Introduction

Why do I start this blog?

I had a collection of photos from my Italy trip but had difficulty remembering the names of the places and penning down my thoughts.  I chanced upon a "Lonely Planet - Italy" guide-book on sale one day..  Although it was not the latest edition, at least the edition was published closer to the year I visited the place. *haha*  And so, this blog was born.

I hope you have as much fun reading my entries, as I have enjoyed putting the photos and descriptions together.  I deliberately excluded photos of myself (and my travel companion), so you get to visualise yourself in these beautiful places.  You may read the entries from top of the blog to the bottom.


My Italian journey started here....

Italian Food

Some of the well known Italian food and drink are pasta (spaghetti, lasagna, etc), pizza, risotto, Parmesan cheese, Tuscany wine, tiramisu, limoncello, cappucino, caffe freddo, Perugina chocolate, gelato and many others.

We normally had late-morning cappucino breaks at "coffee bar", lunches at trattoria (less fancy restaurant) or pizzeria (I could still remember the taste of a thin-crust fresh-seafood pizza - so delicious!) and 4-course dinners at ristorante (restaurants).

In most our tour's included dinners, there are usually a starter (soup or salad), first course (plain pasta - spaghetti, sometimes lasagna), main course (usually chicken, pork or fish with baked potato or fries), dessert (ice cream, fruits or occasional tiramisu) and cappucino (sometimes wine, or wine and cappucino).  So you can imagine how we felt after dinner every night, just before we retire to our hotel rooms.  :-)

Marinated salmon & Roll of rabbit

More exotic food would be (right top) marinated salmon and (right bottom) "roll of rabbit" (tasted like chicken, but much more tender).

Gelato from Lake District

(above) Italians are generous with their serving of gelato.  Above is a 2-flavoured gelato.. oh yummy!!

Well-designed large mineral water bottles

The Italians (or Europeans) got the design of the large mineral water bottles right, back in 2003!!  The bottles were slightly narrower in the middle to make it easier for us to hold and also to pour out the content.  Sadly we seldom see such bottle-design being used elsewhere, after our Italian trip.

Coffee and tea-bags

We were surprised to find familiar Nutella during breakfast one morning.  Italians seldom drink tea, but this hotel served a variety of tea-bags for its guests.

Besides the "Best of Italy" sights, we also got a taste of the "Best of Italy".  :-)

My Tour Itinerary (Italy 2003)

We joined Trafalgar for this tour.  A similar 2015 tour itinerary is found below:

https://www.trafalgar.com/aus/tours/best-of-italy/summer-2015

Tour Map (from Trafalgar website) is as below:

Buffet breakfast from hotel stay included for entire tour, lunch was usually at transit restaurant or at place of interest.

Day 1: Arrival at Rome, hotel transfer provided from airport, tour briefing with welcome drink, dinner on own.

Day 2: (Rome) Sightseeing in Rome, free and easy thereafter, dinner on own.

Day 3: Left Rome for Sorrento, stopping at Pompeii for guided tour, reached Sorrento in evening, dinner included.

Day 4: (Sorrento) Day trip to Isle of Capri, dinner included in Sorrento.

Day 5: Left Sorrento for Assisi, arrived late afternoon at Assisi, dinner included at Assisi hotel.

Day 6: Left Assisi for Venice, stopping at Ravenna for photo-shoot, dinner included in Venice.

Day 7:  (Venice) Morning guided tour of Venice, free and easy thereafter or join optional tours, dinner at hotel included.

Day 8: Left Venice for Lake District, stopping at Verona and Milan for photo-shoots.  Dinner included at hotel in Lake District.

Day 9: (Lake District) Late morning excursion across border to Switzerland, returned to hotel in late afternoon.  Dinner included at hotel.

Day 10: Left Lake District for Florence, stopping at Pisa for photo-shoot.  Dinner on own at Florence, or pay extra to join optional tour which included dinner.

Day 11: (Florence) Walking guided tour of Florence, free and easy thereafter.  Dinner included at hotel.

Day 12: Left Florence for Rome, stopping at Siena for photo-shoot.  Dinner on own in Rome.

Day 13: (Rome) Check-out hotel, transfer provided to airport.

Assisi

Assisi - Basilica di San Francesco

Assisi is a quaint and tranquil Italian hill town, despite millions of tourists and pilgrims visiting the place every year.  (top left) Basilica di San Francesco was built on a hill known as Paradise Hill.  It is the burial place of St Francis, who preached the virtues of poverty and equal respect for all mankind. (bottom left) "T PAX" From what I can find out, "T" is the Christian cross and "PAX" stands for "Peace". (right) A quaint building in Assisi.  The roads on both sides of the building will eventually lead to Basilica di San Francesco.

