Italia: Rome, Florence, and Venice

Before I left home Italy was my number one destination to travel while in studying abroad in Vienna. Italy has intrigued me throughout my entire life as a very important historic piece of western civilization.  This trip gave me the opportunity to finally go see it for the first time and seek out the various sights I’ve been wanting to see for years.

When we began planning for the trip I suggested we go see Rome, Florence,  and Venice on our Italian excursion. After a brief planning session it was set and we were off to Rome late Monday night. We decided to take the night train because it allowed us to travel the 13 hour train ride allowing us to not miss a day in Italy. After a very long night train ride we finally arrive in Rome early Tuesday morning and began to look for our hostel.

The walk to the hostel was long for the most part but paid dividends once we arrived. Once we arrived we were told by the owners of the hostel we were going to be moved to the central shopping district in Rome which is based in the center of the majority of Rome’s historic sites. After a short taxi ride we arrived at our hostel/apartment in central Rome. All of us were on our second wind after the overnight train ride but we all agreed to drop all of our luggage off and start sightseeing!

Our sightseeing experience in Rome began with a large mausoleum in the same area as the ancient forum of Rome and the Colloseum. This mausoleum was the largest structure in the historic district in Rome. It was covered by various statues of gods, goddesses, and war heroes. Apparently it was altered and expanded in the 1920-1930’s by Mussolini. Once we finished looking at this structure we ventured into the old historic forum of Rome. We saw a variety of different ruins such as arches, columns, domes, façades etc. It was surreal to experience such a sight because of all the history it embodies. Most of it was a shopping district as well as institutional buildings for the Rome Empire. Also, there were Basilicas in this area as well. These were secular Roman buildings that were converted into churches during the rule of Emperor Constantine.

After exploring the forum we arrived at the Colloseum in the center of the old city. Since it was blistering hot and we were drenched in sweat we walked around the Colloseum once and called it a day. We decided to hold off the Colloseum to the next day. The walk back to the apartment was brutal in 90 degree heat. However, on the way back we stopped and bought our first gelato ice cream of our Italian trip. I suggest everyone who goes to Italy to get as much gelato as possible; it tastes much better than any ice cream you eat over in the states. Once we got our gelato we decided to stop at the Pantheon on the way back to our apartment. The architecture is simply amazing because of the columns in the front of the structure as well as the central dome with a large open circular window. I was amazed such a structure could be built during the Roman Empire 1800 years ago. The coffered ceiling as well as the paintings inside the Pantheon were simply trivializing and mind-blowing. I could not have asked for a better monument to visit. And this is only the beginning of our travels in Rome!

Eventually we found our way back to our apartment and relaxed for a few hours before heading out to dinner in Rome for the first time. We ventured out of the shopping district we were based at and walked over towards the Vatican to find a place to eat dinner. On the way we stopped at a small restaurant situated half way between our place and the Vatican. When we ordered we all decided to get some type of pizza since it was our first Italian dinner. The pizza was very authentic and had a thin crust. I decided to get salami, ham, sausage, and mushrooms on my pizza.  I really enjoyed my pizza that evening and it was pretty reasonable at 7 Euro. After we finished dinner  we continued on our way towards the Vatican and finally arrived in its main square. The realization hit me once I arrived in the square. I was finally being in St. Peters was quite amazing. This is the center of the largest Christian church in the world. We all took plenty of pictures since we got to see St. Peters at night! We concluded our day with a long walk back to our apartment and passed out!

The next day arrived as quickly as the first day came. We got up early Wednesday morning and walked towards the Vatican once again to go see its Museum and the Sistine Chapel.  After a problem with our tickets we finally were able to go in and enjoy the museum! The museum had sponsored art pieces from a variety of different Popes and donors up through the Renaissance until the mid 18^th century. It was a very overwhelming experience since there was so much to see. Sculptures, paintings, engravings, embroidery, and much more embodied the museum. After a few hours of walking through we finally arrived at the Sistine Chapel! It was truly an amazing sight to see one of Michaelanglo’s famous works as well as the place where Popes have been selected over the past 500 years. I personally liked seeing the visual of Adam touching his finger with God. It was one of the most amazing art pieces I’ve ever seen in my life.

At around 1pm we finished our tour of the Vatican. It was an awesome experience that I will never forget. However, we did not go into St. Peters Basilica due to my friends not wanting to wait in line. I was disappointed but I know I will be returning to Rome sometime in the future. Even though this happened I was happy that we did do as much as we did at the Vatican!

Following up the Vatican we went to lunch at a nearby restaurant. I had lasagna but was disappointed it was a small portion. We ventured back to the apartment and got gelato on the way back. (Note: I can’t remember most of the names of the gelato I had because many of the flavors were in Italian) After a short rest back at the apartment we walked all the way back to the Colloseum and explored the site. Like the Pantheon I felt a surreal sensation being in the Colloseum. Being in a place where thousands upon thousands were slaughtered was quite an experience. I felt a variety of different emotions because of its long history and its purpose of killing during its existence during the height of Roman power.  Once we finished with the Colloseum we went to dinner at a restaurant called “Gusta” right outside the shopping district our apartment was situated. During that dinner I had fish, calamari, and a large calzone. The calamari and the calzone were some of the best I’ve ever had! It was a great place to eat even though it was a little bit on the pricey side. Later that night we went to a Irish Pub in the old district and watched Champions league soccer to finish up one of our busiest days in Europe to date!

