Apr 122011
Apr 122011
Well, our last stop of our Italy trip ended in Milan. We took an early train on a foggy Venice morning to be sure we had enough time to see what needed seeing in Milan.
Most people have said it’s not worth a long stop, despite it’s popularity for high-end shopping. However, Milan seemed to be the most advanced and cosmopolitan of all the cities we visited.
The main attraction is the cathedral (Duomo) in the main piazza, which is made of pink marble and it’s HUGE! The inside stain-glass windows were incredible. Still, everything was starting to blur together. This was our last chance to get some more gifts, so we headed down the Galleria V. Emanuele II, which is considered the oldest mall and has a few of the shops that make Milan famous. In the center under the dome is a marble bull and people spin on the testicles for good luck. It was funny to see.
After a rest near the statue of Leonardo Da Vinci, we headed toward the main shopping center of Milan – quadrilatero della moda. Of course, my budget didn’t allow for any major purchases in this area, but when we got to the more realistically-priced shopping center, I bought some more gifts and a pair of shoes for me. π
Of course, there is more to see in Milan. The “Last Supper” is held here, but tickets are meant to be purchased far in advance and we were getting very toured out. I remembered how I felt at the end of my Egypt tour where I just couldn’t handle any more history or archeological sites. My mom said “I’m all old-buildinged out”. Perfectly expressed!
So, after a final lunch, we headed to our hotel, which was another adventure, but our last night was spent relaxing before a very early departure to the airport and flights back to our opposite sides of the world.
It was a quick Italian tour, but it was a lot of fun and good to spend quality time with mi mama!
Back to more mundane topics soon. ;P
-T
Apr 122011
Apr 122011
We arrived late in Venice, but managed to work out buying a 36 hour transportation card allowing us to use the boats and buses freely during our visit.
Our hotel was the Rio Alto, which was conveniently located near the famous Rioalto bridge. Once we checked in, which was a bit of a strange process, we settled in for the night and planned the next day’s events since we only really had one full day there.
In the morning, we took the number two boat to the Piazza San Marco, which is the main thing to see. Although we could have walked a mere 10 minutes from our hotel, the best way to see things is on the Grand Canal.
The Piazza San Marco is another impressive sight to see and is quite beautiful at night if you are able to go both times.
From the Piazza, we hopped onto the 41 boat to get to Murano island. Murano and Burano are two islands that many people visit from Venice. Murano is famous for glassworks and Burano for lacework. We just decided to do Murano since we were both pretty tired out by this point of our trip. Murano was pretty and we found a few gifts there for people. We relaxed with a nice lunch and then went back for a nap.
By the time we woke up, it was pretty late, so we walked around to find something to eat for dinner, but most places were closing up and we just took in the night views instead. We did not do the gondola rides, though we heard the gondoliers singing in the canals from our hotel. It was a bit pricey for our limited budget trip, but I think we experienced Venice nicely!
It is perhaps my favorite stop in Italy because the water was relaxing and seemed to add a touch of something more to the atmosphere. Also, it’s easy to walk around exploring without getting too lost. I’d go back for a few days to just chill out there, so I highly recommend a stop in Venice someday. π
Our Italy trip ends in Milan – coming up next!
-T
Apr 122011
Apr 122011
Despite not buying tickets to the museums prior to arrival, we were able to get tickets through our hotel. When we checked out of Residenza Betta, Elizabetta, the owner was very warm and friendly to serve us a cappuccino before we headed out.
After a quick breakfast, we headed to the train station to get our tickets for Venice later in the day and drop off our luggage so that we could explore the museums.
Our first stop was the Galleria dell’Accademia where the statue of David is kept. Of course, pics had to be taken despite being told not to…I just can’t help myself! It is truly an amazing statue up close – I still wonder why we aren’t seeing such amazing art these days or maybe I’m just not in the loop.
Since there isn’t too much else to see at the Accademia, we had quite a bit of time before our assigned time to enter the Galleria degli Uffizi. So, we walked around the square a bit and then found lunch to relax a bit. Along the way, we found the boar that people touch/kiss to have good luck that someday they will return to Florence. π
The Uffizi was an impressive building with a number of great works of art by Boccelli, Caravaggio and of course Michelangelo. It’s actually smaller than I expected in terms of the number of pieces there compared to Vienna or other places. However, it was still well-worth the visit. Just be sure to book way in advance if you visit during high season!
After we finished the museum, we just wandered around and hung out until we could catch our train to Venice. We crossed the bridge – Ponte Vecchio – which used to be where the butchers held their shops. Now, it’s the main jewelry center of the city. We walked to the Piazza dee’ Pitti to see the Palazzo Pitti, which used to be a palace but is now a museum with gardens. However, I think we were too exhausted to do any more touristy things, so we enjoyed the outside and then went to the station for Venice!
I will post on our first night in Venice with the next posting.
-T
Apr 122011
As I mentioned before, Mondays are generally the day major museums are closed. We had heard that it’s a good idea to also explore outside of Florence if we could. Since we could, we booked The Best of Tuscany Tour with WalkAbout through our hotel.
Unfortunately, out of the entire week, this was the ONLY day that it rained. When I say rain, I mean poured! Luckily, I had prepared with my rain jacket and even an umbrella. So, though we were slightly dampened, the tour was still a good one.
We started in Siena, which is apparently the biggest rival city to Florence. It is divided into 10 neighborhoods that have their own symbols and seals. This is mostly important for the annual horse races – Palio di Siena – that are held in the main square. It’s an interesting story to learn. The city of Siena seemed pretty with lots of red brick, though very small. After getting the walking tour, visiting the main church, and feeling tired – it was time for a stop at Illy’s for a coffee.
(By the way, Starbucks has no stores in all of Italy…SHOCKING!)
From Siena, we stopped for our lunch at an organic farm to taste the Chianti wines famous in the area and some Italian dishes. It was quite tasty and the weather started to clear up, which was nice.
After lunch, we headed to the town nicknamed the “Manhattan of Italy”, San Gimignano. The bus was a bit perkier from our lunch beverages. π The town is a UNESCO site for Architectural Heritage due to the number of towers that were built by families feuding over power in the town. There wasn’t much to do in our free time here, but we walked around and considered getting gelato from the World’s Best Ice Cream at Gelateria di Piazza, but it somehow felt too cliche to do it despite the other tourists lining up for it.
From San Gimignano, we continued on our way to Pisa. One really can’t be in Tuscany and not see the Leaning Tower of Pisa! We took our cheesy photos and enjoyed the cultural square there, but by this point we were pretty tired. We did get a train ride tour of the town of Pisa, which is mostly a university town, they say. It’s not somewhere I’d like to go to school, but it could be worse. π
Thus ended our tour and after finding some grub, we collapsed back at the hotel. The museums are coming up next!
-T
