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Published: August 20th 2012
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With two weeks to spare in between jobs I thought what better way to spend the time then backpacking around Italy, admiring the country’s breathtaking history, landscapes and culture. So after an attempt to sleep the night in Gatwick Airport I arrived tired but eager in Venice, ready to become lost and immersed in the beauty of a city I had always heard so much about.
It seems it is not only easy to loose yourself figuratively in Venice but literally, loosing your way is virtually unavoidable. Many tourists bury themselves in their maps trying to find their way. Others, including myself, find this task far too difficult and instead decide to leave their maps in their backpack and wander the streets aimlessly, stumbling across charming streets and squares and encountering magical moments that aren’t in any of the guidebooks. In saying this, after a day and a half exploring, I felt like I had covered all the Venice ‘must see’ sites –including St Marks Basilica, the Rialto Bridge and the Doges Palace – and I was ready to head to another location. So despite already having booked another night in my Venice campsite, I jumped on the train to
Bologna.
In contrast to touristic Venice, communicating in Bologna proved to be a good challenge. Unfortunately the extent of my Italian was as basic as ‘chao’, ‘bongiorno’ and ‘gracie’ and most Bolognese seemed to know just as little English. Although this made it difficult at times, it was also refreshing. There were not enough tourists for the locals to cater for us and that’s just the way it should be. I spent the one night I had in Bologna sitting at a restaurant with some of my fellow backpackers, drinking superb Italian wine, enjoying a complimentary Italian buffet and listening to the romantic, musical sound off the Italian language spoken by the diners around us. There were no tourist traps or touristic menus in this student town but instead, there was a great setting to receive a true taste of the Italian way of life.
My next stop was Naples. Home of the Pizza and the Mafia, it is a city full of contradictions and surprises. One moment you will be wandering shabby grey streets and the next you will be eating gelato by the waters edge, admiring the Castel Nuovo or walking through the historic centre -
accurately described in the Lonely planet as 'deep, dark and intoxicating’. I found myself avoiding the scooters zooming past as I strolled through the Christmas markets on my way to Napoli Sotterranea for a tour of the underground. Here, I was guided through tunnels which were once aqueducts, catacombs and air raid shelters. There was even a Greco-roman theatre to discover. A motorbike ride around the city, an indescribably delicious pizza and a home cooked pasta from the wonderfully hospitable character who ran the self titled hostel ‘Giovanni’s Home’, helped to make my experience in Naples unforgettable and a place which I would now love to return.
After a day trip to Pompeii –a must-see destination when in Italy –it was time to board a train to the big city, Rome. Exploding with remnants of history, the overwhelming metropolis flaunts its architecture and monuments so that travellers never cease to be amazed. Museums and music, churches and cafes, there is something for all. I visited the Coliseum, with my jaw dropped and eyes fixated on the hypogeum; admired the Trevy Fountain, people watched from a café and viewed a free concert from the Spanish steps. Everyone has heard so
much about the city and seen so many pictures but there is no doubt about it, romantic Rome is incredible.
The last stop on my journey was Florence. I went without expectations; to be honest I travelled to the city mostly just to be able to say I have been there, done that. However, when I arrived I was taken aback. The churches, the people, the masterworks of art and architecture; everything in Florence is extraordinarily beautiful. It is possible to see the Tuscan capital in a day or two but why would anyone want to? I was mesmerised immediately and felt a strange sense of relaxation, despite constantly being on the go. I wanted to gaze at the view from the top of the Giotto bell tower for hours and had it not been for the scorching summer sun then I may have done just that. But then again, there was so much more for me to see. I had to visit the David and I was so close to Pisa I couldn’t skip a day trip – after all, I had to get the cliché tourist shot to show my Facebook friends.
Finally my trip around
Italy came to an end and I sat at the airport looking through the photos on my camera. I was sad to be leaving the good looking country, but I was appreciative of all the places I had managed to visit in such a short space of time. I will definitely be back to the pizza/pasta capital one day; I hope to return to some of the same cities as well as see more of the Tuscan region and the Coast. For now however, Italy is a place of many good memories, a country which has opened my eyes to a world of renaissance art, culture and fine cuisine.
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