Did You Know...

Although Vatican City is situated in Rome, it is actually an independent state! They have their own passport, postage etc and Vatican City is led by the Pope himself!

Stepping into Rome and Vatican City! - Day 6

We had an early night and then we woke up early the next day at about 7am to have our breakfast served by the BnB hostel. The person serving us was very friendly which really perked us up quite a bit in the morning and the breakfast set comprised of 2 croissants (chocolate and marmalade flavours), cappuccino and a cup of orange juice! A superb start for the morning!


Traditional Italian Breakfast


















After a filling breakfast, we were on our way to the Central Station to take a bus to the Vatican City. At the bus interchange, we decided to buy the one-day bus ticket because it seemed to be the better choice as we did not know how many bus trips we would be taking for the day and therefore with EUR4.00, we were able to take buses infinitely for the day!


One-Day Bus Pass


















I remembered it was the 3rd last stop for the bus service 64. That would take us to the bus stop near St. Peter's Square, which would need to take an underpass to get to the other side of the road and another 200m walk. When we got past the security check, we realized we were in the midst of a huge gathering to celebrate the Beatification of Pope John Paul II and there were so many people gathered at the sqaure, waving their countries' flags. We were slightly disappointed because we were unable to enter the cathedral which was our first planned highlight for the day. As such, we left the square shortly after take some pictures and went straight for the Vatican Museum!


Outside St. Peter's Square














The crowd gathering at St. Peter's Square













Magnificent eh?



















The queue to enter the Vatican Museum was rather long but I guess we were able to get in about 15 mins. The ticket was priced at EUR15.00 and we were thrilled after getting in because we were first greeted by a huge garden and lotsa exquisite paintings, art pieces and sculptures. Most notably, the paintings and Sistine Ceiling by Raphael.


Long queue to Vatican Museum


















Welcome!

Tickets at EUR15.00 each




















Garden



















Statue or painting?














Famous "Torso"



















Breathtaking huh!



















School of Athens, Raphael

















Sistine Ceiling, Raphael





















We hereby, connect.



















After the Vatican Museum, we then moved on to our other destinations such as Spanish Square (famous scene which took place in Audrey Hepburn's Roman Holiday), Fontana di Trevi (famous wishing fountain with Neptune God sculptured in Barroque style) and the Pantheon.



At Spanish Square


















Make a wish, thrown in a coin and you'll return to Rome!


















The Pantheon

Did You Know...

Italians (both men and women) love to smoke? In Italy, you can almost find a Tabacchi (Tobacco) shop for every 50m of walking! Yuckssss...

Short Stop at Pisa and To Rome with Love - Day 5

We left Locanda dei Poeti quite early because we need to get onto the 9am train. So after a rushed breakfast at the BnB kitchen, we were on the road again and our next destination will be Pisa - the City of the famous Leaning Tower!

Reception

Library and kitchen is right at the end.

After about a 1hr 20mins ride on the train, we finally arrived at Pisa! After getting out of the station, we went straight to the tourist information centre and was told that to reach the Pisa tower, it only required us to walk straight down along the main road, across the bridge and after a couple of 400m walk, we will see it. So we decided to get there by foot instead of taking the bus, as we can also some street life!

Reached Pisa Station

Walking on the Pisa street

Crossing the bridge

A glimpse at Pisa Tower

When we arrived the square nearby the Pisa tower, you can see the hoards of tourists, restaurants and souvenir shops around the area. There were 3 architectures to visit - Cathedral, Baptistery and Leaning Tower. But first, one would need to purchase the tickets first. Our recommendation would be to buy the EUR6.00, which includes visits to the Cathedral and Baptistery because the visit to Pisa tower is limited by available timeslots and batches.

Tickets and Leaning Tower of Pisa

See the inclination to the right!

(From front) Baptistery, Cathedral and Pisa Tower.

See the tilt!

"Pushing" the tower back straight up

It was quite a scorching day at Pisa and I must admit I was slight sunburnt after being under the sun for several hours. So after the last pic with Pisa, we were on our way back to the train station and to Rome!

