Salerno

Salerno was awesome. It was our base for the south. From here we travelled to Amalfi, Pompeii and Napoli.

We stayed with a very nice couple who treated us like family. They absolutely loved Giacomo and miss him very much. The lady who hosted us even called the other day to ask how we were going.

The people of the south are meant to be much nicer than those of the north. They are very kind and caring. I travelled on my own to Pompeii and a nice old land helped me to the train station, without me asking for help. I used what little Italian I knew to communicate, it was difficult.

Salerno's Duomo is home to the tomb of Apostle Matthew. His remains are in the crypt below the church. On the roof in the crypt were paintings depicting the stories told from the bible's Book of Matthew. It was a huge privelige to have been there.

Amalfi Coast

We caught a boat out to Amalfi to catch some Sun and lie on the beach. The boat ride was stunning, I had to send an email to my class to show them what I was up to ☺

First we walked around and looked inside the Duomo. Little did I know, it was the place where the tomb of Andrew the Apostle lay, beneth the church. I felt great priviledge to be in the presence of the tomb. Apparently every year, four times a year, at the exact same time a black liquid runs from his tomb. Some say it has special healing powers.

We may in the sun for a while and swam. My Italian I very limited but managed to teach some kids how to skim rocks. The most unfortunate event happened. Lisa was sun-bathing and I could see the tide coming in, but it came in too fast. Lisa got soaked haha

It was an amazing day, poor New Zealand and their cold and wet weather. Amalfi was amazing and would recommends anyone traveling to Italy to stop by.

Naploi

We did Napoli as a day trip from Salerno. We had fine weather in Salerno but Naples was raining. To make things worse, we left our itinerary in Salerno.

We caught the Metro to find the Duomo but to no avail. Not all was lost. Julia Roberts in the movie 'Eat, Pray, Love' makes a trip to Naples to eat her favourite pizza in the world. So off we set to find the pizzeria, L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele. I had heard about this pizzeria in Florence and have made it a mission to get here. It opened in 1870, just after Italy became a unified country.

The que to get inside was massive. It must be a popular pizzeria.

Their menu gave you two choice; Margarita (tomato and cheese) or Marinara (just tomato). In New Zealand we get so used to having too many options that our 45 minute wait for a table seemed ridiculous. But then the pizza came out. The pizza was bigger than the plate and was fresh out of the pizza oven. It had me salivating. I took my first bite of the pizza, the long wait was worth this piece of heaven on a plate.

Giacomo was loving it and scoffed back the pizza in no time. Anyone that goes to Naples needs to visit this place, but expect a long wait.

Rome

By far my favorite place on our trip. So much history. There's so much to talk about in so little time. I'm going to try keep as brief as possible. 

We used a 'hop on hop off' bus to see the sights of Rome. It definitley was not as good as the one in Florence, but I got to see what I wanted. 

We first visited the Trevi Fountain, Lisa's favorite place in the world. It was packed with people. It's common practice to throw a coin into the fountain to make a wish.Giacomo was not in a very good mood this day. We did get to eat ice cream on the side fountain however and throw a coin in. The fountain dates back to 19 BC but Pope Urban VIII decided to make a fountain. During the construction he died. In 1730, Pope Clement decided to take up the project. It took 30+ years to build and was completed in 1762.

The Colosseum was my favorite sight of the whole trip. Just walking through the stadium where others had 1500+ years ago gave me goosebumps. The Colosseum took 10 years to build, beginning from 70 AD and completed in 80 AD. It's main purpose was to hold gladiator contests and other public specticals such as animal hunts, famous battle re-enactments and dramas based on classical mythology. I spent a good two hours inside, and I could have spent a few more if we did not have Giacomo. There is a lot of damage too after an earthquake, the floor of the theater is fully fallen away and you can see the structures underneath where the slaves and animals were keept. You can see that it had three levels to it, but again, the earthquake has caused the side of the third level to crumble. Also, there are a whole lot of artifacts inside but we never got to view them. 

Next to the Colosseum is 'The Arch of Constantine'. Becoming sole Roman Emperor in 324, is known for bringing christianity to Rome. The Roman Empires largest arch was erected to commemorate Constantine's victory in the Battle of Milvian Bridge.

