Exciting, Evoking, Culturally-enticing
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but I did it in a day! Keep reading…
Milan
The rumours are true – this is mighty earth’s fashion capital. The clothes are chic, the buildings elegant but the weather and people…not as inviting.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed my experience.
Top things to do:
- Duomo di Milano
- Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II – mall
- La Rinascente shopping centre (7th floor for views)
- Braidense National Library – beautiful (free)
- Corso buenos aires – affordable shopping
Lake Como, Brunate, Bellagio, Varenna
Terrible weather, which dampened the experience and stole the beauty from the lake. The Funicular ride up to the mountainous town of Brunate evoked a bitter cold engulfed in snow. To put it literally, it was snowing upstairs and raining downstairs.
While I enjoyed my quiet lunch by the lake in Como, I felt it was overhyped. In contrast, Bellagio and Varenna were charming, quaint towns well worth the effort. As long as you plan the route and time the ferries, it’s more than possible to see all these gems in one day and complete the ‘Golden Triangle’. I could have even thrown Mellagio and Lecco into the mix..or is that loco?
Make sure to get lost in the cobbled streets and check out Villa Monastero and its botanical gardens. The views are pretty!
Rome
It’s one of my favourite places during this trip. People were so friendly and helpful! Although it’s saturated with big groups of tourists and I seemingly carried British weather around with me (it rained cats and dogs), it didn’t ruin my experience at all.
Again, meticulous planning allowed me to make the most of the key highlights within this time capsule. I booked all admission tickets in advance for every attraction (no skip the queue). Just prepare to queue for everything. I waited 1.5h in line to enter St. Peter’s Basilica (free entry).
I also tasted the best pasta of my life (Fettuccine al tartufo e porcini). The mushrooms melted in my mouth. I didn’t know mushrooms could melt until this dish.
Top things to do:
- Spanish Steps
- Trevi Fountain
- Pantheon (if you purchase your ticket online, you’ll need to collect it first from Piazza di S. Lorenzo in Lucina, 6)
- St Peter’s Basilica
- Vatican Museums
- Colosseum
Pisa
I must admit, I planned to drop by for an hour or two on my way to Florence just for the famous leaning tower. Obviously.
Suffice to say, I was thoroughly disappointed with all the final shots taken by at least five random strangers. They were futile attempts at creativity. I’ve thrown the best one in any way, which was taken by me in the end *facepalm*.
While I didn’t get my dream photo, the square was buzzing with people taking funny shots and I had a few laughs myself with some friendly Australians.
The tower is a 24-minute walk from the station, and there are lots of shops along the way to keep one entertained.
Florence
A fine cultural capital – truly so. Oh the architecture is just something out of a sketchbook.
Florence is inundated with tourists. Unfortunately, I had the worst and most expensive meal here (my food had a hair in it). On a positive note, Florence is said to be the birthplace of gelato, and I sat and peacefully enjoyed my unicorn gelato as I was amazed by the beauty of the city. The sun even made a brief appearance, so I finally managed to wear my shades!
It’s definitely worth visiting the top museums. And if you happen to end up there on Liberation Day (lucky me!), all entrance tickets are free! But nothing is ever really free, is it? You’ll have to queue for a while to get in..just like everywhere else in Italy!
*Top Tip – don’t join a queue unless you know what you’re queuing for*
Top things to do:
- Duomo – Santa Maria del Fiore
- Piazza Della Signoria – palace
- Loggia dei Lanzi
- Gli Uffizi – gallery, one of best art exhibitions in world
- Galleria dell’Accademia
Amalfi Coast – Positano
I was shocked at how the sea glistened against a cloudy sky. That’s how beautiful this coast is. It’s just unfortunately busy..soo busy there’s traffic up on the cliffs to get into Positano and also to get out (cars and people).
Even when you’re finally in the village, you just get lost in a sea of people and cars. It’s pretty but far too congested. I’m not claustrophobic, but it is every claustrophobe’s worst open nightmare. And imagine how much worse it would be in the summer (I was there on a rainy April day). I was advised to stay in Sorrento and get the ferry into Positano in the future. Don’t stay in Positano.
Anyway, I took shelter in a café and enjoyed a delicous mozzarella and tomato panini and a granita!
Pompeii
This was a tragic and disheartening experience. Learning about the history of this destroyed town and hearing stories about its inhabitants was interesting and thought-provoking. The guide was a bubbly archaeologist with a passion for Pompeii, which made it a profound experience.
I’d recommend a guided tour as it is vast with so much to see, and it’s so easy to get lost. Mount Vesuvius left its ashy mark.
Sicily
The highlight of my 7-day trip. The further south I travelled, the better it all got – the weather, the people, the experience.
Palermo wasn’t the most charming city, but it certainly had character and history! There was something unique about it despite the graffiti-clad, greyish walls..
Cefalu, however, is a charming ancient fishing village approximately an hour’s train ride away from Palermo. And the last stop of my trip. Here, I relaxed, chilled, and finally caught endless Italian sunshine. Of course, the cannoli was bigger, tastier, and fresher than any other I’ve tasted.
Pure bliss. Life is good.
Overall Rating: 8/10
Ciao for now!
Crossing Continents 