Phew! Finally getting back into the swing of things after one of the greatest adventures.As most (if not all) of you know, I returned Sunday from a 10 day/10 night trip-of-a-lifetime to Italy. Funny enough, I feel like it's all still sinking in and I'm still trying hard to believe that it's all said and done - a trip that has been in the works since October is already behind me and lived above and beyond all the high expectations I already had.
In our 10 days, I feel like I saw everything, walked the distance of the equator, and ate everything under the moon, and regret nothing (ok, maybe just the bowl of tortellini-with-broth in Venice, but I certainly learned the "simple-food" mantra in all ways).
I still feel full of emotion but also still lack most of the words to describe the trip. The truth anyway was that most of the time I was there I was rendered speechless - from the art and architecture, the history and people, the food and culture, I felt completely overwhelmed and fulfilled. I felt a connection with the country and culture, which I know wouldn't have been hard for anyone due to the warmth and kindness of the Italian people, their lives, and their traditions.
We saw the country in the best ways. We stayed long enough in a place to see it and even get around without maps and with the help of strangers at many times. We bounced from city to city in trains (and one bus) which allowed us to see the blooming and colorful countryside and many nooks and crannies that will not be easily forgotten. We met wonderful travelers along the way to share our experiences with and come away with more friends than we began the trip. And finally, my fellow traveler Jenna will now always hold a special place in my heart after our 10-day harmonious adventure.
Because there's really so much - too much - to really write about in detail (and I know I'm already terrible at writing blogs that are too long), I'm going to break it down into lists of the most memorable things and moments by each city.
Pisa:
1. Duh! The Leaning Tower!
2. The Duomo - beautiful golden ceiling.
Florence:
Chianti:
3. Our first Italian Caprese salad - delish!
Florence:1. Ponte Vecchio - so much history, from the Medici family to Hitler. Wow.
2. The Duomo - absolutely incredible. Couldn't believe my eyes.
2. The Duomo - absolutely incredible. Couldn't believe my eyes.
3. David - he's got really big hands. No really, I mean that.
4. Dinner in the hole-in-the-wall-and-family-run trattoria. Bruccheta and pasta with meat-mushroom sauce that still make my mouth water.
5. Sunset over the river looking at the bridge.
4. Dinner in the hole-in-the-wall-and-family-run trattoria. Bruccheta and pasta with meat-mushroom sauce that still make my mouth water.
5. Sunset over the river looking at the bridge.
Chianti:
1. Monteflore - Rennaissance village on a hill. So quaint.
2. Meat shop - more ham legs than Spain!
3. Artisans market with fire-blowing Gypsies.
Rome:
2. Meat shop - more ham legs than Spain!
3. Artisans market with fire-blowing Gypsies.
Rome:
1. St. Peter's Basilica - largest cathedral in the world (holds 60,000) and absolutely beautiful on the inside.
2. Sistine Chapel. 'Nough said.
3. Pizza-by-the-weight. Amazing. Best thing ever tasted.
4. Gelato. With cream. Also best thing ever tasted.
5. Trevi Fountain - the water was so blue!
4. Gelato. With cream. Also best thing ever tasted.
5. Trevi Fountain - the water was so blue!
6. Sunset over river with sillouette of St. Peters. Breathtaking.
7. Arch of Constantine. Even better with the backdrop of the Colosseum.
8. Pantheon - beautiful in its simplicity.
9. Villa Borghese Galleria - ceilings and as impressive as those in the Vatican not to mention the statues by Bernini.
10. Watching PDA in the Villa Borghese park. I think the Romans have the French beat when it comes to matters of love.
Venice:
1. The sky. Yep, it's that good. Looked like a painting.
2. Rialto market and fish market. I'm a sucker for fresh food and produce, and this had to be my nirvana. I couldn't resist buying some sun-dried tomatoes from one of the stands.
7. Arch of Constantine. Even better with the backdrop of the Colosseum.
8. Pantheon - beautiful in its simplicity.
9. Villa Borghese Galleria - ceilings and as impressive as those in the Vatican not to mention the statues by Bernini.
10. Watching PDA in the Villa Borghese park. I think the Romans have the French beat when it comes to matters of love.
Venice:1. The sky. Yep, it's that good. Looked like a painting.
