivid illustration of the personality of the place in question. In sequential order:
Venice
The labyrinth that is Venice is unlike any other place I have ever been. Beautiful but awkward in an endearing way. In a place you can walk the length of in a few hours there are 117 islands, 150 canals and 400 odd bridges to negotiate. A maze of roads where cars are redundant yet boats are indispensable. If you fancy yourself as a good map reader, prepare to let your pride flow down the river. Street signs are sparse and each corner looks somewhat like the last, the Grand Canal the only useful point of reference. You will get lost, try to make the most of it.
Don't expect to stick to budget and learn to bargain unless you want to pay 80 euro for a gondola ride. Stay briefly but indulge while you are there. Dine at a restaurant and sip some local wine. We didn't even stay a night instead preferring to sleep on an overnight train to Rome.
Rome
Surprisingly small (smaller than expected, tiny by no means) for a famous metropolis, Rome is a great place. If you can withstand the heat and enjoy walking then ancient Rome has much to offer. I went to Rome expecting to be greeted with the same pollution and maniacal motorists as in Athens but was pleasantly surprised. We were able to squeeze many sights into a small number of days. The Trevi Fountain and the Coloseum were highlights for me, both beautiful in different ways. A few things I learnt along the way are to not wear a singlet or try on a Sunday if you wish to go inside the Vatican City and if you want to run, forget it altogether. The one jog I managed bypassed hotel driveways, dumpsters and supermarkets. Rome is not to be missed.The Amalfi Coast
We spent 3 days on the Amalfi Coast in Southern Italy and visited some fanstastic locations.With Sorrento as our base camp we went on a number of excursions. We passed through the town of Positano, spent a day on the exclusive island of Capri and sampled wine in the quaint but captivating Ravello. We would have purchased a local red wine in Ravello had the cheapest bottle, their "table-wine" if you will, not been a meager 65 euro (worth it but best saved for another time). We bought some grapes on the side of the road, lay on some picturesque beaches and had a great italian meal in Sorrento. The most unique place we saw was the ancient, runied town of Pompeii. A vast (another third is yet to be excavated) and ancient place frozen in time, Pompeii is a must for anyone who is interested in history (or who owns the DVD of Pink Floyd playing here). Despite some of the towns swarming with tourists, the Amalfi Coast was exceptional.
Florence
Florence is a small but enthralling place to visit. We walked the entire length of the city on a few occasions, even when we took our time it took little over and hour.. maybe 2. Saturated with designer boutiques and artisan bakeries you are best served to leave your credit card in your hostel room if you are travelling on a budget. We had our first real splurge here, both of us bought a couple of nice shirts (at a very reasonable price) that we love but that riddled us with guilt. There had to be a minor blowout somewhere along the way.Cinque Terre
5 towns spanning nothing more than 10km along a cliff face. Our first morning here we thought running from Riomaggiore (the first town) to Monterosso (the last) would be an easy task. By the 4th town we had to call it quits after ascending and descending many stairs in temperatures touching 40 degrees by midday. Views that make your stomach feel uneasy, tunnels covered in graffiti and private beaches 20 minutes off the beaten path were a few of the gems we unearthed whilst on our hike between towns. Cinque Terre is a great place to relax and recooperate between the many party towns europe has to offer. We could have easily spent a day or 2 in each town but unfortunately didn't have the time. We enjoyed a margherita (pizza) coined for a party of 11 between 2 of us, we drank some cheap local wine, jumped off cliffs and swam all day (and at night). Cinque Terre was an apt way to cap off our time in Italy.Italy is a place I am already pining to return to. There is much more to be said but nothing more I can say now whilst still doing this place the justice it deserves.
We spent a lot of time in transition on buses. Here are a few songs I had on repeat on my iPod to make the journey pass more quickly:
- Des'ree - Crazy Maze
- Bernard Fanning - Further Down The Road
- Bebe - Siempre Me Quedará
- Jose Gonzalez - Cycling Trivialities
- The National - You've Done It Again, Virginia
(whoever reads this should download or at least youtube these songs)
Until Next Time.
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