Italy was high on my list of places to visit during my time here in Europe and although I really enjoyed the experience and seeing all the sights with all the massively long history I have to say it did not stand out as the best place I have ever been and I was sadly a little disappointed. I know now that there should have been some more planning with this trip and you CANT always wing it. I really wanted to go into the country areas and see where cheese, wine and food were made – experience the fields around Tuscany and due to time constraints and travel plans we ended up staying in Rome most of the time and only got to travel down to Naples and Pompei.
The first night was wandered around to try and find a restaurant and seemed to be coming to a loss and needing to settle for a pizzeria and around the last corner back to the hotel found a place wall to wall in fairy lights – and WOW I keep saying oh my god! Oh my god was the best meal I ever had of the freshest home made pasta and Osso Buco that melted before you even got it to your mouth. It was amazing place with amazing service with the best Italian food I could have imagined. A definite night of food to be enjoyed.
Rome has amazing history and goes back with so many stories for many many many years and it was great to see the Vatican, Colosseum, Plaza de Spania, Fountain de Trevi, Old City, Naples, Pompeii and a few museums. I have to say and I hope this does not offend anyone – for a beautiful area with the most intelligent discoveries and potentially beautiful culture I found myself in a strange mix of emotions – the Vatican although amazing art completed by the one and only Michelangelo was wall to wall with tourists costing $15 euro a person fascinated by the statues that to me seemed to go on and on and on and on and on, there was gold lining the walls everywhere, then you walk outside to hear and see for yourself the poverty and financial turmoil that exists in the city and country – this seemed strange to me some how.
The Colosseum was also a conflicting building – aside from the face we got lost on the top level and seemed to cut laps wondering if we would ever get out ha ha. I had an idea I guess about this building and its history but until being there and having the privilege to see and read for myself of what these so called civilised races of beings (as they constants portray themselves to be) had found as a form of entertainment, then venue would completely fill up so that the communities and royals could sit and watch a massacre of other humans in what I feel to be the worst way possible, and they pride themselves on coming up with new and innovative ways to do this.
I lived in such an amazingly privileged time of life where history education and the access to information is at hand. It is an innovative world and the time is now I feel very luck to be apart of that and to be exactly who I am.
Off to Naples and Pompeii for a tour seemed like a great way to fill in a day and of course it PISSED DOWN rain for the first half of the day which was of no great concern to me as we were travelling on the bus and it was quite nice to sit listen to the rain and relax. Unfortunately this mean we did not get to see as much of Napels as we would have liked. Then off to Pompeii where for some reason as we finished lunch came out and the rain went away just in time for us to wander through the ruins – it was amazing to see all that has been preserved from the ashes of Vesuvius Volcano and the work that has gone into restoring the city to it’s original state. Walking through you can imagine exactly how life would have been back in 79AD and it was surprisingly more civilised than I expected. We meet great girls traveling with family from Canada and america and had a great day and lots of laughs with them – it truly made they day to have them along the trip great sense of humour. Thanks ladies. (there are more images to come I just need to get the time to do some downloading)
Barcelona Adventures 