At EUR79.00, Independence Square Inn is quite value for money due to its proximity to Rome's Central Train Station, near to restaurants, has a nearby supermarket and breakfast included! Furthermore, we are also entitled to a 10% at the restaurant below because it's opened by the same boss too!

Did You Know...

Florence is also known as "Firenze"!















Don't you guys think their logo looks like some logo too...?

Bidding Farewell to Florence Soon - Day 4

After an utterly exhausting day covering so many gardens and peaks yesterday, we finally get to have a day of "RnR" as there wasn't much plans made for today! But never did I know that... (Check what happened later in this article)

Nonetheless, we managed to get our feet on the move with the morning breeze and our first stop was at the Mercato Nuovo (near Republic Square), which is a small marketplace selling bags, shirts etc. The purpose of going there was to spot the Florence boar (affectionately known to the locals as Il Porcellino). It was sculpted by a famous Baroque artist (Pietro Tacca) and remember to touch its snout for good luck!!


Mercato Nuovo

Il Porcellino

With the kind help from our enthusiastic hostel boss, we managed to have the pre-booked tickets to enter one of the oldest and famous art museums of the world! It was a once in a lifetime experience because I was finally having the chance to see the real portraits of actual art pieces which I had studied during the "Reading Visual Images" module back in NUS. Some famously known paintings which were on display were such as "The Birth of Venus" by Boticelli and "The Annunciation" by Da Vinci etc. It was really an eye-opener for me! Although photos were not allowed to be taken in the gallery, thanks to the Google Art Project, you can take a look at the art paintings here on Google!! - http://www.googleartproject.com/museums/uffizi

Outside Uffizi Gallery

For pre-booked tickets, you can start queuing at entrance 3.

At the end of the gallery tour, we went back to the Santa Maria Del Fiore church again so that we can get up to the bell tower as our previous attempt was not possible due to a church event. When we got there, there was a long queue to go up the tower but HH was determined to get up there this time, so we waited~ As we got nearer to the entrance, there was a sign saying that the journey up to the top of the bell tower will take a total of 414 steps and there was a health advisory note there to caution people. I gulped. And a chill went down my spine.
Soon enough, it was our turn to go up. After paying EUR6.00/pax at the counter, the nightmare began after going past the turnstile! It was a painful process, really. Winding spirals on the way up, tight & narrow walkways (when people need to squish and squash their way up and down) worn out stone walls and steps. To me, it was totally madness. I even told HH that it was silly to pay money and torture ourselves like that. But as we progressed to the top of the tower and stood from above, the view was filled with splendour! The character of Tuscany was written all over the town with their brownish rooftops and yellow-tinted houses, along with a close-up view of cathedrals dome and exquisite exterior motifs, it was very well worth the effort.


Outside queuing.


















People looking like ants!














The Dome.

The view of Tuscany.

Getting down was a chore but definitely much easier than going up.

Subsequently, we went to take a look at the luxury brands street along Via della Vigna Nuova and you can see brands like Salvatore Ferragamo, Gucci, Hermes, Prada, Gianfranco Ferre etc. Didn't get a chance to go in and browse through because we were rushing to have a quick lunch across the Vecchio bridge. hen our last stop for the day was the Santa Maria Novella Church, which was located right in front of the Central Train Station at Florence.

Luxury brands street.














Varsari's secret corridor.

Santa Maria Novella Church.

Did You Know...

The Pinocchio tale was originated from Italy!

The REAL Deal @ Florence - Day 3 Part 2

After the Boboli Gardens, we went to the nearby Giardini Bardini to take a different view of Florence together with 2 statues and an impressive floral pathway!


Statues of Giardini Bardini.










Floral Path.














For our last destination, we would be going to the San Miniato Cathedral and this would include upward slope climbing through a wall and a long flight of stairs to reach the church. But I guess all efforts paid off when I was visually rewarded by the panaromic view from the top of the hill~ wooHOO~ Here's not a bad photo taken inside the cathedral where the sunlight was seeping through the church windows.


San Miniato Cathedral.


















See the Sunrays.

View from outside the Cathedral.














Finally, this was the end of our day's journey and I would estimate that I walked for about 5km for the day... Was really exhausted by then with my panting and my aching legs! =PpP