Day 4 - Florence

"Bon Jono!" chirped Mr C as we piled into the coach for the drive to Florence (old capital of Italy), which was 85 km away. Mr C went on to tell us that Firenze is Florence, just as Roma is Rome and Milano is Milan.

"Please check to see that your passports are where they are. You will find me repeatedly asking you to check your passports. Bear in mind, that if you discover in Milan for instance, that you lost your passport, you will have to return to Rome to make the report. So this is no joke."

Under Italian law, coach drivers were not allowed to drive beyond a certain number of hours. They were required to take 15 minutes break along the highway. This worked out fine for us, since most of us "had to go" a great deal. We were informed that the little cubicle in the coach can be used in an emergency but it was strongly discouraged.

Thus we stopped at a restroom along the highway. Once again, Ms Throw-Away-Her-Clothes marched into the store with a shopping cart. Mr Nose-Glued-To-His-Phone muttered, "Don't scare me again, wifey!"

No longer able to contain my curiosity, I blurted out.

"I'm a little curious. I noticed that your wife bought a lot of stuff each time we go to the supermarket or any highway stores. How do you pack all those stuff in your luggage? I'm having trouble with mine."

"Oh, she threw away her clothes."

I thought that was funny so I chuckled.

"I'm serious. She threw away all her clothes and use the space to pack the things she bought. This had been her travelling habit all these years."

People never fail to amaze, do they?

Well, we reached Florence without further incidence. After the tax was paid, we walked to meet up with our Roman guide.

Tall doorways to allow horses and carriages through

This renaissance palace was designed for the powerful Medici family with art museum and a famous chapel. It was associated with many significant events and a large part of Florence history.

• this is where in 1489, a 14 year old Michelangelo came to live as a teenage artist under sponsorship of Lorenzo de Medici (Lord of Florence) who actively sought to cultivate the development of young talent.(Lorenzo's son Giovanni became Pope Leo X, first Medici Pope.)
• Catherine the Medici (future queen of France) lived here early 1500
• In 1938, a dinner between Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler was held here.

We noticed the three different exterior of the building and learnt about the rustication effect. (i.e. from rough and rocky to smooth and delicate):

1. Ground Floor - Heavy, rough look with coarse stones sticking out, windows with bars to keep people out in the event of insurrection
2. First Floor - smoother, smaller bricks with lighter look
3. Second Floor - delicate refined facade

We marched on and as we turned a corner at a block of building to behold the Duomo di Firenze, all of us exclaimed in unison. "Wow!" For in truth, "Wow" is the only exclamation befitting so fine a building.

Duomo di Firenze

"Watch out for your passports," cried Mr C. "Swing your backpacks to the front," yelled Mr C.

The Duomo is not the dome. It is a term for an Italian cathedral church which as condition, must have a bishop and a bishop's chair. The most important church in each city is known as Duomo followed by the name of city eg Duomo di Milano, Duomo di Firenze. 

The dome we see is known as the cupola.

GATES OF PARADISE Baptistery of San Giovanni. Michelangelo named this building the Gates of Paradise. Bronze panels are replicas. Original works now at the Museo dell Opera.

Palazzo Vecchio (Old fortress palace) Town Hall of Florence

L-shaped square in front of Palazzo Vecchio home to Michelangelo's statue of David (replica)

Art museum at the Piazza della Signoria

Old Bridge

It was said that when Adolf Hitler visited Italy, he was taken to see the Old Bridge above. The structure had so impressed him.that it was spared when German troops later invaded Florence. The medieval segmented arch bridge over the Arno river was noted for the shops built along it. Wooden shuttered goldsmith shops was said to line both sides of the bridge.

The bridge was designed in part as a defensive structure. In medieval Italy, the use of rivers to launch attacks was a well established element of the art of war and although Florence was surrounded by walls, an enemy might attack in boats along the Arno itself

To recover the money spent on building the bridge, the government of Florence rented out the shops. Strict control by the Captain of The Bridge maintained order until in 1495, the government made the grave mistake of selling off the shops to raise money and thereafter lost control over the bridge.

The Basilica di Santa Croce was the burial place of some of the most illustrious Italians, such as Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli and Rossini.

Basilica di Santa Croce Franciscan Church

At this point Mr C knew I had a question which I wouldn't have asked if he hadn't probed. "Is there a Jewish influence on this church? I thought I saw the Star of David way up there." I asked.

"Oh no! There isn't any Jewish connection. When did Christianity start?"replied Mr C.

I perceived at once that Mr C did not know what I was talking about. One of the tactics of a trainer is to return a question when you don't have the answer. And I was right.

I learnt later that a Jewish architect named Niccolo Matas from Ancona, designed the church's 19th-century neo-Gothic facade, working a prominent Star of David into the composition. Matas had wanted to be buried with his peers but because he was Jewish, he was buried under the porch and not within the walls.

The moral of the story? Tour Managers do not know everything and will admit nothing!

Bronze replica  of Michelangelo's David
offered a panoramic view of Florence

And we were off to the Pierotucci Leather Factory where I was surprised to see Chinese salesperson promoting leather products.

