Romancing Italy 5 - Ravishing Rome (Finale)

Rome is the final destination of my Italy trip and I arrived with mixed feelings. On one hand, I was eager to explore the various ancient sites mentioned in the guide books. On the other, it signalled the end of my Europe vacation which made me wistful.

Day 1: A Long Walk

Colosseum and the Palatine
The weather in Rome was very sunny when we arrived. After checking in to our hotel, we walked to our first visit site: The Colosseum. Built in AD 80, this was where gladiators used to fight. The stadium was fairly run down, unlike the grand image pictured in movies. I later learnt that this was a result of numerous earthquakes and pilage by builders of stone and marble resources. A huge pity...

The exterior view of Colosseum

The grand stand...

The remains of the stage where gladiators used to fight.

On the western side of the Colosseum was the Arco di Costantino, built to honour Constantine following a victorious battle against Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge.

The victorious arc

Just across the Colosseum was the Palatine. According to the guide book, this was where Romulus (the first ruler of Rome) killed his brother, Remus and founded Rome. We spent only a short time here as it did not appeal to us plus there were other exciting sites waiting for us!

The ruins at Palentine

The Pantheon
Our next destination was the Pantheon, a place of worship for various gods. This was an unique architecture that exuded man's intelligence in ancient times. Known as Rome's best preserved building, it has been standing around for close to 2000 years.

The exterior view of the Pantheon

The dome which was a perfect semisphere

One of the numerous paintings

A statue worshipped by followers

Piazza di Spagna (The Spanish Steps)
I was told that the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain were sights not to be missed in Rome so naturally, both attractions were on our "to-visit-list" before night fell.

The piazza was named after the Spanish Embassy while the staircase, which led to a French church, was built with a legacy from the French. At the foot of the steps was the fountain of a sinking ship believed to be by Pietro Bernini. The Spanish Steps is now a gathering place for Italian teenagers.

The Steps and Church (under renovation)

The Sinking Ship

The Trevi Fountain
Known as Rome's most famous fountain, this place become popular due to a show "La Dolce Vita", which showed the female lead dancing around the fountain. Word had it that if you toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain, you will return to Rome one day. If you toss a second coin, you will fall in love with an Italian and with the third coin, the marriage will be secured. So how many coins did I toss? Well, with my husband next to me, the answer was pretty obvious. :)

Coin toss 1, 2, 3!

By now, we were both rather tired and decided to call it a day by catching a quick dinner and heading back to our hotel for a rest. After all, there's more to see the next day at Vatican City.

Day 2: A Long Queue

On the second day, we woke up early and headed off to the Vatican City, the world's smallest country, to visit two great sights: The St. Peter's Basilica and The Sistine Chapel.

St. Peter's Basilica
The St. Peter's Basilica was built by Rome's Christian Emperior, Constantine. Subsequently, the basilica fell into disrepair and was rebuilt, through the efforts of various artists, including the famous Michelangelo.

Outside the basilica, all peace and quiet on an early morning (but this won't last long)

The spectacular interior of the basilica contained various works of art, with the most famous being the dome, which was Michelangelo's masterpiece.

The impressive dome

This is what I consider a grand sight...

Vatican Museums and The Sistine Chapel
Frankly, I have never seen so many fantastic art pieces at one place in my entire life. The Vatican Museums, with a huge collection of art pieces, left me giddy and lost. The giddiness could be partly attributed to the 2.5 hours we spent queuing under the sun (from 9.45am to 12.15pm) before we reached the entrance of the museum! I almost got heatstroke, if not for my sturdy little umbrella.

Entrance to the museum.. much anticipation

Sights along the way...

Leaves your neck in pain... as you keep staring at the ceiling

More "strains" to come...

There were just too many wonderful pictures that I couldn't put them all up on my blog. But I guess you would know what I mean by now. :)

The famous circular steps

Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take pictures in the Sistine Chapel so I can't show the magnificient fresco on my blog. But it was awesome! We spent close to half an hour in the chapel just staring at the fresco. Despite it being a drawing on the ceiling, it seemed to come "alive" in 3D and the figures were "falling" down towards us. Truly amazing.

We had a quick lunch near the Sistine Chapel before heading to Museo e Galleria Borghese, one of the finest art galleries in Rome. Unfortunately, we were unable to call to reserve tickets earlier (this is a MUST) and was turned away in disappointment. Nevertheless, there were plenty of other sights to see so we headed off to the Capitoline Hill where we visited a museum there, which was a slight disappointment after the Vatican Museums.

The entrance of the museum

The Forum
We also took some pictures of the Forum opposite the hill. The Roman Forum was a shopping mall cum civic centre during the ancient times. The original forum became too small (it was probably as popular as Takashimaya) and expansion sites were created. Sadly, all that remained today of the Forum were ruins.