On Thursday we woke up early and checked out of our apartment in Rome. We had the entire day in Rome before we had to catch the train to Florence early in evening. During the day we went to Trevi fountain near where our apartment was located. It was one of the largest fountains in Rome and most decorated one I saw there. It was commissioned by Pope Clemens IV during a large construction project following the Renaissance to renew Rome. When we arrived to fountain we stopped at a recommended gelato shop right next to the fountain. I had nutella flavored gelato and enjoyed every bite. It was one of my favorite flavors I’ve had to this date! After enjoying our gelato at the fountain for an hour or so we ventured to a few other churches near the Trevi fountain then headed to the train station to catch our train station up to Florence.

Upon our arrival to Florence, my friend Tim had arranged us to meet some of his friends at the train station who also go to my college. We met them after a short wait and headed into the city to check into our hostel. Once we checked into our hostel they took us to a pizzeria across the river from our hostel in Florence. We all had an assortment of different pizzas and we all enjoyed every bite! Following our dinner they took us to a great gelato place near the restaurant. I had cookie flavor gelato this time around. Along with nutella, cookies has to be up there as one of my favorite flavors I’ve had. After gelato they took us up to their place in town and we hung out for a bit. They had a very large apartment and my friends and I were jealous of their accommodations for the semester.

We awoke the morning after and had plans to meet the girls at a local farmers market to get some much needed fruit for breakfast. My friends and I bought an assortment of fresh fruits and shared them amongst ourselves throughout the entire day. To our surprise they were very cheap! After the farmers market the girls took us to one of the most famous coffee cafes in Florence. I ordered an ice coffee and a croissant to go along with my fruit for breakfast. The ice coffee has to be one of the best coffee oriented drinks I’ve ever had! I had the girls try it as well and they agreed as well. Once we left the shop we walked to the central church in Florence called the Duomo. We ate our food on the front steps of the church and enjoyed a good people watching session.

Before the girls had to leave to head off to an excursion we walked back and hung out their place. I have to give a quick shout out to thank Kate and Kassi for showing us great places to eat and see in Florence! After we left their place we went over to the Academia museum where Michaelanglo's David sculpture is located. We looked around the museum for a few hours and saw a broad spectrum of pre Reniassance to post Reniassance paintings and sculptures. Most had religious connotation as their central themes. Seeing David was the best part of the entire museum visit. Being in the presence of one Michangelo's greatest works was a great feeling.

Once we were done at the Academia museum we picked up our stuff at our hostel and walked around outside of Florence to get a view of the city. Finally, after a 2 to 3 mile walk we were finally able to find the overlook of the city! It was well worth the walk because we got to see one of the most picturesque views of a city in the world. Having taken a half an hour to rest and take pictures we had to walk another 2 miles or so back to the train station to catch our train to Venice in the evening.

Our 24 hour stop in Venice was a roller coaster ride of emotions. We got into Venice at around 10pm and happened to get lost for an hour and a half trying to find our hostel. At first we did not have a map of the city but received one from a British women whom we had asked for directions. Once we had a map it took us about an hour to navigate through Venice to get to our hostel near St. Marks square. Venice is the most confusing city I’ve ever been it. Since the streets are not on a grid system it was completely random making it hard to find places. Once we got to our hostel we showered up and went out for dinner at a restaurant near St. Marks square. It was a hurried affair since the restaurant was closing.

On Saturday we woke up around 10am in a very tired state. We had been walking 8 to 10 miles a day the past 4 days. Even though we were tired, we ventured through Venice and saw a variety of sites. We first saw St. Marks square and went into a few churches along the way. The amount of people throughout Venice made it mob scene. We were walking through crowds the entire day but were able to enjoy the cities distinct architectural beauty. At around 2pm we ate lunch at a place right on major canal. I had a calzone with ham, salami, bacon, and a variety of different cheeses. It was huge and delicious! Once we were done with dinner we went back into St. Marks square and sat on some steps listening to various live bands restaurants had going. During our time sitting down we talked to two American girls who were studying abroad in Rome and happened to be in Venice for the weekend. Before we knew it, it was time to leave for the train station. Evidently, we were at first set off guard because we heard the Italians working at the train station were about to strike as our train was about to leave. However, we were relieved when our train was cleared to leave because the companying operating the train was not based in Italy.

Hopefully I didn’t bore you with this blog entry. It was a jam packed week and we did a lot! Next week I’m off to Munich for a few days for Oktoberfest! Until next time, check out my pictures I’ve posted on my travels to Italy!