Of San Marino and Fairy Tales

You're probably wondering why San Marino was not written in the style of the other posts in Italy. Well, for starters, despite the fact that it's located in the middle of Italy, that the citizens there speak Italian, and you don't need to go through passport control to get there, San Marino was a different world from Italy. A landlocked country and the smallest republic in the world, there was something almost mystical about the place. Rising above the surrounding countryside, it was as if you were rising about the world, simultaneously apart from it but at peace with it all the same.

Think of it like entering a fantasy world from the real world (the real world being the romantic canals of Venice, the artistic creativity of Florence, the historic ruins of Rome, and the wildness of Naples).

There were the aspects of a fairy tale world such as the picturesque village of the capital city, San Marino:

"Once upon a time, there lived in a certain village..."

The tree-lined, winding forest paths that were reminiscent of "Hansel and Gretel," or "Little Red Riding Hood."

"Over the river and through the woods..."

And three towers atop three high points on the mountainside which brings to mind the towers of "Sleeping Beauty" or "Rapunzel." This was one of the tower, the Cesta, the "yonder topmost tower" of San Marino.

"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!"

All of this is located on a raised land mass, which made entering the county akin to entering another realm. The day we were there, the quietness of the place (primarily the capital city) and the mystical energy of the surrounding locale made it seem as if the city would be a beautiful place to retire after accomplishing one's life goals. The air was fresh and clean, free from pollution of the cars and mopeds, the wind was blowing lightly, and there was no city sounds to be heard as we walked through. In short: peaceful.

To spend the rest of your days in a serene, fairytale land would not be too bad at all, especially if every morning you woke up, you were greeted with views such as this:

"And they lived happily ever after."

And with this in my memory, I say goodbye to 12 amazing days in Italy, aware of the fact that parting is such sweet sorrow and that someday, I would like to return to learn more, soak in more art, more history, and more gelato. Until next time, ciao!

How to get to San Marino:

• Take a train into the coastal town of Rimini, the only place which can transport you to San Marino (or to save time, stay in the city overnight, the draft from the sea is not unlike Southern California).
• Hitch a bus to San Marino, which is just next door and very easy to spot. Enjoy the view...

Of Religion and Rome

What do you know about Rome? Let's list some things that we do know: Julius Caesar, Marc Anthony, "Roman Holiday" with Audrey Hepburn, gladiators, togas, the Pope, and many other one-worded cliches. And this is the part where I prove all of these things wrong. When I pictured visiting Rome, I always pictured walking down Roman ruins with hills of green surrounding, peaceful and serene, taking in the history. I did that, but within a large, bustling city that not only housed ruins, but an amazing amount of churches.

I give you Rome, the city for the pious.

Rome, or Roma

A visit to Italy (and for that matter, a travel blog) would not be complete without a trip to Rome, where it (and by that I mean Western Civilization) began. To my surprise, it was not as small and intimate as Florence or Venice. Instead, what I saw were wide lane streets, moped drivers, a metro system, and car horns everywhere. Be prepared to jay walk quite a bit in Rome (and for that matter, any modern, non-tourist-filled town in Italy) since more often than not, there will not be any street lights for pedestrians. In the words of my friend Lana, "Just close your eyes and cross."

And the trip to Rome would not have been completely entertaining if not for our hostel. Actually, it was not a hostel experience but more of a coach-surfing experience with a host who tried to get us to watch “Two Girls One Cup” (wiki it if you don’t know what this because there are no words). Though the place was listed as a hostel on hostelworld.com, we were pleasantly surprised (and I use this term lightly) to find that it was actually an apartment with extra rooms. Suffice to say, interesting. At least the beds were clean (I think) and there was free internet.

Piazza San Pietro, the jewel of the Vatican City and site of a very long line

Another thing I did not count on encountering in Rome was large amounts of tourists, only because it was still late winter and as such, absolutely frigid in Rome. The days we were there was rainy, windy, and cloudy (though there was sun, it was very cold sun) which made the fact that there were actually still people standing in line outside of the Vatican Museum and the Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican city that much more amazing. Or maybe not....

