Romping and Nguyening

Venice is like a famous art gallery.  With every turn you make, you are welcomed with a gorgeous sight, and you can’t help but take a picture of everything.  It’s just so damn beautiful.  And because it is so famous, you are obligated to share it with the rest of the world.  Such is this tiny island city of Venice.

Naturally, any form of hospitality on Venice comes with a hefty price, so we stayed on the mainland at Venezia Village Camping, only €22/night for 2 people during the low season when paid in cash.  There was a bus stop across the street, and it was only a 10-minute bus ride to the train station in Venice for €3 per person roundtrip.  Not only was the campground inexpensive and convenient, the campground included unlimited, amazing, hot showers! YAY!

Anyway, nothing famous nor nothing from art galleries are ever considered cheap, but luckily the highlight of Venice is free: wandering through the canal streets and getting lost.  While there is no end to the amount of tourists who absolutely must fulfill their lifelong dream of riding the gondola (Venice’s #1 tourist trap at €80-€100 per half hour), we opted to ride the popular Line 1 on the vaporetto (water bus) along the grand canal for €7.50 per person.  Our plan was to take the bus to the train station, hop on the vaporetto and ride it to St. Mark’s Square, and simply wander.

St. Mark’s Square is home to Venice’s clock tower, St. Mark’s Basilica, and Doge’s Palace.  Although the basilica is free to enter, its line is typically ridiculous, but you can reserve a time slot online for €1.  This enormous square is probably where you’d find the most tourists (and fearless pigeons) in Venice, and rightfully so!

We didn’t pay to enter the Doge’s Palace, but we snapped a photo of its famous Bridge of Sighs.  This bridge connected the prison cells to the Doges Palace and provided prisoners a final view of Venice before being transferred to their cells, thus the name of the bridge suggests it was where prisoners relieved their final sighs.

Looking out at the Island of San Giorgio:

The view from Ponte dell’Accademia:

Stumbling across a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit:

Wandering the beautiful canal streets:

Unfortunately at the time of our visit, the Rialto Bridge was under much renovation.  The best views we could get of the bridge were crap.

We ended our day in Venice right with delicious, homemade spaghetti at unpretentious Bigoi.  For only €5 each, we got a cup of homemade spaghetti with a selection of several yummy sauces.  Chris got traditional bolognese, and I got the duck ragu. Both were fantastic.

Thanks to its tiny size and walking-factor, it was incredibly easy to spend a day in Venice on the cheap.  We camped outside of the canal city, we rode the vaporetto instead of the gondola (and even that wasn’t necessary), we spent the entire day walking, and we ate phenomenal take-away pizza, gelato, and take-away spaghetti.  For accommodation, public transportation, and food, our total cost for a full day in Venice was €62.30.  Not bad considering couples spend more than that for a 30-minute gondola ride! 😉

Overlooked by Florence and Venice, Bologna is a beautiful medieval city that sees only a fraction of the visitors that travel to Italy. As home to tortellini, tagliatelli with ragu sauce, and Europe’s oldest university (1088), the city offers delicious food and a young, lively atmosphere. We made a point to spend a day in Bologna en route from Abruzzo to Lake Como.

Immediately upon arrival into the medieval center, we noticed the endless archways and columns that lined the streets. When the university expanded to accommodate more students, they built student housing in front of existing buildings, with tall archways beneath them to to allow horse carts to walk through.  Not only were these porticos eye candy, but they also served as wonderful places to stroll or sit beneath the warm sun.

Once in the city we laughed at the site of another crooked tower in Italy, Torre Garisenda. Its much taller (and straight) neighboring tower, Torre Asinelli, was climbable for only €3—a much better deal than the entry fee to the Leaning Tower of Pisa! Its rickety wooden staircase provided an interesting perspective during the climb up, and once at the top, its vista point provided the best views of terra cotta-roofed Bologna.

Just up the street from the two towers was Piazza Maggiore, Bologna’s main square. Its featured attraction was the Basilica di San Petronio, an unfinished, massive church originally designed to be larger than St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. Apparently when the Vatican discovered that Bologna planned for such a massive basilica, they demanded its construction to cease. It still remains unfinished today.

