Backpacking through Italy

Venice

Venice was where we got the first taste of Italy. We had no

specific itinerary; only a Lonely Planet Travel Guide Book to

help us map out a route. The city is broken down into smaller

islands connected by bridges, including the famous Bridge of

Sighs.

Maps are unnecessary because all the roads and places are

connected to each other and very accessible via foot or river

taxis. Roads are small enough to fit only persons. Vehicles are not allowed to ply in

the streets of since some of the islands are slowly sinking inch by inch every year.

There was a point when I actually saw water spewing out from the cobble-stoned

streets.

The main attraction of Venice is the Piazza San Marco housing the picturesque

Basilica di San Marco. The cathedral’s interior is so old that everything in it is fragile,

from the mosaic wall designs of saints to its flooring. The museums are filled with old

paintings made by respected Italian painters and antiquated house ornaments like

vases and intricately carved tables and chairs.

Fronting the piazza is the gondola, the ride along the Grand Canal that made Venice

famous. A boat ride costs US$80.

Florence and Siena

The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the main attraction

in Florence because of its beauty and enormous size. The

architecture is different from that of the one in Venice, but

equally enchanting. Tourists are even allowed to climb up all

the way to the dome to get a better view of the church and

Florence from the window.

Michaelangelo’s famous sculpture of David is housed at the

Accademia Gallery in the heart of Florence. The preciseness of each muscle and body

part of David gave the sculpture an allure men will die for and women will drool at. We

also visited the vast Boboli Gardens owned by the Medici family during the 1500s.

Florence is also known for its shopping areas like any other fashion cities of Italy. So

when all the museums and cathedrals were closed at night, we did our window

shopping, as it was the only pasttime we were able to afford.

Otherwise, we enjoyed our coffee and the rays of the sun in outdoor cafés during fall

season.

My friend, Danilo, lives in Siena, which happens to be only an hour bus ride from

Florence. He took time off to show us around his beautiful town and the gothic metal

cathedral, cobbled streets, and old orange brick tunnels and apartments.

Rome

We hopped on a train for a comfortable seven-hour ride to historic

Rome, which in my opinion, is not as beautiful and unique as Venice.

Still, being a large city, there are more places to see than anywhere

else in the country.

The 900-year-old Roman ruins are magnificent, but the modern

vehicles and fashionable Italians passing by them confused me as to

which time frame I was really in.

Our feet took us to every possible tourist destination there was in in

the city and ended up hooking up with other “no-itinerary” travelers.

Every McDonald’s chain provided its customers with maps, which

became extremely handy. Oftentimes, we got lost but ended up in

the most secluded and beautiful streets of Rome.

Every place virtually took us back in time to the old Roman era. The

forum ruins in the heart of the city served as the commercial, political and religious

center of ancient Rome.

We explored the ruins of the Colloseum where gladiators fought each other before the

emperor, while people watched in the amphitheater. There was also the infamous

Bocca della Verita (The Mouth of Truth) girdled by the myth which says that the hand

of those who lie will be cut off by the mouth of the stone carving.

Rome has the most elaborate fountains, the most famous of which is the Trevi

Fountain.

The Vatican

Vatican is the smallest country in the world and it’s home of

the Pope, who is also the head of the state. It also has its

own postal service, currency, media, train station, army and

tourist office. Its components include St. Peter’s Basilica and

Piazza and a multitude of museums and apartments.

One Sunday morning, we got the opportunity to experience a

Catholic Mass officiated in Latin by no other than the Pope

himself. The misalettes were written in different languages (Latin, French, Islam, and

Cyrillic except English). After the once-in-a-lifetime experience with the Pope, the

worshippers all went outside the Piazza to get another glimpse of him waving from his

apartment window.

Then we went to the Basilica to take the two-hour way to the Sistine Chapel. I was

absolutely stunned by the fantastic paintings along the tunnels and the rooms we

passed by on the way to Michaelangelo’s greatest masterpiece.

I was impressed by the hands of the artisans who meticulously painted the walls of

the whole basilica, an endeavor that took 150 years to finish. The tapestries, maps,

relics and the incredible collection of treasures gave an air of long history.

At the end of the road was the magnificent Sistine Chapel, which was in itself a

fascinating work of art. Michaelangelo devoted his last few years for to this chapel.

Photographs are not allowed to prevent the paintings from deteriorating.

Pasta, etc.

Italian cuisine was magnifico even if we were on a tight budget. Pasta usually is the

first course in an Italian meal followed by a main course of meat and followed lastly by

dessert. In our case, it was usually only a pasta dish, ranging from the penne

arrabiata to fettucine to spaghetti, with red wine followed by delicious authentic

Italian gelati for dessert.

We had breakfast either in parks with the pigeons or at the piazza in front of the

Basilica di San Pietro at the Vatican. For fastfood, we bought delicious greasy pizzas

with exotic flavors such as french fries toppings. We also tried delicious fresh and

authentic canneloni and calzone cooked right before us.

My two-week trip ended in a small town down the border of Italy and Slovenia,

Trieste.

A week after I arrived back to the Philippines, a television channel coincidentally aired

the movie, Miracle of Love, as if to remind me the good memories of Italy.