No photos I can take will even come close to how breath-taking the Basilica was.



Allison almost cried and I almost felt pious and small standing under the immense, vaulted ceiling. Walking around, seeing the statues of Saint Peter, the past Popes, Bernini's altarpiece (hell, he designed the whole church) and Michelangelo's Pieta (protected by bullet-proof glass after some idiot tried to smash it), the splendor of it all made you almost speechless. The only thing I could say as I was inside the church was, "Oh my God," there was just no words. It was almost too big, too magnificent, too overwhelming. The sense of being eclipsed by a higher power (and I'm not usually the religious type) was almost tangible. You can only be there to feel it.

Saint Peter sitting on his throne (he's life-sized)

Rome is also known, informally by art historians, as Bernini (Baroque sculptor, his work is all over Rome) town, even if I did not see all of the Bernini’s that I wanted to see (it's my only regret while I was in Rome). Yet, the most wonderful thing about Rome was just walking down the street and seeing a random sculpture, fountain, obelisk, fresco, or chapel with a Classical façade in an obscure square or street corner. I was always pleasantly surprised upon strolling down the street and seeing a beautiful sculpture on an otherwise nondescript street corner. It was as if the entire city was constructed to be one large, complete work of art. Everything was so elegantly laid out and it was easy to see the love of art and beauty within Rome, so much so that it covered every road, piazza, and street corner. Bernini town indeed and all the more beautiful for it.


Bernini's "Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi" (we found it completely by accident while wondering the city looking for dinner)

Along with the religious imagery, there were other images that made you aware of just how insignificant you are to the grand scheme of the universe. I found this while walking around the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. You never realize the extent of the damage done to these historic monuments until you walk through them and you realize, "This used to one of the greatest empires in the world," and all you see around you is a lonely column, a stone block on a bed of grass. Even the Colosseum, known for its iconic gladiator battles (and for other methods of entertainment that usually involved feeding people to animals), is just a skeleton of what it once was. A beautiful marble structure reduced to just wooden beams and moss. Walking through it (and even thinking about it now), you realize your own mortality. If something so grand and influential can be reduced to a feeding ground for the birds, what does that say about our civilization, our life? I'll leave the question at that, at the risk of sounding morbid.

Let's just say, being in Rome, in all of its hustling and bustling glory, with its grand churches and romantic ruins, I could not help feeling small and, dare I say, a bit pious. After all, the point of building the high ceiling of Saint Peter's Basilica was to make you feel small within the grand scheme of the universe (or rather, within the eyes of God but let's try to be politically correct). In that case, for Rome: mission accomplished.

Ashes to ashes...

Tips:

• To avoid the long line at Saint Peter's Basilica (and believe me, there will be a long line), visit the thing in the afternoon after all of the tour groups have gone through it.
  
• As for the Vatican Museum, you are always going to have to wait in line, suck it up and do it. But once you do that, then head straight for the Sistine Chapel since that is usually the last stop for museum visitors. Unless you feel like elbowing a lot of people on the way to the chapel, bypass the first parts of the museum and head towards the chapel first (admire it for as long as your neck doesn't hurt since they don't allow photographs in there).
• The metro system is absolutely rubbish since there are only two lines which only covers the center of the city. They are also crowded so be prepared to push your way in during rush hour. Also, keep your hand on your purse/wallet while on the metro, I now realize why people were always warning me about that after seeing the Roman metro.
• A way to have a cheap and filling dinner at a restaurant is to order pizza. Since Italians tend to have two main courses at dinner (consisting of pasta for one and meat for the other), a pizza fulfills both criterias (and won't get you dirty looks from the waiters who usually expect people to order two courses) and will usually only set you back 8 euros. Not to mention that the pizza you get is huge.
• If you love Bernini as I do and want to see more of his amazing work in one place (instead of doing a scavenger hunt around the city), check out the Galleria Borghese (the park around it is also beautiful for a picnic or stroll). The only thing I regret is not being able to go in since you have to buy a ticket and reserve a time in advance.

