When in Rome... and other Italian cities

With a limited vocabulary in Spanish, Fay and I had an even more limited vocabulary in Italian, with the only words we knew being foods (it was quite entertaining to say spaghetti and linguini and fettuccini and other similar words in an Italian accent). I just needed to start learning how to limit my English to the essentials in a sentence when I'm trying to get the message across. When we got out of the airport, all the information booths were already closed and we weren't quite sure what the transportation was like so we followed others' leads in purchasing a ticket on a bus that would take us away from the airport.

I just thought that these dispensers at the airport were cool.

Leaving from the airport

I was supposed to meet a friend from LA in Rome because I randomly saw a Facebook post of hers showing that she was there but she decided to get an earlier flight out, indicating that it reminded her too much of LA, especially with the metro situation so I was interested to see how bad it was since I've had nothing but pleasant metro experiences since I've entered Europe. When we got dropped off by the bus closer to what I can only guess, since it was dark and I was slightly disoriented, was the center of the city, we decided it was best to grab a taxi to get to the Airbnb in the section of Trastevere that Fay had booked. In the taxi, I tried to make conversation with the driver but he just had no clue what I was saying. When we drove past a pyramid on our way to our home for the next two days, I pointed at it and asked what it was, hoping for a better answer than "Pyramid. Egypt." but that's all I could get out of him so I decided to quit while I was ahead, not that I was very much ahead, as Fay and I would soon find out.

Passing by the Colosseum in our taxi

Upon getting to the address we were given, the door was locked so Fay called the guy we were renting from and he told us to press some button but it didn't work so he said that he was sending his flatmate down to open the door since he wasn't in Rome at the moment. The flatmate turned out to be a guy who was also renting an Airbnb room and when we got up to the flat, we realized that it was made up of rooms solely for renting. We weren't sure which room was ours so we just put down our stuff in an unlocked room with two beds. It took about an hour before the business partner of the guy with whom we were corresponding showed up and gave us the keys. Then when we tried to connect to the WiFi, the only device it worked on was my Kindle. To put the icing on the cake of this place, he was going to tell us something about the bathroom but decided to bring us both in there to show us because it was easier. I thought that there was going to be a special way to turn on the shower or something similar because I know I've had trouble turning on some showerheads before but nope, wasn't that. He threw a piece of toilet paper into the toilet then filled the plastic waste bin with water and poured it into the toilet to show us how to flush the toilet since the lever was broken. Just to be sure, we asked if everything was flushed that way and he showed us by throwing an even bigger ball of toilet paper into the toilet and "flushing" it down.
We decided since we were getting a relatively good price, we'd deal with it for a day or two before deciding what our next moves were and if anything, it would make for a story. After we got a bit settled in and there was nothing more to learn about the quirks of the room we were renting, we went to search for some dinner and we got something simple (something Mediterranean) from the corner store and went back to plan our days ahead.
When we woke up the next day, we were trying to figure out how to get to the city center when Bob, the guy who had opened the door for us the previous night, knocked on our door asking for his key back (we borrowed it before the guy in charge showed up) and we asked him what was the best way to get to where we wanted to be. He told us that we probably weren't going to walk and that he was going to the train station anyway so would show us the tram stop on the way. We followed him to the train station and tried to figure out who we could talk to about our mode of transportation and if we should or could purchase a method of transportation for the few days we were there. Since it was a Sunday, it seemed like there was no one around whom we could ask so we followed what Bob suggested and got the tram into the center of town to sort ourselves out.
Once we got to the city centre, we immediately got accosted by these guys on segues working for the CitySightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off bus company. We looked at the map to see the route the bus would take then decided to check out the office for more information but the segue guys refused to help us out by pointing out where the office was. They kept telling us we didn't need to go to the office so we just walked away and decided to ask someone else. Finally, when we were asking another segue guy and not getting help from him either, someone who looked like he was working for several bus companies directed us in the right direction. On our way, we came upon the tourist center and Fay bought a map and we decided to buy the passes for the Hop-On Hop-Off bus but we bought it from a souvenir store before settling down for some lunch. I remember that my Couchsurfing hosts from Southend-on-Sea had told me that pizza in Italy wasn't all that great but I decided to try for myself so that was my first real Italian meal. I'd have to say that I wasn't overly impressed but when in Rome...

