In Love with Italy

In Love with Italy

Ciao! How I wish I was writing this blog, sitting in a small square somewhere in Rome, Italy, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting on by, and hooters tooting away in the traffic on nearby streets. To say I adore Italy is an understatement. I love everything about it, the food, the stylishly clad local women rushing about their day in short skirts and high heels, the view in the early morning as you look out over the rooftops….I could go on and on. Even the romantic notes of the language enchant me….Bellissima!

I used to believe that travelling to the same place twice was a waste of precious travel funds,

but I was young and naïve then. Now I love to return to all my favourite places and look at them through fresh eyes, taking in all the sights, sounds and smells I missed the first time around. So I am on a serious mission to return to Italy again.

Rome

Okay, so truth be told I have been to Italy on two occasions, but I do feel that I would hugely benefit from my third trip. There is so much to see and do! The first time I set foot on Italian soil, I experienced quite a culture shock. Rome was a city we studied in depth at school, and I think my mind may have been stuck in the days of Julius Caesar and the ancient civilisation. Rome was so busy – traffic was hectic and cars seem to treat road signs as mere suggestions

only. A simple act like crossing the street had me mentally reviewing the benefits noted in my travel insurance policy should I not make it to the other side.

However, there are a number of signs around Rome that still hint at that same ancient civilisation. The Colosseum is an imposing landmark that brings forth images of Roman soldiers, swords and lions. It is almost 2000 years old, and although much of it has been lost to the elements, fires and earthquakes, it still stands proud at the end of the Via Dei Fori Imperali. Modern day the long lines of visitors queuing at the entrance are enough to make you run away in terror, but…there is a way around this problem.

Nearby, the Roman Forum, seat of religious and political practices remains….and its remains are all that are left to see. It’s actually quite disappointing to see the piles of stones and rubble littering this ancient site where the Romans did their shopping, kept their stalls and held meetings with one another, in a political, commercial and social sense.

A well-known landmark that has however, been well-preserved and is an absolute must-see is the Trevi Fountain. This Baroque creation of Roman gods, horses and water is usually swamped with tourists regardless of the season, but it’s worth waiting to get closer in order to throw a coin into the fountain, which according to legend, will ensure that you get back to Rome someday. Just a thought – I hope no-one has stolen my coin. I threw in a couple just in case…. 

Rome’s most famous square, the Piazza Navona is a great place to spend an evening, tasting some of the local food and drinks, and getting a glimpse of Bernini’s Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi. The Piazza della Rotonda is also worth a visit at night, when it is beautifully lit, and the view of the Pantheon can be enjoyed from a restaurant nearby. The Pantheon is, in my opinion, one of Rome’s most impressive sights. Its height and diameter are exactly equal to one another, and in the centre of its domed ceiling is a hole. During the day the sunlight pores into the Pantheon, illuminating it’s most startling feature – there are no arches or supports visible to the naked eye that hold the building up.

A visit to Rome is not complete without spending some time on the Spanish Steps outside the Keats-Shelley Memorial House. There are usually a number of individuals loitering around on the steps, eating pizza, chatting and having a break. Surprisingly none of those around on the day I went there looked like the literary type. I wasn’t sure why sitting outside a literary museum would be so appealing to them. Then the sun started to set….

Speaking of the sun setting, a very memorable part of our trip was an evening spent in Trastavere. Where we live in South Africa, an evening of Italian food is very different to the kind of authentic food you get in Italy. Pizzas with only two toppings, one of which is an artichoke is a bit outside of our taste experience. While Rome was full of trendy restaurants and wine bars I was not-so-secretly longing for a family-run, candlelit trattoria to spend the evening. Trekking out to Trastevere proved no mean feat, but after taking a number of different modes of transport and walking part of the way, we found what I had been looking for all along. A beautiful trattoria, where the owner spent time chatting at our table, and called a cab for us when it was time to leave. Carpaccio, a pasta dish swimming in basil pesto, gelato and limoncello for dessert, and I was in Trastavere heaven.

If the traffic, chaos and tourists of Rome get a bit too much for you, there are a number of

ways to get a reprieve outside of the city. Most importantly, there’s the Vatican City. This breathtaking complex, which was declared a sovereign state in 1929, is one of the smallest cities in the world. The Piazza San Pietro, created by Bellini is considered an architectural masterpiece.Don’t miss a tour around St Peter’s Basilica, and make sure that you spend some time admiring Michelangelo’s Pieta on display behind bulletproof glass inside the basilica. Another of his creations, a frescoe of the Creation can be seen at the Sistine Chapel.

Travel Tip no 5 – If you can’t locate the frescoe inside the Sistine Chapel…look up!

Naples, Pompeii, Sorrento and Capri also make wonderful day trips from Rome. Southern Italy is one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited, but, alas, a day trip to any of these places will just leave you longing for more!

Venice

And then there’s Venice….Venice is simply stunning! It’s also in the process of slowly sinking, so plan a trip there sooner rather than later. It is the epitomy of romance, history and culture and deserves a spot on everyone’s must-see list.

As you cruise into Venice along the Grand Canal your senses will be assailed by the colourful facades of the buildings lining the

canal, gondoliers in their striped shirts serenading honeymooners on their gondolas, and in the late afternoon, a beautiful sunset over the Rialto Bridge. Venice is completely unique, in that there are no cars, taxis or busses clogging the streets. Transport is water based and a novel way to get around a city. As you cruise along the canal, keep an eye out for public water taxis called vaporettos, private speed boats and even the water ambulances moored along the sides of the canal. For this reason, it’s a pleasure to wander the streets of Venice or float along its waterways from place to place, as opposed to dodging traffic or looking for cabs. 

The main square in Venice is a sight to behold. Piazza San Marco is framed by a number of architectural marvels, including the basilica, the old law courts and Libreria Vecchia as well as extremely expensive restaurants, complete with their own small orchestras to draw in the crowds. The square tends to be a hive of activity, filled with tourists queuing to see the Pala d’Oro, a stunning altarpiece adorned with a wealth of precious stones, located in the basilica, and also the 15^th century clock tower, the Torre dell’ Orologia.

If you want to absorb the atmosphere of the square, take a wander around, feed the multitude of pigeons, or head up the bell tower for a um…bird’s eye view…of the square.

Nearby, is the Doges Palace, famous for its Bridge of Sighs, and impressive collection of art by

Tintoretto. I always envisioned the Bridge of Sighs as being one of Venice’s beautiful bridges crowning one of the smaller canals, due to the romantic connotations associated with the bridge. However, the bridge actually forms part of the Doges Palace, and is the thoroughfare for prisoners en route to incarceration in the dungeons. It’s worth taking a walk in Casanova’s footsteps along the bridge to the old prisons. However, this spectacle is quite an amusing and rather theatrical sight to behold.

Murano and Lido are islands nearby that make great places for day trips away from Venice. Murano is world-famous for its Venetian glass, and a visit to the glass-blowing factory is an interesting way to get an idea of the amount of work and skill that go into these works of art. The Lido was once upon a time, the beach resort. It is still popular today, so if a day at the beach grabs you, head over early in the morning to secure your spot in the sand.

I hope you enjoy your trip to Italy! It is a country I hope to return to again and again. I somehow feel there will always be more to see and do there than is humanly possible, and that is an experience that defies description. Take a trip there to see for yourself, and you’ll understand how I can be so in love with Italy!