Another site of interest was the Archiginnasio of Bologna, which was once the primary building of the University of Bologna and is now Bologna’s most important library.  For €3 each, we were able to glimpse at an ancient library and more importantly, view the anatomical theater.  The anatomical theater was built in 1637 and was used to study anatomy; fresh cadavers were dissected upon the center marble table for students to observe, making the wooden room beautiful and eerie at the same time.

Finally, one cannot come to Bologna without eating tagliatelle ragu or tortellini. We grabbed unpretentious, homemade pasta from the take-away restaurant Pasta Fresca Naldi. Because it was far away enough from the touristy square, most of the patrons were locals. Yay, fresh, local pasta!

It seems like most people visit Bologna as a day trip.  Nothing wrong with that–we did too! But could several more days be spent in this beautiful city with world-famous food and lively crowd? Absolutely, if you love cities.  Because we prefer to spend our time in parks and mountains, we only meant for Bologna to be a brief stopover, and we’re glad we did.

Despite being only ~100 miles east of Rome, Abruzzo remains one of Italy’s most unspoiled regions. Marvelously unspoiled. With three national parks and the Apennine mountains in its interior and coastal sandy beaches along the exterior, the diversity of activities and gastronomy are incredible and endless. Dozens and dozens of medieval towns and castles line the lush woods of the parks, making “village hopping” quick and convenient. Food is not only some of the best in Italy, but also the cheapest—it is agriturismo at its purest. Beautiful hikes, medieval villages, the best Italian food, and a peaceful atmosphere are the expectations in Abruzzo. And best of all? Hardly any other tourists.  On the rare occasion we stumbled upon other English speakers (twice), we were asked, “What brings you here?” All the non-locals know that Abruzzo is a special place that most haven’t heard of.

Because the region is rural, I imagine getting there from a major airport would be quite difficult, which probably contributes to the lack of tourism. A car is a must for exploring the area, but there is plenty of free parking, even for motorhomes!

There are simply too many things to do in Abruzzo; I spent at least 5 hours narrowing my selection down to several villages, restaurants, and hikes of interest in Abruzzo’s mountains. I lay out my itinerary below, but remember, there are dozens more sites worth seeing.

Driving along Abruzzo’s mountainous region entailed scenery such as this:

Our first stop was Barrea, perhaps the most beautiful village in the region along the edge of Abruzzo National Park. Free parking across the street from the village’s campground:

The best view of Lago di Barrea from the village:

Strolling through Barrea’s tiny, medieval streets:

We chowed down on some antipasti and arrostocini, Abruzzo’s famous lamb skewers. Remember, this region is rural, meaning the meats and cheeses are from animals they raise—literally from farm to table.

Next, we fell in love with the big little town of Sulmona, about an hour’s drive north of Barrea. It was the weekend when we arrived, and we enjoyed watching the locals, young and old, gather and mingle in the gorgeous town square.

For dinner we ate homemade spaghetti cacao e pepe (spaghetti with cheese and black pepper) and ricotta ravioli with pumpkin sauce and smoked ham at Vecchio Muro. My spaghetti even came in its own parmesan cheese bowl. WOW. We were spoiled by this restaurant. For €31, we devoured the best pasta we’ve ever had, along with red wine, mineral water, and dessert.

Also famous in Sulmona was the confetti di Sulmona, which I eventually figured out was…candy! And not just any candy…imagine a candy-coated chocolate almond (like an M&M) but instead of chocolate, there are dozens of flavors like orange, vanilla, and coffee. I ended up purchasing chocolate fondue, tiramisu, and ricotta pear. YUM!

Ten kilometers up the hill east from Sulmona was the medieval village and castle of Pacentro, nestled along the edge of Majella National Park. It was quite the sleepy village, but we came only for the views.

About another hour’s drive north from Sulmona/Pacentro was Calascio, nestled in Gran Sasso e Monti della Laga National Park. Of all the villages we’d seen, I found Calascio’s medieval streets the most charming.

However, we didn’t visit Calascio for the village. We came for Rocca Calascio, the ruins of Italy’s highest fortified castle. A quick hike through town led us to the ruins, and the views along the way were spectacular.

We enjoyed the hike so much that we returned again the next morning for morning lighting and and solitude. This time, we began from Santo Stefano di Sessanio, only a 15-minute drive away from Calascio. Although the once-gorgeous village was under scaffolding and repair, we still managed to find overnight parking in a beautiful, remote location beside the village pond.