After lunch, we decided to start our tour so we went to go look for the bus stop at the Piazza Venezia and we passed the segue guy again and he tried to get us to buy tickets but once we told him that we bought tickets, he yelled at us for not buying the tickets from him. In the few hours that we've been in Rome since the previous night, I'm not sure if we were doing as the Romans do but the people we encountered up to that point weren't my favorite. We finally rounded the Vittoriano to find the bus stop and found some solace as we boarded the bus and received our earphones to listen to the pre-recorded information about the various stops.

Vittoriano

Since we decided to join a tour for both the Vatican and the Colesseum the next day, we decided that our first day of exploring would be to get the lay of the land. There was someone from Couchsurfing, Mario, who had invited us for coffee so we planned on meeting up with him. Since we were using this Hop-On Hop-Off bus as our primary mode of transportation around the city, we got dropped off near the Vatican, the stop that was closest to Mario's and got our first taste of Italian gelato and walked over the bridge. We passed by quite a number of people that had laid out the same old souvenirs all along the road that it would be a surprise to me if they actually make any money.

On the bus and driving past the Vittoriano

Vittoriano again

Different angle

The steps leading up to it

Top of the tour bus

Passing by some ruins

Can't quite remember all of the information the tour gave

Vatican up ahead

Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica

City walls

Gelato!

Finally doing some walking

The Stone Tower from afar

When we got to Mario's, he invited us in and we asked him a few tips about the city. When I asked about public transportation, he told us that the metro only covers about 30% of the city so now I understood why my friend said Rome reminded her too much of LA. After we chatted for a bit and Mario gave us some sort of liqueur to try, he recommended this gelato place, Gelateria del Teatro, to us that was right down the alley from where we were. It was a quick little visit and he said his foot was hurting so he didn't join us for the rest of the day. So after we got a second round of gelato, we found a little cafe where Fay ordered a cup of coffee and we sat down to people watch for a bit.

Line out the door for gelato

Figuring out our next moves

As we made our way back to the Vatican bus stop, we passed by the Stone Tower that was built to commemorate present-day Romania, I believe. We passed by these two guys dressed as gladiators and Fay wanted to take a photo with them but they ended up posing for about ten different photos and pulling me into the mix. Of course, I was expecting that they would ask for some sort of compensation but they asked us for ten euros each which was absurd so we were able to get away with ten euros for both of us. Before we could get swindled anymore, we got back to the bus stop to go to the Spanish steps. Mario had told us that both the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and the Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain) were closed for repairs so even though I was disappointed, I wanted to go check it out anyway.

Marriage proposal?

They pulled me in...

Alright... Enough of that

Back at the Vatican waiting for the bus

Piazza del Popolo?

My only knowledge of Rome, and I'm not proud to say this, is from the Lizzie McGuire movie which I watched many, many years ago so I was glad the major sights were highlighted in the map we got from the bus company. When we got dropped off at the stop for the Spanish Steps, we weren't quite sure what we were looking for so we walked around until we saw some signs for it. I'm going to say that it was due to the construction that we didn't see anything and not that we just walked right past it without knowing because we didn't see anything too impressive when we walked in the direction in which the sign pointed. I did know what I was looking for with the Trevi Fountain and the masses of tourists were just an added bonus I guess. Even though the site was under construction, everyone was still throwing their coins over the glass barrier and making their wishes so I joined in. Fay didn't know the significance of it so when I told her of the foundation's ability to grant wishes, a lady overheard us and told us it really works because she's done it five times and it has worked every single time.

