Coast to coast by road

One of the villages in Cinque Terre on the Mediterranean Sea

Trip Taken October 2004

The trip to Italy came about because it happened around a conference. So it was decided that it would be a sin to go all the way there and not see more than just Rome, although even just that would have been gratifying enough what with the stories of the Roman Empire and the great Colosseum. Having learnt a great deal driving through Spain, we decided to follow the same mode of travel and drive our way around Italy also.

Thus, we bought a physical map, planned our drive and started off at Rome. Since Rome is where the conference was, we had a week before to tour around Italy and return to Rome for five days of the conference and see it at leisure.

There is no end to the amount of luxury money can buy in the form of hotels all over Italy, but it has become such a back packer’s paradise on the other hand that you can find hostels to fit your need: from co-ed hostels to single rooms with shared bathrooms. Of course, these get booked up fast so plan ahead and book them well in advance during season. If you are just travelling at your own pace, there is always something available if you ask around, and people will help you go to the area in each city that is most popular for such accommodation.

Facade of a church in Florence

First stop: Florence. All that I read about the city and its romance was true. Architecturally it is a gem of a town, show casing both gothic influence and a great Renaissance influence. Known as “The Jewel of the Renaissance”, it houses The Duomo, a church over 600 years old which to this day is the largest dome built in brick and mortar in the world. Don’t miss the Uffizi, one of the most famous and important galleries which contains the works of Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Botticelli.

There are so many monuments and buildings to see there as you just get lost and walk around town, so you can’t really be disappointed because you lost your way. Florence is also known for its cheap but well made leather goods and has a Sunday market, so I made sure I picked up a couple of leather jackets which would have cost me an arm and leg back in the States. If you are into high end fashion, you will not be disappointed either. Florence is definitely a fashionable place with an aura of grace and elegance, a true mix of modern ideas with a deep appreciation for the age old look. A couple of days there is enough to see the main sights. It left me in a trance as to what to expect from Venice, which was one stop away.

Sunset on the Mediterranean at Vernazza, Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre is the picturesque coast on the Italian Riviera. “Cinque” means five, and is a collection of five small fishing villages that have been untouched by modern development even in the form of hotels. There are none. Cars can’t drive to the area. Each of the villages is connected to the next by a walking trail. The Mediterranean hits the rugged coast in these areas and the villages are built right up to the waters. We parked the car up on a hill, walked down the only road into a village and asked for a room. You see a room, you like it, you pay for it and stay there. That simple.

Not much can be said about the beauty of the mountains leading up to these colorful villages, even less can be said about the sunsets for which everyone gathers at the pier. This is about the remote rural Italy, the beauty of the Riviera and the contentment of the people that have held on to their way of living untouched by the grandeur of cities like Rome and Venice. So from this we moved to Venice.

St Mark's Square, Venice

Unfortunately, Venice was cold even at this time of the year, at least for me. Not freezing, but not exactly shorts weather. What I heard about the modern day Venice was true, that the waters were dirty and the gondola rides weren’t as romantic as in the movies because of the traffic on the water and large boats going back and forth. That was a let down but only for a minute. The real beauty of Venice lies in its history and the reason for its opulent existence. The fun lies in finding your way around town. There is no perfect map and we kept hitting dead ends which would end at a water way, so we would have to turn around and re-trace our steps, try to remember landmarks and ask for directions when all else fails!

Apart from the obvious sight seeing like St.Mark’s square, Bridge of Sighs (so called because it connects the court house to the jail), and plenty of abandoned houses that were once inhabited by the rich businessmen, the thing I found most satisfying is walking the smaller inner neighborhoods with small bridges connecting a narrow canal. Truly, this brought to life what I had in mind as Venice. Don’t forget Venice is known for its lace and blown glass – those were the souvenirs I got home.

A canal off the tourist areas in Venice

It is an awful long drive from Venice to Naples, to see the ruins of Pompeii. As I was walking through the ruins, I looked up at the great Mount Vesuvius still looming large in the back ground. As grand a story of a once great city that the ruins tell us, there is always the constant silent reminder that nature is still above all humans and our achievements. One can’t go to Italy and come back without seeing this. Though I expected to see more, I guess because I hadn’t thought it through that the volcano eruption destroyed a city, I was quite impressed that excavation was done so carefully and such care was taken to try to display what life was like in those days.

The decision to go to the Amalfi Coast was made only because a friend of ours had gone there for her honeymoon just before, and couldn’t say enough about the beauty of the area. It’s just southeast of Naples and the drive up one side of the mountain and down the narrow curves on the other side towards the coast was a little scary. Busses come around the bends like they have no problem; well. I guess they don’t, the problem is owned by those of us in small cars! Apart from that, the entire mountain side is covered with olive trees, olives all over the roads too. Interestingly, because of the abundance of olives, every eatery serves some as soon as you sit down to eat. In some places they were so good I could’ve made a meal out of the various varieties of pickled olives.

Ruins of Pompeii with Mount Vesuvius behind

It wasn’t exactly planned this way for any other reason but convenience, but our destinations were alternating between historic monuments and relaxing remote nature of the coast line. In this case, as in Cinque Terre, because of the lack of modern development, and maybe it wasn’t peak season, there can only be so many people staying in a small town with limited accommodation. There are other small towns up the mountains but Amalfi is at the very bottom, right by the waters.