The hike from Santo Stefano to Rocca Calascio took about an hour, and the scenery was beautiful. Best of all, we had the entire ruins to ourselves.

We finished our tour of Abruzzo with a brief visit to Abruzzo’s capital, L’Aquila, which was unfortunately destroyed by a 6.9 earthquake in 2009. Seven whole years have passed, and construction was still ongoing. Most of the city was deserted, with only construction workers, noise, and dust remaining. 

Abruzzo to Italy is like Portugal to Europe–little known, underrated, unspoiled, and absolutely incredible.  I would much rather spend time relaxing and enjoying good ol’ Italy in the region of Abruzzo than dodging all the rancor in Italy’s major cities.  Even now as I write this, I’m missing the villages, the parks, the people, and the food. I really do think this is my favorite place in Italy.

Gaeta was one of those hidden treasures nestled along the Italian coast that Americans would unlikely know about.  Had it not been our preference to drive the non-toll route from Rome to Pompeii, I would never have discovered the tiny gem.  We drove past a handful of pretty sandy beaches before finally arriving to the tiny peninsular stretch of land of what is Gaeta.

Every Wednesday from morning until 2pm, Gaeta hosts a market in their town center. Outside market hours, the massive lot is open to free parking.  We parked in this lot and walked along the bay into the historic quarter.

Although the peninsula was less than 4 km long, the town packed in a historic castle fort (still in use today by the military), gorgeous cathedrals, a clock tower, a port, beaches, hiking trails, and even seaside grottos.  Strolling along the coast and up the hill ended up taking longer than I anticipated because I couldn’t resist stopping to admire the gorgeous scenery.  And best of all, there was probably less than a handful of other tourists to share the town with, which was a huge break from Rome. 

Centered on Gaeta’s peninsula was a hill and park that divided modern Gaeta with historic Gaeta. Although the peak of the hill housed an ancient Roman mausoleum and even crumbled bunkers from WWII, the hill’s highlights were the views overlooking the town and the beach.

Beautiful. Unique. Relaxing. Beaches and hiking trails.  Superb weather year round.  These are reasons for getting off the tourist path, and reasons for visiting Gaeta!

The whole world knows about Rome, which means getting even the most minuscule glimpse of a statue or building is comparable to high-level combat with amateurs. Despite all this, Rome still was and always will be remarkable. Her ruins, architecture, and art were glorified in photos throughout our childhood years, and as a result, images of Rome’s famous ancient ruins have been plastered to our minds. To see them in life was imagination solidifying into reality.

Most people spend several days taking in what Rome has to offer, but we only spent one day in Rome and one day in Vatican City. Because all of Rome’s famous sites could actually be seen in a single day (it was only a 15 minute walk from one site to the next!), and because the lines and crowds were already unbearable in mid-May, our visit became the sport of “do all the obligatory tourist stuff, dodge, and get the hell out.” Sure, it was rushed, but it was just too freakin’ crowded. Mingling between tour buses and groups was never our idea of a good time.

We pulled into LGP Roma right when they opened at 8am, checked in, and hopped on the metro straight into the city. Our first stop: the coliseum. We had already purchased our tickets online for €14 each, so we knew the queue wouldn’t be too terrible. Because it was still early in the day and we only had to go through the security line, we were in the coliseum within 20 minutes. Its exterior definitely lived up to its hype, and the interior more-so. Standing along the crumbled sidelines and gazing down at the center ring where thousands have been killed for entertainment was a moving experience.

Upon exiting the coliseum, we immediately lined up to enter the Roman forum and Palatine Hill (the ancient city ruins). We probably waited about 30 minutes…buuuut it was absolutely worth the wait. I had no idea that the ancient city of Rome lay scattered within the heart of the modern city. Entrance to the forum was included in the ticket to the coliseum.

Then we took a much-needed lunch break before proceeding to the Mouth of Truth. We passed through Capitol Hill first.  Ancient statues resembled selfies!

There was also a line to take a picture with the Mouth of Truth, but we didn’t mind because it was shaded.

As we headed toward the Trevi Fountain, we passed by the massive and extraordinary Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, also called by locals “the giant typewriter.”

We didn’t spend more than a minute or two at the Trevi Fountain due to the crowds and combative selfie sticks.

Next was the Pantheon, followed by a leisurely stroll through the Piazza Navona.

