European vacations

My husband and I vacationed in Rome for 10 days during March 2000. This was his first trip to Rome and my second. It had been about 6 years time since my first trip to Rome and the one sight that drew me back to Rome was that of viewing St. Peter’s Basilica for the first time from the end of Via de Conzilazione (this is the street that leads directly into St. Peter’s square). I wanted to watch the expression on my husband’s face when he saw this sight. I did, and his expression was exactly what I expected: total awe at the size and majesty of this church.

Everyone seems to point out the same things, esp. when talking about the “cons” of Rome: cost, traffic, heat, crowds, pickpockets, etc. This really bugs me. These things are NOT cons, but rather the things you should embrace about Rome. I spent over a month backpacking in Italy this past summer, with 2 weeks of that time spent living like a local in Rome. So I’ll address all the highpoints of Rome, as well as other people’s “cons.”

Review Topic: Sights & Attractions

The scaffolds are down, the marble is cleaned, and the Basilica of St. Peters in Vatican city is a shining example of the works of Carlo Maderno (the facade), Michelangelo, Raphael, Fra. Gioncondo, and many others! Even the renovation of the statues on the top of the facade (with Christ, John the Baptist & 10 apostles (less Judas & St. Peter) and on top of the Colonnade around the piazza San Pietro.

There are two ways to see Rome. A good way and a better way. A good way is to grab a map and start walking…. and walking… and walking! You will certainly see many sights both famous and not so famous. You will surely run into a wonderful pizzeria and an even more wonderful gelaterie. And you will probably spend a lot more time than you have to being lost!

Until you visit Rome you don’t realize how many relics are in the city. Every block is filled with ancient ruins amazing and beautiful. We traveled to all of the usual tourist places and found them breathtaking and in many cases like the Vatican overwhelming. Going to the Vatican is almost like being in a biblical paradise. No matter what religion you practice, or if you practice no religion, the Vatican is a must.

Tuscany, one of the most favorite destinations for travelers around the world and especially Germany. With the season starting in July, I managed to get there just before — avoiding Italians becoming a minority just a few days after my departure. Well it’s not that bad, but I found it very pleasant to travel Tuscany for 2 weeks in July.

If you want to know details about all the specific sights and attractions … get a book. (just kidding) But in all honesty, I don’t want to bore you with details that you probably read way too often already. So this was supposed to be a budget trip and camping worked very well the year before in France, and was the ‘accommodation of choice’ again.

I purchased a 3 day Eurail pass to Italy for my wife and I, which cost 306 Euro. I travelled from Rome-Florence, Florence-Venice, and Venice-Milan (a typical tourist itinerary in my opinion). Each segment required a 30 Euro supplement since we travelled on the high-speed trains, bringing our total cost to 396 Euro. When I priced out the trips I took individually, the total cost for the EXACT SAME TRIPS, in the exact same class (1st) would have been 256 Euro, which in USD is a RIPOFF of about $200. Eurail has yet to respond, to my inquiry, but I don’t expect good results. My advice to anyone thinking of doing this is to get on the Trenitalia website and price out your itinerary before you purchase Eurail passes. There is a reason that ONLY people visiting from OUTSIDE of Europe can purchase these…because the locals would know they are a tourist RIPOFF!

My wife and I were in Italy two summers ago. We stayed in Rome for a week before renting a car and traveling through Tuscany for a few days. We then stayed in Florence and then continued to Venice. There is so much to tell about this trip. I will start with one of Italy’s most famous sites of ancient history, the Colosseum.

GETTING AROUND

One of the oldest and most famous cities in the world, Rome, is noted for its richness in culture and history. The remains of the ancient civilization and the stronghold of Christianity is largely what makes it so special. A trip to Rome should be viewed as exactly that- a trip and not a vacation.

Rome, with a population of 4 million is very crowded. The traffic is crazy- don’t cross unless it’s by a crosswalk and you are very careful.

Main Attractions

I’m sure you’re quite familiar with most of these, but let me explain anyway.

I traveled to Italy August 1998 using Archers www.archerstours.co.uk to navigate a tour across Italy and translate for us English speakers. Archers only book directly, they do not work through travel agents and they are cheap.