Rome and the Vatican; Observations on Italy

Us at the Spanish Steps (where the tourists hang out):

Roman Ruins:





We left Italian soil and entered another country, The Vatican City (or Holy See):

St. Peter's is MASSIVE, but it seems smaller when you are there:

Meanwhile, back in Italy. More Rome:


The Trevi Fountain, remember to throw your coin from your right hand over your left shoulder to assure your return to Rome:

Inside the Pantheon (Basilica of St. Mary and the Martyrs):

Me and the Pantheon:

The Colosseum:



Rome was a blur, but it is extremely tourist friendly. I still like Florence better and one day hope to return for longer... Perhaps after I become a world famous graphic designer. And now for more observations on Italy:

Buying stuff (or "Perhaps you have a Euro"):

While buying stuff in Italy, do not be surprised if the cashier asks you of you have 1, 2, or more Euro coins or change to make counting change easier for them. Exact change is preferred. If you don't have it, apologize profusely. As Americans, we usually try to rid ourselves of as much change as we can so we have only the largest bills and as few of them on us as possible. In Italy, it works in reverse and breaks down if you have a new bunch of cash from the American Express office or ATM where they like to hand out fifties. Buying a €1.50 water with a €50 bill will not make anyone happy. To all the Italian cashiers out there, please accept my apology on behalf of the smart American tourists as well as myself. American tourists... well. Go easy on the cashiers, it's their country, after all. Relax.

The WC (I'm not going there, so keep reading):

There are a variety of toilets in Italy. In America, they can be classified in a couple ways. Automatic, or with a lever. In Italy forget what the States have and just wing it.

1: Do I have to pay? Many toilets you must pay to use. Keep a variety of change on you so streamline this process.

2: Does it look like a toilet? Some are little more than a hole in the floor with foot pads. RUN AWAY!!

3: How do I flush? Some have a button like lever (which you can press the other end to stop the flush). Some have a little unmarked thing hanging from the tank you push up or down. Some have a regular button. Some have a large flush button and a small flush button/lever. Some new ones are automatic. It's a good idea to flush first just to make sure you know how.

4: Paper? Keep some in your day pack.

5: Seat? Keep covers with you also.

6: Soap, towels? Keep Purell with you as well.

7: How do I use the sink? This is also complicated. Some are somewhat normal, some have foot petals.

Conclusion:

All in all it was an amazing trip which I would repeat if I ever can. I want to thank the people of the city of Florence (Firenze) for welcoming me and making me feel so at home. One day I hope to visit your beautiful city once again and stay longer. To my roomies and everyone who went I am fortunate to have met you and hope to see you again soon. Thanks to Dave and Nadia of Artis, thank you so much for all your hard work putting all this together. It really was the time of my life and I hope to go on more of your tours in the future.

Brian

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PS I am still going to put together a book, so be patient. I'll post when it is done. If you would like me to send you info, click the Email me link in the right bar on this page. Thanks!!

Ahhhh Venice...

We rode the PSP train to Venice. There were promotion guys passing out PSP literature, but I never flagged one down to collect any. It was in Italian, anyway. I was going to bring my PSP, but at the last minute changed my mind... *sigh*


I wanted a pic of me playing the giant PSP on the side, but that would have been too touristy (and the group was in a hurry).


This adorable dog tried to bite me when I petted it. :-( There are dogs off leash all over the place and they stay close to their owners.


Here is our hotel key and self defense device. The fob weighed about 5 pounds and we were not allowed to leave the hotel with it. We had to check it in and out as we left and entered the hotel, respectively.


Venice is known for both its canals and its glass. Here is a glassblower at work.


They work fast.


Enough stalling. Here is what you really want to see, pics of Venice:



The world famous Rialto Bridge



The (also) world famous Bridge of Sighs. This bridge connects the old courts (left) with the old jail (right). The prisoners would sigh as they got their last glimpse of the beauty of Venice and their last glimpse of freedom.


Pisa's not the only place with a leaning tower.




I took the following pic after spinning around and aiming my camera with my eyes closed just to prove it is really hard to take a bad picture in Venice... The same goes for Florence.


