I arrived in Florence via train and quickly checked into my hostel ready for some authentic Italian food. As pizza is my favourite food group, I opted to ask the hostel for the best pizza joint in town. Luckily the worker at the hostel was a local, so he pointed me in the direction of La Casa Mia, a 30 minute walk out of the tourist area of Florence. He promised it was the best pizza we would ever had, so I took the trip. It was by far the best I’ve ever had. Authentic Italian pizza is simple and to the point, usually only 3 toppings max and never anything crazy (pineapple etc). The crust is thin, the produce fresh and the result is astonishing. They don’t believe in dipping sauce either as the pizza is so good it’s an insult, like bbq sauce on steak.
After the delightful culinary experience it was off to see some sights, first off the Galleria dell’Accademia to see David.
No pictures were allowed but I decided to gamble and take just one...
Staring up at this 17 foot monster of a masterpiece was pretty awesome. It was sculpted out of a single block of marble by Michelangelo in 1504 when he was just 29, and it’s definitely the highlight of the Galleria dell’Accademia. There were other pieces by Michelangelo and other famous artists that I enjoyed, however this one stood out from the rest.
Next up was the Duomo, and although I didn’t actually get to go inside (enormous line) I did manage to snap some good pictures.
The view from inside the Duomo clock tower:
I also checked out the Galleria Delgi Uffizi, home to the greatest collection of Renaissance art in the world. One fact that I thought awesome, was each of the Ninja Turtles have artwork here...awesome. Again no pictures were allowed in most areas, I managed to grab a few with the flash off as to not damage the art work.
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| yes that’s right, that’s a man breaking the neck of a centaur....there’s so much awesome in this statue it nearly didn't all fit into one picture. |
There are so many amazing, badass statues around Florence I lost count...but here are some of my favs.
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| I SAID MEATLOAF ON THURSDAYS, YOU HEAR ME!? |
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| Centaur clubbing....all the rage |
Italian cops helping me out when I was lost (or pretending to be).....fuggedaboutit
I made one more stop at Piazzale Michelangelo for some awesome views of Florence.
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| You can see the Duomo right in the middle |
An amazing few days in Florence, but it was onto my next destination, Rome.
Lots to see
when in Rome (had to get at least 1 in there) for sure....first up was the Colosseum
What’s cool about the Colosseum is that it’s in downtown Rome, not in the middle of nowhere. So you’re walking around trying to find it, and you turn a street corner and bam...there it is.
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| Marble was a common building material within the Colosseum, however much of it was stolen from the Colosseum to build churches over the years! |
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| Gladiator's are people too... |
One of the coolest things I learned about the 50,000 seater Colosseum is that during its’ active days sometimes they would use exotic animals from other countries to fight in the arena. One example is the giraffe which nobody in Rome had ever seen before. They would put a spiked helmet on the giraffee, and it would swing it’s head around and destroy anything in front of it. Just imagine for a second that you're in front of 50000 cheering Romans, and they unleash this giant beast at you that you've never seen before and know nothing about....and it wants to smash you to pieces. I’d want floor seats for that action!
After the Colosseum I checked out the neighbouring ruins of the Roman Forum which was essentially the political, financial and social hub of the Roman Empire.
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| Original doors with locking mechanism still functioning today.....the Romans built things to last forever |
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| Grave of Julius Cesar |
The next day was dedicated for the Vatican City, including the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican Museum.
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| The Vatican City was used as a defensive fortress at one point |
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| Apollo |
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| The Belvedere Torso - Michelangelo's favourite piece, he used this as inspiration for much of his work including David |
The Sistine Chapel itself was a somewhat dark room and the use of flashes was forbidden so I have no pictures. However our tour guide was phenomenal and he explained the ceiling and room in vivid detail. The story behind the entire thing is truly amazing, I suggest Wikipedia or Googling it if you’re not up to speed.
St. Peter’s Basilica was next on the tour - this place was jaw-dropping from the moment you stepped through the doors
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| St Peters Square where people gather to see the Pope. He makes an appearance in his window every Sunday. On Easter and Christmas up to 200k people gather to see him! |
Rome was truly an awesome city to visit, however the last leg of my Italian journey would lead me to the west coast, and the town of Sorrento and the Amalfi coast.
Landed at Seven Hostel in Sorrento, easily in my top 4 or 5 favourite hostels of my trip so far. 2 rooftop terraces with bars, amazing views of the surrounding mountains and coast line as well as modern and clean facilities. Not to mention a choice of 10 entrees for dinner, all very reasonably priced....winning formula.
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| Awesome views from the rooftop terrace...Mt. Vesuvius on the far left in the distance |
After a tough first day full of absolutely nothing (see above picture) I decided to hop on a tour to Capri Island, a 30 minute boat ride from Sorrento. En route we had a chance to take a dip in some of the grotto's surrounding the island, it was amazing.
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| Capri Island |
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| Awesome swim through to the other side...the water was so clear and warm it was like swimming pool |
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| The 180 point and hold....classic |
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| The Capri Island crew....great bunch of people |
The rest of Sorrento was pretty relaxing, but I did take a trip down the Amalfi coast to the town of Amalfi....postcard views the whole way baby
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| From Amalfi beach looking up |
Italy was one of my favourite countries thus far, so much to see and so much amazing food...not to mention the wine! It's one of those countries I'd love to visit again one day!
Croatia is next! Stay tuned!
