Italy

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Postby My Kitten » Mon Nov 27, 2006 2:12 pm

Can you fit me in your suitcase?
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Postby Toby Dammit » Mon Nov 27, 2006 3:16 pm

Bellissima! To be fair to poor old Pisa, the Catherdal interiors and exteriors are stunning and chocked with detail, and it's Baptistry is one of my fave buildings on the planet. It looks as though it's sprouted from the ground rather than been built by men. However, if you are going to Sienna and Florence too, you'll be in danger of getting Stendhal Syndrome as it is. Always a hazzard in Italy, I'm glad to say. If you are in Tuscany and nearby, the bizarre San Gimignano is worth a look, like a mini-Manhatten with it's crazy collection of towers it can be seen from miles around... an entier town struck by "mine's bigger than yours!" madness.
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Postby crusty_bint » Mon Nov 27, 2006 5:33 pm

I've always wanted to see San Gimignano! Saw a documentay about it years ago wher it done a VR recreation of what the town looked like at the height (no pun intended) of this campanile building mania. Sadly somewhat of a shadow of its former self with only a dozen or so of these towers still standing of the original 70 odd towers... all perched on this hill... in the middle of nowhere.

Got to love the Italians :)

Was in Rome in December last year on a "feet-finding mission", as in finding my feet for my next trip! Was fukkin baltic but still well worth it, the colosseum was a wee bit of a let down as was the general shabby appearance to a lot of the city but I can't hold it against it. The rest more than makes up for it. Didn't think it was too pricey either, cheaper than Paris certainly. All in all a braw city break!
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Postby cheesemonster » Mon Nov 27, 2006 8:30 pm

My Kitten wrote:Can you fit me in your suitcase?

Nae bother, i'll bring the large one just for you 8)
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Postby HollowHorn » Mon Nov 27, 2006 10:17 pm

gap74 wrote:Image
The Colosseum - don't think I'd been prepared for just quite how ruinous it was inside!
Gary

Were you not also surprised at how small it is?


Curtsy wrote:I've always wanted to see San Gimignano

Too late, Crusty, he was murdered in '75.
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Postby smartie » Wed Nov 29, 2006 2:50 pm

Pompeii looks amazing, I was there when i was a lot younger and didn't really appreciate the place, must go back some time before vesuvius blows her top again !!!
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Postby crusty_bint » Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:25 pm

HollowHorn wrote:
gap74 wrote:Image
The Colosseum - don't think I'd been prepared for just quite how ruinous it was inside!
Gary

Were you not also surprised at how small it is?


Curtsy wrote:I've always wanted to see San Gimignano

Too late, Crusty, he was murdered in '75.


I was almost shocked to see how small it is from the inside but i was prepared for the ruinous state - seen many documentays describing how a lot of damage was done when the floor was excavated in fairly recent times 9maybe a century or two ago), the exterior doesn't fail to impress though! Less impressive are the sleazy guys dressed in Roman military garb that cut about feeling lassies arses wen they want thier foto taken with them... never felt my arse... the bastards ::):
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Postby woodie20 » Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:07 pm

NOOO! you HAVE to go to florence, its by far one of the best cities in Italy, brunellechi's dome is a must see and the views from the tower are amazing!!!
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Postby HollowHorn » Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:35 pm

crusty_bint wrote:never felt my arse... the bastards ::):

Image
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Postby cheesemonster » Fri Dec 01, 2006 12:14 am

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Postby cheesemonster » Wed Feb 14, 2007 11:26 am

Well, i didn't get to visit as many places as i wanted to, due to my travel companion pulling out and the possibility of problems with my wages...

So here, anyway for anyone interested are my best pics from Italy!

Rome:
http://flickr.com/photos/75397038@N00/s ... 534574691/

Orvieto:
http://flickr.com/photos/75397038@N00/s ... 534626207/

Civita Di Bagnoregio:
http://flickr.com/photos/75397038@N00/s ... 534654558/

Bomarzo:
http://flickr.com/photos/75397038@N00/s ... 534675932/
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Re: Italy

Postby Sharon » Thu May 14, 2009 9:27 am

Gap - that is a fab piece of travel writing!!!
I'm off to Rome on Saturday for a week, and wondered if anyone else had any must see hidden gems that I should be considering :)
Google street view has been a great resource for this, it means (should you be sad enough) that you can actually wander about and see the sites or find a bar or coffee shop near the hotel before even getting there - it has also prepared me for the shabbieness and the amount of graffiti.

Also meaning to include a day trip to pompeii

I can't wait... its the first time Ive taken a full week off work...since pretty much forever!!!

Oh, do the italians do decaff coffee!!?? And how do I ask for that? (on the off chance we have an italian speaker reading right now!!)
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Re: Italy

Postby Flex » Thu May 14, 2009 11:30 am

Oh, do the italians do decaff coffee!!?? And how do I ask for that? (on the off chance we have an italian speaker reading right now!!)[/quote]


Try "Un Caffe Hag". The only Italian I know seems to be about babies and coffee. Have fun.
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Re: Italy

Postby cheesemonster » Thu May 14, 2009 11:54 am

Go here!

Campo di Verano cemetery‎ is awesome too.

You should go to the Vatican/St.Peters and take a camera (I was advised by numerous people that photography was not allowed so I left my camera behind only to get there and find people happily snapping away!) The Sistine Chapel is a big disapointment though.

There are lots of cheap places to eat outside of the centre, or at least there was when I was there 2 years ago. An Italian friend directed me to a Thai restaurant near Termini that did lunch for only 4€!

A beer at the touristy spots (pantheon etc) was 7€ two years ago, so this is probably what...9€ now!? I would avoid. The pizza take-aways are awesome. Remember you pay by weight not size or toppings.

Take a day trip to Orvieto if you have time*, which is about an hour - 1hr30 train ride away depening on what train you get. The station is at the foot of the hill so hop on the Funicular to the old town. There is a "Hidden Orvieto" tour that takes you into the caves underneath the town. The cathedral is also lovely and was designed by the same guy who did the one in Florence.

*I spent a week in Rome and still didn't manage to see/do all that I intended and I saw loads!
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Re: Italy

Postby Sharon » Fri May 15, 2009 8:15 am

Cheers fr the tips guys :)

I know my list of "to dos" is too long for the week.... one thing i think is guaranteed, theres no chance of being bored!!!!
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