The structure of the forum was still visible...

Probably the main entrance?

Counting down to Home
We decided to buy ourselves a good dinner since it was our last night and even treated ourselves to huge slices of delicious pizza at one of the roadside stores. It was really yummy except the portions were too huge! The girl over the counter looked absolutely flabbergasted when I requested for only a small piece of the mushroom pizza (as I had my dinner already). M greedily tried two different flavours and both were good!

Food for Thought

Our Italy tour ended very much on a high note before we headed on a 12 hour flight journey back home. I must say I enjoyed myself very much in Italy. Transport was efficient, both subway and trains, sights were grand and the people were friendly. However, the only drawback was the food. I have never been a fan of pizza and cheese so sadly, my meals were often piled with salads, soups and bread. After 8 days, I began to crave for my rice and steamed vegetables. I didn't enjoy the long queues at the museums too! It was terrible, having to waste 2-3 hours of our previous travel time just queuing. It would be quite a while before I ever return to Italy but if I do, I would want to visit the Tuscany next as I heard a lot about the stunning views. Till then!

Romancing Italy 4 - Flourishing Florence

We left beautiful Venice early in the morning and headed to our next destination, Florence via train. The ride took about 2.5 hours and was pretty comfortable.

A view from the train...

First Day in Firenze

We were starving when we arrived at Santa Maria Novella station in Florence but we had to find our hotel, Anna's Hotel, to put down our luggage before exploring the city. The hotel was very near the station but we took a while to find it as the map provided via the Internet was not very helpful. The exterior of the hotel looked really old but the owner, Anna, was very friendly and helpful.

We had lunch at a trattoria called Mario which, according to our guide book, served cheap and good food. It certainly lived up to the recommendation. It was very crowded when we arrived and we had to share a table with 4 other customers (it was the norm there). I ordered a salad while M ordered a potato ravioli. The ravioli was so good that we placed a second fusilli order which turned out equally delicious! We paid less than 20 euros for the meal. Good food at great price, what else could I ask for?

See the long queue outside Mario? I wasn't kidding...

Local Market
Near Mario was a market in Firenze and we popped in to take a look. The market was amazingly clean and I was so tempted to buy the fresh fruit produce there. Of course, I resisted because it would be strange holding a packet of peaches while visiting museums. :(

This is the exterior of the market. Looks like a museum right?

See the fresh meat section? Spotlessly clean.. Impressive...

You can find grocery stores (above) in the market too.

Basillica di Santa Croce
Our first tourist attraction for the day was Basillica di Santa Croce, located at Piazza di Santa Croce. The plaza used to be the execution ground for heretics (gasps) but has now become a bustling shopping place lined with various gift shops. This church is famous because the floor is paved with tombstones of famous Florentines of the past 500 years. When we arrived, the church was partially under renovation so we were not able to enjoy the grand interior decor, much to my disappointment. But I felt a sense of respect as I walked along the tombstones of many great people, e.g Donatello and Michelangelo.

Exterior of Sante Croce

Tombstone of Michelangelo

Tombstone of Donatello

The stained glass window inside Sante Croce

Duomo
From Santa Croce, we headed to the famous Florence's Duomo. The cathedral's tiered pink, white and green marble facade was certainly eye-catching from far. The building of the cathedral began in 1296 and took close to 150 years to complete. Inside the Duomo, one can find beautiful frescoes and stained glass windows by famous artistes, such as Donatello and Paolo Uccello.

Florence's Duomo and Campanile

Beautiful stained glass windows...

The amazing ceiling fresco...

Feeling adventurous, we decided to climb up the Campanile (total of 414 steps) to take a look at the view from the top. When we reached the top (finally), my legs were aching slightly but the view was terrific! You could see the entire Firenze city from here and enjoy the cool breeze that perked one up easily.

Top of the world!

After climbing 414 steps... the breath taking view...

The evidence is here!

Bapistry
Next to the Duomo was the bapistry, one of the oldest buildings in Florence, which was dedicated to St. John the Baptist. The bapistry was famous for its gilded bronze doors, with the ten panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament.

The famous bronze doors

When we completed our Duomo visit, it was close to evening so we decided to head to another recommended trattoria for dinner. As we were there early, we got our seats fairly quickly. One thing which bothered me was the restaurants typically open at 7.30pm or 8pm which was far too late for me. I prefer an early dinner at around 6pm. Anyway, I tried the famous bread pudding and bean soup while M had his spaghetti alio. Both dishes turned out ok. We were so full after one dish that we couldn't order the main course (note: both the soup and spaghetti were considered starters), much to the dismay of the waitress. We ended our first day tour around Firenze with a slow walk back to the hotel, enjoying the sight along the way.

Second Day at Firenze
Our second day began very early. We woke up at 7am, had a quick breakfast before heading to the Uffizi Gallery. This gallery houses the world's single greatest collection of Italian and Florentine art pieces and is a "must-see" place for all who visit Firenze. To my dismay, there was already a long queue formed when we arrived and we had to wait for close to 2 hours before we finally got in.

While I was impressed by the various masterpieces displayed in the gallery, I must say the organisation of the museum was quite disappointing. The rooms were fairly cramped and I thought the paintings were "cluttered" together. But I was glad to be able to boast of seeing the real drawings of Da Vinci's Annunciazione, Michelangelo's Tondo Doni (depicting the Holy Family) and Raphael's Leo X. The pictures seemed so real that they literally "leaped" out to you as you stepped in. Even an art idiot like me could enjoy the pieces, despite a total lack of understanding, so you can imagine how good these artists were.

We completed our Uffizi tour in around 2 hours and by then, it was close to lunch-time. We decided to explore the trattorias in a different side of the town and started off a long walk again. It was a beautiful sunny day and I enjoyed the sights along the way, taking pictures at the same time.

Walking along the river...

Beautiful sights that you see...

We walked past the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens, one of the places we wanted to visit. We did not go there eventually because strangely, the ticket office did not sells tickets for the Boboli Gardens. You MUST buy a combined ticket that includes an exihibition that we were both not interested in. So I ended up taking pictures of the exterior only. Sigh.. it was really a pity we couldn't get in. I really couldn't understand how things worked in Italy.

The Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens

We had a quick lunch at the trattoria but it was quite unsatisfying for M. We ordered a pate which turned out to be bread served with chicken liver. I absolutely hated it and refused to eat another bite. My soup was so-so while M didn't enjoy his food either. So we decided to check out another trattoria located not far away.. and guess what we found? We actually stumbled upon a UNESCO Heritage Site in Firenze! The amazing thing was this was not mentioned in any of the five guide books that we read. Isn't this strange?

Surprise! We stumbled on a UNESCO site.. which is...

This!

I didn't eat much for the second meal but ordered a cappucino while M had another helping of fusilli. After our (second) lunch, we took a walk along Ponte Vecchio, another famous sight in Florence. The bridge, filled with shops selling gifts and food, was the only bridge not blown up by the Nazis in 1944.

The famous Ponte Vecchio from far

Can you read this?

A glimpse of the Uffizi Gallery

Capturing the Piazza della Signoria

We completed all the sights that we wanted to see (excluding the Boboli Gardens) by late afternoon on the second day. It was impossible to go to Sienna then as it was too late so we decided to while our time away at an Internet cafe. I had preferred a more "eventful" day but we faced constraints beyond our control, like queues and strange ticketing practices. But I guess it's good to enjoy a break after a few days of hectic rush.

we rested at our hotel for a (long) while before heading off for an early dinner. I asked Anna to recommend a nice eatery near our hotel and she suggested "Due G", 5 minutes' walk away. It turned out to be a very good recommendation! I had a good helping of potato ravioli while M had fried chicken. The waitress recommended a plate of vegetables which I readily agreed, only to find out later that it was a plate of mixed vegetable tempura! Though I disliked fried stuff, the vegetables turned out to be quite yummy (I was to regret it later because I fell sick subsequently). I also ordered the famous Firenze dessert i.e. biscotti with dessert wine. M found it normal but I thought the biscuits dipped in sweet wine were very special. This was a place that I would definitely recommend to other friends visiting Florence.

The trattoria recommended by Anna: Due G

We went back to our hotel for an early rest before our final destination to Rome the next morning.

After Thought
Florence was a decent place to visit but I found it less exciting compared to Venice. The Uffizi Gallery was the main highlight but I guess my lack of art appreciation made it "more ordinary" than it should have been. My main grouse would be the long queues that I encountered almost every where in Florence. While the food was cheaper and better compared to Venice, I still give Venice "thumbs UP" in terms of its tourist infrastructure and unique city appeal.

Romancing Italy 3 - Vanishing Venice

It's been a long time since I updated on my Italy trip but better late than never. :) Venice was our second stop right after Milan. It turned out to be the prettiest of the four cities that I visited in Italy, with water, sea and gondolas.

Arriving on the 1st day
The moment we got off the train, we headed straight to take the vaporetto ( a river bus) to our hotel at Rialto. What greeted us was scenic views of beautiful architecture above the Grand Canal. I have read that Venice is "sinking" and it did seem true as the water level was reaching the door steps of some buildings. Nevertheless, it was still a magnificent sight. I mean, taking a boat along the river was already quite romantic. Can you imagine doing it throughout the entire city? :)

The water taxi - a super expensive form of transport

A romantic ride along the river...

