Rome
When we landed in Rome, we deplaned and immediately got lost. That’s when it occurred to me that there is a reason why people brush up on the language of somewhere they’re visiting. At last we found the shuttle that would take us to our hotel. My first lesson was to not trust taxi drivers advertising themselves. An Italian taxi driver told us our shuttle doesn’t open until nine (it was seven am). We told him we’d paid in advance for our transportation and he disappeared. It turns out our shuttle was ready for us at seven forty-five am, in a location that was different from the one given to us by our hotel itinerary. I also noticed how much Italians smoke. It was amusing though to know that they weren’t afraid to practice their habits in public, whereas in America the public hates smokers and sends them to their dark corners to carry out their addicting deed. Our own shuttle driver, at 7:45 in the morning, had a huge cigar dangling from his mouth as he loaded our luggage in the car. He was also humming Italian. I loved it.
Just Enjoy
We were pleasantly surprised with our hotel staff, the atmosphere and the overall cleanliness. We visited our first café down the street but were not prepared for the prices. Although it was $1.46 per 1 euro, it didn’t occur to us that what is $1.46 in America is not 1 euro in Italy. For example, a coffee that’s 3 bucks in America is not 3 euros in Italy – its 6 Euros. Which means it was 9 bucks for a coffee. It was my first coffee though in Italy – and it was amazing. So we decided right then and there that since we were on vacation, we had saved money for this trip, and because there was nothing we could do it about it anyways, we would splurge.
History
I remember the Spanish Steps were close by so we decided to walk there. We found some huge stairs on the way and we thought we’d arrived so we took pictures. I kept thinking, what’s so great about this? But it turns out we took pictures of random stairs, because when we arrived at the actual Spanish Steps, it over looked the city. The Trinita dei Monte was the first Renaissance church we saw and it had fantastic frescoes lining the dome. We made our way to our first lunch and dined on Margherita Pizza (a meal that I would have four more times in the next several days), Italian Beer and coke. In Rome we also visited the Roman Forum and Palatine, the Pantheon, the Colosseum, the Vatican Museum and the Sistine Chapel. There are no words that would do justice to the Sistine Chapel and all its vaulted ceilings and buttresses. I remember Raja and I being confused because the Vatican Museum was endless in its art, rooms and ceilings. Each time we saw a fantastic ceiling full of art, we suspected we’d arrived at the Sistine Chapel. Again, like the Spanish Steps, when we actually saw the Sistine Chapel ceiling, we knew we’d arrived. It was dark inside with hundreds of people sitting around just staring. Absolutely no photography was allowed and the staff was watching intensely. If it wasn’t for the heat and exhaustion we could’ve stayed another hour to literally just stare. It was majestic.
Simply Spectacular
The Colosseum drew me in the most, because of its history. I kept conjuring up images of the blood fests from the info boards – celebrations of unleashing 11,000 gladiators and 5,000 a   nimals in the vicinity while huge crowds cheered and screamed at the eruption of blood. The barbaric nature of people during that time was horrific. We were also able to see and touch the caves with their thick bars. Although the architecture was spectacular, the walking killed me. While I wore sneakers or flat boots, women in Rome wore high heeled boots or even high heels. I couldn’t imagine how their feet adapted to the ancient ground that is everywhere in Rome. Italians are tireless people when it comes to walking, and I felt ashamed at my feet. We also got an opportunity to hang out in the Piazza Navona, a place for local youths, artists and tourists. There are expensive restaurants lining the piazza (i.e. four times American prices). We tried their amazing gelato in several flavors – Rose, Chocolate, and Pistachio. Chocolate in Italy tastes strong and dark and extremely delicious. I especially enjoyed the piazza in front of the Pantheon at night. Although we wanted to shop on Via del Corso (near the Pantheon) we couldn’t afford Gucci, Versace and Prada.
Firenze
We took the train to Florence, which was a simple trip compared to getting lost in Rome. Although our Florence hotel was another gem, internet cost 5 Euros per hour, whereas it was free in Rome. We paid anyways because we are both addicted to blogging and email. Florence, for all its quiet beauty, depressed me compared to the bustle of Rome. Although Florence is situated in Tuscany, we didn’t see the endless fields of splendor; however, if the architecture in Rome was a handful, what Florence had to offer was ten times greater. The cathedrals at every corner had vaulted ceilings that reached the skies. Florence cathedrals provided seating everywhere aside from the naves, for people to stare, which we did plenty of times. Unfortunately the best cathedrals didn’t allow photography.
The Sights
We saw the Basilica de Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo) inside the Piazza del Duomo, where Italy unleashed its Gothic style in its fiercest beauty, the church of Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchio, Santa Maria Novella and The Accademia dell’Arte del Disegno which houses Michelangelo’s David and an infinite number of life-like sculptures. The David is my favorite of everything I saw in Italy. The size and the realistic sculpting (veins and ribs) made me worship Michelangelo more than the Sistine Chapel itself. It was incredible. We were able to see the great tomb of Cossimo de Medici (fifteenth century ruling family) and Rafael, both eerie. Florence captivated us. There’s a book I read last year titled The Birth of Venus, by Sarah Dunant, and I felt familiar with the Florence cathedrals because of it. As I am rereading the book after coming home, I can picture the scenes and place them in the proper piazzas and cathedrals now. It’s enjoyable, with the exception of Savaranola, the monk that terrified Florentines during the end of the Medici Rule before the Italians burned him at the stake in Piazza del Signorina.