Rome, the photo album

Of Art and Florence

It is official, I have become one of those people who you stare at when you go to museums. You know those types: the art students, or wannabe artists, who stand in front of the statues in the Greco-Roman galleries, pensively studying the works of art, lost in their own little world. You walk past them and try to sneak a glance into their sketchbook. Sometimes you admire what they are doing and wish you had that kind of skill…and other times you just shake your head and walk away. I hope I was the former, though from what I heard of the people around me while in Florence, the reception was not that bad, even quite positive in some cases (including the lady who gave me a thumbs up when she saw my sketch of "Perseus").

Which leads me to Part II of my Grande Tour, Florence, the city for the artist.

Florence, or Firenze

To my surprise, Florence ended up being the city where I felt the most connection to in Italy, mostly in terms of the art. After all, the city that gave birth to the Renaissance, to Michelangelo, Giotto, Raphael, Donatello, Leonardo Da Vinci is bound to be filled to the brim with art. And I was not disappointed. I had not thought that I would love it as much as I did, maybe because I had always been partial to Venice when studying art history (it's the gondolas). Yet, Florence exceeded my expectations and I attribute it mostly to the art, so excuse me while I gush about it.

The Piazza della Signatora - "On a central square, in a city made of statues and stories..."

My favorite place in the city ended up being the Loggia dei Lanzi, with its multitudes of original Baroque sculptures, all looking out at the Piazza della Signatora, the Palazzo Vechio (city hall and the original site of Michelangelo's "David"), and the Uffizi Gallery (the mecca of Italian Renaissance art and the site of Botticelli's "Birth of Venus"), I found myself screaming in excitement at seeing the Loggia for the first time. There was so much beauty and art to entertain in such a small area, it was almost overwhelming. There was nothing I wanted to do more than to take out my sketchbook, to pretend that I was an art student of the 19th century, going to Italy to learn about art, to live in it and breathe it.

My rendition of Michelangelo's "David," located in the Academia, and standing at 16 ft tall (in actuality, for the most perfect human being, his head and hands are too big for his body and his arms too long).

Being able to draw in the Loggia, standing in the Florentine sunlight, feeling the wind rustle against my skin and the sounds of the Piazza, there was nowhere else I wanted to be at that moment. As I was standing there, drawing my version of the "David," (ironically located at the Academia, in an obscure sidestreet) not caring about the people walking past me and what they thought, I realized that I had never felt at one with myself and centered in my element. It was a peaceful feeling, almost as if nothing existed except me and the paper. You know you’re an artist when you are looking at a person and instead of seeing them as they appear to be (or even hearing them), you see the shadows on their face and the color gradations in their skin. I think I may finally be getting to that point…and I like it.

Not to mention that as I was drawing in the Loggia ("Perseus"), the woman next to me looked at the statue, my sketch, and gave me a curt nod. How is that for validation?

The view of the Uffizi Gallery from across the river

The artistic mood was also helped since the days in Florence were the most beautiful in terms of the time spent in Italy. The sun shone clear and warm, amidst a light breeze, and for one brief moment, I felt as if I was back home in California, basking in the winter light. The first day we climbed to the Piazza Michelangelo (which functions as a car park on the way out of Florence, with a copy of David in the middle) and treated with a breathtaking view of the sunset over the city, along with a panoramic sight of Tuscany's rolling hills.

The view from the Palazzo Michelangelo..."Like a beacon coming out of the dark"

If you want to save money at the Duomo (aka, the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, which also offers a wonderful view of the city) but still want a delightful view of Florence, the Piazza Michelangelo is the place to go (though the Duomo is still a beautiful cathedral to visit). It is no wonder that so much inspiration for art, culture, and philosophy came from such a city. Looking at Firenze at dusk, bathed in golden light underneath an overhang of lavender and orange clouds, the air was full of poetry and possibilities.

