 ITALY! CIAO VENEZIA! I was quite tired from roaming around Vienna after a whole afternoon on my own, so when I got to the train station to get on an overnight train to Venice I was ready to crash for a while... The overnight train to Venice was exactly what I needed to recover, it took about 9 or 10 hours to get to St Lucia station in Venice... I remember that it was quite a sight to see first thing in the morning...crossing from mainland Italy to Venice through the causeway/bridge...and...onto a town made of 118 Islands! Here are some facts about Venice which one must observe as it is a unique city and there is nothing like it anywhere else in the world, in many ways: Venice is built on more than 118 small islands and linked by over 400 bridges in a lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It has no roads, just canals lined with Renaissance and Gothic palaces. The central square, Piazza San Marco, contains St. Mark’s Basilica, which is tiled with Byzantine mosaics, and the Campanile bell tower offering views of the city’s red roofs. Did you know all that? Well, I didn't at that time, all I knew was that it was a city full of romantic canals and gondolas, not much more than that... After arriving at the St Lucia train station I took a waterbus (Vaporetto) to a Youth Hostel, right across the canal from the world-famous San Marco Plaza... Just being on one of those Vaporetti (plural) was a unique experience, I was in love with Venice from the moment I arrived. Venice didn't disappoint at all, it is all you have seen in pictures or movies, the canals, the bridges the beautiful architecture, it is all fabulous. I walked everywhere where I could walk, going over those small bridges where the gondolas travel through, just like I imagined them to be. The Piazza San Marco was packed with tourists, so I didn't want to stay there for long but it is a must-see place, it was also covered with pigeons and pigeons poo, you definitely were walking at the mercy of the pigeons who can drop their load on you any time while you are there... I know...I got hit! Venice was also the first place where I had my very first Italian handmade woodfired Pizza...I had saved a bit of money for this as they were a bit over my budget and was a bit disappointed...maybe I should've known what to expect... They served me the pizza on a large single plate, with a knife and a fork...hmmm, I asked the waiter, what are this for? and he looked at me like I was crazy, and he explained with his hands, it is to eat, then he said in Italian "Mangia mangia" (eat eat)... This was a new experience for me... I always thought that to eat a pizza you grab the slice with your hand and go for it but this one wasn't thick enough in the centre so the tip of the slice would drop when you grabbed it, pretty flimsy I'd say...So, then I understood why the cutlery... I was a bit disappointed as I'd never eaten pizza like this before, nevertheless, it was somehow delicious anyway... After a day and a half in Venice, it was time to go to Rome!  CIAO ROMA! I couldn't wait to see this place, I had some serious expectations about it! I took an early morning scenic train ride to Rome and it was amazing! Arriving in Rome was a bit of a shock though, the Roma Termini is huge! So that in itself told me I was in for a few surprises, nonetheless, it was clean and well organized by Italian standards, so not everything was as meticulously organised as it would've been in Munich, for instance. From the station I took a bus to a Youth Hostel where the staff guys were more interested in impressing the Swedish girls that were arriving than giving me any attention...they were a bit up themselves, but I guess that's how they are in Rome... After I had waited for a while I said...Excuse me!... A reception guy looked at me with disdain ...as if I had interrupted him and said..."Yes, can I help you?" Yes, I said, I need a bed for 2 nights...and nearly reluctantly he sorted my bed and room and indicated where it was... After leaving my stuff in my room I headed out to the big city to see the most important sights, I only had 2 days there so I had to move fast. That first afternoon I went to the Fontana di Trevi, what a magical place! and yes, of course, I threw a coin in as everyone else does, they say it brings you good luck... The next day it was time for the Colosseum, and the forum... yes! It is as majestic as you imagine it to be, hard to believe this structure was built so long ago and its purpose...you can read more about it here https://www.thecolosseum.org/facts/ Then I headed towards the Vatican in the afternoon, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church, wow, another impressive place... Saint Peter's Basilica, is a church built in the Renaissance style, erected over the tomb of St Peter the Apostle, is the largest religious building in the world, the fruit of the combined genius of Bramante, Raphael, Michelangelo, Bernini and Maderno. It is truly mind-blowing, the paintings and sculptures alike inside it are breathtaking... Rome was, without a doubt, an impressive place in many ways...especially culturally, however, the local Romans' attitude, I'm referring to the men, was a bit arrogant and self-centered, in my opinion, and I wanted to leave town pronto... So I left early the day after to catch a train to the beautiful city of Florence!...  CIAO FIRENZE! Wow...what a place! Florence is a gorgeous city...no matter where you look there's something beautiful to see...and people are extremely friendly, unlike Rome... These are some of the places I went to; 1- The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore is the world-famous Florence Cathedral. This beautiful cathedral dates back to the 13th century, and it's been built in the gothic style. 2- The Ponte Vecchio is an old, medieval bridge over the Arno River. The bridge dates back to medieval times when it was popular to have shops along the bridge. The Ponte Vecchio has 3 arches. The bridge still houses the shops and is usually busy with tourists. It's best to view the Ponte Vecchio from afar, such as from Michelangelo Hill...which is what we did. I made some friends at the Youth Hostel and we went to see the sights...and at lunchtime, we bought some bread and cheese and went up the hill, wow! Magnificent views from up there, what a place! (see picture below) … Then we went to see an unmissable sight... 3- Michelangelo's David... The famous marble statue of David was created by Michelangelo in the 16th century. The statue is located in Galleria dell' Accademia in Florence. I spent most of the 2 days in Florence walking and looking around this marvellous city and didn't really want to leave, but the clock was ticking so I had to go... to my last whistle-blow stop in Milano... I simply went there to spend a day and catch an overnight train to Barcelona, Spain...more on that in my next post... I arrived in Milano at midday, and the weather was not very inviting to go sightseeing, so I stayed at the train station, met some people and had a pizza slice...cold and nasty, I'll never forget that...as the vendor wanted more money to just heat it up...it was already a bit pricey, and when I asked he said "You want it heated? that's an extra mile lira"...he said arrogantly... so I said, never mind...it was like eating last night's pizza that was still sitting in the box... I was tired so didn't want to look around anymore or argue with the man. Anyhow, Italy was indeed a wonderful place to visit, even though some Italians have a 'unique attitude', there are some others that were just wonderful...and of all the places I visited in Italy, Florence, takes number 1 followed by Venice and then Rome... Ciao Italia...It's been a wonderful visit to your gorgeous and historic places... Ciao Bella! 
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