When the alarm went off at 5.30am, I thought myself “Why am I doing this? Why am I getting up so early on a Saturday morning when I could just stay in bed?” The answer is simple: I wanted to experience the sunrise, and to see Venice before the tourist crowds woke up. I hesitated briefly, and then reminded myself I would otherwise regret this. As I made way down the stairs of the hotel I was staying in, I encountered another guy doing just the same.… Read the rest “Venezia Day Two”
The book and movie “Death in Venice” came into my mind today as I thought I might actually die here. Less dramatically, there was a moment today when I thought I would at least spend the rest of my life surrounded by tourists, unable to escape. Smelly, dirty tourists, most of whom smoked. (Italy doesn’t seem to have received the memo about smoking yet.) Vague, sluggish tourists who walked at a snail’s pace. Tourists who thought it would be a great idea to bring their babies in hummer-like prams down crowded medieval streets.… Read the rest “Bongiorno Venezia”
“You have to remember that for many many years, The Colosseum was like a very big quarry for Rome”, our guide, Alessio told us today on the “Rome In A Day Tour” run by “Real Rome Tours“. “When it was fully functional as an arena, the walls were painted, and there was rock, and bronze and marble everywhere. So that when it was no longer used in that way, they took rock and the bronze and the marble and used it in other buildings projects”, he went on to say.… Read the rest “Rome In A Day by Real Rome Tours”
“It’s normally 22, but I’ll give it to you for 18”, the guy selling the “I Love Rome” bag told me. He didn’t need to convince me. I really wanted it as a “safe” over the shoulder bag to carry my camera and phone, and I already thought that was a pretty good price anyway. And, after only a few hours here, I already really agreed with the sentiment.
“The thing about Rome that will amaze you”, a colleague told me, “is that you’re just randomly walking along and all of a sudden you go ‘Oh, there’s The Colosseum'”.… Read the rest “Bongiorno Roma”