italy in a nutshell

First stop: Rome. The real Rome. Home of such historical wonders as the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, Circus Maximus, Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth), the Monument of Vittorio Emanuele II, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and the Vatican- all of which I saw within my two-day stay. I know they say Rome wasn't built in a day, but if you really try, you can at least see most of it within that time frame. The weather was nice, the food was delicious (the gelato was even better), and we even had a celeb spotting!

colosseum, 19 october 2007.

just like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. mouth of truth, 19 oct 2007.

hanging out at the trevi fountain, 19 oct 2007.

vatican, 20 oct 2007.

view through the roman ruins, 19 oct 2007.

Next on the agenda: Florence. This is where things started to get interesting. We booked our trip through STA travel, thinking it was a safe bet.
Not so much. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is a CAMPER you see. STA travel booked us a CAMPSITE, not a hostel. No heat, terrible weather, an hour and 45 minutes away from town, and no one spoke English. Needless to say, we were out of there about as quickly as we got there. Kind of a bummer, since we spent the whole first day in "Florence" freezing and trying to find a hostel in a more central location. But it was all worth it when we arrived at our lovely Bed & Breakfast in the heart of Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

View from the Soggiorno Pitti, Florence, 23 Oct 2007.

Our B&B was right in the centre of the city, so we got to sightseeing right away. Florence is a city based around its history in art and religion. We saw the David (quite attractive, for a statue) and climbed the Duomo. We shopped at the markets. We sampled the gelato, of course. One night we went out to see a Beatles cover band. I found it hilarious to see four Italian men singing songs by one of the most American bands to ever live. They were actually quite good! Rome definitely had more to do, but Florence had the better vibe.

riverside, Florence, 23 Oct 2007.

perched atop the duomo, 400+ steps up. 24 oct 2007.

outside the Duomo, 23 Oct 2007.

Our last stop of the trip led us to Venice, romantic capital of the world. But all I can say is, when in Venice, wear your rubbers! (Get your mind out of the gutter...) When it rains in Venice, it pours. The first day was nothing but wetness and wind, but Lucy and I did our best to brave the elements and make our trip worthwhile. Unfortunately, the rain caused the canals to reach high tide, and as the water flooded into the streets, we sought safety on side alleys and museums. My favorite place we stopped was the Peggy Guggenheim contemporary art museum. This was a woman who's life mission was to spread her love of art to the world. When she died, her house and her art collection were turned into a beautiful museum, complete with a lovely garden. Very fascinating woman. We also found time to make a pit stop into the city centre to feed the birds. I was terrified. Our day was cut short, however, as our map was soaked, and so were we. Our hostel, if you can call it that, was another one of STA's genius campsites, but fortunately this one was a little more close to town. We spent a lot of early nights killing time in the restaurant and bar situated on the site. We were considered regulars by the time we left...

Our second day in Venice faired much better weather, so we took a water taxi over to Murano island, where glass is the name of the game. We went to two different glass blowing sites and of course, sampled more gelato. It took us a good while to get back into town, as the taxi ride was a little over an hour between islands (and trying to read signs in Italian takes up a lot of time as well), so by the time we got back, it was dark. We stopped back into the city centre to listen to some violin, and indulged in a delicious dinner. The city's special drink is called Bellini, which is a sort of peach-flavored bubbly champagne, and absolutely delicious as a dessert. I did buy a small bottle to bring home, but haven't found the right occasion to open it just yet.

venice, 26 october 2007.

the bravest little girl i have ever seen. venice, 26 october 2007.

By the end of the 10-day trip, we were all pretty burnt out from travelling, lack of sleep, miles and miles of walking, and struggling to overcome the language barrier, so we were well ready to head home when Sunday finally rolled around. Despite my sleepiness, I still managed to make one more celeb spotting: Seal (yeah, the "Kissed by a Rose" guy, or, Heidi Klum's husband) was on our flight on the way home! Quite a cool way to end the trip.

Most romantic: Venice
Best nightlife: Florence
Most sights to see: Rome
Best gelato: Rome
Friendliest people: Venice
Most attractive men: Florence
Most desperate men: Florence

All-in-all, a pretty decent fall break. But I am happy to be back in London.

Cheers!