My Eastern holiday 3: Roma

On the morning of 21, I took the train to Rome, the big tourist city in many travel advertisement. For me, Rome is the stairs where Audrey Hepbum eats gelato, and the roman holiday in the black and white film. 

The first day when I arrived there, the Impression the city left me is crowded, noisy and numerous tourists. And it is also an open museum, you can see the historical building everywhere. The first place I went is Basilica di Sant Maria degli Angeli, which close to the Termini train station. Here Roma starts to show me her charming. In this basilica, there is a sundial from 1702, it shows how dedicated it is to measure the day in one year.

First impression about Rome

the door of Basilica is very impressive

Instruction of the sundial

Then along via nazionale, I came to Mercati Traianel and Fuori Imperiali.. The second impression about Rome is: she is a well preserved big ruin...

Mercati Traianel

Fuori Imperiali

In the following days, I walked a lot and got lost several times. Rome is a so big city compare with anther one in italy. And I went to Piazza Venezia, Piazza di Spagna, Fontana di Trevi, the places of interest you have to see. They are different from what I saw from the movie or magazine, one hundred people have hundred different feeling about these place, maybe that is why you have to come and correct the your impression in your mind. Even it is negative, but that is a unique feeling of you. 

my breakfast

in the open tour bus

in Fontana di Trevi, me and few people...

Piazza di Spagna

The third day started from queuing up in front of the colosseo.. The happy thing was, I met two girls who study in Spain and also come here for traveling. That is another happiness in a trip: meet new people, talk with them, enjoy time.:) And there are several exhibition about Nero, the cruelty emperor in ancient Rome. His reign witnessed a fire that destroyed half of Rome in 64 A.D. And interesting is the Burning disk software Nero is with a icon of the story. :)

inside colosseo, just awaken me and silent stones 

Nero

24 of April is la domenic di pasqua, there is a celebration in Piazza San Pietro in Vatican. Many people gathered here to here. And I saw the Pope! 

the power of religion

the poster in Piazza del Popolo

The 7 days trip ended in this sunny day. In the train back to Milan, I was terribly home sick: It was the time purposed to back home, but I was still in a trip, from one tourist city to the city I study,when I realized that, I was fulfilled with sadness..  

Anyway, This trip helped me to experience a lot. I had smile and tears, I learnt how to make decision by myself; how to deal with loneliness and enjoy the joyful moment; how to talk with different people... 

I have more freedom than I can imagine. I appreciate every minutes I have.

My Eastern holiday 2: Florence

When there is someone ask me where is my favorite place in this trip. I always answer: Florence. During 2 days visiting, this city left me deep impression about art and sight-seen. 

My days of Florence started from its market place, Mercato Centrale. Here they have numerous food, seasoning. Outside the market, the street vendors cover all the street, souvenirs, clothes, accessories... anything you can imagine that you can find in this street.  

inside Mercato Centrale

street cover by street vendors

Sit on the stairs of Basilica di San Lorenzo, finished my breakfast and made a plan for the day.

Basilica di San Lorenzo

The first stop, the city center, Piazza del Duomo. The green and white marble made cathedral glorying in the morning sunshine. The square was already full filled with tourists. I followed the instruction of the guidebook, climbed up the Giotto's Bell Tower, to see the whole city. I only remember the big wind on the top the tower and the scare of height, I think I have acrophobia... and loneliness made I feel more the fair.

The baptistery in this awakening morning

Through the window of tower, the busy street looks like the scenery in an artist's painting

the net cannot stop my fare of height

The next must-see sight is the Galleria dell'Accademia. When I was told I need 2 hours for entering, I left and preferred to stroll in the street. The color of streets appeared bright yellow under the sun, on the background of blue sky. When passed by a garden, I was deeply attracted by her green, then I entered this botanical garden. It wasn't written on the list of have-to-see, but definitely, it became the top one on my visit list. It was a so quite and peaceful place, I spent pleasant 3 hours there.

the long queue outside the Galleria dell'Accademia 

inside the Botanical Garden

Medicinal plants growing among grasses

it reminds me: under the Toscana sun

Left the garden, I went to the other city center, Piazza della Signoria. Here hosting the copy of Davide, and many excellent statues in Loggia dei Lanzi. I walked around each one, really appreciated the beauty of  renaissance body.

