Italia!

So, after our disaster with the south of France, we headed to Italy. En route to Pisa we had a couple of hours in Ventimiglia, a beautiful quiet town on the seafront where we watched surfers and explored the market. 

Leaning Tower of Pisa

We arrived in Pisa at night, and Joe was the first to spot the Tower - it was surreal seeing it with your own eyes! Our hostel was right by the tower which was incredible, although the lack of a kitchen proved difficult. We shared a room with four other people - two of which were very grumpy and only cheered up after having sex - unfortunately for us we walked into the room as they were under the duvet, and it was pretty obvious what they'd been doing. Joe couldn't sleep due to 'snorey girl' - she was SO LOUD. 



During our day in Pisa we just wandered the streets, followed the river, and had a picnic lunch in our hostel. We also did our first hand-wash which was.. interesting. It took about 40 minutes, and nothing smelled particularly clean afterwards. After collecting some free tickets to explore the cathedral, we split up to have a photo competition - whoever could get the most 'leaning tourist' photos in ten minutes won.

Picnic Lunch in Pisa

When packing up to leave the hostel, my bag felt curiously light - and then Joe realised he'd left half my clothes outside drying still! We grabbed them and then got on the train to Rome.

Colosseum

Rome was.. Rome. It was much more 'London-y' than anywhere we'd been so far - a huge city with so many tourists. We stayed in one of the only hostels left and it was rather awful. The beds gave us bites, and it was like sleeping in a hospital ward. Also, there was no kitchen, so we had to eat a lot of microwaved rice. Yet again we had a rubbish experience with Mr & Mrs Faustus in our dorm, who hogged the one bathroom constantly. I must admit that I did get Rage.
We walked to the Spanish Steps where we met Immy & Ryan (two friends from college) who happened to be in Rome at the same time as us! We bought Colosseum passes cheaply and quickly at Palatino Hill, and then explored the Roman ruins. The colosseum was so impressive, and much more intact than I had thought it would be. We sneakily tagged onto a guided tour led by a man who reminded me of Spencer from Criminal Minds. Joe bought tea bags and I bought iced tea to cheer us up for the next two nights at the horrible hostel. 

Inside St Peters Basilica

The next day we got the metro to the Vatican and tried to get in. Unfortunately, the Pope gives his address on Wednesdays, so the place was a crammed madness. After at least two hours, we sardined our way through security and got in. It was worth the wait! Not only did we see the Pope himself (and the Popemobile), the St Peters Basilica was incredible. The Sistine Chapel etc cost 18 euros each to get into, so, being the poor people we are, we didn't do that. 

We wandered more streets, exploring Rome on foot, and then visited the Trevi Fountain, which is beautiful. It's a tradition to throw a coin in over your shoulder, and Joe and I did so, albeit with a 1cent coin each! 

Throwing a coin into Trevi Fountain

Naples was our next stop! In the Lonely Planet guidebook, Naples is described as 'raucous, hell-broth, dirty, loud, anarchic.." And all those things are true. People say you either love or hate Naples - also true. We both agreed that the only reason we'd really go back would be for the pizza. However, by the end of our stay there we had sort of grown attached to the place. There is nowhere quite like it - walking out in front of cars and expecting them to stop, clinging onto your bag because there literally are pickpockets everywhere. We even haggled the price of a bag down without meaning to. And the pizza. Oh, man. So cheap, and so good. We went to a place that had featured on Heston Blumenthal's programme, and it was delicious, and only cost about 15 euros! We also visited Egg Castle, which was really cool! I felt like I was in Fort Boyard.

Mount Vesuvius

We spent a day visiting Pompeii. No one tells you just how much there is to see there! Nothing is very well sign-posted, and there are loads of stray dogs - I really wanted to bring one home with me.

Caught in the rain!

VENICE was next. We stayed in Venice Mestre - outside the main part people think of as 'Venice' in a hotel (!) but still in a dorm- a three-bed dorm?! The best part about being in a hotel was that our beds were made for us, AND the free massive breakfast! Also, it was only a quick and cheap bus journey to get in and out of Venice itself! In Venice, we spent the day wandering the streets, eating ice cream and pizza, and taking lots of photos of canals and bridges. It is a lovely, serene place that you can get utterly lost in.

Beautiful Venice

On our last morning in Venice, we packed up ready to leave, then went down for breakfast. It got to the time when we needed to leave to catch our train, but we were both still munching away. Obviously given the choice between catching our train and eating more food.. we stayed to eat. Luckily we actually made the train anyway!

Things we learnt:
1. People have sex in dorm rooms, even if other people are in said dorm room.
2. If your bag feels unusually light, you've probably forgotten something.
3. Get Colosseum tickets at Palatino Hill to avoid the queues, and bring your passport if you're an EU resident to get a discount.
4. Don't visit the Vatican on a Wednesday.
5. Always take full advantage of the free breakfast.

That concludes Italy - the land of surprisingly polite people, cheap pizza, and an easy train reservation system. In my next post, I'll update on Slovenia and Croatia!