Volare Italia!

As backpackers the two biggest threats we most commonly face are: managing a shoe string budget – pretty self explanatory. The second more clandestine threat we face is inflated expectations. Expectations, especially disproportionate ones, are silent killers. They fester and multiply until finally reaching a zenith and then with all their destructive might shatter your hyperbolic expectations. Luckily for us, Italy lived up to our inflated expectations.

Arriving in Milan, the fashion capital of the world, I felt quite out of place in my tainted jeans, worn hiking boots and cumbersome pack. But I shouldn't bore you with my own feelings of low self esteem. On the contrast, Italians definitely know how to dress and Milan lives up to its fashion capital hype. There wasn't a feeling of superficiality, but instead classiness and being comfortable and confident in the clothes you were wearing. 

Good food and great company!

Evidently another thing Italians do quite well is cook. From our very first meal until our final meal one month later I can honestly tell you that we looked forward to each and every meal. So much so that after our first day of eating Italian cuisine we felt compelled to embark on a daily mantra. This involved, for the duration of our 30 days in Italy, consuming; gelati, vino (wine) and coffee everyday. We also added a musical element to our heavily food focused pact: that Julia would bust out the song Volare everyday too. Julia took this task very seriously and on an occasion when I attempted my own rendition I was quickly chastised and reminded that it was her job to sing Volare...

My daily espresso shot - by the look on my face I needed it!

Julia eat your heart out!

When we arrived in Italy we knew we were in for a culinary delight of gastronomic proportions. But we still found ourselves constantly awe inspired by the quality of the food we were served. Italy is very region-centric. Each region is famous and proudly home to certain food specialities. For example the humble town of Norcia is so adept at producing small goods such as salami and prosciutto that an accomplished butcher in Italy is referred to as a norcino.

The local mayor.

Under no illusion that we were on the food journey of a lifetime we quickly found ourselves in Bologna, considered the culinary capital of Italy. Bologna is the infamous home of bolognese. They are also proudly home of tortellini and tortelloni. There is no need for me to wax lyrical about the superlative food we consumed:

The infamous BOLOGNESE!

Caprese salad with bufala to die for!

Fish carpaccio.

Fresh homemade ravioli with burnt butter and sage.

Aside from the food, there still is an obligation to see some of the many tourist attractions that each towns thrusts upon you. And I'm sure you wont be surprised to hear that Julia was overwhelmed with joy when she heard that Verona featured the alleged home of Juliet Capulet - of Romeo and Juliet fame. Just to make things clear R&J is a mythical and fictional story that Shakespeare wrote 4/5 centuries ago. So off we went to this alleged home of the fictional character Juliet. Scepticism doesn’t even come into it. There is absolutely no merit or fact behind the tenuous claim that this house was that of a Juliet. It really is no different to visiting an old castle in the Scottish country side that claims to be Hogwarts. Anyway, we arrived to more fanfare than one could barely imagine. Now I'm a firm believer in women's rights and equality leading to stronger and happier societies. However, unfortunately for women as a species, the scene being played out before me lived up to almost any negative stereotype I'd ever heard. Women being pictured flicking their hair about standing on a nondescript balcony - allegedly Juliet's. Others muscling amongst each another to be photographed cupping the breast of a Juliet statue. May I remind you Juliet is a fictional character. Teenage girls scribing their love for their own loves on a wall covered in permanent marker. It was literally a menagerie, minus the herds of animals.

AMAZING!

'Julia and J.' Genuine coincidence, quite bizarre!

My Juliet or more correctly Julia.

WOW, AMAZING!

Our next stop was the old canal city of Venice. A labyrinthine network of interconnecting canals where boats and gondolas supplant cars. One of the best things to do in Venice is turf the map that the tourist office gives you and literally just get lost in all the fascinating back streets. Despite its obvious drawback as overly touristy, once you get lost and are brushing shoulder to shoulder with kids coming home from school or mothers taking the washing out, Venice is a great and unique city. After disembarking the water taxi we were happy to be back on solid ground. Shortly after, in a small square cum outdoor market, our senses were drowning in the intense seafood aromas, glistening scales of freshly prepared fish and the furious slashing of fishmonger's paring knifes. Reluctantly we left the market for the allure of the endless lane ways. After a few hours of walking and with the memories from the market still etched in our minds our appetites would not relent. So, we settled at a nondescript restaurant on the canal edge. There we consumed a typical Venetian meal of fish, pasta and frankly any water dwelling creature. The meal took an unexpected turn when Julia became quite emotional, declaring an epiphany – that she was in love with mussels.

The beginning of the end of Julia and I's romance?

It's fair to say a trip to Italy isn't complete without a trip too see its most famous citizen David. We joined the hoards of tourists, nervous at our meeting with David. For me it was like meeting somebody famous. You have seen them countless times and begin to feel like you know them. Only to find that they and especially you are complete strangers. Our experience meeting David was pretty much the same. Anyway, you have to meet him in person for yourself so I'll only offer a glimpse.

David.

Florence was a great city with many famous and culturally important attractions. Again I won't bore you with details. Only to say that unfortunately we will remember it for its lacking sewage system. Frankly the whole town reeks of shit. After consulting with my plumber brother, the sewage system is just simply too antique. Hence a frequent waft and strong stench of excrement stalks you as you navigate the city.

As the saying goes, all goods things come to end and our countless days of gluttony came to an abrupt albeit stunning end when we arrived in Cinque Terre. Situated along the Italian coastline, the undulating and picturesque terrain was graciously interrupted by centuries old vineyards. The intercontinental Mediterranean sea to our right and the fertile vineyards to the left it truly was a pleasure and the pain of the sharp ascents was quickly alleviated by the consistently stunning vistas. The day was capped off by a sounds-better-than-it-was meal of lobster with fresh pasta. Did I mention the post hike obligatory sun baking and swim in the Mediterranean? Oops just reached my word lim..!

Oh What a Feeling - PISA!

It was MUCH heavier than I made it look!