Viva L'Italia

April 20, 2017

Viva L'Italia

The wonderful Sistine Chapel.

Italy is an amazing place, uncontested. We had some of our best travel experiences there. The sites, the history, the people, the style, the little towns, the big cities, the food...Italy really has it all! Any review of a travel trip to Italy invariably descends into a cliché-ridden piece, but you just can't help it when you experience a country as enthralling as Italy.

My wife and I, both thought we had Italy 'down' having met some of its citizens aboard and having watched all the old movies and travel programmes but how wrong were we. Italy constantly took our breaths away. Thankfully, we managed to cram in a few spots during our visit there. We would have visited more, but my wife had a work-related course during our second week there. Nonetheless, together we managed to visit the big guns (and some of the smaller ones) Rome, Florence, Pisa, Venice, Bologna, Reggio Emilia and Milan.

The Colosseum.

As I wasn't in the country for anything that remotely resembled work, I continued my holiday over our second week there. During our second week, I also managed to visit Modena (the home of Enzo Ferrari) and Parma (the home of famous cheese and ham).

Regarding each city/town: Florence would have to rank top on our list. It's a must-visit on any trip to Italy. A beautiful and compact city, everything is within walking distance, great sites (the Florence Duomo, Michelangelo's David, beautiful churches etc.), great food and shopping, every street and lane seemed full of surprises.

Palatine Hill, Rome.

Second for us was Rome. Rome is a magnificent city—it's a classic city in every sense. It has a great sense of confidence—its people, bustling streets, good food, a supreme sense of their history, historical sites on every corner. Having visited some of the new-age cities here in the Middle East, Rome easily puts these cities to shame (not that Dubai, Doha etc. are not impressive in their own way).

Following on from our two highlights would be Milan and Bologna. We simply didn't have enough time to truly explore Milan (it was the last stop on our trip, and we only had two half-days there), but what we saw, we really enjoyed. Milan was also full of shopping, style, good food, bustling atmosphere, everything you expect from a European city. You can tell that the place is more influenced by its neighbours, for us, it felt less 'Italian' that the previous towns and cities we had visited and more Northern European.

Bologna was a classic 'hidden-gem'. We had no expectations for the place, and it really surprised us. Again, it was another easy city to walk around which was full of good food (the best we had on the trip), nice bars, cafes and shops all with a sprinkling of old-world charm. More than anything, it was cheaper than our other destinations, due in part, to the main bulk of its residents— students.

A view of Florence from its Duomo

Following on from our two highlights would be Milan and Bologna. We simply didn't have enough time to truly explore Milan (it was the last stop on our trip, and we only had two half-days there), but what we saw, we really enjoyed. Milan was also full of shopping, style, good food, bustling atmosphere, everything you expect from a European city. You can tell that the place is more influenced by its neighbours, for us, it felt less 'Italian' that the previous towns and cities we had visited and more Northern European.

Bologna was a classic 'hidden-gem'. We had no expectations for the place, and it really surprised us. Again, it was another easy city to walk around which was full of good food (the best we had on the trip), nice bars, cafes and shops all with a sprinkling of old-world charm. More than anything, it was cheaper than our other destinations, due in part, to the main bulk of its residents— students.

The Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore.

Venice (smell not included).

I'd rank Modena and Parma together as both of them were pleasant day trips. For me, the Enzo Ferrari museum (in Modena) was a bit of a letdown, yes, the cars there were beautiful, and the movie that displayed Ferrari's life was good, but methinks, the main drawcard is the adjoining test drive at Maranello (if you pay for that add-on, I didn't). Parma was another university town and felt like a mini-Bologna. Reggio was a nice little town. It had a more relaxed pace than the others, which I quite enjoyed after the hectic pace of our first week. Reggio also has that old-fashioned feel also.

Now the juicy part, the letdowns. Let's start with Pisa. Pisa is just about worth the day trip from Florence. Yes, it's cool to see it's most famous resident up close and take a plethora of selfies and photos including poses where you push the tower/prop the tower etc. but that novelty quickly wears off. Don't get me wrong, the site on which the tower, Cathedral Square, is beautiful. I wouldn't spend more than a few hours there, but in its defence, we didn't visit the main part of the city.

That leaves Venice, IMO, the biggest cliché of them all. Firstly, yes, it is beautiful there. There is absolutely no denying that and the novelty of getting to places by boat is cool (but wears off again after a while). The token gondola ride is expensive but well worth doing, it is a brilliant experience and a must-do. Just make sure you do it in a quieter part of the day and city. We had our ride at about 3 o' clock in the day and caught the gondola from a quieter part of the city away from the maddening crowds of tourists. They also charge an extra €20 for rides after 6:00 p.m. Murano island, is well worth a visit too.

Leaning about in Pisa.

Now for the bad parts. Chiefly, the place is overrated, overcrowded (not from locals but yes from us tourists) expensive and, the elephant in the room, boring (our part of town was anyway).

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The central part of the city, St. Mark's Square, it worth a visit. Have a look at the splendid Basilica, the Doge's Palace, San Marco Campanile and then proceed to make your exit. You could always have a tempting (serenading-band-accompanied) drink or snack in the main square if you're prepared to drop a couple of hundred euro for the privilege. Everything in the city seemed expensive and the food was a bit of a letdown. Also, something they don't mention in the tour books is the smell of the place. Which is, what with it being an island in the middle of a lagoon and being surrounded by stagnant water, understandable.

In its defence, we only added to the city's death. Through an excellent free walking tour (free in so far as we parted ways with €20 at the tours end as the guide gave her impassioned plea) we learnt of how Venice is dying: The locals are leaving the place in their droves, leaving behind all those beautiful buildings to the tourists, the Airbnb's and wealthy foreigners of the world.

Our walking guide informed us that the canals can't cope with the barrage of cruise ships that plague the place during the busy summer months, the city and its surrounds are sinking. To think we might have visited an 'Atlantis' in the making was cool and extremely disheartening at the same time. Having said all that, it is still worth a visit, but I wouldn't spend more than a day and a half there, IMO.

Both of us cannot speak of Italy highly enough, and I haven't even touched on the wonderful art, sculptures, museums, wine, pastries, the little cafes, the tiny cups of coffee (that are had in a quick dash while standing next to the counter), the excellent trains, the friendly locals, the nightlife, the diverse regions, the Sistine Chapel frescoes, the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera and da Vinci's The Last Supper etc.

In conclusion, if you're in need of a relaxing break and feel like being immersed in some soul-stirring culture book a ticket to Italy ASAP. A visit to Italy should be a must-do on any travellers bucket list. Do yourself a favour and just go.