As was the theme of this vacation, the next and last stop was Rome, from the coast to the historic city of monuments. Again, plenty of information on the main cites to see so I won’t list them all here. Sculptures everywhere, Piazzas at every corner, so much history to absorb in so little time. I will say that the Roman Empire is all that legends are made of. Even in the lay out of the city itself I could tell the detail they had mixed in convenience and pleasure. A week was too little to enjoy the food and the city. The thing to do every night is to go to a Piazza, eat dinner outside and watch people enjoy themselves. We ordered just the house wine at every place, and it all tasted great.

I can’t close this chapter without mentioning the Vatican. It is so grand and ornate, added to that is the tradition the Swiss Guard carries on, the treasures on display and the gigantic alter for prayer inside. For about a week after seeing that, the Sistine Chapel and Saint Peter’s Basilica, I was ready to become a Catholic! Now that the movie Angels and Demons is out, it was kind of fun moving through the city on screen and being able to relate to the geography. Maybe watching it before will help you cover all the important places to go and things to see!

Seville Cathedral at night from my hotel balcony; the third largest church in the world

Trip Taken Dec 2003

Europe is a no-brainer for a vacation, Spain included. But I have found that many people choose to go to the two or three big cities that are most popular, leaving the actually historic and some of the most architectural marvels behind. Although it is true that Barcelona and Madrid showcase plenty Spanish culture and hold enough monuments from ages ago sprinkled through out the city, the beauty of the country side paints a much more diverse picture than those these cities portray.

This was my first trip to Europe, and in planning it I was eager to roam as much as possible and see as much as possible, and if time is money, to stretch each dollar out to the penny the best I could in 10 days; and so I think I did. From reading about the entire country, the focus was going to be south of Spain.

Driving on E-15, an all white town with a fort on top

Let me outline our road map before going into the why and what of it. We landed in Barcelona, drove down highway E-15 to Valencia for a night, then to Granada to see Alhambra Palace and the surroundings for a couple of days, then to Seville for a couple of days, Toledo for a night, on to Madrid, then back to Barcelona for New Years and the last few nights there before we flew out. So yes, we drove the whole south of Spain, by the coast, through the smallest towns, many of which left me with unanswered questions. Grab a map, follow the signs.

Valencia is a quaint small fashionable town off the highway. It was the maximum drive for the day but it was a gradual opening into what was to come. The buildings are old and streets are lined with small boutiques. The downtown is busy but opens up into a square that sells flowers and food by evening, where people gather to have their glass of wine and relax after a long day.

Really don't know what these are.. but looks like people live there

The drive to Granada introduced us to small towns with all the houses painted white, quite opposite from the colorful buildings of Valencia. One of such towns had a fort on the top of the hill, a reminder of small kingdoms from long ago, or maybe of forts built to keep vigil of ships coming from the ocean. Also, there were some mud houses built into the sides of mountains here and there. The picture I put up has a shack under this structure and clothes that were hung out to dry, but I have no idea if they are regular houses. That was something I never read or heard of until I saw it.

The Palace of Alhambra sits on a hill and one can see the Muslim architecture at its height in Europe. The city of Granada lies below it, a wonderful sight from the bell tower of the palace grounds. It’s an extensive walk and should keep you busy for a few hours at least.

The Court of Lions in Alhambra Palace

On the drive to Seville, the highway E-15 goes to the bottom tip of Spain and there are signs to drive down to a point where you can see the rock of Gibralter. It is not a far detour, so cross that off your list if you’re driving.

I have to say Seville was my favorite part of Spain. There is so much to see and the central historic quarter still has cobble stone roads and the Spanish food in small restaurants lining the narrow streets and small shops selling Spanish clothes and items. The town has succeeded in maintaining the aura of a rich prosperous cultural centre.

There are many monuments, museums, parks and gardens. A real art piece to behold is the Plaza De Espana, now used as a government building. The gothic influence comes to life in gigantic size in the Seville Cathedral, the third largest church in the world. An interesting fact: it is also the burial site for Christopher Columbus.

Rock of Gibralter

If you have time, see a Flomenco dance to complete the beautiful picture of Seville. This is one place I wish I could go back to and spend a few relaxing days just walking around, taking in the sights.

Toledo is a small town little off the beaten path close to Madrid. It is located on a small hill next to the Tagus river. The whole town has been declared a World Heritage site and has maintained the look and feel of a medieval city from the swords and shields to the pottery and art that is sold there.

City of Granada from Alhambra Palace

Truth be told, after going through such historic and ancient places, a sudden burst into the city of Madrid turned me off. The plan was to stay there for a night and day, but not wanting to loose the wonderful taste Spanish culture, I drove right through it to Barcelona. It just wasn’t for me at that time, but obviously if I drove the other way, I may have enjoyed it as the first place to stop!

Barcelona is a fast developing city and a commercial hub of activity. From the latest fashion to street markets to art museums, it holds the modern side of development gracefully along with the old structures. Its easy to spend money there: lots of goodies to carry home, and at great prices when it comes to ladies’ wear from clothes to boots. I ended up buying two pairs and thought I was being lavish only to come home to my mother who asked why I didn’t buy two of each pair!

Europe is never a cheap vacation. But we got inexpensive hotels to balance out the rental car through out the trip, although we turned in the car as soon as we got to Barcelona since there is a lot of walking to be done and cabs are plenty. Personally, the drive was a better idea to be able to stop at some off beat places even for just a meal or to take in the sights. Not much in the form of food other than local dishes are available in the small towns, but I see it, food is an integral part of any culture and I am willing to experiment to get a complete experience of the land I visit, so it wasn’t a big deal. Being from India, Spain was the first place I went to that offered as much diverse history as India does and made it an educational and wonderful experience over all.