Walked to where we thought the Spanish steps were

On our way to the Trevi Fountain 

Luckily these signs were here

Trevi Fountain

Under construction

Still making my wish

Building facing the Fountain

Frontal view of the Fountain

It was starting to get dark as we walked away from the Fountain and we wanted to figure out our itinerary for the days to come so we decided our next stop was going to be the Termini Station. Just as we were getting to our stop, the skies decided to open up and begin to downpour. I tried to store all of my electronics away safely but when I reached into the front pouch of my jacket to check on my camera as we ran for cover, I found that a puddle had formed in that very pouch and I was the reason my camera became waterlogged. Even though everything on me was pretty soaked by the time we finally reached the station, I'm glad my phone (yeah iPhone 4!) was a survivor. In the station, we waited out the rain as I tried to resurrect my poor little camera to no avail.

Snapchat Geotag

Passed by a shop

Another Snapchat Geotag

Interesting pasta designs

Fountains are everywhere

Dark and rainy photos from the bus

Such an odd starting time for the Termini station ticket office

Once the rain seemed to quiet down, we went in search of some Roman food nearby and Yelp recommended Ristorante Abruzzi. It was a pretty fancy restaurant and we walked in there like a pair of wet puppies but we got a table for two and had a very nice shared dinner of pasta alla carbanar, lamb and potatoes, and finishing it off with some yummy tiramisu. Although our day started out quite hectic, we were able to stop our downhill tumble for just a bit with a lovely dinner.

Rain cover

So many toilets without toilet seats in Rome

Friend date

Pasta alla carbanar

Lamb and potatoes

Tiramisu

Night view of the Vittoriano

I had purchased tickets for a Vatican and Sistine Chapel tour as well as a Colosseum tour and we planned it out to fit it all into the next day so let's see how well that went. We got back to the previous day's starting point of Piazza Venezia to get to the Vatican for our first tour of the day but the confirmation email I received directed us to a metro stop for the meeting point so we were going to walk from the Vatican to this metro stop to get directed back to the Vatican which didn't make much sense to me. We were running late so I emailed the tour company asking if we could meet at the Vatican since they had written that their company office is near there and it was quite difficult to communicate with them because they wouldn't give me the address of the office. I was able to weasel a contact number out of them though so after a bit of running and searching past hundreds of faces and calling the guide on Whatsapp, he found us and we started speed walking with him to the office.

On the tour bus again

We passed by a lot of the same sights the previous day

The ruins again

Palantine Hill in the distance

The Colosseum

Vatican City again

On the search for our "tour guide"

When we got to the office, our guide told us that we missed our tour time so we were going to go with the next one in about an hour and he gave us these stickers that could have gotten purchased at any office supply store that had "tour" handwritten on them. The guy at the desk told us that the reason he didn't give me the address to their office was because it would have been too difficult to find but I didn't entirely believe that. Well, with some time to breathe, I grabbed something to eat at a sandwich shop nearby and I wasn't too impressed as the bread was very hard, like it had been rebaked one too many times. We didn't stray too far from the office just in case we couldn't find it without our guide (note the sarcasm) and we got back to see which group we were going to follow.
When we got there, there were lots of people in that little office of theirs and there was one group that was leaving so we asked if we should go with that group but they told us we would be leaving with the following group so we waited. When it was time for our group to leave, we followed this little lady, who introduced herself as Maria, with her tour flag around the wall to where everyone else was waiting in line. Even though the tour ticket advertises that we were going to skip the line, I guess we had joined the line that contained everyone else who was also skipping the line and it didn't seem to please many people. We figured there was no point in getting upset so a few selfies later, we had gotten through to security and waited to get our tickets.

