Bellisima Italia
Trip Start
Mar 10, 2006
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Trip End
Ongoing
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Merano, Italy
Thursday, April 6, 2006
I started my trip again węth a ?food poisoning incident AGAIN and wasnt sure how I was going to make it to the airport. Just when I was about to board the plane...BBC had their Breaking Headlines news and all I caught was that Milan`s subway was under a terrorist attack! I would be there in 1.5hrs..great! Little did i know that they were just talking about a planned attack that the police thwarted a few months prior....ahhh!
Arriving on the outskirts of milan was like travelling through morley/wanneroo in perth! There was alot of smog and rubbish around and because of the long winter, the leafless trees reminded me very much of winter Nazi movies.
Arriving at the Duome (on the subway thinkęng about a bomb mind you!) i walked out into the middle of the amazing Duome cathedral (built 1386) with french-gothic statues,spires and pillars. Each European city has an archway into the city, with an expansiive meeting place - piazza and a cathedral that is its central point. I felt like i was in medievil times. (this stupid turkish keyboard..sorry!!)
Walking through the old part of milan to find my first couchsurfing buddy(gorgeous Katy), i walked thru cobbled streets where the workers are still pouring the concrete between each pebble to make the roads...so intricate.
Katy lived 30km out of smoggy milan which was nice to get away from the rush of the city. It was so funny to see all of these 5 storey high car parks in the middle of nowhere outside of the city boundaries where all of the workers leave their cars before taking the train into the city.
Katys place was fantastic...and had a great time with girly chats, becoming addicted to mocha espresso (Hannah you will no longer be embarassed to `go out for a coffee!` rather than just a juice or water with me!!). We had only just met face to face and Katy gave up her bed for me to go and stay at her sisters next door - such generous and hospitable people.
Had a whole day of sightseeing in milan: Castello Sforzesco (an old fortress with vast moats around it); Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II(beautiful gallery of expensive shops but intricate glass and pictures on the ceilings enhanced by the sun shining through. In the centre there are 5 corners węth intricately designed pictures of each continent. The designer of the building fell from the ceiling the day before the opening);Pinacoteca di Brera (17th century building - now a university - housing statue of Michaelangelo in the centre - of course having his jewels covered by grape leaves!) The one place I wanted to go to was Santa Maria delle Grazie-the church where Leonardois Last Supper picture is. However it was booked out until the end of May! Supposedly Leonardo took months/years to finish it as he scoured the city looking for an evil enough face to depict Judas...when the priests told him off...he threatened to use the priests face to depict judas instead!
The Italians are very much into accessories and always look imaculate. I found some great markets on the weekend for shopping to my hearts content - knowing that the euro is better on the dollar than the pound! The Viale Papiniano markets had cheap clothes from ex desinger shops and lively fruit and vegetable markets węth such deep colours from the artichokes, tomatoes and eggplants...bread over 2m long and half a metre high...huge varieties of cheeses and meats! It has been very hard to stay a vegetarian in ętaly....and I think Ive become addicted to all the bad things....coffee/meat/dairy/prosecco! So much for the italians using beans and lentils too - not!
The weekend was spent being shown how feeble my swimming fitness is at Katys swimming training session (Alas Di...our mothers group sessions were spent talking too much! lol). Had post training nourishment of (real italian) pizza restaurants still thriving at 11pm, and tasting my first limonecello (they did get better!). On the way home there were all these fires lit along side the road in the middle of nowhere and i was thinkng we should stop to put them out.....only to find out its where each prostitute hangs out to alert her clients to stop! Very dangerous to be in the middle of nowhere though!
Katy, Franchesca and I went into Lodi to visit and have my first italian gelati and wander through the beautiful cobbled streets, peeking through the gorgeous courtyards behind massive and intricately designed doorways.
Coming home from dinner sat night (where I was taught how to eat my spaghetti italian style!), the Tale of the Hatching Egg story began to unfold. Katy had these cute little toy chickens that she put on her lawn during the afternoon for the approaching easter....that night we arrived home to one of the chickens standing on her doorknob and then found out one of them had laid an egg! Was hilarious at 2am in the morning...wasnt sure who didit or what was planned for the next day...but I told Katy on easter....she should crack the egg and take a picture of it węth her chickens!
