Today's post is brought to you by the letter S

S is for Saturday, Sorrento and SUN!!!

Good morning sunshine! Let's hope you last all day long. I took the scenic route to Sorrento's port, which took me just under an hour to walk, along the mediterranean at times. It was beautiful and i arrived just in time to catch the 11:45 ferry to la Isola di Capri!

What a gorgeous day, and the view from the base of the island is magnificent, so many things to take in. The lemon groves, the villas, the funicular and windy streets. Unfortunately, the funicular that transports one up to the top of Capri does not operate in the off season, but that's ok, i was planning on walking up (and then rewarding myself with some much deserved pasta!!) It is a hike, but i recommend it (otherwise there is a bus that will take you for 1.40 euros). Once at the top, the "centro" is comprised of two restaurants (it is the off season) that are packed with tourists. I decide to take a look down some of the side streets in hopes of a smaller, quieter cafe in which to accept my prized pasta. I think i could have walked all the way to Anacapri (the other side of the island) and still not have found a one.

I opted to take the bus to Anacapri, in hopes of going to the famed Blue Grotto before attempting to find another place to eat my meal. Closed. High tide. Bright side: found a 3rd restaurant in which i was able to sit on the patio and partake in a caprese salad and pasta di caprese....when in Caprese, right?


Listening: Excuses - The Morning Benders
Drinking: A wine that starts with S to be sure

Buon compleanno a ME!

Yay it's Birthday! Yay french toast! Yay Verona!




What a lovely way to start the day, waking up late and lazily enjoying home made french toast and then setting off for the fair city of Verona. As soon as you turn the corner and view La Porta Nueva di Verona, you can see why Shakespeare chose to write about this beautiful little city. I'm sure many things have changed, but some things are still standing. There is a castle and moat; a smaller version if the colosseum (which still holds concerts!) ans so many intricate little streets to lose oneself.



The sole purpose of today's trip was to visit the Juliet's "balcony" - which i belive was constructed for the purpose of tourism in 1936. However, there really were two families by the names of Capulets (Capello/Capuleti) and Montagues (Montecchi), however neither of them had children named Romeo and Juliet. The house that resides on Via Capello is indeed the family residence and now has a balcony and statue in Juliet's honour. Also, there is the Club of Juliet, made famous by the film, Letter's to Juliet. This club was founded in 1972 and began answering letters that had been written to Juliet and left near the house. It is not as romantic as the film, there is no stone wall with letters place into tiny crevases, but simply you can leave your letter on the writing table inside the house (6 euros entry to the house) or actually walk up to the Club's 2nd level office and place it in a little post box. I opted for the latter, and glad i did. I was able to meet on of Juliet's "secretaries".




A very short distance from the house is located a beautiful square, Piazza delle Erbe, with a small market of venetian masks and other wares. It was starting to rain (again) so we walked back to the train station and onwards to Bologna and my birthday bash at Cafe Paris!

more pics to come

Monday is for Modena, ParMa and Milano



You think i would learn. Especially after yesterday. My alarm didn't go off, so i had a late start on Monday but off i went to Modena (yum balsalmic vinegar!). By the time i walked into the center of town, and found the tourist bureau for a map, the one thing i wanted to see, Borso d'este's Bible - believed to be the most decorated book in the world- at the Biblioteca Estence, was closed. The Duomo, a 12th century UNESCO world heritage site, was covered for restoration. Monday bloody Monday



Off to Parma! Parmasian cheese! Parma-ham! Parma's Duomo has some frescoes by Correggio that i wanted to see. Silly me, it's siesta time and everything is closed for the next 2 hours. Perfect. If i wasn't meeting Maxime in Milan for our V-day dinner, i might have stayed, but i think i finally learned. It just wasn't meant to be today, give into it already and just go to Milan.



The Duomo in Milan is one of the largest Gothic Cathedrals ever built. To the left of the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. A glass domed gallery filled with restaurants, cafes, and high-end shopping. The designer of the dome, Giuseppe Mengoni, fell from the roof just days before completion in 1877.




Dinner was my first taste of pizza! It was great, i chose the parma-ham ('tis the region) and fungi which was really good. Can't wait to taste some more!