The ceiling of the Santa Maria del Fiore, which is commonly known as the Duomo

The time spent in Florence seemed to be filled to the brim with looking at art, admiring art, or walking along to find more art to admire. For the art historian in me, Florence equaled Paris in its artistic splendor with the main difference being the lack of large car-filled boulevards and crepes. No matter, I had gelato and the Masters to keep me company. Not to mention that I also had sticker shock since Florence seemed inexpensive in comparison to non-budget friendly Venice. I now have another favorite city in the world, one where I cannot wait to someday return and fully study and fully render on paper.

"Now I see it...the light in the piazza"

Tips:

• Florence is the place for cheap souvenirs, especially leather goods, silk and cashmere scarves, and ties (all for under 20 euros, you can easily find silk scarves here for 5 euros). Look for the open stands near the Medici chapel.
  
• A number of museums and churches, such as the Uffizi Gallery, Academia, and the Medici tombs, do not let you take photographs. The solution, just enjoy what you are looking at and make a note to look it up on Wiki later.
• To save money on lunches, go to a snack bar (they have them all around Italy though Florence tended to be the cheapest in my opinion) and get a slice of pizza to go. For 5 euros at the most, you get a gargantuan, wonderfully oily piece of pizza that you can carry with you as you stoll along the piazza.
• Unless you want to wait an hour or two for the Uffizi Gallery (which houses the most impressive collection of Italian Renaissance art in Europe), reserve a ticket in advance. It's only 4 euros more and you save a large amount of time, which can later be spent exploring the city.
• "prego" is a multipurpose word, used for "you welcome," "please," "thanks" and many other fun options. When in doubt as to how to respond to an Italian statement, just say "Prego!"
  

Florence: the photo album

Of Romance and Venice

I am back at Warwick after 12 emotional yet wonderful days in Italy. Though I had come back at 3:30AM, I didn't go to sleep until 4:30, fearing that I might wake up and find the past days to be a dream. Next to France, Italy has been the second place that I had always dreamed of visiting. To take the Grande Tour like so many master artists and philosophers of old and to walk among Roman ruins and statues...that's amore, as they say.

And the verdict for Italy: it's a quilt. Each city we visited was its own separate entity, with different auras, flavors, and beauty.

Let us begin in Venice, the city for the dreamers at heart.


Venice, or Venezia

It began like any other day in which I had essays due: I only had four hours of sleep and was running around like a madwoman in the morning trying to edit my essay, print it out, and turn it in on time, MLA format and all. To add to that stress, I had no access to my bank account at all since my bank canceled my debit card (thus, I was penniless, literally).

It was times such as that which made you appreciate the little things in life, such as:

• Complimentary sandwiches and drinks (including alcohol) on a 1.5 hour flight
• A really nice hotel room for 16 per person per night with 4 beds, two TV's, clean towels, a hairdryer, and a toilet which shoots water up your butt.
• A gelato cone for only 1.20 for a scoop (the cheapest it was ever going to be in Italy).
• Comfortable shoes because due to the fact that there is no public transportation along the small streets of Venice, you are walking A LOT. Sadly for me, I decided to test out my tennis shoes at the wrong time.
• Wonderful friends who will not bash an eyelash at paying for your dinner, bus ticket, and toothbrush at a time when you are completely destitute and kind of pathetic due to the fact that your bank (damn you Bank of America) decides to cancel your ATM card (on issues of identity theft, they said, and not even e-mailing you to tell you they did that) and thus, you are left in Italy with absolutely no money and need to have your parents send your new ATM card to you, which will take a week and a half. But, in short, I love you guys!

We arrived into the city at night and thus, were treated to sights such as this:



"This is way better than the version at Vegas" - me after seeing real Venetian canals

Built upon 118 islands and known for its iconic canals, Venice has always been associated with romance and Italian music (usually sung by the men rowing the gondolas). The reality of it was not too far from the fantasy. The city itself oozed mystery, exemplified by the fact that the street was impossible to navigate.

