Arrivederci Italia!

Roma. This ancient and great city almost deserves a blog of its own because it is...um well, so ancient and so great! Yes it is super touristy, yes there are tacky souvenir stores strewn everywhere and yes there are people dressed up as Gladiators constantly harassing tourists to be photographed with them. Aside from all of that, it is difficult not to be awed by the sheer amount of significant historic monutments. It's hard to believe that they all fit into the confines of one city.

Our first morning in Roma didn't start off smoothly for us though. Whilst Italians are exceptional makers of coffee, the take-away variety is still pretty much non-existent. Especially where we were staying, in the suburbs of Rome, a lazy one hour journey to the city centre (mistake #1). Conscience of the one hour commute ahead of us and wanting to fit in as much sight-seeing as possible, Jay and I made our way to the local cafe, and ordered a takeaway coffee and tea (mistake #2). After some confusion, a few hand gestures and the assistance of a couple of locals, the barrister finally understood that we were after takeaway beverages. Unbeknownst to us, she was making them in pre-used plastic juice bottles, which we soon found out still retained the flavours of their original contents. It was hard not to hide the disappointment we felt on our faces as we half-heartedly thanked the barrister for her efforts and made on with the rest of our day, albeit with a coffe tasting like grapefruit and tea tasting off pineapple.

The fateful vessel of our early morning beverages

The significance of Roma as the capital of Catholicism shouldn't go unmentioned either. Despite ongoing controversies surrounding the Pope and the frustratingly conservative nature of the Catholic church, it goes without saying that the Vatican complex, including St Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel, were incredibly breathtaking to visit. And to think that these immense and intricately decorated places of worship were built during the 16th and 17th centuries is another feat in itself.

Inside Saint Peter's Basilica

A view over the Vatican from the dome of St Peter's Basilica

Funny uniformed Vatican guards

The impressive walkway leading to the Sistine Chapel

Having well and truly walked ourselves out in Rome, we decided to give our feet a bit of a rest and hopped on a 12 hour train down to Sicily in southern Italy. Even though the train ride itself was uneventful, it's worth mentioning that to cross the channel from mainland Italy to Sicily, our train drove directly onto an awaiting ferry. With the train on board (and us too), the ferry then crossed the channel.  Once arriving in Sicily the train disembarked the ferry and continued in its tracks! Wowzas!

Our first stop was Palermo. Being in Palermo was like arriving in another country. Aside from people speaking Italian, we never would have guessed we were still in Italy. It was utterly chaotic, with horns blaring, piles of rubbish dumped everywhere, run-down grey buildings lining the streets and the smell of pollution encompassing the city. A stark contrast to the vivid green hills and fresh country air of central Italy. Also in stark contrast was our first night's accommodation with a genuine drug addict. But the story of our hasty exit has no place in this G-rated blog.   

Sicilians evidently also love foosball...there were tables placed around all over the city!

But what Sicily did have was granita (a Sicilian speciality made from ice and typically almond syrup). And cannolli. And lots of almonds (they even come in a crushed form to sprinkle over meals instead of parmesan). And, most excitedly, the brioche con gelati – or less eloquently put, an ice-cream sandwich. Literally. We were acquainted with this devilish dessert on our first night in Palermo, and after seeing hoards and hoards of Sicilians lining up to purchase this treat, we joined in to see what all the fuss was about!

Get in my belly! Ironically the chocolate flavours we chose happened to make our brioche look like a meat-filled one!

Mmmmm yum cannolli!

 

After Palermo, we made our way to the east coast of Sicily, to a lovely little town called Siracuse. Siracuse was a lot less chaotic and dirty than Palermo. It was a lot less touristy too. There was a gorgeous old-town area by the port with an outrageously good market we had lots of fun visiting. We left the market with fresh, handmade pasta and pistachio pesto to make for dinner that night, molto delizioso!! 

The very awesome market of Siracuse

Crazy Sicilian zucchini!

Siracuse also happened to be the home of the best gelati we had in Italy - the ricotta and pistachio flavours were a treat!

Jump if you love Italian food!

Our next stop was Taormina, a clifftop coastal town further north of Siracuse. Unfortunately Taormina has been overrun by tourists and the town itself has lost a lot of its quaint charm. That said, it had an absolutely stunning beachfront for us to enjoy – we didn't take our camera there so this postcard image will have to make do.

Our last destination in Italy was Napoli (Naples), the city which happens to be the birthplace of Italy's most famous and ingenious foods – the humble pizza. Admittedly it was rather intimidating being in THE HOME TOWN OF PIZZA, a food so very world-renowned. Nevertheless, we did not shy away from the challenge of finding THE BEST PIZZA IN NAPOLI (which, given that Napoli is the home of pizza, would mean we were seeking the best pizza in the world). And, I am proud to admit, we came very close, if not actually succeeding, in accomplishing this challenge! Having consumed many a pizzas in our lifetime, in many a different cities, I can confidently say that we undoubtedly ate the best pizzas possible in Napoli. 

A speedy Napolian pizza connoisseur

What was it that set these pizzas miles apart from the common-place varieties of our pasts? Put simply, it was due to their sheer simplicity. A well-rested dough, coupled with an outrageous, bursting-with-flavour passata (tomato) paste, layered with deliciously creamy buffalo cheese, cooked in a searing wood-fired oven for no longer than 3 minutes, was all that was needed to create the best pizzas of our entire lives. That was it. No unnecessary vegetables or silly stuffed crusts. Just a simple, well-prepared and executed combination of tomatoes, cheese and dough. Coupled with a beer (as is customary to have with pizza and subsequently the only time we tried beer in Italy), the meal was most definitely a bon appetit!

Oh-my-goodness-yum in a box!!!!

 

Aside from out-of-this-world pizzas, Napoli was another incredibly chaotic Italian city. It too was loud, dirty and grungy, but it definitely had a lot more charm and appeal in comparison to Palermo. And a lot more washing hanging up in the streets too.

It was laundry day everyday in Napoli!

We went on a day-trip to Pompeii too. To be able to walk around such a well-preserved ancient city (Mount Vesuvius erupted and buried the city in 79AD) was a truly unique experience, especially as it wasn't difficult to imagine day-to-day life in what would have been a very bustling town. It was a great way to finish off our Italian adventure and we left with our eyes, ears and stomachs incredibly satisfied! Grazie mille Italia!

The notorious Mt. Vesuvius looming in the background of Pompeii

A plaster cast of an ill-fated Pompeiian

The main street of Pompeii

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!