Sunday was my farwell to a beautiful CS host, where even her mother nearly shed a tear! I caught a train to Lake Garda (about 150km east of milan) and the beginning of the alsp. The first time i was there it was rainy and cloudy and unfortunately I couldn't see the huge mountains dominating the perimeter of the lake, but it was a fantastic day catching up with Markus finally. Visited Limone del Garda where there are old remnants of terraced lemon trees where they used to be covered to protect them during the winter, ?Castello in Malcesine and Borghetto (old quaint village and visited my first of many churches). The weather made it a day of wining/dining and coffee. The food was amazing...eating at Valeggio sul minco a speciality of cheese and pear tortellini. I have been surprised with the lack of vegetables in the dishes in Italy..but as i was explained..by only having 2-3 flavours in a dish you get to taste each flavour and savour it more...rather than perhaps how i cook is...the more veggies the better...and you end up not being able to appreciate each individual taste. Wine is also of course a must at each meal...however, particularly in the north...the alcohol content is alot milder than the south and what australians are used to due to the milder weather. A prosecco (sparkling young wine - tastes like sparkling grape juice) is before the meal, wine during the meal and then perhaps a limonecello or if you have no tastebuds...a grappa! The sculling aussie culture is not found here and people dont drink to get drunk...eating and drinking is part of the social atmosphere and everything is done slowly for enjoyment.
On the way to Trento, we drove past Arco de Trento where an amazing old castle is perched on the edge of a precipice where many rock climbers go. A large cross stands overlooking the village and is quite an awe inspiring view.
Spent one night in Trento with another fellow couch surfer - Loris who again gave up his home for a stranger and cooked me a yummy meal. Such a knowledgeable soul mr loris and I learnt many valuable things about the history and culture of italy particularly the northern part.
Verona (the place where Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet is depicted from) was such a beautiful beautiful city with a touch of roman influence. Despite a freezing and wet day, I visited the Roman amphithetre (Arena) which was built in the first century and despite an earthquake in the 12th century still remains the third largest of the roman amphitheatres. I of course visited Casa Di Guilietta (Juliets balcony) which was a little disappointing as it must have been a school excursion day and being such a small courtyard was packed with children making stupid sexual conotations and getting photographed with their hands on juliets breasts! The walls were graffittied with love messages to people and juliet....which was tacky but unique.
The Porta dei Borsari (remanant Roman gate) older than 265 AD was set amongst more modern pebbled streets and just amazing to think how old everythęng is in italy/Europe and so many stories behind it.....you could never learn them in a lifetime.
Porta Leoni was an amazing part of the city where they had excavated a roman street 3m below todays street level.
I then travelled up to Meran....north italy near the austrian border...an area that used to be southern Tyrol and where many rich/famous people came for the milder weather and their health. It used to be part of Austria until ?WWII when it was given to ?Mussolini and italians were encouraged to come and live there. Therefore it has a very strong German and Italian influence and many people look very Austrian too. Such a breathtaking city (about 30 000 people) surrounded by snow capped mountains and a river running through the centre. Despite its beauty I could also understand why markus and others were saying that the mountains really close you in and make people close minded too. Australia has so much space and you can understand why maybe we feel a bit freeer in some ways?
It was amazing to think that I was in little Meran after so long in communicating with friends from little perth. I stayed with Tom who was such a charming host...and really spent the time in meran being wined and dined every lunch and dinner at stunning places overlooking the valley, mountains and ancient castles meeting new and wonderful people. The italian language is sooo beautiful and melodious and makes me just want to fall asleep with a smile on my face. Liz and I will have to get our act together and learn italian when im back in the uk for sure now!
Spent two hours in a thermal spręng...which was FANTASTIC! It contained hot/cold pools, steam saunas, massage shoulder jets, pools with music playing under the water - which sounded so clear and some pools were outside overlooking the snow capped mountains. Such a beautiful evening watching the full moon rise over them. The moon plays such an ęmportant part in their life....haircuts and planting of vegies are only done during thefull moon...
Travelled the 8hr return to Venezia (Venice) which was an amazing place. I didnt realise that it was built on mudflats and was a collection of little islands joined together by canals and bridges...built to avoid barbarian invasions around 1500 years ago. Regular flooding have made many inhabitants move. It was a shame that it is right next to a port and the pollution and smoke put a dampner on the romantic side of it. The bus i travelled in was full of german speaking tourists (german is such an ugly sounding language!!)...a lovely german 14 year old girl befriended me to interpret things in english while she travelled with her nazi cranky grandma and charming and cheeky grandfather. I think I really need to do some tours węth English speaking guides!
