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Published: October 24th 2010
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Since I left the UK, I really haven't run into a lot of other Americans. Lots of Aussies, Kiwis, Europeans of course, but very few Americans. I found them in Italy! But there is a reason (in addition to the Jersey Shore crew getting back to their roots). Italy is a country full of history, art, and scenery.
I had another visitor on my Italy excursion, my friend from work, Mike came over to see if I was really in Europe or writing all of this from Epcot. I introduced him to the joys of budget travel...busses, trains, hostels full of snoring people, and in return Mike used his hard earned hotel points to get us a room at the Waldorf Astoria in Rome. Lets see....who got the better end of that deal?
After meeting Mike at the Rome airport, we headed on the train to Naples, a lived in dynamic city (lived in is the nice way of saying "is there a garbage pickup service strike going on in this town?"
It was convenient for a day trip to beautiful, relaxing Capri and to Pompeiii though. I think Pompeii was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
I loved wandering around the well preserved ruins. This is one of those places that should be visited by any history buffs once in their lives.
Now is where Mike gets his intro into budget travel. I got assurances from the tourist office about the bus to Positano from Pompeii. After waiting for an hour and having a bus driver tell us that the bus wasn't coming, I went back to the office and the lady got quite upset with me questioning her (she's been there everyday since May and the bus ALWAYS comes at 1715!). Oops, she did another google search and guess what....now we have to get a train to Sorrento and then a bus to Positano.....this was actually pretty easy.....wish she had just said that in the first place (or I had done my homework a little better)
Positano is a very cute little town on the Amalfi coast. Really expensive place to stay unless you stay at the one hostel in town. Fortunately for me, I had earplugs....unfortunately for everyone else in the room, they didn't and got to listen to the guy from Chicago snoring all night.
The highlight of the Amalfi coast
was the Path of the Gods hike....absolutely stunning walk through the mountains along the coast. Olive trees and wild rosemary lined the trail.
After Amalfi we took a train to Florence. The Duomo (cathedral) was incredible. Florence is a gorgeous city, full of incredible art and buildings, but the two things I'll remember most are listening to an Italian sing Johnny Cash in a cellar while drinking the best sangria I've ever had. He told us that he had been a cowboy in Clint Eastwood's spaghetti westerns. I think he was bullshitting us, but it was a fun night! The other highlight was the Galileo museum of scientific instruments. It proved to me that I'm still a geek at heart that I was more excited to see Galileo's telescope than the famous sculpture of David ( I saw the copy for free...to paraphrase Paris Hilton, "He's Hot!")
Went on to Sienna on the bus after Florence. Very neat little town in Tuscany. The Duomo there wasn't as large as the one on Florence but the interior was much more richly decorated.
We rented a car (well Mike rented a car and let me be the navigator) for
Vesuvius
Was hoping it was going to stay quiet! a couple of days in Tuscany. We drove around randomly (well as random as it gets getting turn by turn instructions by GPS) and ended up staying in a former convent turned hostel in Volterra. This would have been a perfect place (clean, spacious, scenic) but for the she bear in the dorm room who snored so loud that it woke me up through the earplugs! She also got up several times through the night to smoke out the window (who is so addicted that they wake up to smoke?)
Took a drive over to Elba to check out where Napoleon stayed. Never feel sorry for him getting stuck on a beautiful island in the Med.
Drove through Chianti and stopped at the Verranzano family winery. Visited Assisi before staying in Perugia for the night. Perugia was nice, but the highlight there was the EuroChocolate festival occurring going on. WOW!!!! Chocolate vendors from all over Europe! HEAVEN!!!!!
We ended the trip in Rome where we saw the Pope, the Vatican and the Coliseum, but I believe that we made history by being the first people in the history of the very exclusive Rome Cavalieri hotel to not
spend one cent (free food/drink since Mike is a Hilton gold member) and never take a taxi! (The metro was a bit of a walk down the hill, but it only costs 1 euro....hey, I'm on a budget!)
Italy was great! Now off to the next adventure!
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chris
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This is great
What a terrific trip you have shared with us! The pictures are like postcards, and you continue to make me laugh. Just one question..... how do you know that you don't snore like a she bear?