Italy 5.8.2011 – 5.16.2011
I want to start off saying that by the end of Israel, I really wasn’t excited for going to Italy. Israel was so much fun and different, that I was just ready to stay there another week and maybe take a 1-2 day trip to Jordan or Egypt and see some wild stuff. The thought of Rome and Italy just didn’t excite me… but I was proven wrong with a slap in the face from the Tuscany, one of my favorite trips yet. The things I saw, smelled, heard, tasted, and felt were intangible. By the end of Italy, I was only longing to come back to the states for my family & friends, but I could have been there happy for as long as I could imagine.
Sunday, 5.8.2011
Robbie and I arrived in Rome at 2:30 am… so it’s really Monday by this point. We heard there were a lot of hostels near Termini Station, and so we hostel- shopped and by 3:00 am. … Zzzzz Zzzz Zzzz
Monday 5.9.2011 Rome Day 1
First thing in the morning, Robbie & I took our clothes to a laundry mat and met up with Eli, who was going to travel with us all throughout Italy. I tell you one thing… it’s REALLY hard to travel with a group without cell phones. We finally found each other.
Nevertheless, we did what any tourist should do their first day in Rome… go straight for the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. We ended up going on a tour, which I recommend every single person to do. When you go on any huge and historical museums like so, everything will just start blending together if you don’t know their significance of what you see.
I must say, the Vatican Museum is a MUST SEE in Rome. No doubt. Room after room, Roman drawings, sculptures, paintings and so on or displayed. It was different artwork from any other museum had seen that year.
That all lead to the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel is the huge room in which the famous sculpture Michael Angelo painted the story of the bible. How he did it, we still don’t know, but he did it all upside down or something. I say that because it was all painted on a curved roof. Pretty incredible. As you learn about Michael Angelo, his history, and his humor, you’ll find quite a few of his drawings a bit humorous. We couldn’t take pics in this room, but here’s a googled image down below.
After that, we made our way to St. Peter’s Basilica Church. The interior of the Church is odd when looking up because it was designed with a perception from down below that made the Church look smaller than it really is. It’s kind of an odd idea because you would assume someone would want a church to look as enormous as possible. From inside, we climbed to the top and got a nice panorama view of Rome… Incredible.
In the mean time, we ate pasta & pizza. It is like they say, cheap and delicious. By the end of Italy, I know I gained weight from it.
We went hostel hunting and make it out to Yellow Hostel. It was recommended to me from a friend and held up to its expectations… it was that cool, energetic, young, backpacker’s hostel. I recommend it too.
Tuesday 5.10.2011 Rome Day 2
We were woken up by the staff and told to move out because apparently we didn’t book two nights in a row. So then we just headed on over and went hostel hunting again. Then, we spent the next hour and a half trying to figure out info on how much it was to rent a car with full coverage for insurance. Full coverage was vital, because… well, I’ve only driven stick by myself once and Robbie has only driven stick- shift for thirty minutes… and we were about to drive along the Amalfi Coast. The Amalfi Coast is a drive along the cliffs of Italy, bumper to bumper, with blind 270 degree turns all over the place. Insurance was huge.
So if you want to rent a car in Italy, beware, because some companies literally charge double the price. TravelCar was our best and cheapest option. We then reserved a car for the next day.
After that, we made our way to see what every tourist should do in Rome, and that’s the Coliseum. We bought a joined tour here for the Coliseum and the Forum. As you’d imagine, the Coliseum was SICK. It was huge, and you could just imagine the arena with gladiators, royalty & your common townsmen… all screaming and cheering.
The Forum was crazy too because of how much history it had. Our tour guide was excellent, so I really learned a lot about the history of it all. The Forum has Roman ruins and as you stare at them, it just made you think in perspective how small you really are. It’s weird to think how those ruins have been there for millenniums.
Later, we headed for the Jewish Ghetto to check that out. It’s not really a ghetto at all, but it was really cool. Of the whole ‘touristy’ Rome, this section was sweet because it was probably the least touristy. We dined and satisfied our stomach with delicious pasta.
By night I was exhausted. All this traveling and sight- seeing really makes you worn out by 10:00 pm.
Wednesday 5.11.2011 Driving Day 1: Rome -> Amalfi Coast
We woke up pretty early and headed to the car rental place to get our car. What would take a maximum of 25 minutes in the states took us nearly an hour and a half in Italy. Its small things like that that make you really miss and appreciate home.
Anyhow, by 11:00 am, off we were. We headed down for the South Coast…. Towards Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.