Again...another city with a charming Piazza...San MArco węth thousands of pidgeons! The cathedral - Basilica di San Marco contained such detail and colourful tiled mureals on the arches housing the body of St Mark which has been stolen numerous times from Egypt and other places. The floor supposedly undulates after centuries of tidal shifts affecting the foundations...however the queue was too long to get inside. The Ponte Di Rialto built 1505 is one of the very few bridges connecting the islands across the Canal Grande (less than 5m deep). All very romantic watching the $100 an hr gondolas float past with me, myself and I! lol I was told twice by two people that i looked 18 or 25 years old! Italians might be romantic but maybe not that discerning!
Venice also contained the first ghetto in the world (thats where the name comes from) until 1390...where alot of the jewish people lived. Venice is also very famous for the Muran glass and glass blowing. They are a very sexual/erotic civilisation with erotic museums and objects of a sexual nature made out of glass!
Had my first major homesick night that night. I think because in Perth you build venice up to be this beautiful romantic, historical place and I finally got to go there and wasnt able to share it with my close friends and family!
Spent the next day complaning the WHOLE way up a 1200m mountain called Punta Dei Larichi (which means a large peak....no kidding!). Loris left a little bit of information out about how long we would trek for! 6hrs later (return) with not much breakfast I felt exhausted but alive and having seen such beautiful views of Lake Garda compared to the rainy day the other time....it was satisfying to know I had managed to do it. Loris said that because i complained so much...it was obvious that i had enough wind to keep speaking and was therefore fit enough to do it! It was a beautiful sunny day and i even got sunburnt!
When I got back to Merano...i was sooo starving i even ate STEAK!! Im turning into a carniverous woman! I just hope it was beef as sometimes the steak is horse! but considering we had dinner at the racecourse....i can only hope they dont cook their thoroughbreds! lol
Went out `on the town` aftwerwards. Italian boys are very direct with their eyes!! You are supposed to look everyone in the eye when you say chin chin (cheers) for drinks! Im just a shy girl! The girls (minus darling Katy and co) in italy have been rather unapproachable and get extremely jealous over nothing I feel. So I never really got to spend much time with the girlfriends of my friends. Charming Tom cooked me my first italian dinner with yummy mascarpone sauce - though I dont think his girlfriend was exactly happy about that either!
I spent Easter weekend in Meran, going up the chairlift with Tom to have lunch overlooking the valley and Meran...again in a restaurant known for its speciality in the specific flour that they make their tortellini and pasta from. You only need to travel a few kilometres and the village, people and food changes...soo exquisite. The apple blossoms are finally starting to come out. We walked along the mountains and vineyards towards a castle that Hitler supposedly stored alot of ?stolen/wealth in.
Easter Sunday I went to the main catholic church. Such a beautiful intricate church with awesome accoustics where the choir didnt require microphones. A friend of Markus...Ardi, was one of the lead singers during Handels Messiah and Mozart pieces. There were so many rituals, ornaments, gold and paraphernalia towards the front of the church. A small gold monument of Christ hung on a cross surrounded by 24 candles and 7 candles above the cross and saints around it. Christ seemed to get lost amongst it all. Looking up at the ceiling...almost forgotten was a simple moving statue of christ hanging on the cross but no light was shining on it as though it wasnt important. Made me feel sad as that was the whole point of being there...but christ seemed to be drowned out by the rest of the ceremonies. It was still an ethereal/spiritual moment being in such an old church with history and beautiful acoustics. I dont think the churches are often attended to in italy anymore and it made me a little sad that there wasnt a more personal experience with God that could be felt there.
Went for a beautiful sunny ride on Markus` harley around meran and south of bolzano. It made me really miss my beloved bicycle! Another thing to purchase or organise back in london!
I think I actually LOST weight in Italy despite spending the whole 24hrs sitting and eating! (go figure!!)...how is it that i gain weight in Asia and lose it in Italy!?
I had such a wonderful time in Italy with such generous and hospitable people. It has been such a privilege to stay with friends, go to local places, be a part of their lives and experience what it would be like to live in that place rather than as a tourist. Meran was a place I really felt I could live in and really felt at home. I was really sad to go...leaving with a tear in my eye...off to my next adventure in Turkey/Greece...hoping to visit my beautiful friends again....amici per sempre...ciao for now xx
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