Assisi hotel room key

Fun-Pic time - We spent a night in a hotel in Assisi.  This hotel room key was the most bulky hotel room key I have seen to date.  Obviously this hotel's owner prefers we leave the key at the front desk before we go sight-seeing.

UNESCO - Assisi's Basilica of San Francesco is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/990

Capri

Capri

We took a ferry from Sorrento to Capri to spend a day on the island, before returning to our hotel at Sorrento for the night.  If we had read the "Lonely Planet - Italy" before our trip, we would have looked out for the "great camera shot of Capri town with the dramatic slopes of Monte Solaro (589m) to the west" as the ferry approached the island.

(picture, left top) Capri island claimed to be the birthplace for the lemony alcoholic drink, limoncello.  It is also known for its lemon-scented perfume. (left bottom) A good place to people-watch is at Piazza Umberto I (also known as the Piazzetta). (right) Ceramic tiles are also big-sellers in Capri.

Florence

The sights of Florence can be covered within walking distance of each other.

Panoramic view from Piazzale Michelangelo

In the morning after our arrival, we went for a walking tour to Piazzale Michelangelo to catch a panoramic view of the city of Florence.  After that, we walked back to the city square where we would be on our own to explore Florence for the day.

Duomo, campanile, dome and cathedral

(left top) We saw the Duomo and 82m-high campanile (bell tower).  The campanile was designed by Giotto.

(left bottom)  The dome was the first of its kind since antiquity.  The entrance is outside the cathedral

(right) We were shown a spot by this kind guy, where we got a complete photo of this huge cathedral.

Gate of Paradise (Porta del Paradiso)

 (above pic) The baptistry is famous for its gilded bronze doors, particularly the Gate of Paradise, which has 10 panels depicting scenes from the Old Testament.  The enlarged pic on the top right showed, from left, women attending the birth of Jacob and Esau, Isaac sending Esau on the hunt and (on the right) Jacob receiving Isaac's blessing, with Rebecca standing nearby. On the roof, Rebecca is hearing God's warning about the eventual conflict between her two unborn sons.  Description is copied from: http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/italy/florence/ghibertiparadise/ghibertiparadise.html

Piazza della Signoria

(picture above) Piazza della Signoria resembles an outdoor sculpture gallery.  Some of the sculptures spotted are:

(left top) Donatello's Marzocco, the heraldic Florentine lion;

(left bottom) Copy of Michelangelo's David (we saw the original at Galleria dell'Accademia.  Part of the sculpture was under restoration and we could not get a good picture of the original).

(middle) Perseo (Perseus) brandishing the head of Medusa

(right) sculpture of the Rape of Polyxena

According to the "Lonely Planet - Italy", there are plenty of other interesting sights to see in Florence.  If you are lucky to stay in Florence for 4 to 5 days, it recommends you pick up "Lonely Planet - Florence", for more insightful details.

Tour Notice - Daylight Saving

When we reached Florence, we were informed to turn time of our watches an hour back.  We were lucky the next morning was not as hectic - morning breakfast followed by 8 am walk around Florence.  Do note we had a morning call on check-out day at 6:45 am, baggage to be outside the room by 7:15 am, breakfast started from 7:15 am and we had to board the bus by 8:15 am to our next destination.

UNESCO - The Historic Centre of Florence is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/174

Lake District - Stresa (at Lago Maggiore)

Lago Maggiore

The town Stresa overlooks the captivating Lake (Lago) Maggiore (also known as Lago Verbano).  There was an island (Isola Bella?) across the lake.  Two other renowned islands of Lake Maggiore were Isola Madre and Isola del Pescatori.  The only snow we saw during this Italy trip (it was late Oct when we reached Lake District) was from here, at the faraway Alps.  We caught the sunrise before returning to the hotel for breakfast.

Stresa - Remembering 9-11

During our morning walk exploring the hotel surroundings, we chanced upon this memorandum on 9-11, 2 years after the attack.

Our tour itinerary
We reached our hotel at Lake District in time for dinner and had a good rest in our spacious hotel room.  Unlike other days when we had to check-out of the hotel hurriedly the following early morning for another long day-trip to our next destination, it was a nice break to enjoy a leisurely late breakfast followed by a short bus-trip across the border to Switzerland in the late morning.

Unfortunately it was pouring heavily in Switzerland and we were "trapped" in a supermarket (to shop for chocolates).  We could not even step outside to take any photo because of the heavy rain.  In the early afternoon, we boarded our tour bus back to the comfort of our hotel at Lake District, to enjoy a second night there.