We managed to find our hotel, Lanterna di Marco Polo, pretty soon due to M's superb navigation skills. It's a small family-run hotel with a even smaller bathroom. But I quite liked it because it's clean and cosy. Believe me, it's very easy to get lost in Venice. The road signs are confusing and sometimes, you can't even see the names of the streets!

We had lunch at a small cafeteria before we started exploring around Venice, on foot. It's the best and cheapest way to get around and you get to see many sights that you would miss if you took the water taxi. I was quite excited when I saw a notice on the "Singapore Pavillion" in Venice and immediately took a picture! Isn't it cool that your fellow Singaporeans get to perform in this enchanting city?

The Singapore Pavillion


The place of performance

Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute
One of the interesting museums that we visited was Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute. It's a pity that the dome was under renovation when we visited so that kind of spoilt its otherwise majestic outlook. This church was built in the 17th century in honour of Virgin Mary, who was believed to have delivered the city from an outbreak of plague.

The entrance to Santa Maria Church

Doges' Palace
We decided to complete our tour for the first day at Venice with a visit to the Palazza Ducale or Doges' Palace. This building used to house the Republic's government and prisons! Gasps! I could never imagine a Presidential Palace and prison in the same compound!

I was slightly disappointed by the interior decor of the Doges' Palace as it was not as grand as I had expected. We walked through the "Paper Door", "Giants' Staircase", "Hall of the Four Doors" etc but they did not leave a deep impression on me. One place that I remember vividly was strangely, the Ponte del Sospiri or "Bridge of Sighs". This bridge was so named because it led the way to the dungeons and prisoners would sigh as they crossed the bridge.

By the time we completed our tour, we were both exhausted and decided to have a good dinner before going back to our hotel for an early rest. We managed to find a nice restaurant "Ostaria al Garanghelo" located along San Polo (recommended by Frommers' Guide) where we indulged in a good dinner of bread, pasta, mushroom stew and salad. The prices were expensive, as expected of Venice but the food was reasonably good. That satisfyingly rounded up my first day in Venice. Burp!

Start of our 2nd Day Visit
On our second day, we got up very early to take a look at the market located along Ponte di Rialto. According to the guide books, it was a busy market where we can see stalls selling fresh vegetables, fruits and fish. Perhaps we were there too early (at 7.30am) but we only caught sight of a few stalls unpacking their produce, and not an entire stretch of stores as mentioned. It was quite disappointing as I had planned to purchase some fresh fruits like peaches and nectarines.

Basillica di San Marco
I recovered quickly from my disappointment as our next stop was the famous Basillica di San Marco. As we made our reservation earlier (http://www.alata.it/), we were spared from the "close to 2 hours" long queue! When we entered the Basillica, I was awed by the extensive extravagant interior design! The walls were literally dazzling in gold and marble, with beautiful mosaics coming to life right in front of my eyes (I later learnt that this was nothing compared to the Sistine Chapel).

On our way out of the basillica, we headed up a narrow stairway (it's really steep and small!) to the Galleria, where we saw the 4 original glided bronze horses and the Loggia del Cavalli. I couldn't believe that we had to pay another 3 euros to see the horses though entry to the Galleria did allow us to gain a closer look to the stunning interior of the church.

Campanile
The Campanile is the church's bell tower and was rebuilt in 1902 when the original tower collapsed. The view from the top is known to be spectacular but we didn't go up there as we already caught a great view when we went up the Galleria earlier.

Doges' Palace: used to be a palace is now a dark building...

A side view of the Doges' Palace - a sad place

The bronze horses in the middle of the Basillica are replicas.

The 99m tall Campanile (we didn't go up there!)

Galleria dell' Accademia
We had a quick lunch at a cafe before heading to the Accademia, which was on M's "must-see" list. This place is a definite perfect for one interested in art. Though I am far from being an arty person, I was overwhelmed by the vivid drawings in each room. It did help that we rented an audio guide so we were able to understand some of the key pictures further. One minor complain was that the air-conditioning was down due to the renovation and it made my 2 hours walk a little torturous. Ok, I admit I am a spoilt brat.

The exterior - under construction

The impressive view of Galleria dell' Accademia

Our second day in Venice passed by pretty quickly as we crammed in to visit as many places as we could. In the evening, we decided to head back to Ponte di Rialto to browse through the "bridge-ful" of shops for gifts. M bought a paper weight while I bought two pretty display pieces for my family. Of course, I treated myself to non-stop supply of strawberries along the way.

Thinking Back...
Venice is really a beautiful city. It's a very a pleasant experience to walk around the city: crossing bridges, roaming narrow corners and watching gondola men singing. The gift stalls were colourful, selling a variety of t-shirts and masks! I was so tempted to buy one but decided against it as it looked very fragile. The only drawback of this place was it's really pricey, from hotel stay, transport to food. We really had to watch our budget here. I probably wouldn't go back to Venice for a long back but it brings back sweet memories every time I think about our trip there.