Follow the flag

Line to skip the line

We'll just take a selfie while we're waiting

Fay and I hadn't shown our ticket confirmation to anyone yet and we had even mentioned to each other how easy it would have been to join the group without even having purchased tickets but I saw a man from our group show his phone to Maria and asked if he should redeem his tickets so I followed suit. I was directed to the ticket booth where there was a guy from the tour company standing nearby and when I showed the booth receptionist my phone for the ticket confirmation, he said he couldn't scan it and handed it back so I asked the guy from the tour company what I should do. His conclusion was that I didn't buy a ticket and told me I needed to go back to the office to purchase one when right on my phone, it showed in black and white English "Vatican and Sistine Chapel Tour." I refused to go back when I knew I had purchased a ticket and it wasn't my responsibility that they didn't check it before we followed the tour so I just stepped back in with the rest of the group since no one else seemed too worried about showing their ticket confirmations. When I got back to the group, Fay seemed to be encountering a roadblock of her own since she had grabbed another one of those generic stickers but this one said "Skip" so Maria didn't give her a radio (apparently those who were skipping the line didn't receive radios but I don't understand their system). To avoid the man from the tour company who told me to go back to the office, I quickly reached for two radios and pushed Fay forward into the group and I guess I took radios from the wrong group but luckily our tour guide didn't know the situation that was going down with me so she was more than willing to give me the radios. However, when Maria was handing out tickets to everyone in the group, when she had reached Fay, the guy from the company appeared and intervened, telling her that we hadn't paid for tickets. At this point, I was ready to cause a scene if he put his hands on me as he stood centimeters away from me, trying to intimidate me into giving up my ticket. I refused as I knew what I had purchased and reiterated to him that I wouldn't have even been at the office if I didn't receive the contact information for the guy that took us there only after I had booked the tour. I'm so glad that others from our group started defending us and I figured this guy didn't want to stir up any trouble inside the Vatican grounds and he finally did back down with his final words of "After the tour, come back to the office to pay." Yeah, sure buddy.

Luckily I don't have claustrophobia

With all of the difficulties of finally getting into Vatican City, I wasn't super excited to shuffle along with the hoards of other tourists there but I had to remind myself that "when in Rome (even though I wasn't in Rome anymore since Vatican City is its own city, I learned later)." As we took the escalator up to get to an outside area, Maria mentioned that Pope Francesco had cardinalized three people the previous day which was big news. Once outside, we were taken to a row of posters with photos of the paintings inside the Sistine Chapel where Maria told us very animated and elaborate stories about them (no talking is allowed in the chapel so she was giving us all of this information ahead of time).
From what I could remember Maria's very detailed stories, the walls of the Sistine chapel depict the lives of Moses and Jesus and the ceiling is the Genesis because originally the ceiling was just blue and yellow and it was Pope Julius II that came after whom commissioned Michelangelo, who was then a sculptor, to paint the Genesis on the ceiling. The process took four years (1508-1512) and Michelangelo built this scaffolding up 70ft to get himself to the ceiling. It's amazing how large the figures are compared to a human body because up close, I'm sure these figures just looked like blobs of color to the ordinary eye. Being the artist does have its perks, as Michelangelo was able to paint a self-portrait of himself as the skin that, I believe, St. Francis is holding in the painting.

Outside area

Another view of the outside area

Maria describing The Last Judgment

Without Maria

 We were told that this was also painted using a Fresco (fresh) technique, where the canvas is wet as well so that when the paint goes on, the two dry together, keeping the paintings permanently embedded. And as time went on, to make the depictions more conservative, the naked bodies were covered. Obviously, there are many other reasons why the chapel is recognized as a timeless piece of art but it is best to experience it for oneself.

This sculpture is a symbol of perfection

The other side of it

After we were finished with our quick lesson, we proceeded into the rest of the museum where we saw many statues made of marble because the original bronze ones had melted. Walking past all the rooms with various marble statues and gorgeous ornaments, we passed through the tapestry gallery and the map gallery (having lots of maps allowed for the pope to move around easier). Finally, we got to the steps to lead us to the Cappella Sistina (Sistine Chapel). Now I get why Maria had told us all about the chapel outside because once we walked in, besides being shuffled in along the massive crowd in the center, there was a booming voice overhead telling us "Silencio! Silence!" Well the Cappella Sistina was as impressive as I had imagined but after a bit, we moved on to the exit once our necks were feeling the strain of looking up in admiration.

