End of the fun!

Our holiday is now over and we are on our way home. We have a 2.5 hour stopover in Dubai so I am taking the opportunity to make this last entry.

A few thoughts on Italy:

- I really enjoyed every moment of the holiday. The purists might say group tours are not worth it but after walking past queues of people waiting to get into key sites, like the Vatican or St Marks in Venice, and the number of things we would not have done if we were on our own I am very pleased we did a tour.
- Italy has a LOT of churches and cathedrals and many of them have some very significant historical relic
- I now know a lot more about the Renaissance period in Italy
- I really liked the history, the people, the food, the ‘touch of chaos’ that seems to come with all things Italian, the relaxed attitude to alcohol, the stunning scenery, when you go into a bar and order a drink you get a bowl of chips or peanuts as well, and so much more.
- Some things I didn’t like were the traffic, the number of smokers, lack of public toilets and when you could find one you have to pay (though I did just step over the turnstiles on one occasion!), the big cities are very grotty
- It was very crowded but that’s what you get this time of year. Next time I would aim to travel in the shoulder season.
- I like the way you can walk around Italian cities and just come across ruins that are thousands of years old with huge historical significance and it is no big deal to the locals.
- I understand why some of their historical sites and buildings are a bit shabby and run down, there are just so many of them it is not possible to have them all pristine. In Australia the oldest building can only date from the late 1700s which is a brand new building to the Italians!
- The best gelato is in Italy. Sorry but it is true.

Attached is a selection of 20 of my favourite photos from the trip. Some have been in previous posts but this is a bit of a summary so here they are all together.

Thanks for reading and until next time …..

Ciao!

PS - the first photo is from Tracey and is taken in the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna. It is a sheet of music written by Mozart. Google translate tells me the text says:

“During one of his trips to Italy, in 1770, Mozart had the opportunity to follow a short musical course with the maestro "Padre Giambattista Martini".

On October 6, on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Mozart performed on the organ of this chapel; he was just over fourteen.

On 9 October, at the headquarters of the Academy of Bologna, Mozart took the musical composition exam, but his work was a little lacking (or perhaps it was judged too modern) and maestro Martini intervened by making some corrections for the exam to be acceptable. Thus it was that, the following day, 10 October, the young Mozart was officially enrolled with the title of composer at the prestigious and century-old Philharmonic Academy of Bologna.

Below is the score written by Mozart on which the added notes can clearly be seen. Finally, note, in addition to the chant reported in Latin, the young man's signature - Mozart who Italianized his name: Amadeo Wolfgango.”もっと詳しく