We crossed the Tevere River up to Garibaldi Hill for apparently the best view of Rome, but it was more of a relaxing hang-out spot than an epic viewpoint. If you have time to kill, by all means, check it out. We most certainly had time to kill before chowing down on delicious Italian fare for dinner. Our goal for Day 1 in Rome was to see all the sites. I’d call Day 1 a success!

Day 2 was Vatican City: St. Peter’s Basilica, the dome, the Vatican museums and the Sistine Chapel, and the square. I had already purchased tickets to the Vatican Museums online for €20 each prior to arriving—please, do yourself a favor and purchase tickets online!!! The lines that we saw had to have been at least 3 hours long.

To get into the basilica (which was free, yay!), we had to of course wait in another long security check. Not all the security checks were up and running and we still waited about half an hour. Totally worth it of course to experience the world’s largest cathedral.

I had to see the iconic view over Vatican City, so climbing the basilica’s dome was a must. Another long queue and €6 each later, we climbed the spiral staircase into the dome. Yes, the views overlooking the city were worth the wait.

After leaving the dome and the basilica, we made our way over to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Thanks to my online ticket purchase, we didn’t have to wait at all and we entered the museum quickly only to be smothered by tour groups and tour groups and even more tour groups. We really hate to admit but although the Vatican Museums were the most disgustingly packed museums we had visited during our entire trip in Europe with some of the worst tourists I’ve ever encountered (one tourist touched everything he walked by, and another tourist sat on a statue to take a picture with it), its 7 kilometers of sculpture, topography, tapestry, and painting exhibits ended up being our favorite museum of all. Its collections simply could not be beat, especially with the grand finale of the famous Sistine Chapel.

Despite all the wonders of the museum, it was a relief to leave it. It meant fresh air, no crowds, no pushing and shoving, and a revisit to St. Peter’s Square. When we returned to the square, it was early evening, which meant all the tour groups had gone home.  Refreshing and beautiful indeed.

Like any major city, Rome, in addition to the overcrowded tourist sites, offered a plethora of wonderful cafes, restaurants, parks, and boutiques that would take a lifetime to enjoy. Between visiting the attractions we indulged in local gelato and panini shops and a low-key bar, making us equally charmed with the local neighborhoods as we were intrigued with the ancient ruins.  Had we chosen to stay in Rome longer we probably would have just ate our way through the city.  Yes, we rushed through Rome, only because our goal was to see the sites we spent our entire childhood learning about.  Rome was crazy, beautiful, and intense, and although we loved our short time there, we were glad to leave behind the traffic and the tour buses.

Orvieto is one of many (too many!) medieval towns snuggled within the Chianti wine region between Florence and Rome.  It is not uncommon for visitors to hire a car for a day of wine tasting, but we skipped the wine and simply enjoyed the twisty drive through wine country instead.

Unlike other medieval towns I’ve seen such as Saint Emilion or Dinan (both in France), I found Orvieto to be quite livable.  By that, I mean I didn’t feel as if I was strolling through a fabricated village catered to tourists.  There were plenty of children in the streets, busy and active churches, parks, and locals grocery shopping and hanging up laundry.  Maybe it felt that way because it was a drizzly Sunday, but either way, our excursion to Orvieto was more pleasant than I expected.

For the few visitors who do make it to Orvieto, most arrive by train and take a cable car up into the hilltop town.  However, we favored the trail over the cable car because it didn’t look too long at all–it only took us about 10 minutes to walk up.  Once at the top, we were able to peer over the walls and gaze down into the lush Chianti valley below.

Meandering the streets and taking in the cuteness of the town:

I found my favorite gelato shop in all of Italy at La Muse.  I can’t recall the exact name of the flavor I liked most, but it was of custard and sweet wine.  Seriously. WOW.

Local festivities that weekend included floral mosaics on church floors.

But Orvieto’s pride is its marble-tiled, massive Gothic cathedral, almost as stunning at Florence’s duomo but belonging to a much more laid back town.  It cost €3 to enter.

I’ve read that visitors have spent an upward of 2 weeks in this tiny town, getting a feel for more laid back regions in Italy.  My big-city spirit definitely won’t allow me to spend any significant amount of time in villages, but I can see how one could be enticed by the comforts of Orvieto.  Combine a rainy Sunday with the tranquility of a small Chianti town and you’ve got yourself a pleasant day in Italy.