Footloose in the Italia

We made a foray into Italy’s beloved cities of Rome and Venice – although there are so many worth visiting that zeroing down on these two was grossly tiring.

When Romans say that even a lifetime isn’t enough to see Rome, they are not making an overstatement. Rome was once the capital of much of the Europe and the remnants of that glory are still scattered all over the city.

Our most obvious pick on the ancient Roman ruins was the Colosseum – it is so much more than being a historic amphitheatre – It’s an icon of Rome’s permanence. For centuries, the Colosseum has been a playground for public spectacles, the Gladiator contests being the most popular of all. The Roman gladiators have sparked so much curiosity all over the world, that even to this date thousands of visitors flock this landmark every day to witness the antiquity and tales of these heroes in person.

Ancient Rome’s most infamous form of entertainment, set in the premises of the Colosseum, involved warriors to indulge in a combat that would mostly end in a cold blooded murder of one of them, offering drama, thrill and excitement to thousands of spectators along the way.

Visiting the place was a mixed bag of emotions. You may constantly marvel at the enormity, it is a horrible reminder of the ways of the bygone era where masses felt enthralled at the spectacle of killings.

A trip to Italy would be incomplete without gorging on scoopfuls of Tiramisu, the classic Italian dessert. And even as I pen down this post, my mouth is watering thinking about the exotic coffee flavours and delectable texture of this magical dessert. For a while let your resolve to stay fit get buried in the creamy layers of Tiramisu!

The Piazza della Rotonda is a crowded square in front of the Pantheon. The centerpiece of the piazza is Fontana del Pantheon surmounted by an Egyptian obelisk, Obelisco Macutèo dating back to the reign of King Ramses II. It’s a perfect spot for crowd watchers :P

Time for some kicks! Your notion of political entites such as city, state and country comes to a standstill as soon as you start approach the Vatican City. Yup, it’s a country inside a city. We have spent a couple of hours in this country and we aren’t still really sure if we should write about it in a separate category. Nonetheless, this place is really cool and the act of crossing the border felt the most peculiar to me.

One moment, you are roaming around the streets of Rome. You see a piazza (St. Peter’s Square) and walk towards it, and woot! you are officially in a new country!

While in the Vatican, you see a lot of men clad with renaissance era uniforms with spears in their hand. Don’t be fooled by the traditional armory and colourful clothing – they are the Pontifical Swiss Guards, a highly trained elite force responsible for protecting the Pontiff for over 500 years now. Their ethos is upright to this date, and they would brave anything for the Pope.

When you turn up in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, chances are that there’ll be a really long queue. But don’t turn away, once you are inside, you’ll be glad that you stuck with it. It’s a massive Cathedral and has spectacular views of Rome from the top. Whether or not you are a believer, the domes, high ceilings and arches will overwhelm you. Truly a sacred treasure!

Michelangelo’s Pietà – a depiction of Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ after she has taken him down from the Cross is over 500 years old and is housed in the Cathedral. It’s a beautiful work carved from a single slab of Italian marble.

While Rome may be a large bustling city loaded with Roman ruins, Venice proved to be no less. It’s packed with history of its own. But it’s the canal system that this city is world renowned for.

I looked up the Venice city layout on the internet, and if you find reading maps interesting – you must too! A group of over 100 small islands, separated by canals and linked by bridges form the city we fondly call Venice!

The setting of Venice of geographically romantic. It is nestled in the shallow Venetian Lagoon, a closed bay in the Adriatic Sea. Canals, bridges, narrow streets and mysterious alleyways – you always get lost in Venice and you almost always never mind it. As much as we loved loitering in this wonderful maze, the major turn off for us was the smell. The canals were undoubtedly gorgeous but I guess the city is having a hard time keeping up with the cleanliness.

But when you travel, you gotta keep your mind as much open as your eyes – so we soaked up the exquisite beauty of this wonderland and had a really great time!

A water bus from Venice will cruise you across the Venetian Lagoon to the islands of Murano and Burano, famous for their arts of glassblowing and lacemaking. Chances are, you’ll end up in a live demo of glassblowing at Murano and lacemaking in Burano (the way we did), and it’s a fun experience.

Though world renowned for lacemaking, what captures a visitor’s eye is the vivid scape of the Burano island. Lined along the canals are bright houses in the hues of a rainbow, looking every bit exquisite!

In one of the streets, we stumbled on this souvenir shop that had rather unique collectibles – different from what we had ever seen. And being a self proclaimed magnet hoarder, I spent more time in this shop than in the open island itself, lost in a crazy world of candy coloured collectibles. I was so chuffed that I had to praise the lady owner of the shop. Way to go, woman!

We would love to hear your side of the story too! Also, please drop by if you need any other information or even just to say Hi!