The island of Murano (where they make the glass):


Venice is nice, but I love Florence. The people are more welcoming and friendly. In Vencie, they go out of their way not to understand or speak English. The Florentines will speak English and put up with my bad EnglItalian. I feel more at home in Florence, i felt like a visitor in Venice.

Today back in Florence, I walked to the Puma store to grab a pair of shoes, sandals, and a Puma Firenze (Florence) shirt. The shoes and sandals are for when we go to the beach on the 18th.

After I got back, it rained for a couple hours or so rather hard. I was actually kinda happy to see the rain. The city streets and sidewalks are really grimy. They run street sweepers in some of the main Piazza's every few hours and at least 2 or 3 times a day on my street.

A week from today, we leave for Rome...

I appologize in advance for the most touristy of pics

Sorry, It's required... And I may not be going back to Pisa any time soon. It was either that or me pinching David's butt; and they don't allow you to take pix in the Accademia (more on this in a minute) Here are some more pix of Pisa:



(The Baptistery doesn't lean like that, it's the way I took the picture.)

Inside the Baptistery:



The cemetery:



Pretty much everything except the Duomo complex was bombed and destroyed in WWII. What little remains of old Pisa leans one way or another, so if you look at the front end of the Duomo (toward the round Baptistery) you can see they tried to correct this. The front end started drooping while they were building it, so they added more blocks to level it out. Look at the top of the arches, there is a rail above them that gets higher and higher. BTW, my indoor shots will be super grainy. I have to use the highest ISO setting my camera has and no flash (it would be too weak anyway). Half the time, the shutter speed is still to slow to get a decent image.


On the way back from Pisa, we went thru Lucca. It's a lot like Florence, except smaller, quieter, cooler (climatologicaly), and there is less automobile traffic.


On the 4th, we went to the Accademia where Michelangelo's David (the real one) is. When you first get a glimpse of it you are completely in awe. Michelengelo's work was incredible. The perfection of the marble is amazing (the copy looks like it was made of cheap limestone). I did a few sketches, but my teacher laughed at them and confirmed my choice as a photographer. (Go go gadget arm) I would have loved to taken some pictures, but it is not allowed (even without flash).


Today, I went to the Leonardo da Vinci museum in Florence. Don't waste your €6. They have some machines he designed, but it's not that great of a museum overall. They do have a working clock he designed for €150 that I am considering buying. I'm not sure if I can cram it into my luggage, however. If the trains and buses weren't halted by a strike, I may consider going to the nearby town Vinci to the other Leonardo da Vinci museum (which is much better), but I can't. Also today, I saw the police take down someone who (I assume) was selling fakes. As I was headed to the Duomo, I saw the illegals running toward me with their fake Fendi (Fendo) bags and Dolce & Gabbana (Dolec & Oabbana) sunglasses. As I got closer, I heard a crowd cheering, then saw the police pepper spraying someone as he was trying to escape their grasp. Needless to say, I was cheering for the police as well (when in Rome, er Florence...). The fines for buying fakes is really steep (€10,000), so don't buy your Louis Vuitton (Louie Mutton) off the street.

A real blog post and the best Gelateria in Italy

Well, it's 9pm day 3. We are all getting settled. I just plugged in my laptop and it didn't explode (no matter how much I want it to so I can get my Dell *sigh*). Everything seems to be going well besides the heat wave that has struck the area. We are currently experiencing temps in the 90's. It is supposed to be going higher this weekend and then dropping. We have had 2 days of safety and living lectures, but I don't plan on getting ripped off. Take a look at the lock on my door:

It also locks the top and the bottom.

Petty theft is an issue in Italy. Pick pocketing and break ins are a major issue. The Italians see it as paying a poor tax and move on about their business. However, there is little danger of violence, mainly from the illegals (who also try to sell fake D&G belts, bags, etc which will get you in as much trouble for buying them). Also, there are beggars all over the place, some of which are Gypsies who will rip you off without your ever knowing it.

This is the best Gelateria in all of Italy:

And they are directly across the street (I took the pic from our front window) and are super nice. They even put up with our bad "EnglItalian" and complete misunderstanding of numbers. For €1.5 to €2 (or more if you want more) you can get a small cup or cone of awesome Gelato. If you are in Florence, go there.

Oh, and here is a detail from a fresco we saw today: