#TBT: Venetian Magic

My final two days in Italy were spent in Venice. It's an old, majestic city where using a map is futile (as I learned the hard way), and it’s best to just wander the canals and streets with no destination in mind. I personally think the city is enchanted because the moment I stopped looking for a specific shop, it miraculously appeared in front of me. Repeatedly. I kid you not. 

Despite temperatures 20 degrees lower than Rome and Florence, gray skies, and drizzle, I still had an incredible time. While I enjoyed the touristy sites like Basilica San Marco, Rialto Bridge, and the Doge’s Palace, it was the many different artisans of the city that truly impressed me. The Venetian masks, the Burano lace, and the Murano glass were so skillfully and beautifully designed. 

GENERAL TIPS

If you want a real Venetian mask, be warned that a lot of the ones sold in the tourist shops are actually made in China, not Venice or even Italy.  I’d highly recommend visiting La Bottega dei Mascareri for the real deal. It’s a closet-sized shop, but don’t let that fool you. 

For booklovers like me, Libreria Acqua Alta is a must-see. It’s this cramped bookstore with gondolas, rowboats, and bathtubs filled with books inside, a stairway of books outside, and a picturesque reading area where you can look out onto one of Venice’s canals.

Gondola rides are another must when you’re in Venice but expensive. It costs €80 for a 30 minute ride. Fun fact though: no two gondolas are alike. They are personalized to reflect the gondolier’s style.

I found it easiest to navigate Venice by scraping the map and paying attention to the posted signs for landmarks like Rialto, San Marco, and San Giovanni. You can easily follow the signs to get to the landmarks themselves and they helped to keep my bearings as I explored.

MURANO & BURANO

I was fortunate to have booked a tour of some of the neighboring islands in the lagoon on my second day in Venice.  Honestly, I wasn’t a huge fan of the tour itself (the one guide gave the tour in English, Italian, Spanish, and German but rushed through the four languages so that I hardly recognized English over the awful speakers), but the destinations were extraordinary.

Murano is renowned for its glass, which is crafted into works of art ranging from traditional glassware to chandeliers and decorative sculptures. We watched a glass-blowing demonstration and were left to wander around and shop afterwards. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take pictures of the glasswork, but the level of detail and the rich colors of the glass blew my mind.

Of the islands that we visited on the tour, Burano was by far my favorite. The island is known for its lace and for its vibrantly colored houses. The legend is that fishermen painted their homes in bright colors so that they could spot the shore at night, and now it’s illegal to change the colors. The village is so cheerful, especially on a gray day.

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After that, it was arrivederci to Italy the next morning. It was, as lame as it sounds, a trip of a lifetime, and I do hope to visit Italy again one day. There’s so much of the country that I still haven't seen! Plus, I’d love to spend more time in both Florence and Venice, unearthing some of their hidden gems and eating more of their delicious food. I really didn’t eat enough pasta while I was there--rookie mistake. I’ll do better next time!

#TBT: Florence, I Love You

Florence. Firenze. No matter what you call it, it is a beautiful city out of the Renaissance, unceremoniously dropped in the twenty first century. The Florentines seem to take pride in their compact city and their rich heritage, and I can’t say that I blame them.

After being in a sprawling metropolis like Rome, Florence was a refreshing change. There was no real need to use public transportation because I could walk just about anywhere (and there was no cobblestone!).  I was also struck by the fact that Florence smelled of leather. Everywhere I went, there was a subtle musk in the air.

GENERAL TIPS

Don’t be afraid to barter in the markets. My favorite market while I was in Florence was Mercato Nuovo, home to Porcellino (the statue). I made several trips to that particular market during my time in the city and purchased most of my souvenirs there. The vendors expect you to barter, so do it. You’ll be surprised how much you might end up saving at the end of the day.

Reserve your ticket to the Accademia online and try to go first thing in the morning. You’ll avoid the lines and get a chance to be up-close and personal with David. Trust me—he’s worth it.

Buy gold from a shop on the Ponte Vecchio (if you have the funds). I saved up for this particular purchase and considered it a splurge, but I know that I’ll have my 18 carat gold necklace for lifetime. If you don’t feel like spending that sort of money, you’ll still get some impressive shots of the Arno from the bridge.

LIFE IS ART

In Florence, life and art are one in the same. The Uffizi and the Accademia are two galleries that you can’t miss! The Uffizi is home to the statues of Perseus and The Rape of the Sabine Women as well as Botticelli’s Birth of Venus and La Primavera. The walls and corridors are packed with artwork so it can be a bit of a sensory overload—I never knew where to look next! The Accademia is not as impressive in size but where else can you see Michelangelo’s David or the Unfinished Slaves?

Even when you’re not in the galleries though, artists set up shop all over the piazzas to sell their watercolors, sketches, and paintings.

ANOTHER DOME

The major basilica in Florence is Il Duomo, which you can see from just about anywhere in the city. It’s another 500 step hike to the top and perhaps even more claustrophobic than St. Peter’s Basilica, but it’s a fantastic photo-op for the fearless! All my warnings for St. Peter’s Basilica apply here too!

FOOD GLORIOUS FOOD

Being from the US, I’m not accustomed to food markets or the quality of food that I think Europeans take for granted. Sure, there are farmer’s markets here that you can go to but, on the whole, grocery shopping is done at a supermarket chain and your meats come from Styrofoam containers wrapped in plastic.

I woke up extra early one morning just to see how the other half lived and visit Mercato Centrale. Unfortunately, I got there before many for the stalls were open, but I still found myself incredibly jealous of the freshness of the Florentine’s food. The fish looked like they’d been swimming around only moments before and the produce was as God intended it with all its natural imperfections and juiciness. Did I mention the hand-cut pasta? It’s making me hungry just thinking about it...

#TBT: Town-hopping on the Amalfi Coast

While in Rome, I took a little detour to the Amalfi Coast. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day for it weather-wise and escaping the city was just what the doctor ordered. The drive along the coast was basically one Kodak moment after the other, I kid you not. On one side of the road there were majestic mountains, all craggy and imposing; on the other side, the clearest blue (Amalfi blue) water I've ever seen. And all along the way there were these lovely lemon orchards (limoncello anyone?).

I stopped in two coastal towns before heading back to Rome—Amalfi and Positano. Amalfi was a busy little town that crept uphill from the beach. Quaint, pigeon-hole stores lined both sides of the main road, and most of the items you could buy consisted of three things: hand-painted ceramics, lemon everything (specifically, the Sorrento Lemon), and billowing cheesecloth clothing. Positano was a beautiful town built into the side of the cliff. It was a leisurely stroll down the mountain to the beach, but then a pretty steep hike back to the top. And like Amalfi, there were ceramics and lemons everywhere.

I was sad to leave the coast behind after only a few hours and even sadder that I didn’t have an opportunity to take a swim in that gorgeous water. If I ever When I go back, the Amalfi Coast certainly requires more than just a few hours of a day.  I could see myself laying out on a beach there for a week or two without a worry in the world.

#TBT: When in Rome

I’ve already alluded to my trip to Italy last summer a few times, so I figured that it was about time that I stop being cute and blog about it already.  I hope you don’t mind the trip down memory lane!

My Italy trip was only for 10 days at the end of August, but I managed to cover a lot of territory while there and see everything (well, almost everything) that I wanted to see. The first leg of my trip was spent in Rome and, unfortunately, Trevi Fountain was being restored at the time (so it was hidden behind by scaffolds) and I somehow missed out on seeing La Pietà while I was wandering around Saint Peter’s Basilica.  That’s just another reason to go back though, right?

GENERAL TIPS

Some of the best views of Rome are from the top of the dome at St. Peter’s but, be warned, you have to climb up 500 steps to get there—and then climb all the way back down. The view is worth the workout but it’s an ascent that shouldn’t be taken lightly. If you’re claustrophobic, you might have issues with the trek too. If you are going to make the climb, go there first thing in the morning to avoid never-ending queues.

Carry a shawl, carry a shawl, carry a shawl. I found the Romans to be strict when it came to enforcing the dress code in churches.  If your shoulders, knees, and back aren’t covered, you may not be permitted entry (or you may be given the dreaded paper shawl).

When you’re in Rome, you’ll probably notice Romans drinking from little fountains (or spouts) that dot the streets, especially in the summer heat. The water from these fountains is perfectly clean and absolutely refreshing. You can save yourself some of money if you just refill your water bottle whenever you pass one!  When in Rome, right?

One thing to be wary of are the street vendors selling knock-off designer handbags. If you’re caught purchasing one, you—not the seller—will be fined upwards of €300.

THE BAD NEWS

Rome is a city of cobblestoned streets, ancient history on every corner, and the gastronomic wonder that is gelato. But if I’m going to be honest with you, Rome was probably the least favorite of my Italian destinations. It was wretchedly hot, the cobblestones killed my feet, and I felt that the city was dirty, especially in comparison to Florence and Venice later on.  There were many wonderful things to see and do in Rome, but I couldn’t get over seeing graffiti defacing old buildings as well as all over the windows and doors of shops outside of the touristy areas. I was also surprised by the blighted neighborhoods I passed through on the way into Rome from the airport and when I hopped a bus from Via Appia Antica.  To be fair, we have that sort of thing in New York too, but I guess I'm accustomed to seeing it here.  I had totally different expectations for Rome though (from movies, books, tv, etc.), so I was more than a bit shocked to see it in that light.  But it just made me remember that Rome is not a museum set behind glass but a living, breathing metropolis that has survived for centuries.  It's lived in and there's something beautiful about that too. 

THE GOOD NEWS

But when Rome shines, she really does shine. There are really few things in the world that can compare to the grandeur of Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, or Piazza Navona (especially at night when everything is lit up).

I lived on Margherita Pizza and gelato while I was there, partly because they were amazing and partly because I may have forgotten to set aside time to have a real sit-down meal. Oops! For classic movie fans like me, you definitely need to get gelato from Giolitti, the gelateria from Audrey Hepburn’s Roman Holiday. For foodies though, you really can’t miss gelato from Gelateria de Teatro, a quaint little gelateria across the river from Castel Sant’Angelo. I had a sage and raspberry scoop that I still dream about today.