Milan

Milan Street

(Above pic)  Think of Milan and one will think of "style".  We went Italy more to sight-see than to shop, so we were dropped off at Piazza del Duomo (see below) for a photo-shoot stop instead.

Milan cathedral

The Cathedral, Milan's most visible monument, has a marble facade craved into pinnacles, statues and pillars. According to the "Lonely Planet - Italy", there were some 135 spires and 3200 statues on the roof and facade.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, also known as "Il salotto di Milano" (Milan's drawing room) has many cafes.  There were 4 mosaics around the central octagon representing Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.  We did not know this during our short stop-over.

La Scala

Walking north through Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II from Piazza del Duomo, we came to Piazza della Scala.  Here, there is a monument of Leonardo da Vinci and also Milan's legendary opera house, La Scala (Theatro alla Scala).

According to our itinerary, our next stop was the "Lake District" for 2 relaxing nights' stay.

Pisa

Pisa - Piazza Del Miracoli

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is on the Piazza Del Miracoli in Pisa.  There are 2 other buildings on this Piazza - Baptistry (top right) [used for baptism] and Cathedral (bottom pic).  We stopped here for a photo shoot.

Posing with Pisa

Here's a Fun-Pic - people extending their arms tai-chi style, as if they are supporting or pushing the leaning tower.  Yeah, we also posed in the same manner but you will have to imagine how it turned out.  :-)

UNESCO - Incidentally, this Piazza, also known as Piazza del Duomo, is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/395

Pompeii

Pompeii is an important archaeological site, after the eruption of Mt Vesuvius in AD 79.

Pompeii

Part of the city is opened to tourists.  The tourists made the magnificent ruins seem as crowded as the ancient streets must have once been.  You will need at least 2 hours to tour the site.  A Pompeii tour-guide brought us for a walk around the ruins.

(Left-most column, top) A statue from one of the temple ruins; (left-most bottom) A view of Mt Vesuvius; (centre column top) Inside Pompeii's top brothel with murals indicating the services on offer; (centre middle) the main entrance to the ruins, Porta Marina; (centre bottom) a well-preserved building; (right-most column) a painted wall with murals in its original colours.

The Lonely Planet guide-book provides a detailed description of the sights to see, when at the ruins.

UNESCO - The archaeological areas of Pompeii is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/829

Ravenna

Ravenna is known for its ancient mosaics and Byzantine architecture.

Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe

We made a 30-min photo-stop at Basilica di Sant'Apollinare in Classe, which is the burial site of Ravenna's patron saint, who converted the city to Christianity in the 2nd century.

UNESCO - The Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna are in the UNESCO World Heritage List
See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/788

Rome (1 of 2)

There was a saying, "a lifetime is not long enough for Rome".  There is simply too much to see.  When reading the "Lonely Planet - Italy" guidebook after the tour, I realised we had only seen a small portion of Rome in this tour.

Map of Rome

Rome is a big city but most sights lie within a relatively compact area.

St Peter's Basilica, Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel

Our first stop was "St Peter's Basilica".  The cavernous interior contains spectacular works of art, including Michaelangelo's Pieta (bottom row, right-most pic).  Outside the Basilica, we saw one of the few obelisks of Rome.  We next visited the Vatican Museums.  The itinerary of the museums always finishes at the Sistine Chapel.  Michaelangelo's artworks decorate the ceiling and wall of the Sistine Chapel.  You can find some details of the artwork at:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-sistine-chapel

The bottom row middle picture above showed part of the famous "The Last Judgement", taken off a poster.  It depicts the souls of the dead being torn from their graves to face the wrath of God.  We were not allowed to take pictures in the Chapel because it was said the camera flashes would make the artworks fade.

Colosseum, Forum, Arch of Titus, Piazza Venezia and Pantheon

It was at the Colosseum that gladiators met in mortal combat and condemned prisoners fought off hungry lions.  Outside the Colosseum, we saw part of the Roman Forum (former shopping mall,  civic centre and religious complex).  

Bottom row - we also visited the Arch of Titus (Arco di Tito), Piazza Venezia (hosting the tomb of the Unknown Soldier) and the Pantheon (dedicated to pan theos "all the gods", before it was converted into a church).  More detailed write-ups of the Pantheon can be found below:

http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/rome-pantheon

Rome (2 of 2)

Rome - Trevi Fountain

We were brought to see the Trevi Fountain in the afternoon but sneaked back after dinner for a second look. There were lesser tourists at night, mainly locals.  It was said that to toss a coin over your shoulder, you will return one day; a second coin will ensure you fall in love with an Italian; a third coin will have you marrying him or her.