Drinking and Shopping
We also did a little wine tasting. It was unintentional, since we were shopping, but a guy sitting on the sidewalk beckoned us in for one euro. We couldn’t resist. It was a tiny hole in the wall shop full of unusual people. The man behind the counter filled our glasses up to the rims, pouring and smirking, and a Moroccan guy entertained us in his language. The entire time we were conversing, the owner of the shop would spontaneously break out in Italian song. Although he was weird, I loved it. The Moroccan stuffed us with cheese and in the end, we paid five Euros. It was worth it though because we were drunk. Florence is also famous for its pashminas, sold in the Mercato Centrale. The stalls sellers are from all over the world, including India. I was able to buy a few scarves and souvenirs, but the rest we couldn’t afford. A guy told us in Punjabi that if we wanted to buy anything it would be three times the amount of what we’d get it for back home. Their scarves are really unique though.
Florence Palate
We ate at Buca Mario, home of the best tiramisu we’ve ever had in our lives. Italians know how to eat. They start off with a small dish to share, followed by a huge course, then vegetable or fruit, then dessert, then coffee, then liquor. During the entire course of the meal, waiters pour wine. Wine is cheaper than water. Most restaurants in Italy don’t offer wine by the glass, only the bottle. Italians order dessert, coffee, and liquor at every meal, no matter what. I loved it. I also loved how the Italians call their liquor options “digestives”. They range from various types of Grappas to Limoncello, of which both are strong. But the red wine in Italy was spectacular. Because I am a vegetarian, I ate a lot pizza and pasta (still entirely satisfying). I already miss the luxury of their dining. Italians generally eat a small pastry with their coffee in the morning, grab a Panini while walking in the afternoon, and dine at a two or three hour meal at dinner. We stuck to our American style of eating though, with a huge continental breakfast, a huge lunch, and a huge dinner.
Dessert and Coffee
We walked off most of the calories, unlike in America, where you just drive and sit again so overall it was a win-win type situation. Coffee is to die for. Italians don’t sip coffee at shops the way Americans do. In fact, if you want to sit down, you pay twice as much. “Bars” in Italy are where you go to get coffee and drink it like a shot, standing up. Then you quickly leave. In Florence, we sat down and bruschetta and cannolis so we paid double, but it was fun watching Italians rush. Where the hell they were for going I had no clue. Coffee is strong, black, and smooth and there is no after taste. It was unfortunate that I adjusted myself to Italian coffee and am now back to Starbucks at home; however, the sweet memory remains.
Venice – A World Underwater
Venice was a different world altogether. I didn’t feel as if I was in Italy anymore, but rather in an underwater Atlantis apart from reality. The entire city is going underwater and people are still living there. We didn’t understand it – so we joined it. We took a water taxi to our hotel, and that was my best experience. The water looks beautiful, but it’s not. It’s filthy. In fact, the entire city looks gorgeous and surreal but when you get up close, its not. Rats are everywhere at night. There are hundreds of tiny bridges to get where you need to go and no cars or streets in Venice. You either walk, take a water taxi, or a water bus. It was intriguing and fun. We didn’t see a lot of sites since we were at the end of our trip and tired, plus we exhausted our cameras. We missed the Rialto Bridge and St. Marc’s Cathedral, but we did ample amounts of relaxing in our five star hotel. We sat in bubble baths and enjoyed a cathedral-like hotel room. The Palazzo Stern Hotel is an old home of an Art Historian who collected works of art. Right outside our hotel room was a church altar and vaulted ceilings. It was also right on the water, so we drank Prosecco and fed chips to the fish (the latter part we should not have done, but it was fun). The staff treated us like royalty!
Average
We ate at several restaurants including Al Profeta – a great pizzeria, Allo Bita and De Fiare. Restaurants in Dorsoduro and all of Venice, excluding Allo Bita, were average. Allo Bita did have the best potato leek soup and breadsticks I’ve ever had. Generally speaking, Venice is a seafood city which I can’t speak for as a vegetarian, but the prosecco, potato leek soup, ciocollada (Italian hot chocolate) and the spaghetti are insanely delicious. I went to the same hot chocolate shop twice in two days. The Venetian egg-cream gelato was not that great. Venice is also full of mask shops. Greek theatre originated in Italy and so mask shops abound. We also visited the Galleria dei Accademia, which houses some of Europe’s greatest art in 21 gigantic rooms. We also saw an instrument museum.
Departure
It was the middle of the night when we left and we walked half a mile through dark alleys and piazzas. While it was dangerous, it was adventurous and a little creepy, since we were running alongside rats. I didn’t think there was an airport worse than Delhi’s, but Marco Polo is by far the lousiest. We were part of masses of chaos in all directions, with no employees to guide anyone. It was a miracle that we made it out of that airport and on our way home. All in all, Italy, for all its art, glorious architecture and food, was well worth visiting. Just like any other travel filled adventure, there was both good and bad, but I only remember the good. The beauty and exquisiteness of the cathedrals were unforgettable. Not to mention the coffee!