Along the way, Robbie and & I thought it would be a good idea if we actually practiced how to drive uphill from a dead stop, seeing how the roads of the Amalfi Coast are on the edges of hilly cliffs. In the mean time, we ran into a random Italian village on a cliff. It was our first encounter of a non- English speaking town. They were so unbelievably nice, and we just spent a good hour in their town, getting food and trying to converse. It was our first snapshot of the real side of Italy.
I didn’t see Pompeii and this is something I really regret, but I was just a bit ‘monumented’ out. Instead, Robbie and I dropped off Eli and drove through the Amalfi Coast to find a place to stay. It took us nearly an hour, but we ended up finding this awesome Bungalo in Sorrento called Nube d’ Argento. We had an amazing view, and so I just sat, chilaxed, enjoyed nature and the sunset, and wrote my journal. It was nice to finally get a break.
Later that night, Eli and I went into town to eat. We saw some live music, met new people, and basically enjoyed the culture of the small town of Sorrento.
Thursday 5.12.2011 Driving Day 2: Amalfi Coast to Tuscany
We left our bungalow early and had a LOT to drive that day. We drove even further south into the coast until we hit the city Amalfi. By this point we took a random route through the mountains to head back to Rome.y The drive along the Amalfi Coast was amazing. The water had the separation of turquoise & blue that everyone loves. Also, when you drove, it was breathtaking when you turned a corner and all you saw where cliffs, small villages, and a beautiful sea. I definitely recommend this drive... just be careful.
With all the windy roads and villages in the middle of nowhere, this is where a lot of the fun started happening.
Along the way to Tuscany, we stopped at the ancient and perishing town of Civita di Bagnoregio. This is when we started hitting the cliff- top villages. This old town still has people living in it today, but is slowly falling apart as the city and terrace sort of decays.
By the time we made it to Tuscany, I really couldn’t believe my senses. I’ve said it once, and I’ve said it twice, but this place was really incredible. What Eli, Robbie, and I did was we found the smallest roads possible on our Italy map, and just drove through them. We drove through the hills of what I imagine a symbolic heaven to look like. I want to say that as soon as we drove into Tuscany, immediately, it was prettier. No joke… within an instant.
For those of you who want a picture of how amazing Tuscany was… it is as follows. I have never been to a place where literally all 5 senses were captured so heavily. If at any moment one sense was absent, the other four compensated. It was as if I closed my eyes, I could smell the clean smell of flowers more, I could hear the wind and the birds speaking in harmony, I could feel the perfect mixture of the sun’s heat and the wind at a blow, and I could taste either nature’s scent or I could taste the fine Italian pasta at any given destination. It was truly incredible. Now, it goes without to say, you didn’t want to blink because you didn’t want to miss a view so grand. A view where the wind blows the fine grass to create waves of shade, a view where the abundance of green, orange, purple, red, and yellow flowers are at your every degree of eye movement, where the mountains in the back create the morning blue color at any time of the day, and where windy roads in, around, and out of mountains always had you on your feet and curious for more. Tuscany was shear fantasy. Nothing can capture the beauty of the immaculate heart of Tuscany.
Here, we tried to find a place to stay and after village hunting, we finally made it to the town of Pitigliano. We got hooked up with a sick Bed & Breakfast. The room was so Italian I couldn’t believe it. We just walked around the village that night just to take in the simplicity of these people’s lives. Everybody new everyone, and as so it seemed, everyone was happy. No one really spoke English so the ‘Spatalian’ came into play there. By that, I mean not quite knowing which words you could say in Spanish, but not Italian… so you just changed random words and sounds, hoping they’d understand. You also had to sing it too J
Friday 5.13.2011 Driving Day 3: Tuscany
As we were in Pitigliano, away from the tourists… we were just hungry for more of these villages. So that day, as we drove, we sort of went village hunting to find that perfect* Italian village where NO ONE spoke a word of English nor Spanish, and the community was still vibrant. So the search began.
Somehow, we were in Pitigliamo when a huge antique car show or something was taken place. We saw old Model T’s, Royal’s Royces, and more. Robbie head to back up in a hill from a dead stop with a Royal’s Royce 1 foot parked in front of him and the whole town looking. It was his 3rd day driving stick… talk about pressure.
We end up going to Sorano for some coffee. We liked what we saw a lot. The town seemed deserted at first, but we finally found the town center. The town of Sorano was awesome, but we still saw English writings… and passed a bar called “American Bar” with two shotguns pointing upwards as an upside down V… that wasn’t happening for us.