The main reason to go to Venice is to just walking along the small street and see what new treasures await you on every corner. There are the main sights such as the Doge's (the mayor of Venice) palace, St. Mark's Basilica, and the Rialto, but more importantly is walking on the street, having a gelato, and enjoying the aura of the city. You do not (and cannot) rush in Venice, the streets themselves make it impossible to do so. They say even the natives of Venice get lost (exemplified when I was trying to find a Western Union office and the man giving me directions had to pull out a map and directory - that had yellowing pages signifying that it was probably at a couple of years old - to see himself).

"Let's get lost..."

I had always dreamed of going to Venice, something that spawned from when I first visited the Venetian hotel in Las Vegas when I was 14. Though it was a disturbingly commercial way to be introduced to such an iconic and usual city, it inspired me to want to visit the place someday, something that grew when I learned that Venice was home of artists such as Titian and Bellini.

Even though I was awe-inspired upon glimpsing the main city for the first time with its extravagant bridges and the stairways and doors leading straight into water, the feeling quickly dissipated after I realized that even though the city was beautiful, it also suffered from commercialization and excess of tourism. Fish-smelling canals and over-priced gondola rides (80 euros! So much for that dream) aside, there did not seem to be anything real and authentically Italian about the city. Not once there did I see any Italian going home or from work, or carrying briefcases even.

St. Mark's Basilica, a primary and awe-inspiring example of vibrant and colorful Byzantine architecture.

Even when we wandered away from Saint Mark’s square, away from what we thought were touristy areas and into the more secluded piazzas, side streets, back alleys, the postcard stands with their knick-knacks of mask-shaped jewelry boxes and lace fans were still prevalent. There were still the same mask stores, murano glass jewelry, leather purses that repeated themselves. It was as if the whole city was a tourist zone, I did not see anyone looking as if they were going to work or going home. There was only hotels and the calls of “gondola!”

The front of a mask shop, they were everywhere!

Though I must say, the gelato was fantastic and definitely one of the cheapest I have seen yet in Italy (though it was the only thing cheap, the food was exorbitantly expensive). The rule of thumb for good gelato, go to the place that sells it exclusively. There are “snack bars” which sells the tasty treat along with calzone and pizzas but they are not as good. Though in comparison to American gelato, even the snack bar gelato tastes like heaven (as exemplified by Allison's very enthusiastic "MMMMmmmm!" upon tasting her first bite). There was an amazing gelato shop we consistently went to while we were there which only sold 10 flavors but who were very generous in their portions, creamy in the gelato consistency, and located relatively near Saint Mark’s Square.

Though Brendan might just kill me for writing negatively about one of his favorite cities in the world, when you are looking for authenticity and all you get is commercialization, then the point of traveling is lost. Suddenly, the Venetian Hotel in Vegas no longer seems as inaccurate. Despite that, there is still something about walking along the Rialto bridge and looking at the gondolas on the water that just causes you to sigh in romance.

Come in, the water's fine...

Tips:

• Beware of Venice during high tourist season, the streets are very narrow which render it unfavorable to crowds. Just walking down the streets near Saint Mark's square, which were only half filled with people due to the winter cold was still a slow experience. I shudder to imagine it during the summer.
• For cheap hotels, stay in Lido, which is the next largest island in Venice and right next to the main island. There are less people, it's quieter, and you are a short walk away from the beach leading to the waters of the Adriatic. The hotel we stayed at was right on the waterfront and only 16 euros a night per person.
  
• Beware of the pigeons in Saint Marc's square, they fly in droves.
  
• The best way to travel around Venice from island to island (or even from one end of the island to another) is via waterbus (called a vaporetto). If you want a cheap ride down the Grand Canal and do not want to pay for a gondola, the waterbus is the best bargain and you get to meet some interesting people along the way.
• "Ciao" = the Italian version of "aloha" in that it means both hello and goodbye

Venice: the photo album