What can I say about this amazing place? After nearly 2000 years it's amazing to be able to see a city where people lived and worked. Sadly most of the items found in Pompeii have actually been sent to a museum in Naples (Napoli) so you can't see the houses as they were found, but the buildings themselves are fantastic. In some cases there are also still fresco's on the walls and fantastically tiles floors. The Amphitheatre was particularly interesting as there had been a riot there and it was closed down for around a decade. (I can't remember what caused the riot mind you and I've sent my journal back to Oz). The city is much bigger than I had expected so I wasn't able to get around it all. One of my favourite things ... read more

Let me begin this entry by explaining just how unfit I am. V.E.R.Y! So for me to complete a four hour hike (half of which was somewhat treacherous because it had rained earlier in the day, my hiking shoes had poor grip and I was wearing a skirt) is quite an achievement and one I'm very proud of! It was also made somewhat easier by the absolutely STUNNING views to be had! The only reason I even knew about this part of Italy was because of a guy I met in Milano on my first day in Italy. What a lucky meeting! The ocean is the most beautiful colour here and we were lucky enough to have a perfectly sunny day to set it off. The area is called Cinque Terre because there are FIVE villages ... read more

Known here as Firenze, Florence is completely charming. My camp site was right next to the Piazza Michelangelo lookout which had the most stunning views of the town (especially at night!). One of the things I like best about Florence is that, like Verona, a lot of the building styles co-ordinate well together. It's possible to imagine what it would have been like hundreds of years ago. Apparently this is a city of crafts and there are a huge number of shops and stalls selling gorgeous leather goods (mostly bags and jackets), and a number of artists sketching and painting in the squares and selling their work. Particularly around the Uffizi gallery. I did of course explore that particular gallery because it's such a big one. The best part was the Carrivagio paintings. There was a ... read more

Ah Venice, the souveniere shoppers paradise. I collect beautiful glass and love fancy masks. Let me tell you it was imensely difficult not to buy heaps of stuff! Everywhere you turn in Venice there's another hidden lane with fantastic boutique stores. Unfortunately nearly everything is aimed at tourists and so it's incedibly expensive. Not to mention of course that there are tourists EVERYWHERE! I was there on a Sunday and I could barely move in some streets. Verona had it's fair share of tourists to but nothing like Venice. Day one was sunny and beautiful but the crowds were annoying the hell out of me so I caught a water bus (so cool!) to the Island of Murano. It's amazing what can be made with glass. I bought a beautiful pair of blue glass figures with ... read more

First stop in Italy was Milano. A city of sexy cars and fashionable clothing. It's also a city that's incredibly easy to get lost in (even with a map). I stayed for one day and one night and that was more than enough. As someone not so into the shopping there wasn't a great deal to DO in Milan after the first day. One key thing to see is Castello Sforzosco which is a castle 7 centuries old in the middle of the city. It's been broken into a number of different museums. The best part was the Museum of Ancient Art which not only housed some stunning sculptures but also has Michelangelo's last unfinished scultpure of a dead Jesus being held by Mary. It's called Rondanini Pieta. It was facinating to see the process of ... read more