La Dolche Vita. |
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| We
passed them every
morning as we set out from our hotel in Rome. There were five of them,
always at the same table, huddled around early morning cappuccinos as
they communicated in sign language and watched the people passing by.
Obviously Italy’s famous pastime of hanging out and being
seen extended even to the deaf and as they enjoyed the autumn sunshine
we hurried on, dodging the Vespas on the corner of the Via Nomentana,
impatient to see as many of Rome’s attractions as possible. Our hotel was far enough from the usual tourist routes to provide plenty of local colour, but close enough to the city’s most significant monuments to be almost ideal. A brisk walk past the massive Porta Pia arch brought us to the offices of the Gruppo Carrani Tour Company, which promised comfortable coaches and English speaking guides. In spite of our desire to go it alone there was no way we could do Rome justice by tackling its countless historical sites and art galleries without some help. So for the next few days we climbed aboard a big coach and were whisked around the city. Great dollops of the past rolled out before us - the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, St Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museums and Galleries. All were goose bump stuff, but it was the incredible work of Michelangelo that was the most awe inspiring, the extent of his talent only truly realized when we gazed up at the ceiling of the Sistene Chapel, every frescoed inch a testimony to his genius. The Ancient Vatican Library was off limits, which was a huge disappointment as it was tantalizingly close and our heads were full of Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code and the dark secrets of the Catholic Church supposedly hidden there. We could not complain too loudly however as we had earlier witnessed a piece of modern history when newly elected Pope Benedict XVI, fresh from his summer residence in Germany, arrived in a white helicopter to address the masses in St Peter’s Square. In the evenings we left the tourists and sight-seeing behind and walked the side streets in the vicinity of our hotel to find the little restaurants fraternized by the locals. And find them we did, drawn in by the marvelous aromas of herbs and garlic, which were impossible to ignore. For lovers of Italian food there is no doubt that it really tastes better in Italy, especially at the tables on the sidewalks of Rome where between sips of red wine and bites of delicious food one can do what the residents do - watch people. And what stylish people! Several days later and by this time well aware of the passionate nature of Italy’s drivers we set off in our hire car towards the delights of Tuscany. It was about now that our trusted Garmin GPS, which we had included in our luggage at the last minute, really came into its own. Nicknamed Fiona, it guided us with incredible accuracy onto Rome’s outer ring road and in the direction of our next stop - the Tuscan town of San Gimignano. Free of the traffic of the big city we made good progress and it was not long before we started to see the beginning of Tuscany’s vineyards, olive groves and characteristic hill-towns. After some searching we found our hotel, which proved to be a charming old country house with spectacular views over the ancient walls and famed towers of San Gimignano. Of all the quaint Tuscan villages we explored, San Gimignano was perhaps the most medieval in appearance, its cluster of towers built by feuding nobles during the 12th and 13th centuries. A climb to the top of a tower is a must if only to look out over the 360 degree view of rolling Tuscan hills. The town has a significant number of frescoes, several churches, museums, an intriguing series of gateways and the most marvelous central piazza, the Piazza della Cisterna. It was here that we finally succumbed to the temptation of pigging out on Italy’s famous ice cream. There seemed little point in resisting the owner of the Gelateria di Piazza, who has won so many awards for his efforts that he no longer bothers to enter competitions. Faced with the master we put his ice cream to the test and emerged from his shop several kilograms heavier and in absolutely no doubt of his skill. Apparently Tuscany has more classified historical monuments than anywhere else in the world and if the small section we managed to see is anything to go by then we can only concur. We roamed far and wide, taking in the landscapes and hill-towns, each with its own charm of cobbled streets, piazzas, churches and shops. San Gimignano aside, the hill-towns of Volterra, Siena, Montepulciano and Pienza are all little gems of history, somehow managing to hang onto their medieval character in the midst of the tourist onslaught. Exploring Tuscany without seeing the cities of Pisa and Florence is unthinkable. Pisa’s famous Leaning Tower was not quite as high as we expected, but was every bit as astonishing. The Tower, Duomo and Baptistry huddle together on the Campo dei Miracoli (The Field of Miracles) their magnificent architecture and almost luminous stonework offset by the surrounding green lawns. Apart from the various breathtaking works of art inside the Duomo and Baptistry it really was a sublime experience just to sit outside on the grass and imbibe the splendor of the setting. We said goodbye to our hire car in Florence, shoved Fiona back into a suitcase and sallied forth on foot to see some of the highlights of the city. Our hotel was in walking distance of the central Piazza del Duomo and several other major attractions, which was hugely convenient. The Piazza del Duomo was jammed with tourists but the patterned exteriors of the Church with its massive Dome and adjacent Baptistry were so startling that we did not notice the jostling of the crowds. It was only the persistent begging of a group of gypsies that forced us to move away, but we returned early the next morning to see the square at its best - empty - save for the pigeons. We crossed the Piazza della Signoria, which is dominated by Florence’s13th century town hall, the Palazzo Vecchio, and joined the long queues outside the Galleria degli Uffizi. The Uffizi houses Italy’s greatest art collection and it was naïve of us to think we would be able to just saunter right in. The queue moved fairly quickly however and once inside it was clearly worth the effort. Masterpieces by Botticelli, da Vinci, Michelangelo, Goya, Raphael and others line the walls of the many rooms and it took us some 3 hours to make our way around the various exhibits. It was pretty exhausting and when we finally staggered out we headed straight for a sidewalk café where it seemed suitably fitting to wash the whole experience down with several glasses of great Italian wine. Over the next 2 days we made use of one of those double-decker hop-on hop-off sightseeing busses that are always such fun and a nice way to orientate oneself in a new place. The bus route covered the city centre, the sights along the Arno River and some of the leafy suburbs in the surrounding hills. Florence is said to be the most beautiful city in Italy and it really is out of this world. There were plenty of artists around, sketching busily, especially at the Pizzale Michelangelo which offers marvelous views over Florence. We had been unable to get into the Academia Galleria to see Michelangelo’s David, so it was great to see the huge statue of him at this lookout point. Not far from the Piazza del Duomo we discovered a vibrant street market, with stalls selling, amongst other things, a variety of Italian leather jackets, belts and handbags. The smell of the leather filled the air and it was pleasant to browse around and enjoy the buzz. We had to search much harder than in Rome to find places to eat that were not filled with tourists, but of course they were there, away from the central streets. We caught a train to Venice, our last port of call, and from the moment we disembarked at the Santa Lucia Station at the top of the Canal Grande and stepped aboard a water bus it was love at first sight. As our vaporetto chugged down the canal towards San Marco we caught our first glimpses of the city, the late afternoon sun catching the beautiful facades of the buildings, the water lapping up against them and rocking the boats moored at the piers. And of course there were the gondolas, gliding silently along, powered by those icons of schmooze, the gondoliers. We bumped into the worst side of Venice as soon as we docked at San Marco – the crowds. Pushing our way through we crossed the Piazza San Marco and located our hotel tucked away in one of the narrow little streets off the square. The labyrinth of lanes around the piazza is lined with sidewalk cafés and small shops selling novelties, clothing and jewelry and of course Venetian glass. There are several shops that specialize in masks, which we found particularly interesting as they conjured up images of the costumed balls and carnivals of Venice’s colourful past. The Basilica di San Marco, dedicated to the city’s patron saint, and the Palazzo Ducale, home of the doge and his governing councils, are without doubt the focal point for everybody entering the Piazza San Marco. Both inside and outside they are an incredible heritage and they loom over the large square with suitable self-importance. The crowds were very thick but we managed to find an outside table at one of the coffee shops in the piazza and at an exorbitant cost enjoyed a cappuccino while listening to a string quartet and watching the world go by. Venice is hugely seductive and as we explored its streets, crossed its canals, went on a gondola ride, enjoyed an opera and stood and pondered on the Rialto Bridge we fell completely under its spell. We were in good company it seems, as a long line of historical greats have apparently been equally transported with delight at the city’s appeal. In addition both Vivaldi and Casanova were born in Venice. Perhaps this accounts for the lingering feeling of La Dolche Vita that fills the air. There has always been something about men in tights! How to get there. Air Emirates has great deals from Johannesburg to Rome or Milan via Dubai. Tickets are approximately R4 300.00 per person excluding airport taxes. Accommodation. Italian Excursions offers a range of exciting packages in Italy. With your budget in mind they will tailor-make your land arrangements with expert advice on where to stay and what to see. They can be contacted on Tel: (011) 783 2364, Fax: (011) 884 1409, Email: mail@italianexcursions.co.za or see their Website on www.italianexcursions.co.za. Visas. A Schengen Visa is required by South Africans to visit Italy. It costs about R280.00 per person directly from the Italian Consulate or about R520.00 per person through a Travel Agent. Money Matters. The €uro is the local currency. Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted and debit cards can be used at ATM machines to draw cash. Check with your bank before you go to make sure that your pin code is compatible with the ATM’s abroad. When to Go. The best time to visit (when the weather is most pleasant and the crowds have thinned) is April to late June or September and October. Some people find Venice the most beautiful during the winter months. Recommended Reading. We found The Rough Guide to Italy indispensable to our trip.
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