Blogs from Italy, Europe - page 1579

Our complementary motorboat takes you to St Mark's Square, the Doges' Palace and Bridge of Sighs. See glass and lace-making demonstrations, wander the fascinating canal side-streets and why not treat yourself to a gondola ride. Amazing day in Venice, absolutely loved it. Got up at 6.45, still drunk. Had breakfast of cereal, yoghurt, and omlette thing with bacon, and juice that tasted off (or like cheese and bacon balls according to em). Caught the 8.30 scarfie into town, which took about half an hour. Dave and Nat M spent the trip chucking up off the back of the boat, and thus began Dave's tour of the garbage bins of Venice. Venice is such a cool place, it was built on 117 islands in a virtual swap by banging in huge tree stumps for foundations, then ... read more

...With a Friend Waving Goodbye to Italy I was told the city was dirty and anomalous, lacking the breathtaking, characteristic piazzas and palazzi characteristic of most Italian cities. No famous names, but that of Cristofero Colombo, who lived in Genova many of his young years. Few tourists, no famed artists. But other sources have named it the next European capital, famed for its port life and shipping industry. So we give Genvoa a go and arrive in time to find a hotel and take a short walk before it begins raining. First impression is already impressionable. Genova lives on hill, crawling from coastline up and over the immediate ascension, growing long and strong and keeping itself hugged close to its watery edges. Honest and humble, hard working and depressed, aging and serene, this city boasts the ... read more

Rome is an amazing place with so much to see and do, i have walked that much since being here it doesnt matter what i eat....... Today i went to Vatican City and the Coloseum these places are just amazing i spent about 7 hours just at these two places, the Vatican is just splendid. I saw Pope John Paul......(where he is now) that seemed to be a popular spot so i took a photo, and Benedict was obviously busy as he didnt return my call....... i only had a few suggestions : ) Tomorrow its off to Florence on the Eurostar, decided to go economy to save some coin but will lap it up at the "Fenice Palace" where i am staying for a couple of days before heading to Venice.... read more

i like! so, i think of the major cities we visited in italy, florence i liked best. we did a day trip to cinque terre, i'll put a picture up, but that was awesome. if i had to choose a city, from the ones we were in, to live in in italy, it just might be florence. hope you all like the pictures! :D... read more

Margo and I are spending time on our personal pursuits for a good portion of our days here, since she has her research and I am (sort of) learning Italian. I'm attending the Scuola Leonardo da Vinci, ScuolaLeonardo and am enjoying it a lot. The classes are well-paced, and our teacher, Julia, very simpatica. We are a mixed group of different ages, professions and personalities, and now that we know each other a little, it's quite fun. Attending a course of some kind when you are travelling is a great way to connect with a place a little more than you would otherwise. The school organizes other activities, at reasonable cost, that we can be part of, like last night's dinner (buona!!!), and this Sunday's trip to the Chianti region, and, lots of free internet time, ... read more