2. Rialto market and fish market. I'm a sucker for fresh food and produce, and this had to be my nirvana. I couldn't resist buying some sun-dried tomatoes from one of the stands.
3. The Duomo (San Marco's Basilica) - taking almost 900 years to complete means that it seems more like a 3-ring circus with everything that's going on inside. Most impressive were the golden - GOLDEN - mosaics. No wonder the Vatican had a problem with the Venitians. They were just jealous.
4. Every corner you turned seemed to be equally stunning as the next.
5. Pastries. The Venitians win the award for the most mouth-watering window displays ever!
As much as I loved Italy, there were also some ridiculous things that only made the trip more memorable:
1. No tap water! The restaurants refuse to serve tap water (even when it's perfectly safe and tasty). During an age of more ecological responsibility, this seems like a silly (and irresponsible) thing the Italians have stuck to their guns about.
2. Coperto: In most restaurants, there's an additional fee for just being there. Literally. You pay an additional €1.50-3.50 just to be served a meal. Sometimes they'll even charge you a service charge (essentially a tax) too. Needless to say, getting the check for the meal sometimes came as a shock.
3. Table v. Bar prices. Although this makes sense to a certain degree, the €2 difference between having your coffee or drink at the bar versus sitting down at a table seems mostly silly. This is especially the case when you still get your drinks at the bar, bring them to your table, and take the empty glasses back up. What exactly are they charging for? Certainly not the extra service.
4. If you want to find a monument in the cities (especially Rome) and you don't want to look at your map, it's actually fairly easy. Just look for the nearest McDonald's sign. It'll point you to the restaurant which is just spitting distance from what you actually came to see.
5. Buses and trains. Still don't understand the system they use. With the trains, passengers must get their tickets validated before they board, but the tickets are still checked by employees during the trip (so why the validations?). For city buses, you must buy your ticket ahead of time (usually at a news or tobacco stand) and then validate it on the bus. What this means, is that the bus driver does nothing and most people end up riding the bus for free.
4. Every corner you turned seemed to be equally stunning as the next.
5. Pastries. The Venitians win the award for the most mouth-watering window displays ever!
As much as I loved Italy, there were also some ridiculous things that only made the trip more memorable:
1. No tap water! The restaurants refuse to serve tap water (even when it's perfectly safe and tasty). During an age of more ecological responsibility, this seems like a silly (and irresponsible) thing the Italians have stuck to their guns about.
2. Coperto: In most restaurants, there's an additional fee for just being there. Literally. You pay an additional €1.50-3.50 just to be served a meal. Sometimes they'll even charge you a service charge (essentially a tax) too. Needless to say, getting the check for the meal sometimes came as a shock.
3. Table v. Bar prices. Although this makes sense to a certain degree, the €2 difference between having your coffee or drink at the bar versus sitting down at a table seems mostly silly. This is especially the case when you still get your drinks at the bar, bring them to your table, and take the empty glasses back up. What exactly are they charging for? Certainly not the extra service.
4. If you want to find a monument in the cities (especially Rome) and you don't want to look at your map, it's actually fairly easy. Just look for the nearest McDonald's sign. It'll point you to the restaurant which is just spitting distance from what you actually came to see.
5. Buses and trains. Still don't understand the system they use. With the trains, passengers must get their tickets validated before they board, but the tickets are still checked by employees during the trip (so why the validations?). For city buses, you must buy your ticket ahead of time (usually at a news or tobacco stand) and then validate it on the bus. What this means, is that the bus driver does nothing and most people end up riding the bus for free.
6. Of course the U.S. Embassy is on Rome's equivalent of New York's 5th Avenue. We would have it no other way.
As they say, a lifetime is not enough for Rome, and I think that can apply to the whole of the country. Overall, the trip lived up to every expectation, big and tall, that I had for it. I'm already excited for the day I get to return to Italy and see it all again. And maybe next time, I'll take a gondola ride.
As they say, a lifetime is not enough for Rome, and I think that can apply to the whole of the country. Overall, the trip lived up to every expectation, big and tall, that I had for it. I'm already excited for the day I get to return to Italy and see it all again. And maybe next time, I'll take a gondola ride.
Here are the links to the Facebook photo albums:
