the last week or so in review (Italy)

I gave it a go, but overall I really didn't like Italy. Venice wasn't too bad, but Rome was dirty and disgusting, where the laminate floor of the subway system MELTED and stuck to your shoes. Florence was also dirty and small and full of derros and rude people. The statue of David I found to be very UNasthetic due to the gigantic out of proportion hands, feet and head of the thing. It's a great sculpture but it's disconcerting I found - sure the body is excellent and simply further proof that Michealangelo was a raging homo. Siena was boring as batshit and Pisa was a waste of time. The Cinque Terra was, as I expected, not a lot different to Greece in so far as it was houses and buildings perched on cliffs with warren-like streets. It was, however, actually pretty boring - the views were great but the towns were VERY small (smaller than the smallest Greek town I stayed in) and really there wasn't much to do except pay double for coffees and food, buy souvenirs and well, that's about it. It was full of tourists and more tourists. The towns themselves were poorly signposted which didn't help. The walk/hike between the towns is a novel idea and adds a bit of activity to the day, but a lot of the oldies on those paths looked like they should be getting sized up for a pine box rather than out climbing hills in the hot sun. The fat American tourists were a laugh as well.

Look - I'm trying to be diplomatic as I know there are a whole host of people to whom Italy is some idyllic fantasy land, but I really don't get it at all. I like the cold meats and the cheeses and all that, but guess what you can buy that shit in Perth! Of all places (though not in India - Megan I give you that one). Now, travelling as a backpacker you don't always have the best experiences and certainly staying there on a larger budget in a nicer hotel and eating at the best places and taxiing past the ghettos would likely give a different impression. Overall the accommodation was fine so that wasn't the problem. I had some good meals (not too expensive) and some shit ones (microwaved ready made pasta in a restaurant in ITALYYY for fucks sake, how hard is it to cook fresh pasta?). I found that even the ritzyest shopping street in Rome was dirty and dingy. I had to deal with quite a lot of abrasive Italians (far worse than any experience I have had in France, though they are the ones that have the bad reputation) including being spat at by some guy on the street, and being abused by the woman at the Florence camp site because apparently 'when you come to another country you have to respect the ways of that country' blah blah blah and all this total self-righteous bullshit - she totally went off at me because I would not give her my passport (not to look at, that campsite wanted to hold onto it for the entirety of your stay). Needless to say I stayed elsewhere that night. In general there was no sense of reaching a compromise in Italy - it was their way or they scream and throw a tanty. I really don't care for that kind of attitude!!

So how about some photos...

Venice:


The buildings at the end of Piazza San Marco did look good together, I especially liked the pink light shades near by (not shown) ; P San Marco ;

Rome:



Vatican City - we didn't see the pope even though we had tickets (that's Italy for you) ; Map room in the Vatican was cool - and apparently 96% accurate though surveyed pre-modern technology ; map of Venice in the map room ; pantheon roof with cool light; Trevi big-fucking-deal fountain (as I like to call it - including a shot of the window that was boarded up and painted over due to the ghost of the guy murdered in that room) ;Some Egyptian thing in Rome I actually found impressive; yeah I was guilted into it and paid my 11 freaking euros to see the bunch of bricks that is the colosseum

Elsewhere in Italy..



Storm brewing over Siena - we got a few storms coming through, including hail stones the size of golf balls! and a fantastic lighting show one night - sheet, cloud-to-cloud and standard mega rod lighting - it was great to watch ; I am a cheese snack ; Pisa was almost as stupid a tourist stop as Wall Drug, SD (yes this photo is so unbeliveably fucking lame I almost didnt put it up I am so ashamed) ; The La Spezia waterfront was nice when the sun finally came out ; a few familiar looking palms ; Cinque Terra x 2