Listening to: Next Girl - The Black Keys
Drinking:Water
Reading: Italian at a Glance

PISA et environs

Sunday is for sighseeing.
Sunday is for rain and cloudy weather.
Sunday is the worst day ever.

I need to stick to my instincts more. Do you ever ignore the signs and just keep forging ahead, and in the end it's a terrible outcome, and you knew you should have known better? I ignored four. Possibly more.

#1. As I walk toward the stazione centrale, i see a sign (a literal one) that is pointing left to the station. I pause, reflect, well if it's posted it must be right, no? NO. Just took an extra trip around the block - which made me miss the train i originally wanted to take (#2) and so now the next train, leaving soon thankfully, is unfortunately more expensive.

#3. The train i'm on, posts a delay; 30mins, look again, 60 mins....(and now there is a funny scene of a very angry Italian woman with no patience who wants off to catch the other train, which is leaving in less then 5 mins. However, the train official on board is unable to open the doors - they lock them once the train is to leave. I follow suit, along with another gentleman. I speak English - he speaks English and German - and our triumphant anger ball speaks German and Italian. Priceless. Finally, we get off and rush for the other train, regarless that our ticket is not valid for it nor do we have seats....once we're on, doors are locked, right? So what can they do? )



#4. When i arrive in Florence to transfer trains to Pisa, it is raining. Pouring with rain. Do you bring an umbrella when you travel? One should never ignore the signs to a bad start - or at least try to realize that they are indeed signs.



Once i arrive in Pisa, the rain is just dropping like kiddy pools of water crashing down. Thankfully there are these super annoying gents selling umbrellas to the folks who don't check the weather repotrs- moi (in my defense, even when i do check, it never seems to be right). I haggle with him, and find the information centre, where the clerk is super helpful, not only with directions to the leaning tower, but also with finding information on how to get to Vinci.



I continue on my path towards the leaning tower (maybe a 20min walk from the train station). It is Sunday, so most shops are all closed up, and in smaller towns, not a lot of restaurants or cafes are open either. Right at the bridge there is a market with vendors of olives, nuts, cheese, which i partake in a few samples.




The first sight of the tower, i am struck by how white it really is (the due torri in Bologna are nothing to look at really except that they are extremely high). It is highly decorated and expertly sculpted. From far away it really does look like it's toppling over almost. However once you are closer, it doesn't seem to lean quite as much as one would have thought - all about perspective. I get my picture ( i look like a giant climbing the tower and about to squash all the little tourists) and get out of Pisa- it's cold, my feet are soaked (i did not bring rain boots) and i want to go to Vinci. The gentleman from information centre has informedfound out for me that there is a bus from Empoli (Pisa - Empoli by train) that will take me to Vinci at 14:45, however there is only one returning at 19:45. Perfect, i'm sure there are other things to see in the town apart from the museum dedicated to Leonardo da Vinci (da where do you think he was from?). I was wrong. There is nothing else to do in this tiny, tiny, tiny hill top town. (#5?)




The small town of Vinci has a castle and church built up on high, and this is where Il Museo Leonardiano di Vinci is situated. For 6 euros, you can meander through the main floor of the museum, and also trek through the castle to view other works based upon the drawings of da Vinci from his Codex Atlanticus ( a very large book (there are 12 volumes) of all his drawings and thoughts, which is house in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan).



I still have 3hrs to kill before the bus comes round again. I get the brillian idea that i can walk it back to Empoli. I am an idiot. It is still raining, and halfway there, it gets dark ( i didn't think this through odviously) so i wait; in the dark, in the rain, on the side of the road (that has no shoulder) for 2hrs at the bus stop, jumping into the bush to avoid the crazy speeding cars, and finally, finally 19:55 rolls around and the blue light of the bus comes into view. I am an idot. (#6?)

You think i would learn.



Listening to: Under Pressure - David Bowie ft. Queen
Drinking: Blackcurrant, Vanilla & Ginseng -Twinnings
Reading: Pompeii walking tour

O sole mio.....

