Fun facts about Italy.

Italy. sounds like an awesome country to visit eh? haha...unless you're ready to let me shatter your imagination on such a wonderful country, then don't read this post. :D hehehe...:) but if you're really into getting to know Italy, then read on. :)

before i proceed, i want you to know that there were only 4 cities that i went (NO VENICE and MILAN, PEOPLE...i know..i know...it's like the must-visit cities...) which were Pisa, Florence, Siena and Rome. :) It was a 6 day trip for the Three musketeers. :) (if you see the photos in my FB account, then you'll know why)

ok. here goes.

1. Pisa is all about the Leaning Tower. seriously. it's a small city and that's the main and only attraction. But, you can rent a bicycle or rickshaw for 5 euros, 40 minutes ride around the city. It's a bit of exercise and saves a lot of time if you're just there for one day. :)

2. Florence. yes, you know that Florence is the city which the Renaissance began. But, I found it a little bit disappointing because in my mind (after studying a lengthy period of class just on renaissance) i had always imagined the grandeur of everything. Dude, it's THE RENAISSANCE we're talking about. but in the end, my disillusionment was broken. Yes. The city's beautiful. but it wasn't maintained well enough to glorify its renaissance heritage. the Duomo (a huge Cathedral really..) is obviously old and grand, but yeah. that's pretty much it because the buildings surrounding the Duomo are not that pretty. HOWEVER, if you wanna shop, people, don't shop in Rome or anywhere else. the good leather stuff and low price souvenirs are mostly in Florence. :)

3. Siena? A local town. really small but grand on its own. It seems a little bit calmer because not many tourists stop in this city and that's why I love it. it's like mingling in a local place where we get to see an actual Italian culture and not some tourism facade. :) So, if you want a quick runaway from all the touristy cities, siena is a must go place. :)

4. Unless you really like old ancient ruins of buildings and remnants of a 2000 year old city and have a general idea of how awesome Ancient Roman was, then Rome is the place for you to go. true, it's the capital city of Italy but it's soooooo touristy in front of the Furro Romano (Fort Romano) or even the Colosseum that you just get annoyed with all the people trying to relive the Ancient Roman's grandeur in plastic costumes of Trojans and soldiers...Plus, it's pretty much expensive to get into the Colosseum (10 euros) and a few other places. One advice, go in if you really are enthusiastic to see the buildings, if not, keep your money and spend it on gellato instead. :)

5. Most European maps may seem big on paper but actually the places are pretty much in walking distance. Like the time when we went to the Vatican City, we had to take a tube (wait..tube is for the Brits...Italian call theirs metro...) because we didn't wanna lose our reserved tickets to get into the Vatican museum. other than that, don't use money on public transportation over there. have a walk around. it feels much more refreshing that way (though at the end of the day you'll sleep like a log.)

6. You don't have to worry about time in rome because almost every inch of the city, there will be a clock stand showing you the time. :)

7. The Italians drive on the right hand side like the Americans. but trust me, their driving style? just like malaysians, baby! :)

8. For photography freaks like me, Italy's like a heaven with all its vintage classical grandeur of the past. Vespas on the road, graffiti on the walls and the oldness of everything can make one feel like opening a gallery just to display monochrome pictures. :)

9. FOOD. basically, it's just pizza and panini. but one thing you must know is that Nutella Crepes is the most heavenly food ever and Gellato (a type of European ice cream...like seriously dense and intense ice creamm..haha...)is plain awesome in many flavors!!!! HAHA...

10. if you have a tiny bladder like me, it's kinda hard to find public toilets in Italy. :( either you have to pay 50 cents to get in or you have to queue a long line near the Colosseum, toilets are pretty hard to find. really. and it really annoyed my two other friends because i kinda needed to use the toilet quite a few times. :D hahaha...

11. don't allow yourself to be deceived by the fountain in the When in Rome movie (the actor's Josh Duhamel and the girl from I Love Beth Cooper). it doesn't exist. we tried to find it, just for the fun of being on a movie setting. but when we asked the tourist info counter, we just got weird looks. :D this is how Hollywood succeeds in making us believe the existence of such fountain. =.="

12. Unlike Paris, where romance is sooooo overrated at the Eiffel Tower (i've been there..paris was a disappointment...it's just a city with really good photoshopped pictures..), romance in Rome is awesome!! just go to one of the plazas (a square full of fountains and people hanging around) and there will be really talented street artists. I met this guy called Claudio Spadi and he looked and sounded like Chad Kruger (Nickelback's vocalist). You can even request songs to be played, dance to the songs or just sit there and watch people. :)

So people, how's Italy? :)