Walking in to look at all the marble statues

The eyes are missing because the eyes were not made by marble

Hercules is recognizable by the lion skin and club

Ceilings are all painted beautifully

Large basin in the middle of a room

This would have been near water (water representing health and longevity)

Busts being restored and cleaned

Restoration crew

These paintings looked 3D

Even the ground had such detail!

This is the tomb of Constantine's daughter, I believe 

Seal of the Pope

Tapestry corridor

Jesus

I believe these are actually 3D

Map corridor

No more photos for now

From here, our tour concluded and we walked into another section of the Vatican before making our way past St. Peter's Basilica which is the highest of its kind in Europe. Now, we were under the impression that we still had time to leisurely get to the Colosseum so we decided to check out another part of the city that Maria hadn't taken us through. However, we overestimated how quickly the tour bus would get us there so by the time we swung around to this historical site, it was well past our tour time and the Colosseum was closing for the day. Since there was no use basking in that fact, we walked around a bit and went to find the Pantheon which was on the map but I didn't entirely know the significance of it. From Fay's map, we read that the Pantheon is the only building in the classical style that is still in tact in Rome and I think it housed the kings of Italy. We figured since we were nearby, we should go check it out before heading to find a coffee shop that our friend, Kelsey, had recommended.

The area leading out of the Vatican

Looking out from the Vatican 

The statues are of saints, if I remember correctly

Wandered around a different part of the Vatican

Seal of the Pope - I love how these carvings are done

Vatican guards

Last selfie at the Vatican

On the bus again

Getting to the Colosseum

Standing at the entrance as they closed for the day

Palatine Hill

Walking around

Found the Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon

Around the Pantheon

Sant'eustachio il caffee was a nice little place but to be honest, I didn't really see much charm about it, and that might be because I was all charmed out for that day. The moretto was alright but I'm not a huge fan of coffee so I might not be a good judge of it but the millefoglie and aragosta pastries they had to offer were quite delectable though so I won't be a complete Debbie Downer. After our coffee and pastry break, we made moves back to Trastevere to gather our things because Fay was able to book us a room in a hostel that was all booked up the previous nights and I could see why. Although it was a hostel, The Yellow didn't have the feel of what one would typically imagine when thinking of a hostel and that might be because it was also attached to a hotel. Well, things must have been on the up and up because upon checking in, the receptionist told us that we were upgraded for free to one of the private rooms and I can say that it could rival that of a typical hotel room. Even though both of us were glad to have this comfort for our last night in Rome, Mario had invited us to dinner so we grabbed two bottles of wine from The Yellow's bar (they have a bar too!), hopped a cab, and made it over to Mario's where we met his friend, Kevin.

