We went to Italy this year for the ICSV22. I presented a paper at the conference and, like Brazil, we decided to have fun too. Not that science isn’t fun. The conference was held in Firenze, Florence Italy. We flew in to Milan and stayed there for a couple days then traveled to Florence. During our time there I was attending the conference but we were able to do some sightseeing in the afternoons and took a couple extra days at the end to travel around. We saw Milan, Como, Firenze, Pisa and Venice.
I’ll give you a few pics from each place and show some highlights and give impressions and opinions about them. Afterwards I’ll give you some general impressions about Italy and vacationing there.
First off let me say that this was one of the best places I’ve ever been to and we didn’t want to leave. We took thousands to pictures, no exaggeration. There is too much to show and not enough space and time so this blog will not do it justice.
Milan:
We flew into Milan because that was then best direct flight deal my wife could find. From the airport we took a bus to the central train station which was about 2 blocks from our hotel. All in all about a 40 min bus ride. Milan is a big city like any other big city. It didn’t feel different at first. Much like our travels to Scandinavia it shouldn’t really be a surprise that a European city is built much like any American city.
We took a city tour with one of those big tour busses. We don’t generally like doing that but it was the only way to see Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper since tickets were sold out three months in advance and the only available access was via a bus tour. There was NO photography allowed so sorry, no pics. But it was fascinating to see the original work and the painting on the opposite wall.
We also took a day trip to Como via a train to Varenna followed by a ferry to Bellagio then another ferry to Como. There wasn’t much to see in Varenna. It was beautiful but it looked like a retirement community for very rich people with lots of Yacht clubs everywhere. Not much to see or do but get an espresso on your way to the ferry.
Bellagio was a little more interesting but still not much. You arrive at a shore covered in restaurants with stair lined side streets leading UP to shops. Somewhere in the background are residential homes but this is just a rest stop on the way to Como.
Now we’re in Como. This was an interesting place, lots of medieval gothic architecture (but that’s all of Italy). We toured a few Churches and a Museum but the highlight for me was a 2000 year old roman bath house. It was unearthed during a modern construction project and turned into a museum.
Firenze:
What can I say, this is one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. Most old world cities I’ve been to look like modern cities with a few old buildings dispersed here and there. This place is mostly old world buildings and streets with a couple new structures here and there. So, as soon as I walk out of the train station I feel like I’m in an episode of Star Trek meets Game of Thrones. You figure out the meaning of that. There is so much to see in Firenze you could stay for a month and probably not see it all. But for me, not to be negative, I can only see so many churches before I get bored. One of the sites was out hotel, Hotel Brunelleschi. I don’t know how this place only got 4 stars. It consists of three old buildings connected by modern structures. The oldest component is over 1600 years old. That’s right built in c400 AD. This could be considered Post-classical era or early Middle Ages. We stayed in the youngest building only about 500 years old. The hotel was so popular it was a stop on many guided tours. A little expensive but worth it if you can afford it.
I went in a purchased this T-shirt of Frank Zappa.
I told the proprietor “How ironic that I come to Italy and for a souvenir I buy a T-shit with an American musician on it. Not very Italian eh?” He enthusiastically reminded me that Zappa is an Italian name.
Nothing really compares but one drawback, at least for July, is that it was really crowded with tourists. Too crowded and at times that got annoying. The streets are very narrow and lined with tall (3 to 4 story) buildings. To get an ideal of how narrow two people could stand side by side with their arms outstretched and span the entire width of the street, at least for side streets. There are a few main roads that accommodate two way car traffic and when you enter a square you can see the large open space usually with a big church in the middle. Cars drive down the side streets and that becomes another source of annoyance. Finally let me say that we had about 5 or 6 straight days of 37-38C temperature (98.6 – 100.4F) and pretty high humidity, with no cloud cover, direct sunlight all day long.
My favorite part was seeing the place where the remains of Galileo, Da Vinci and Dante are kept. The dome exterior was designed by a Jewish architect/builder and has a large Star of David above the front entrance.
Pisa:
We primarily we to see the “Tower”. There are five or six sites in the same area as the leaning tower.
Venice:
Venice was a unique place. The architecture is beautiful. We went to Murano to see the glass factories.
Our last stop is at San Marco Square. I cannot find words to describe how amazing this place is. There is a breath taking view from any place you stand in every direction. Here are a couple pics, go see it yourself.
- Food
We had very high expectations regarding food, having seen so many cooking shows and hearing so much about how great Italian food is in Italy. At first we were very disappointed, probably because of our high expectations. Also, because we were hitting the wrong places. After asking our hotel concierge where to go we finally started getting good food and we were impressed. Some highlight are provided below.
In addition to the great food there’s gelato and espresso on every street corner. The gelato is outstanding and nothing I’ve had in the US compares. Sightseeing on a hot summer day we stopped every couple hours for a gelato and water.
Since we were in a historic gothic city we ate at cafes and restaurants some of which were not just in old buildings but have been in business serving at the same location for several hundred years. There was something exciting about having espresso at a café where Galileo or Da Vinci could have eaten.
- Cost
We were pleasantly surprised at how affordable food and other items were. This is partly due to the Euro not doing so well. The exchange rate was approximately 1Euro = 1.08$ (US). A typical one course lunch was 10Euro per person which isn’t bad. Most, if not all, restaurants will charge a cover which is added on the bill. It’s not much but it’s noticeable (1.5 – 3Euro per person). There is absolutely no tipping. Some restaurants will not turn it down if you leave a tip but most will. This more than compensates for the cover. As an example my 2.2lbs steak was 34Euro. That’s pretty cheap and it was amazing.