So what happen to all the coins?  The official answer is that it goes to charity.

Rome - Additional sights

(Additional sights) During our "free activity time", we made our way to (left) "Castel Sant' Angelo" (hoping to see a dungeon) only to find it closed on our day of visit - Monday; (middle) "Isola Tiberina", the world's smallest inhibited island (we had a good map); and (right) the "Spanish Steps" at Piazza di Spagna, named after Spanish Embassy to the Holy See, which we were not very impressed.. just steps.

Rome - Fun sights

We also discovered from guide books about the location of "Bocca della Verita" (top left), which is the famous "mouth of truth".  We took turns to stick our right hand into the "mouth", which was said to snap shut if we had told a lie. (the local students had lots of fun there).  We also found Hard Rock Cafe (check out the Gladiator Hard Rock Bear!) and a famous cafe, "Camilloni & S Eustachio", which we did not have enough time to pop in for a cappucino.

UNESCO - The Historic Centre of Rome is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/91

Siena

Italy - Siena

Siena was the first European city to banish motor traffic from its heart in 1966. The town centre (above) is called Il Campo. This city-square is used for wild-horse racing twice a year, in July and August, in an event called "Il Palio".

We made a 1-hour photo-stop at Siena before continuing with our tour.

Siena - Fonte Gaia (Happy Fountain)

This is part of Fonte Gaia (Happy Fountain) in the upper part of Il Campo. The panels on the 15th Century fountain are reproductions.

UNESCO - The Historic Centre of Siena is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/717

Fun-Pic time.. Now, if I am touring Italy, I would not want to carry a bulky tripod along, would I? :-)

Sorrento

This resort town straddles cliffs with views to Naples and Mt Vesuvius. According to Greek legends, sailors to this part of Italy would be lured by sirens (mythical maidens cum monsters) whose voices and songs would lead them and their ships to doom. Sorrento is now less dangerous and known for its ceramics, lacework and inlaid-wood items.

We checked into our hotel at Sorrento in the night-time. The next morning, we took a ferry to the Isle of Capri and spent our day there. We returned to our hotel at Sorrento for the second night before checking-out the next morning to continue our grand Italian tour.

Venice

Venice is best experienced by foot (and also by gondola at night :) ). As you make your way up and down the numerous bridges, you may discover shops selling interesting stuff.

(Top left) The Grand Canal is a busy waterway where market produce was sold. (Top right) This is called the "Bridge of Sighs". It was said people who were convicted were led through this bridge. Middle picture shows the famous "Ponte di Rialto"(Rialto Bridge), which was actually a marketplace selling daily produce. (Bottom left) are gondolas which were popular both during day and night times. (Bottom right) is a top-end hotel entrance fronting the Grand Canal.

Top left showed 2 columns, bearing the statues of the Lion of St Mark and St Theodore, the city's 2 patron saints. (Middle left) is the "Basilica di San Marco", a roman church. (Bottom left) This is "Piazza San Marco", which played host to flocks of pigeons and tourists.

(Top right) Masks on sale for a major Venice festival, Carnevale (also known as "mardi gras"). Below that were performers walking around, urging the tourists to return again for the festive celebration. Visit below site to find out the Carnevale months up to year 2020 (http://goitaly.about.com/od/carnevale/qt/carnevale_dates.htm).

Venice (bottom pic, landmark building) is featured prominently in the 2010/2011 movie, "The Tourist", starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie and Timothy Dalton.NESCO - Venice is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/394

Verona

Juliet's House

Verona is known for an attraction called "Juliet's House". There was a popular rumour which stated above was her balcony. Many have scribbled love notes and graffiti below the balcony. For good luck (or if you are in need of a new lover), approach the bronze statue of Juliet and rub her right breast - notice it is of lighter shade due to the many human touches. :)

Roman Arena

Above is a mini version of the Colosseum. It is a pink-marble Roman Arena which had become Verona's opera house. The outer wall was partially destroyed by a 12th-century earthquake.

UNESCO - The City of Verona is in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
See: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/797

My Journey Thru' Italy

Some of the photos you will see would be from Rome, Assisi, Florence, Lake District, Milan, Pisa, Pompeii, Ravenna, Siena, Sorrento, Venice and Verona. I shall do this in alphabetical order, with Assisi at the top of the blog and Verona at the bottom. I will also show you my tour itinerary.

Thank you for reading my blog.  More traveling tips can be found in the Lonely Planet website below:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy