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Italy

November 2017 - January 2018
A 80-day adventure by Awesomes Read more
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  • TravelerItaly
    Day 17

    Parma Day Trip

    November 29, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌫 3 °C

    Day Trip to Parma

    Parma. Land of parma ham and parmigiano regianno cheese. None of which taste like anything back in Perth, even when bought from Italian purveyors. Apart from the gastronomic gifts, Parma has enough to feast the eyes, mind and soul.

    Parma's Duomo, consecrated in 1106, has Correggio's Assumption of the Virgin painted in the domed ceiling. Although entrances to most of the cathedrals we've been to is free, one has to put €1 or €2 into a machine to light up the artworks. In this case, it was €2 for Correggio's ceiling, and another €2 for the whole nave of about 20m, an intricate cycle of frescoes and all its iconography, painted by Lanttanzio Gambara and Bernardino Gatti. It was most annoying that the light only came on for 5 minutes, hardly enough time to appreciate the illuminated masterpieces. To keep feeding a machine somehow detracted from the absorption of looking at art, especially in a place of worship. I would rather pay an entrance fee and have all the time to look, attend, absorb and be awestruck.

    It's neighbour, The Baptistery, is an octagonal pink marble stout tower. Internally, it displays examples of Byzantine frescoes and Romanesque sculptures, and Gothic paintings.

    We stumbled into the former Convent of San Paolo where the Abbess commissioned Correggio to decorate the domed ceiling of her private dining room. This was a delight to visit, as after an entrance fee of only €2, you could stare for as long as your neck would allow, at the amazing ceiling. There were even comfortable chairs, placed at different parts of the rooms, for you comfortably be awestruck at different aspects of the room.

    I finally tried the fried bread, Crestina. One word that springs to my mind is pillowy. It is nothing like bread, but more liked puffed pillowy ravioli; light, airy and ever so tasty. As it is served with cold cuts (ham and such meats), where better to have that than in Parma. It was sublime. Wars have been fought for lesser reasons than that dish.

    Parma. You've fed me well.    Read more

  • TravelerItaly
    Day 19

    Ferrara

    December 1, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    After almost 3 weeks of walking an average of 14km a day, we managed the transfer of accommodations, walking 1.3 km to Mateta train station and 1.6km from Ferrara train station to Hotel De Prati (bags in tow), with ease.

    Ferrara is dominated by the Castello De Estense, an enormous edifice that dwarfs even it's neighbouring Duomo.

    Upon arrival, we were surprised at the size of the town. We both had the impression it would be more like Modena. After all that walking to get to Ferrara, we decided to walk some more. We did our own walking tour of medieval Ferrara using the colour coded routes on the tourist map. We were disappointed to find all the churches, except the Duomo, shut. On the second day we went to the Archeological Museum and spent hours perusing through their collection of Etruscan artefacts. Apart from the pots, vases, mugs and enormous urns, it was fascinating to see delicate gold earrings from the 3rd and 4th century BC.

    After the culinary delights of Turin, Bologna, Modena and Parma, food in Ferrara was rather lack lustre. It was a good thing as we skipped dinner both nights there, and are feeling better for it.    Read more

  • TravelerItaly
    Day 21

    Venice

    December 3, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    Venice

    "Now. The rubbish" said our Airbnb host when we checked in.
    "We know. We take it to the street corner" said the seasoned travelers that we are.
    "Ahh.. Not street corner. Rubbish goes to a boat"
    Of course. We're in Venice. Everything goes in a boat. People, parcels, freight, and rubbish. There is even an ambulance boat.

    Venice is as beautiful, charming and atmospheric as it's claimed. It is not as dirty as we were warned, and the canals are not stinky. Venetians are more aloof, and not helpful. Athough they will give information and directions, they will not go out of their way. There is an abruptness in their manner that can be mistaken for arrogance or rudeness. I'm not sure if they are actually so. I think that it is just having to cope with the challenges of their everyday lives. For a start, twice in 24 hours, the tide rises, and very often it causes a flood. Our walking tour group were horrified at the thought of being flooded quite so regularly, but the guide brushed it off as just another day in Venice. Doorways on the ground floor are fitted with special metal sheets that slot in front of the door, and pumps are activated when water levels rise, and walking platforms are always on hand in case the path in flooded.

    Venice is expensive. Restaurants have a 12% service charge and €4 per head seating fee (coperto). Our experiences in the other towns was a flat €2-€4 coperto per head with no extra service fee. One way to get around that is to have cicchettis standing at the bar, or at the counter. Cicchettis are little tapas like food. There are displayed and one just points to yummy stuffed squids, fried anchovies, fish and meat balls, etc. Everthing is costly. Many churches even charge an entrance fee of €4, and then one still has to put that €2 in the machine to light the artworks. We got around this by going just before mass times when the entrance is free and some of the church is lit. This has to be timed just so if we don't want to stay for mass, but just want a quick walk around the church and surreptitiously exit before mass starts. We have sometimes entered quietly mid mass, but then we feel committed to stay till the end of mass, and do the quick walk around after. However busy or noisy the outside is, it's always quiet, and there's a stillness once the door of the church is shut behind you. So we soak in that for the rest of mass. In Bologna, there was a lovely solo by a Benedictine monk during communion, and it was heavenly.

    We were fortunate to be here in Venice on the first Sunday of the month when there is free entry to the Galleria Academia, the art gallery. We also chanced upon a free organ and choral concert at one of the churches after our 4.5 hour walking tour. These free (by donation) walking tours are a wonderful introduction to any city or town. We have done many in Spain, Australia, and now Italy, and have thoroughly enjoyed, and been informed by, every single one.

    Venice. It's really captured my heart. I love the windy streets, I love crossing the hundreds of bridges, I love the getting lost amongst it all, I love that I have a few more days here.    Read more

  • TravelerItaly
    Day 23

    Venice: and I thought they'd be jet lagg

    December 5, 2017 in Italy ⋅ 🌙 -2 °C

    It's now 6.23am. Grace and I took the Alilaguna (airport waterbus) to get the girls from the airport yesterday afternoon. Before that, we made sure that we had breakfast for our jet lagged girls who would wake at 4am (11am Perth time), hungry. Now, both of us are wide awake, and our supposed jet lagged girls are fast asleep. We did keep them awake till 8.30pm (3.30am Perth time) last night although Kai was falling asleep waiting for dinner at Cantina Do Spade. This lovely eatery does not charge the 12% service charge or €4 seating fee as mentioned in the previous post. It was recommended to us by a gorgeous young lady sitting at the table next to us in Bologna. It was also a place our accommodation host in Venice marked on our map. With 2 recommendations, it lived up to expectations. We tried white polenta there for the first time. Nothing like yellow polenta, it's like what what white fluffy clouds would taste like, ethereal.Read more

  • TravelerItaly
    Day 23

    Venice

    December 5, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    Learnt something new about Venice on the walking tour. Venice is shaped like a fish from an aerial view and is made up of 118 islands joined by over 40 bridges. Every island has three key things. A church, a well and a campo which is a tiny area for the people to meet and engage socially. So consequently, Venice has 120 churches on this tiny lagoon. No cars are allowed past the train station. So to get around you either walk, ferry, private water taxi or by gondola which is the most expensive mode of all.Read more

  • TravelerItaly
    Day 26

    Verona

    December 8, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    It is a public holiday today as it is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Verona is full of markets and tourist. Poor Ruby got nudged really hard on our walking tour as I think they were trying to get her camera or handbag, but as the handbag was secure on her shoulders, the camera came crashing onto the hard cobbled stones. The camera screen broke off from the camera and camera was badly damaged and irreparable. This happened at Piazza Erbe.
    We walked over 5km looking for a camera shop but couldn't find one suitable. We finally gave up and decided to try tomorrow morning.Tired and dejected, we met the girls back at where we had been invited to the night before for a Veronese dialect jam session that was also the birthday party of the singer in the band.
    That was a great evening. The band comprised of a violin, piano, base, guitar and a singer. They played Veronese folk songs and sang in the old dialect. When they finished, the birthday boy even presented us one of their CD.
    We were able to get a new camera the next morning before our train to Siena.    Read more

  • TravelerItaly
    Day 27

    Siena

    December 9, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    Siena is a very beautiful and ancient city. We are staying in the attic of a 15th century old building. We were hungry when we arrived. Fortunately, good friends of ours brought us instant laksa that had travelled from Singapore to Perth then onto Italy. Yummy warming and comfort food!!!
    It was cold and windy when we arrived with temperatures dipping down to -5*.
    We were quite awe struck to find old mediaeval streets all culminating onto Piazza del Campo.
    It is probably the biggest Campo we have come across yet.    Read more

  • TravelerItaly
    Day 28

    We were on a Choo Choo

    December 10, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 0 °C

    That was on Sunday, and this post is late. I will claim a medical certificate as I'm nursing a cold. Although it does not slow me during the day, I'm rather unmotivated once back at the apartment. Also, planning for after Rome needed to be done. We are going south to Matera, where the ancient cave dwellings are still occupied, and Naples.

    Back to Sunday, and our Choo Choo ride.

    It was a chilly minus 5 deg C when we walked through the misty, early morning medieval streets of Siena. The town was yet to wake, the streets were quiet. Emersed in the old grey buildings and cobbled streets of the Middle Ages, we were reminded of modernity only with the tiny garbage trucks, smaller than an average Australian ute, and the 3 sets of escalators that took us from Siena town atop a hill to the train station at the bottom. Led by the stream of smoke that rose from the train tracks, we hurried to catch the train. It was a turn of the century old steam train (literally manufactured in 1900) that would take us through picturesque Val D'Orca to San Quirico d Orcia, a little Tuscan hilltop village with its annual olive festival.

    Riding on an original steam train has a charm and thrill that is just indescribable. To be greeted by a 3 men brass band and be surrounded by wildly gesticulating, loud Italians who were all just as excited added to the atmosphere. We saw the engineer manually attach the carriages to the locomotive, then oil and check all the bits that needed oiling and checking. Then it was the actual chug - - chug - - chug - -chug out of the station, slow accelerating chug- chug- chug to chugachugachuga as we passed through the rolling Tuscan countryside. Magical!

    And the 3 men brass band were in the train. Going from carriage to carriage, they played Christmas carols and songs we could recognise and sing to in English. We just giggled all journey, stopping only to "ohhhh" wide-eyed at the scenery.

    San Quirico de Orcia is just the sweetest little medieval hamlet atop a hill surrounded by the gorgeous Tuscan countryside. The towns people were so welcoming and friendly. Whatever we wanted and wherever we were, they would somehow find someone who spoke a little broken English to help interprete. We saw a flag throwing competition called by the town prier. We ate skewers of barbecued meat, panini rolls with suckling pig, and all sorts of sausages and stuffed meats. We even managed a tour of a micro beer brewery, with an interpreter borrowed from the escargot stand, used their bathroom and had a taste of Tuscan beer. Of course, we tasted lots of olive oil on pieces of bread as big as my palm. Everyone wanted us to taste everything in their range. We were very very well fed. It was altogether a totally
    Italian experience. What I found most hilarious was that hardly any one spoke a word of English, but all through the festive town, the Christmas carols blaring through loudspeakers, were all in English.

    After 4 hours in town and walking a tiny part of the pilgrim trail outside town, we were chuga-chugged to various stages of sleepiness and sleep on the journey back to Siena.    Read more

  • TravelerItaly
    Day 29

    Siena

    December 11, 2017 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Siena, is a city in central Italy’s Tuscany region, it is surrounded by medieval brick buildings.

    The fan-shaped central square, Piazza del Campo, is the site of the Palazzo Pubblico, the Gothic town hall, and Torre del Mangia, a slender 14th-century tower with sweeping views from its distinctive white crown.

    We went on our own guided walking tour through the city of Siena and the little quant alley ways.

    We looked at shop windows of small little boutique shops , we also love looking inside some churches which we came across on our travels.    Read more

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