Cute display

After a modest meal, we hung out for a bit listening to some music before we knew we needed to get on our way. We were directed to a night bus and I would not recommend ever taking these buses on the cobblestone roads. The whole time, I felt like my brain was rattling inside my skull and if I could put a sound to the entire experience, it sounded like what I would imagine the world crumbling around me would sound. I'm not sure how long we were in that horrendous vehicle but I was so glad to get back to The Yellow and saw that we weren't locked out like in our hostel in Barcelona. Here is where I will insert my apologies for much of the less-than-magical recollections of the city. The city itself is beautiful and I felt like almost everywhere we went, we were little figures in a huge, never-ending museum so it was just rather unfortunate that we came across less-than-ideal situations. I will have to give credit to Fay for looking on the bright side of things and saying that we could have been anywhere encountering these situations but we were in Rome and that's more than many could ever ask for.
Our last day in Rome was quite redeeming though. Having missed our guided tour of the Colosseum the previous day, we decided to guide ourselves through it. We did encounter someone who was offering a tour when we got there but the times didn't work out for us since we were heading to Pisa in the afternoon. In the Colosseum, however, there were radios we could rent for a self-guided tour so we purchased that option and went on our way. Some things I learned that day about the Colosseum:
-Slaves could earn their freedom after they won ten battles, earning notches on their belts for each victory, and they could make the choice to continue fighting if they wanted.
-The arena was covered with wooden floors
-Seating was free and the names of senators were carved on the closest seats
-About 40-70 thousand people attended the events
-The lower part housed approximately 11,000 animals, with one event pinning 24 elephants against a small pack of lions
-Gladiators were distinguished by their weapons and fought twice a year
-The loser would be touched with a hot iron to certify that he was dead
-When the Colosseum was no longer used as a stadium, it was plundered for building material but it was Pope Benedict XIII(?) who saved this mighty Roman symbol.

Waking up at the Yellow 

The Yellow is quite organized

Very impressed with this hostel

Ballast marks along the Colosseum wall

Only half of the wooden floor to show the "lockers" underneath

From the West side

Listening to our guided tour

From the South

The "lockers" down below

Below the arena

While exiting

Servants' steps

After our tour, we still had a bit of time before our train so we walked around Palatine Hill and took in all of the beauty of Rome and it's beautiful historical structures. When it was nearing our departure time, we scurried back to The Yellow where we had stored our bags and since it was located a few minutes' walk to Termini Station, we were in no particular hurry. But of course, Rome had to give us one more farewell gift. We waited for the platform number to be posted and when we checked it a few moments before the departure time, we followed the signs to the proper platform but for some strange reason, passengers were allowed to exit the platform but not enter from where the arrows had directed us so we blindly spedwalked to where one of the attendants had pointed which was outside and around the entire station. Luckily, we got there with a few minutes to spare and with a deep sigh, we were quite content  to be leaving and making our way up to Pisa.

Beautiful archway 

Love looking up at these designs

The Roman Forum?

I love the 3D intricacies

Last photo by the Colosseum

In between brief moments of napping, I was able to catch a view of the beautiful water lining the Italian coast and before we knew it, we had made it to Pisa. We had only planned for a brief stop to get to the Leaning Tower, or Piazza dei Miracoli as the area is  known in Italian, so we worked out our timing and purchased our tickets to Milan before heading off. At first, the information desk told us that the tourist center was a short walk away so after sorting our large bags, we walked over. However, we couldn't find it when we got to the square where the address had indicated and we saw what looked like an old storefront that might have been it but it was closed so we went back to the station and followed some signs to eventually figure out that we could purchase bus tickets at a newsstand to the Piazza dei Miracoli.

Cruising along to Pisa

Catching glimpses of the coast

The information desk didn't provide tourist information... 

A statue at the square at which we were supposed to find the tourist information center

Map of Pisa

After a fairly short bus ride, we got to the the entrance of the Piazza where there were many souvenir stands set up prior to passing through the archway. From afar, we could already see the Leaning Tower and it was really funny to me seeing people posing near it to look like they were pushing it back up. Of course, I was going to be one of those people as well but it was still entertaining to see others do it. So after helping Fay with her poses with the tower, we walked closer to it and read about the other buildings around it like the Duomo St. Mary. We wandered around a bit while we still had sunlight and attempted to get some selfies with the tower and while many of them failed, we had a couple successful ones, even though the tower looked fake in the photos. Upon walking back was when I asked Fay to help guide me in properly posing and she was able to experience the hilarity of directing someone to inch ever so slightly to make it look like you were making contact with the tower.

Walking into the Piazza dei Miracoli

So many people posing

There's the tower!

hahaha

So entertaining to see this

I saved my Tower poses for later

Reading about the Tower

Alright, time to use the selfie stick

So many fails

This works, right?

How about this one?

Or this?