Buon Giornio d'Italia! Off on another adventure, it's been awhile. I think maybe after seeing the film Roman Holiday (my first Audrey Hepburn film {and hers too}). I've always wanted to visit Rome, place my hand in the Mouth of Truth, ride a vespa while holding onto a handsome stranger, and eat some gelato on the Spanish steps (and how i will!) Maybe it was the romance and innocence of the film, of the character Princess Ann, but it seemed like such a magical place. Fast forward to university, where I studied Art History and Photography. Now Italy, the whole of the country not just Rome, turned into my Mecca - my place of worship. There is so much history, art and culture squished into this little boot (not to mention the great boots here too!) I like to go away for my birthday, it's my little gift to myself. Dubai, Shanghai, and now Bologna! hahaha It's a start. I have a friend, Maxime Richard, who is doing his Masters in Bologna. Did you know that the University of Bologna was the first university established?



I arrived in Bologna on a beautiful sunny warm afternoon - remember i was coming from Toronto, Canada and a bit over dressed for such weather. I was lucky to have 3 seats to myself onboard the Air Canada flight to Frankfurt, however i was so engrossed with Lisbeth Salander and her final kick that i did not take advantage of my space, and barely slept by the time i landed at 7:20am and had a 5hr wait until my connecting flight to Bologna at 12:35 - but i got on, and for someone who travels standby, that's all that really matters. Got the shuttle bus from the airport to the central station, where my friend lives nearby at Piazza dei Martiri. Maxime also had another friend, Andrew Thompson, visiting from the UK. He was in town for a job fair/recruitment, but had taken the day off to enjoy the city and the weather (i soon found out that the sun is rare, rain, rain, rain is more of the daily variety).



We had a great first day, went for drinks and pasta - tagliatelle bolognese: the sauce is so light, it just coats the pasta - bellissimo! Then we went to an aperitivo. I love this concept, and it happens in every little bar/lounge here. Between the hours of 6-8, every bar sets up a buffet of snacks that are all free for the patrons of the establishment (of course they assume you'll drink, and drink more because you have some food). It's wonderful! The bite size snacks range from little samples of pasta, cous-cous, mozarella wrapped prochuto, chicken curry, fries, chips, crudite and dip....it's always good, and each place is different.




Saturday was another beautiful day, i was really beginning to like this place! Maxime wasn't feeling well, so i left him in bed and went walking around his town. Bologna isn't a terribly large city, so it's pretty easy to orient yourself, and cover the city in an hour or two. Piazza dei Martiri is about a 10min walk from Piazza Maggiore, which is the centre of town, where the Fountain of Neptune stands, and the city's Duomo, which is under construction. I love how they've undertaken construction of the historical sites. Instead of simply covering the buildings, the cover shows the facade of the edifice that you are wanting to see. It's the Italian off season, so they try to do as much restoration as they can under cover for the throngs of tourist that will pour into every city come June. It's quite a neat little idea, albeit not as good as seeing the actual structure itself, but at least one is able to see what it should look like (the UNESCO world heritage site of the Duomo in Modena was also covered for restoration).



North of the Piazza, is Via Clavature, which is a series of small streets spinkled with markets (fruit, fish, meat, cheese, flowers) and cafes. Even hidden in one of these little side streets is a great bar, Nu Lounge. On the corner of Via Ugo Bassi and the Piazza one can find some roasted chestnuts (it's my new snack of choice - so yummy!)





Continue walking north on Via Ugo Bassi and you reach the Due Torri (the Two Towers), one of which is leaning - it seems to have been perpetual problem with the construction of towers in this country at one point in time. It's not as ornate as Pisa, but they are a lot higher. It cost 3 euros to climb the tower (Torre Asinelli), and probably more then 15mins to make it to the top (everytime you think you've reached the final plateau, there's more). The views of the city are pretty spectacular.



To the left of the two towers is Via Zamboni which is where the main campus of the university is located, as well as Piazza Rossini, Piazza Verdi (where the Teatro is situated) and el museo di Palazzo Poggi (Via Zamboni 33) where there is a frescoe painted by Tibaldi. It is said that he was influence by Michelangelo, and so when historians begin restoration on the colours of the Sistine chapel, they use the colours in Tibaldi's frescoe to match. Little bit of trivia for ya.




Listening: Rolling in the Deep - Adele
Drinking: Beauty Green - Stegrate Green Tea
Reading: The End of the Road - John Barth