Italy
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.
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!