Copy of Davide

Perseus, by Benvenuto Cellini

The rape of the Sabine Women

Galieria degli Uffizi

My first day of Florence ended with the panino from i fratellini in firenze. A very small boutique, but with very tasty food.

I took a panino with mozzarella and prosciuto crudo

The next day morning, I got up very early, for visiting the Galeria del Ufiizi. After one and a half hour's queue up, finally I got the ticket to enter. Many people think it is not that necessary to wait a long queue to visit this museum. but for me, It became one of my precious memory about Florence. Many statues is so familiar to me. for I looked the copy of them day and night when I first learn painting. At that time, I didn't expect one day I would stand here to see the original works..

the corridor of Uffizi

amore e psiche

Finished visiting of Uffizi, I walked through Ponte Vecchio, crossed river Arno to the other side of the city. I passed by Palazzo Pitti and Giardino di Bololi, these two places of interest. Then I saw the beautiful boulevard close to Porta Romana. here Florence gave me another impression of nature.

ponte vecchio

Boulevard

narrow path to the top of the moutain

once glance over the wall 

When I arrive the river Arno again, it was already twilight. Everything was covered with golden under the sunset.

sunset on Fiume Arno

My last day in Florence didn't end here, on the boulevard, I met a boy from Rome who also took short trip in Florence. We went to eat in Piazza Santa Maria Novella, he introduced me spritz and cicciolli, one kind of typical Florence food. In the square, I saw one sentence which conclude my feeling about this city: Il tempo deve intrattenere piacevolmente l'animo e riempirlo di gioiosa meraviglia (the time should pleasantly entertain the mind and fill with joyous wonder).

Spritz, a kind of appertivo drink

cicciolli, do I spell right?

night in Piazza Santa Maria Novella

My Estern holiday 1: Bologna

when I was making the plan, a friend asked me: why you want travel alone? I said: I don't want to spend all my time waiting the other girl visit from one shop to another, that's it. It doesn't sound like a poetic reason, but sometimes if you don't have a right travel mate, better to be alone.

In the morning of 18, I started my alone trip with my big backpack.
The first stop is Bologna, which is know as the "kitchen of italy". From the train station to the city center, there is a long walking street, it is quite typical architecture style in Bologna. The city also has acquired a nickname: la rossa, the city is dominated by red color, everywhere you can see the red walls, read roofs.

Via dell'indipendenza, way to city center

La citta' rossa

I climbed to one of the city main sights: Le due torri, where you can have a bird's view of the whole city.  It was quite special experience to climb up this 97 meters high, with 498 stairs tower. When stepped on the cliffy stairs, I could only see the next stairs in front of you, so I don't know how many stairs you have had or how many it left to the top. The only thing could do is just climbing, one step, two steps... at the same time, I felt so exiting, really expecting to see what is on the top.

Le due torri, the one on the left is clinging to the right one

Between Le tue torri

The cliffy stairs, the way to hope

La citta' rossa

The other nickname of this city is : la grassa, because it is renowned for its culinary tradition. "ragu' alla bolognese" is well known meat based pasta sauce, and in the city itself, this kind of sauce is in "Tagliatelle al ragu'", but it is different from  "Spaghetti Bolognese", which is known in the rest of the world.

Tagliatelle al ragu', my lunch

uncountable food with the name I know or I don't know

It is a quite small city, half day is already enough for seeing the main sights of it. So the rest of my day was spend in stroll in the street. It was also a nice experience: sunshine, historical path, lazy afternoon, it appears in how many movies about italy?

dogs are saying hello to each other

sunshine in the afternoon

cats' family

the different way of tasting wine, so funny:)

  In the late afternoon, I got on the train to Florence, for my first night of alone trip.