As I was buying my postcard, I saw another postcard with an amazing picture of a hot springs. We asked someone where the place was on the map, and we made our way there. The good thing about renting a car with your friends is you can go anywhere you’d like at any instant. And so this town was called Cascata di Saturnia… and we had lunch there and then made our way to this hot spring. The water wasn’t too hot either, just warm… which felt much better on a sunny day. But if you ever go here, make sure you ask the people in town how you get to the free hot springs. If you take a different route you can be charged 20 Euros.
After relaxing in the water and the pseudo waterfall, we continues driving. Mountain after mountain & cliff after cliff, we finally found it. We found the Italian town we were looking for. I don’t even think the name was on the map, but it was called Roccalbegna. Here, they only spoke Italian and nothing else (check). When we first drove into town, the whole community was just outside enjoying life (check). There were little kids riding their bikes and playing with each other (check). There were people in their 20’s and 30’s (check). They had a beautiful view off the side of their cliff (check). They had an indoor sized soccer court and grass tennis courts that people were playing (check). There were huge hills in which an outdoor life was simply possible (check). This was it. This was the town we were looking for!!! So we bought Gelatono and just stood to the side and just watched them. It seemed like a bunch older people back at recess. Why in the world wouldn’t you want to live a life of Recess when you’re older???? Quite unbelievable. I remember thinking when I saw this how this day was my favorite day yet in Europe. I was 100% at ease and I got to see the coolest city yet. I may have found a second home.
I don't have a picture of this place because someone stole my phone, but then again, I don't think I'll forget it.
On the way to Florence, we stopped in Sienna to see the main square and the Church. Of the 40 minutes there, I just wish I had more time. We were also bombarded just with amazing scenery. We were away from tourists all day, and we really dove into the Italian culture. No doubt, the best day traveling yet.
We arrived in Florence at about 11:00 pm. Up until 2:00 am we were looking for hostel after hostel after hostel. I never thought about how hard it would be to try to find a hostel in a big city with a car. With all the one- way streets, bus/ taxi only streets, and not a clue where you are… it took a while. Also, advice… don’t show up on a Friday night in such a tourist city with 3 people and expect 20 hostels to have room for 3. its just not likely. Anyhow, we ended up sleeping big that night. We cut a deal with one of the guys at a real nice hotel for 30 Euros per person. This hotel was deluxe… definitely a clutch deal outside of town.
Saturday 5. 14. 2011 Florence (Firenze)
Woke up to an AMAZING breakfast. Eggs, bacon, fruits, yogurt, grapefruit juice, muffins… they had it all. I felt like the most hi- class traveler ever.
Anyhow, so it ends up taking like 2 hours to return the car. Like our Canadian tour guide living in Italy told us… “Everything in Italy is a Process… You can’t get anything done straight to the point.”
We then took advantage of an internet point for the next 1.5 hours to figure out the rest of our travels. By mid afternoon, it was time to cramp as much of Florence as I could. We headed off to the Cathedral, Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, constructed in the 13th century. This Cathedral was one of the cooler looking Cathedrals. It is plastered in green, pink, white, brown marbled colors along with the Gothic architecture. It was basically an innocent looking Cathedral. It looked stunning really. I believe it’s the 4th largest Cathedral (1 behind Sevilla’s).
Anyhow, we walked up to the top of the Duomo and got to see Florence from the height of the Cathedral. Like Sevilla, and like Rome, the Cathedrals are the highest point of the whole city so nothing is built higher. But unlike the other cities who tempt to challenge the cities with false feet of attaining the maximum limit, Florence’s Cathedral was “The Structure” of the city and nothing in view could challenge its height. At a distance you would see a flat city with red roof tops, and a giant Cathedral. That was the image of Florence. And so from the top of the cathedral, we got a 360 view of the whole city. I would stay up there all day if I could.
We headed back down after some time to see the inside of the church. The inside of the church was pretty amazing too. The ceiling had a clear picture of what heaven and hell is pictured like in paintings. It was pretty cut clear… no questions asked of what they imagined it to be.
Later, we made our way to the Piazza di Michelangelo, where you can view a panorama of Florence. On the way, we enjoyed some live music, and spent hours just enjoying Florence. I got to see Jersey Shore… though I’m not sure that’s something to be proud of. Plaza after plaza & performer after performer… Florence was filled with locals and tourists that were just energetic and happy to be there. How cool no? I wish Houston could be like that.