Trains and busses are reasonable and you can get anywhere by train. T-shirts, souvenirs etc are also reasonably priced. And tickets to museums could get expensive but if it’s something you want to see you’ll pay. Comparing to other places I’ve been it was one of the more affordable vacations in the past 5 years.
- Art, too much Jesus
There’s no shortage of famous artists from Italy and you can’t throw a stone without hitting an art museum or Catholic Church (which are all filled with art). After a while I can honestly say I got tired of seeing thousands of pictures of Jesus on the cross or milking May’s left one. That seems to be the repertoire of the renaissance artist. There was the occasional old testament scene, Abraham about to kill Isaac, Death of Able, and a few versions of Moses complete with devil horns.
Seeing Da Vinci’s Last supper was incredible and the collections of art were impressive. But we found ourselves eventually racing past room after room of the same painting over and over looking for something new.
In many cases the real art was the building. The ceilings of the gallery rooms were more elaborately decorated than any piece of artwork.
- Fashion, and people
One thing we noticed was that everyone was in great shape, well dressed and stylish. Even construction workers and garbage men. It seems like everyone has an eye for fashion in Firenze regardless of their vocation. And everyone is very fit. The cities we visited were very walkable and not easy to drive through. The driving lifestyle would not work there. This may be why everyone seemed fit.
- Bad directions
Alright, not for a few negatives. Don’t expect to get good directions or information from signs or people for the most part. Here are some examples.
Train tickets need to be validated before you get on the train since they are good all day or for several days. There are boxes all over the station to do this but it’s not obvious where they are and what to do. We got on trains with valid tickets but got chewed out by the conductor.
Our concierge told us that we could see an original Da Vinci sketch in a museum in Venice. We went, got tickets and asked the people there where the sketch was on display. “No, we have it here but never display it. We send it to other museums for display. Just a month ago it was in Firenze, you missed it.”
We waited in line in the 100F heat to see the original David statue. Every couple minuets a guy would come and make everyone in line move around into new lines and say “you’re going in next”. Then they would barricade us in and open the door to let a bunch of other people in who were not in line.
At the leaning tower we were scolded for being in line at the wrong time. Every 30min a new group is led up to the top. Your tickets have a time stamp. If you are 5 min early expect to be scolded. You idiot, can’t you see the time on the ticket? If you’re late, same deal. You cannot bring any bags into the tower. They see you standing there with a bag but say nothing until you’re ready to enter, then all of the sudden “You can’t bring that in, get out of line, go put it in a locker”. Where are the lockers? Go figure that out yourself. And of course there are no signs. It wasn’t that we didn’t read or speak Italian, there were Italians there getting scolded too.
- Helpfulness
Ironically, those getting paid to give directions didn’t but anyone else on the street or even proprietors in shops and restaurants would go out of their way to help you when asked. Enough said.
- Crowded
It goes without saying that when you travel at the peak of vacation season that you will run into crowds. Italy in July was very crowded, some places more so than others. Milan and Como were not too crowded. Firenze was very crowded, especially in the square around the main dome, but was still walkable. Pisa and Venice were a mess, especially Venice. So many people you could not move without rubbing up against someone.
Crowds like this tend to make me dizzy and irritable and there were a lot of irritable tourists in these crowds in the 100F heat. Still the beauty of the country and our enjoyment of it was not diminished by the crowds. People crowding to get a pic of themselves at the tower or with David got annoying. I offered to let people take pics next to me but alas no takers.
Crowds came in many forms. Just the pure density of people made it chaotic but there were plenty of guided tours, single file lines of people stretching several blocks, intersecting with each other. Lost people frantically running around looking for their tour group. Masses of foreigners on group vacations from Asia. And not to mention rush hour traffic. Yes that’s right people do live there and go to work every weekday morning. That was the strangest part for us to comprehend. As much as we loved being on vacation there it was more crowded than Disney World at peak season and we could not fathom being a resident, living and working with all that going on around us.
If you do decide to travel to Firenze in July one piece of advice I’d give you is to plan to go out for a walk at 6:00am before the crowds come out. It’s very peaceful and beautiful and you’ll get pictures beautiful architecture without thousands of people crowding in front of you. Other than that just be prepared to be crowded.
8. Hydrate
Take lots of water with you. It should go without saying regardless of where you travel or what season, but the summers in Italy are hot. Dehydration sets in quickly and you won’t know it until you faint. Stores are everywhere and bottled water is inexpensive.
9. It’s not Germany, drink wine
Almost everything is great but you will not find a great selection of beer in the average restaurant. They are not known for that. There were “Irish Pubs” in the touristy areas that I’m sure served Guinness but as one waiter told me “In Italy all beer is blond”.
10. Do your own planning
Don’t do whatever the “tourists” do. The only exception for us was the guided tour in Milan and that was strategically planned by my wife to get us in front of the Last Supper by Da Vinci. We found that for sight-seeing and food it was best to ask the concierge. And to this point once our hotel reservation was made my wife was able to call the concierge months in advance to get assistance reserving tickets for museums etc. I highly recommend doing this as there are a lot of sights that require tickets and sell out months in advance.
We’ve never been any place like this and after 6 months we still want to go back. We wouldn’t mind living there.
Copyright 2015, David R Bergman