In six days, we traveled to four Italian cities. We may not have gotten to savor each city’s atmosphere but our agenda gave us lots of room for tasting the differing cultures and food of Venice, Florence, Siena, and Rome.
First on the palette- Venice
Flavor: Water with a pinch of salt
The picture of the romantic village filled with scents of heavenly pasta with lovers walking arm in arm over canals as gondolas sing and pass below miss one major aspect- these lovers are not alone. They are joined by thousands of other couples, families, and street solicitors shoving selfie sticks and fake purses in your face. There may be no cars allowed in Venice but the streets are still jammed packed. We arrived maybe in not the best condition to face all of this. After a train and a bus, we decided to haul our 50-pound backpacks in the raging Italian heat that was definitely not present in Austria or Germany about an hour to our hostel. Yes, a hostel. I figured if my parents were backpacking they should also get the European experience of a hostel, also my mom booked a hotel two hours out of the city and I put a stopper on that plan.
Once we found the right narrow winding streets that lead to the address we were placed in large apartment style room just for us equipped with a kitchen. Joke’s on me my parents would not get the youth hostel experience that night. After our friendly host took us to the roof to see a sunset view of the city things started looking up. We got dad to like wine, had our first Italian pizza, strolled the docks, tasted gelato, listened to Italian orchestras compete. We were not a fan of dodging the glow devices the selfie stick solicitors had switched to sell when the sun went down. On that note, we decided to ditch the streets and take on the water.
Gondolas aren’t the only boss on the water. The city buses are boats and then there is the water taxis and personal boats. All this traffic we ran into as we tried to conquer the Adriatic sea in small colorful kayaks. I am still amazed that a wave did not swallow me or that a boat did not smash right into my purple side. When we signed up for kayaking we pictured slow paddling under the Venice bridges and through the narrow canals. The reality hit us as our guide gave us piece after piece of waterproof heavy-duty equipment. See to get to the leisurely canals you had to cross basically the highway of the city- lots of boats, huge waves. I survived it all and have killer arm muscles now.
Once in the canals, we had to yell every time we turned a corner to warn others our small parade of kayakers was coming through, occasionally we had to grab the side of a building to let the swarm of gondolas to pass and occasional you didn’t quite flawlessly make the turn on the narrow canals. Yes, I did run into the side of a wall and just happened to lodge the nose of my kayak in between the wall and a pipe. I might have even accidently hit a pigeon full on when desperately flapping my paddle around to dislodge myself. Never a dull moment with me, whoops.
We explore the rest of the city in a few hours before we jumped on another train to try the next flavor.
Florence: The artistic flavor
Florence welcomed us with free wine and chocolate on the train! Ciao city of art!
One of my first sights of the real Venice, you know the history book and guide book image of Florence, not the modern shady part of town where our hotel fell at the edge of, was of the Duomo. A long line prevented us from going inside but the outside was absolutely breathtaking. I can’t even really pinpoint why it had that effect on me because there is not anything out of the world about it but still it remains one of my favorite cathedrals.
Our day in Florence included a visit to The Accademia Gallery and the Uffizi. The Accademia Gallery is where Michelangeo’s David is housed. Similar to the Mona Lisa I found the art work to be much more impressive in person. I have so much appreciation for statutes. I am amazed how a solid block can be transformed into something so flawlessly life-like. After visiting rooms of Byzantine style Christian art and more busts of the Medici family, we headed across the river to the Uffizi Gallery.
The Uffizi has actually been an art gallery for a few centuries and the size of its shows its history and importance to the city. There are multiple levels, multiple side rooms, and even the hallways are thoroughly decorated. Mama Mia. We saw work from artists like Da Vinci, Botticelli, Titian, and Rembrant to name a few. With each work, a little of my precious art history knowledge seeped out but it also had me craving that I had retained more of the knowledge that four years ago I would rattle off when nobody cared.
Siena: The festival flavor
Florence was very much a big city. The walk along the river offered view of the Tuscan country side way in the distance but there was little greenery in the city, so for that we headed deeper in Tuscany to Siena.