Anyhow, we finally made it to Piazza di Michelangelo where we relaxed and saw the sun set on the steps. It was a bit outside of town, and here we met people from all over the world. This place was very tranquil, and a must- see destination for the sunset. Hours passed by, we spoke Spanish to the Spanish and English to about every single other person… It was coming close to my time to leave Europe. I got a little emotional. This scenery was too pretty to leave. I knew I was about to miss a whole different type of world I was used to.
On our way back, we grabbed Italian pizza, and got ready to go out. We changed in the bus station and took our bags with us to a club. It goes without to say, we weren’t allowed in with our bags. We ended up leaving them at a local pizzeria for free… incredible huh? That gave us time to chat with young people and see the night life there. Interestingly, Italian clubs weren’t my thing.
So, when we left, we had 2 hours to burn before our 5:00 am bus to Cinque Terre. We ended up chatting with study abroad students in Florence… literally the most diverse group ever. And since they were so diverse, their common language was Italian, even though they all spoke English. Crazy no? Some of those students spoke four languages!!!
By 5:00 am, we made it to the train station and headed for Cinque Terre and our 10 km hike.
Sunday 5.15.2011 Cinque Terre
My last full day in Europe. So by 11:00 am, we got our bags stored and head for the Cinque Terre to experience one of the most beautiful hikes in Europe.
We started north (from the Village of Monterosso) and head south. It’s easier that way because you get rid of the hard inclined routes in the beginning. I won’t lie, by this time, I was feeling a bit sick because of my lack of sleep. The hike really helped, but it was also cold, then hot, then cold, then hot, and so on… I thought it was going to pour down raining too, but it eventually cleared up.
But anyhow, we started hiking and we were immediately filled with beauty at every step. We walked along the cliffs to see this beautiful dark blue water. Seriously, the Mediterranean Sea really surprises me. I’ve seen it along Portugal, Morocco, Spain, Turkey, Israel, and now Italy… and every time it looks different. Now, it was this dark blue color. The Cinque Terre is basically a hike of 5 old villages along the Northwest coast of Italy, and it is green, blue, white, and beautiful.
By our 2nd town of Vernazza, we just relaxed for a bit. We ate lunch, and took a nap along the beach. Within hours, we were ready to go again… Off to more and more. I knew this was the last bit of extraordinary scenery I was going to s wateree in Europe. I’m glad my last few memories were of the Cinque Terre because it would be hard to top this. From what I hear, it basically looks like Hawaii. To some up Cinque Terre... I basically came to Italy for the Cinque Terre. To me, Italy wouldn't be the same had I not done this trail. It was kind of a mix of the Amalfi Coast & Tuscany. If I only had more time I would have dived into the water after the hike. Make sure you do this hike if you go to Italy. You will not be disappointed.
By night, I had to take a bus to Milan, and from Milan to Bergamo. Travel advice… just take a flight out of Pisa with Ryan Air if you’re going to leave out of Cinque Terre. The Milan airport for Ryan Airport is actually in Bergamo and is a huge hassle.
This is when stuff got interesting though. When I arrived in Milan at 12:30 am, I had to wait in the train station until 5:00 am to take a bus to Bergamo. I decided to try to get some wifi because my friend who lived in Milan was going to try to meet up with me. I had no phone, and Wifi was my only way of contacting him. I really didn’t want to stay alone in the Milan train station because of how sketchy it was. Anyhow, long story short, I was looking for wifi about 5 minutes outside of the station when this young kid snatched my phone out of his hands and ran!!!! I grabbed my bag and ran after him. I ran after him through a tunnel, cut the corner, through my bags in a dark spot and headed for him. Right turn after left after right, he lost me… Then I had to figure out where I was, and more importantly… where my bag was ASAP. I went to three different groups of police just to figure out where in the world we were because I knew I could locate it if they told me. By the third group of police, they finally gave me a map. Within 10 minutes, I found it, thank God, untouched. I literally ran from 1:00 am- 2:30 am in the center of Milan. But thank God only my phone was stolen. I lost a lot of pictures of the Tuscany, of the Amalfi Coast, and most importantly, my videos of my guitar lessons from my guitar teacher… but like Tupac said Life Goes On.
Monday 5.16.2011 Italy -> Sevilla
I slept in a bus and plane and made my way back for my 2nd home… Sevilla!
Though I lost my phone, Italy was an adventure. It was a great place to end off my travels. I hadn’t even spent much time in Florence, and I didn’t see Venice. But I for sure did see Italy. I saw it like no one else.
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