This was my first trip to Europe and Italy turned out to be a very good option to go.
The land of Renaissance, masterpieces such as Michelangelo’s "David" and Brunelleschi's Duomo; Venice, the city of canals; and Milan, Italy’s fashion capital.
Pretty much everything you would expect from an European country and much more.
We arrive at the airport in Rome, after our immigration formalities we were set to go for lunch, we had already searched for an India Restaurant, the one with good reviews and on our way to the hotel was 'Gandhi' the Restaurant was in Roma Ostiense : The food was good and so was the service, run by indians so you can easily communicate with them in Hindi as well.
Next we set out to go to our Hotel that was Sheraton, the hotel was good with good food, rooms and whatever you would expect for a 4star hotel.
Next after checking in and settling in we decided to go the Piazza Navona which was this place that you walk up to from those typical stone streets with the very feel of entering the rennaissance era, as soon as you reach there you can see 3 beautiful fountain in a row with the main being in the center. The place was crowded with tourist and locals alike, restaurants on the sides offering a view and experience like none, candle light dinner in the out under the night sky and fountains on one side and amazing cuisines to offer, a perfect way to spend time with some one special. There were other stores and candy shops as well.
After spending some time there we come back to our hotel and take the much neede rest for the day ahead.
The previous evening was just a glimpse of what the city of Fountain had to offer.
We started the day with excitement for the day planned ahead.
The first stop was the Colosseum, the pictures can't do the justice the architecture deserves, the structure has been there for more than 2000 years and continue to stand tall. The size and the sheer scale of the monument was breathtaking, flooded with people from all walks of life be it children on a school trip or tourist or locals.
The best part about Rome is that everything is close by especially the monuments, and since you have to walk pretty much everywhere you tend to take in every sight that the way has to offer from the ruins of once what used to be a part of palace or public baths which the Romans were famous for. Just a few minutes away was the parliament of the country, again the monument amd the government building dwarf others by the sheer size of them.
Next stop: Spanish Steps, a small road with luxury brands and galleto and pizza place on the both sides of the road that lead to a small fountain at the foot of the Spanish Steps that further lead to a Church. The steps have few platforms on the way where you can stop and admire the view that they have to offer of the City.
And from there we decided to stop for lunch at 'Bombay Blue' which was just a few minutes walk from there. One of the best Indian food I had the entire trip
After the lunch we decided to go for Piazza Venezia the world famous fountain not only os it world famous but the largest of them all, the size, sculpture/workmanship of the fountain was something I could not describe with words alone.
It was evening by the time we decided to leave, after a tiring day of walk through the city that reveled a something new yet very old every step of the way we headed back to the hotel.
Well Rome is not just history and sightseeing, it has a vivid nightlife to offer for the ones looking for a good time clubs like Qube , la cabala, Goa are one of the best and you can always ask the locals for the current best. You can expect to meet new people there and make some good friends for the coming days as a lot of tourist from all parts of world come there and are looking for a good time, sadly we didn't have much days in Rome.
This day was for Vatican City. The city of the Pope.
Few Fun Facts about the city told to us by the guide
1: Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is one-eighth the size of New York’s Central Park.
2: St. Peter’s Basilica sits atop a city of the dead, including its namesake’s tomb.When a great fire leveled much of Rome in A.D. 64, Emperor Nero, seeking to shift blame from himself, accused the Christians of starting the blaze. He executed them by burning them at the stake, tearing them apart with wild beasts and crucifying them. Among those crucified was St. Peter—disciple of Jesus Christ, leader of the Apostles and the first bishop of Rome—who was supposedly buried in a shallow grave on Vatican Hill.
3: The Swiss Guard, recognizable by its armor and colorful Renaissance-era uniforms, has been protecting the pontiff since 1506
4: If you stand in the middle of the St Peter's Square the row of 3 pillar seem to be just one pillar because of the symmetry.
We didn't get to see the whole city but saw the major parts of it like
St Peter’s Square- We first thought that it was just a place we have to wait in line in order to access the Basilica, but it is actually a piece of art in its own right. Designed and built by Bernini between 1656 and 1667. It has Angel sculpture on top of every pillar.
St Peter’s Basilica-This wonderful basilica was assembled throughout several centuries and is the result of the efforts of several important figures in art and architecture. It is one of the largest churches in the world – so much so that it dwarfs a lot of churches I have been to.
The basilica is the epitome of craftsmanship and art, sculptures and paintings from the likes of Michelangelo, Antonio Canova, Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
After spending the afternoon and some more time in Vatican city and being mesmerized by the architecture and art in it we decided to leave for a late lunch in Rome. We left the city at around 3 p.m, we decided to go to a restaurant named Krishna 13, had our lunch there, tge restaurant was in a market with electronics, liquor, clothes, Hemp and smoking stores etc.
We spend some time there and then decided to spend the evening relaxing in the hotel.
This day was dedicated to shopping and trying few local cuisine like Morocco nuts, local pizza and some gelato and rome around the area of Piazza Navona and Venezia.
Good place to shop for - Europa 2 mall and
Castel Romano(factory outlet) although Castel is a bit far from the city but is worth it if you plan on shopping for loved ones back at home.
We leave early for Padova by train as it takes less time than road, it took is roughly 3 hrs from rome to Padova.
For those of you who haven't heard of the city, the city is the place of Romeo and Juliet and a lot more with it. It has its own Colosseum which is not as big as the one in rome but still big enough. The city again doesn't fall short of the Renaissance feel, the architecture and the art.
We reached the city at around 3, checked in our hotel and then left to visit the market and Juliet's balcony.
since it's an ancient/heritage city no outside or public transport is allowed so it took us rest of the day to visit the balcony and the market. We had our dinner at our hotel and were excited for the next day.
The Europe trip was coming to an end as this was the last day of the trip but don't get sad as we saved the desert for the last😊.
This day was for Venice. Yes the city that floats on water.
Venice is 1.5 hrs from Padova, one can take taxi to the ferry point and then from there a ferry will take you to Venice, the ferry ride is amazing in itself.
The city needs no introduction as I am sure you must have seen James Bond Casino Royal, Johnny Depp and Angelina's The Tourist or a number of movies shot there.
It was exactly what I expected it to be and much more.
We arrived at the port, it was near the palace, Venice square, the place with the tall clock tower and a church.
Venice is a complete city with its own residents, hotels, airbnb, market with one of the most luxurious brands one can imagine. Likes of multi millionaires, celebrities and billionaires own flats and building there.
The Royal palace and the Prison next to it that was connected with a bridge.
The palace was re constructed where they made it bigger engulfing the previous structure, it does retain the original walls at the ground floor.
World famous Murano Glass factory,
Murano Glass is the most expensive glass in the world, usually generation after generation work there, craftsmen usually have experience ranging from 10-30 years.
They also make artwork with fusion of gold amd glass, which is very rare and by the sound of it very experience.
We had the opportunity to get a tour of the factory where the have a presentation in which a Master craftsmen creates a Ferrari horse, vase etc in a matter of minutes, its like watching art happen right in front of your eyes.
Since we were in Venice we had to go for Gondola i.e the boat taxi that gives us a small tour of the canal and the bridge that crossover.
We had our lunch in the city next to the port with light cool wind blowing on our face and water on the other side. Then left for Padova for dinner and to rest for the journey back to home.
We head to the airport after breakfast. We had our connecting flight from Padova to Rome to Delhi.