Siena was my favorite of the Italian cities so expect a bias account to follow. Yes, there was still tourists, but it was very much a lived in city.
The cobbled-stone streets were still narrow and Dad joked that all the cities were the same and we could have been in Venice. No, Dad, there are no boats around this is Tuscany.
The landscape was one just how you imagine with those strange narrow pine like trees sticking straight up breaking up the field and fields of vineyards. Once we got a glimpse of the views we craved seeing more and more, which led us to wandering without a purpose around the city. Our wanderings led us to some interesting sights.
Strange cars like the one below kept driving past us filled with tables and chairs with the Italian equivalent of frat boys hanging out. Wandering further we came across where all the cars converged at a stage with streets around it lined with long tables on slopes. Green flags with Geese hung from above and more and more people passed us wearing the flags as scarves. Then children passed us carrying makeshift carnival games and the plot thickened. The real questions came later when we went out for dinner and the town square was filled with people and white stuffing…? It appeared we walked into the end of a town-wide pillow fight. One square had a group of people with red noses and clown outfits on who had been dancing and acting the entire day.
Wandering further we came across where all the cars converged at a stage with streets around it lined with long tables on slopes. Green flags with Geese hung from above and more and more people passed us wearing the flags as scarves. Then children passed us carrying makeshift carnival games and the plot thickened. The real questions came later when we went out for dinner and the town square was filled with people and white stuffing…? It appeared we walked into the end of a town-wide pillow fight. One square had a group of people with red noses and clown outfits on who had been dancing and acting the entire day.
When we concluded dinner at a local wine cellar and was served and advised by the owner what to eat and what to try, more of the Italian frat boys were clad in traditional costumes and there was chanting and hugging and singing throughout the streets. After being turned away from a restaurant for just wanting to drink wine we bought a bottle from a pizzeria took it to the street (to the shock of my parents) and found ourselves in the middle of a parade. We walked and chanted alongside as we walked wherever they led us. It was so bizarre and fun.
The next morning we came across a parade of all the same people clad in traditional garb waving large flags and playing instruments. We didn’t join in this time just watched and smiled at our luck.
Rome: The ancient flavor
The history nerd in me begged my mother to let us go to Rome. “My friends have done it a day. We can do it!” And did it we did.
Tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain? Check. Have Dad make a Lizzie McGuire Movie reference? Check. Wish come true? Still waiting.
Visit the Spanish steps? Check, under construction but still complete.
Attend a mass? Walked in on a few- Check
Ate a cannoli? Walked mom 40 minutes more than she wanted but got the best in town- Check
Drank wine on a Rome Balcony- Check – thanks Airbnb.
Now for a few of my favorite visits-
The Colosseum
It’s massive. It looks just like the pictures but there is something about being there. Something about standing in the ancient arena where hundred of thousands of people and animals died for entertainment and trying to imagine it in its glory days. Did you know they filled it with water or that the human blood was believed to prevent epilepsy and was sold after the gladiators died? History has some interesting facts.
The Roman Forum
If the Colosseum was an ancient ruin, looking at the Roman Forum was like looking at a freshly dug up archeology site. Everywhere there were just piles of broken pillars or chunks or old buildings. Signs explained that ring of rocks that use to be a temple and those columns were a market place. It was hard to build an ancient image of the forum from the scattered remains until I went up high. Looking down you can make out the layout of the market and the shops and begin to imagine how daily life began and ended at the site. Rome is definitely a city of ruins.
The Pantheon
The outside of the Pantheon does not do the inside justice. My little retained art history knowledge helped me appreciate the architecture of the church, although you didn’t need any education to marvel at the size and décor.
The Vatican
Wow, just wow. We happened to walk in when a group was chanting in Italian as they followed priests carrying a cross to the front to delivering a mass. There was so much to absorb, from Michelangelo’s ceiling to the statues. Everything was just wow.
Recap of Italy: consumed bottles and bottles of wine, participated in local Italian festival, conquered the Venice waterways while growing arm muscles, stood in the footsteps of ancient Roman rulers, marveled at the work of ancient artists, and had entirely too much pizza.
Ciao Italy.
Bonjour L'Europe 