Unfortunately we never got to stand inside the Brasilia of St. Peter but it was awesome to see. It took us a while to find it as we took many wrong turns, but got there in the end. The church is found in the world's smallest country, Vatican City, and is known by manyfor being where the Pope addresses the people. Also, it is famous for being the burial ground of the Apostle Peter. Giacomo pretty much ran around the square while I chased him and we ran into a pidgeon eating another.

The Roman Forum was difficult because it was the late afternoon, it was hot and Giacomo had no intention on listening what so ever. So we did what we could. You could easily spend a few hours in this place but spent about 45 minutes here. What we saw was awesome, especially the pillars casually standing around. In the middle of the archeological ruins stood tall white pillars that you see in movies or books. The Forum was the centre of political life to ancient Rome and was known to many as a market place.

Rome has been favorite place by far on our holiday. I've enjoyed being surrounded by lots of ancient history and learning about some of Rome's influence on the ancient world and our world today. 

After Rome we travelled south to Salerno where we took day trips to the Amalfi Coast, Napoli and Pompeii.

Pisa

Pisa is not a place you stay for several days, you're better off to take a day trip to look at the leaning tower and the Duomo. Fun fact: each city in Italy has a Duomo. A Duomo is the main church of the city.
As we approached the area where the tower was situated we could see the dome of the Duomo. Then, as my eyes focused on the dome, I could see the top of the tower. What a sight! It was really exciting. As a kid I remember reading a few history books with the tower in it. Never did I imagine to see it, it was exciting. Construction began in 1173 and was completed in 1372. The soil was soft on one side and over the years began to sinkon one side, giving it a tilt. It was closed for about 10 years as it was too unsafe to enter but was reopened when they were able to tilt it back half a degree. Fun fact: it is said that Galileo stood on the top floor of the tower and dropped two cannon balls of different size to prove that the balls would still at the same time despite their side difference. Also, during WW2 it was discovered the Germans were using the tower as an observation post. They thought it was too beautiful to destroy so left it standing.

I was fortunate to climb its 290+ steps to the top. You could feel gravity pull you. There is a beautiful view from the top where you can see the whole city.

Florence

There's so much to say in so little time...so I'm going to give only the highlights in this post.

We were supposed to be in the south of Italy in Bari, we would then make our way up to Florence. Long story short, Giacomo got sick and we needed to get on the road again... so here we are, Florence. Once the capital of Italy and renound for its history and fashion.

We spent a good chunck of our first day in hospital. G is on the mend (here's praying) and we had two days to see as much as possible.

The Duomo is spectacular! It's ginormous structure makes for a breath taking sight. The inside, even more georgous.

This was the place I was waiting to see, The Galleria dell'Accademia. Inside lies the most famous statue of all time, Michelangelo's 'David'. I remember reading books and hearing facts about Michelangelo's carving but never did I think I'd see him up close. He depicts David with a sling over his shoulder, no one knows if it was before or after he slayed Goliath. Fun fact: Michelangelo was 26 years old when commissioned to carve this piece. It took him just over two years to complete.

Most pictures of Florence are taken from the Piazzale Michelangelo, showcasing the stunning view of old plastered buildings towered by the Duomo and several other cathedrals. The picture doesn't do justice for the view experienced in real life.

Today was raining so I ventured by myself. I used a tour bus to get around, I could get on and off where I wanted. I got off at a random stop, walked around for a while checking out the churches and other sights. Meet a few nice people, one guy from England who needed help with parking and another from India who is working in the U.S. From here I got to see the Arno river that runs through the middle of Florence. Fun Fact: On November 4th 1966 there was a flood that killed almost 40 people and destroyed and/or damaged million works of art and rare books.

I also visited the acient ruins, Fiesole's 'Theatre Romano' which date back to about the 8th or 9th century B.C. Here is displayed an old ampitheatre which is still used today and some baths.

I made an impromtue stop to the Basilica of Santa Croce. Not only is the church a stunner, but there lies the tombs of Michelangelo (as mentioned briefly above) and Galileo (great physicist and astronomer) as shown in the pictures.

Now we're headed off to Pisa to see the leaning tower.