We kind of got there...

Alright, last one

Duomo St. Mary Cathedral

Time for me to pose

Yeah....

I wasn't sure how much the Tower leaned...

I can see why this was so hilarious for Fay

This one wasn't that great either

Wasn't sure how this one was going to turn out

Somewhat successful?

Leaving from the Piazza

With a bit of time before our train, we took the bus partly back in the direction we had come and got off early to walk through the shops leading to the station. On our way, we got some delicious döner for dinner and spent some time admiring the night stillness of Pisa. Even though I didn't get to spend too much time in Pisa, I felt like I would have liked it because it was a much smaller city than Rome, thus coming to the realization that I am not a big city type of girl. With some time to grab some wine (the store was so nice to uncork it for us) during our transfer in Firenze (Florence), we made it to Milano in no time. We grabbed our bags and at the end of the platform, Davide, our Couchsurfing host, was waiting for us.

Sitting in front of the station while munching

Grabbed some wine in Firenze

Some cool street art on our way to Davide's

Davide had offered to show us around so while we waited for him to arise the next morning, Fay and I went on an adventure to find a grocery store and cooked ourselves a very nice breakfast. When we were all set to explore Milan, we passed by the Monumentale and walked down Stazione Garibaldi to get to what Davide called the Palace. It was large glass skyscraper which I guess seemed out of place but it wasn't what I was expecting when I heard the word "palace." We passed through the business area as well as their small little Chinatown section and got to Davide's university and stopped to watch the goings-on of the campus. Upon leaving the campus, we took a little lunch break and got some crepes.

A church on our way into town

An arc of something...

The "palace"

Pretty much the edge of the city

Walking down the business district of Stazione Garibaldi

Stopped in this pastry shop

Nom nom nom

Davide's university

Fay pinching the butt

Another cathedral 

More filling than crepe

Our next big stop was the Milan Cathedral which had crowds of tourists roaming around everywhere but there was a large enough area in the square for breathing room. I might have mentioned it already but it continues to amaze me the fine detail that can be put into materials such as metal and stone and how such grand buildings were built without the help of modern technology as we have today. Just standing up close to the cathedral and looking up, as I've done with many large buildings, it is a truly humbling feeling. While many of us may complain about all of the things we haven't achieved yet, mankind is quite amazing at what we have been able to accomplish.

Trolley passing by the bank 

Approaching the Milan Cathedral

Davide and Fay

Look how amazing the cathedral looks

The square with many different groups of people

To the right of the Cathedral

This is amazing!

The guards

After walking around the cathedral, we did some more wandering through pedestrian streets and gallerias before Davide took us to CasaLodi, which is this cute restaurant that has a buffet of meats and cheeses and bread and fresh roasted chestnuts with the purchase of a glass of wine. Since Spain, I've started to set my sights on red wine so that's what I ordered and went to go pick from the array of snacks that were arranged by the window. We spent a good while there as we sipped and ate and Davide told us that we had covered the bulk of what there is to see in Milano that day so when we decided that we had our fill, we headed back to his and celebrated Back to the Future Day by watching Back to the Future II, which neither Fay nor I had ever seen and Davide conveniently had on DVD.

Walking around

Walked through the fashion district

CasaLodi

All the cheese

Yummy food

Toasting to our last night in Italy

The next day, Fay had her flight back to Boston and I had a flight to Athens so after a quick breakfast, we set off to find the bus to the main station where we would find charter buses to the airport. We were flying from two different airports so after hugging Fay farewell, I hopped onto my bus for Bergamo airport to set off for Greece. Although I wasn't too happy with the beginnings of our time in Italy, I am still glad that I visited and now, I am more knowledgeable because of it. The cities I've visited in this country are beautiful, outside of all of the other factors that might have played into our experience there and perhaps one day, I will visit again but for now, ciao, Italia!

Probably the most beautiful omelette I've ever made

Delicious focaccia for the road

Off to the airport