There's something to be said about the table cloth at restaurants though.  Disposable paper were used instead of table cloths. Some were white, most were off-white or creamy white. They were probably recycled after every use, I thought as I imagined the sauces and stains that went into the paper. Then one day, we sat at this restaurant where the serviettes were a dark brown. I placed this serviette neatly to one side and thought I'd be better off not using it. 

Now the Florentine Steak and Fried Chicken in Florence were done to perfection! We washed all that down with a bottle of red wine which costs us only €11.

Mural on the wall (restaurant)

Day 3 - Pisa

"Bon Jono!", chirped Mr C on the morning after. (That's "Good Day" in Italian, by the way.) We piled into the coach for the Leaning Tower of Pisa which is about 355 km away.

We did not see any windmills along the highway although we did pass many rustic looking farmhouses with pine trees lining the outer parameter. The olive grove reminded me of the movie "A Walk In The Cloud" starring Keanu Reeves.

And the palm trees reminded me of Bette Davis. I never did find out the name of the movie but it was one I watched a long time ago. The movie was a black and white TV rerun and it began with an old lady answering an advertisement put up by Bette Davis for a companion in a lonely farmhouse in the middle of no where. Oh, and no neighbors too.

The interview went well. Bette Davis discovered that the interviewee had some nest egg and no living kin or beneficiary. This was perfect as Bette had her eyes set on the nest egg. She was employed and poisoned every night with trace amounts of poison added into her wine. Soon, the naive companion signed a letter to give Bette the right to manage her affairs. After the companion died, she was buried under the pine trees. The pine trees were Bette's pride and joy and there were several on her property. She planted one tree for each companion she killed.. Her devious scheme was not discovered until a neighbor bought the adjoining land and their dog dug up the bodies. Yup! Gruesome. Still, it was something to chew on along the highway to Pisa.

Pisa is a city in Tuscany. Olive trees were seen almost everywhere. The houses had a rustic look to it which reminded me a great deal of Salzburg.

Now if any of you are familiar with Sierra Games from way back when, you would have heard about the Caesar simulation series. There was Caesar 1 right up to Caesar 4, that I know of. It's really a city building game. Roads and aqueducts featured prominently.

Of course they also came up with Cleopatra, Pharaoh, Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom and I've played them all, but really, we're not here to discuss that. Back to the aqueduct, which was the feature affecting the water table of the city, I'd always wanted to see if any existed today. It did. Here's the real thing.

aqueduct

Apparently, you have to pay tax at every city you visited so our first order of the day was to stop by at an obscure office to pay the tax, then head for the parking lot. Buses were not allowed to park in the city, or so we were told. We alighted from the bus and from there, it was a long walk to our destination.

I looked at the baby straddling Ms Workhorse, one of our travelling companion, as she walked tirelessly, back straight, chess out. Looking at her, you cannot help but stop moaning and groaning. (Why yes, I'm guilty of same) You could tell just by looking at her face, that Ms Workhorse is ... well, a workhorse. You could also tell, from her husband's face, that he was no workhorse. The couple was in their early thirties but Ms Workhouse was the one walking around with the 2 year old toddler strapped in a harness to her waist.

A shawl was thrown over her left shoulder although it was a hot day. The baby's face was buried under the shawl so it was a curious sight. I was wondering if the baby was asleep and was about to take a closer look when it suddenly occurred to me that the mother was breastfeeding the baby.

Wow! I just saved me a huge embarrassment.

And there she is!
the free standing bell tower of the
Cathedral of Pisa (picture below)
constructed of white marble

The Cathedral

Piazza dei Miracoli
(Fields of Miracles)

The Pisa tower is one of the four buildings that make up the cathedral complex.

1. Duomo di Pisa
2. Baptistery
3. Bell Tower
4. Cemetery : gracefully elongated cloister end, a burial ground with earth reputedly brought back during the crusades from Golgotha, hill where Jesus was crucified.

Souvenir kiosks outside the cathedral complex were manned by Italians, Bangladeshis/Pakistanis and Chinese. Gypsies were everywhere so Mr C was in his element. "Swing your backpacks to the front," he cried. "Watch out for your wallets and passports." "Be alert!"

Some of us "had to go" so we walked into the Mc Donald outlet for a drink just so we could get the "toilet code". Yup! You heard me right. We needed the "toilet code" if we "had to go." Otherwise, we need to pay a princely sum of €1.00 to use public washrooms.

Since we had time to kill, we walked to the nearest supermarket. This was where Ms Throw-Away-Her-Clothes marched in with an empty shopping cart and marched out again with a full load. (Click the link for detail. More about her later.)

There weren't anything else to see in Pisa (we should have bargained for a visit to an olive grove) so we checked into the hotel for another night's rest.

Day 1/2 - Roma Part 2

So we had lunch at this rustic looking Pizzeria which was packed with the lunch time crowd. A wild chestnut tree stood in front of the restaurant and as we were debating whether or not the chestnuts were edible, Alexis, our Roman guide stepped into the middle of our discourse to tell us that it wasn't. She went on to add that even raw olives were not palatable.

Spaghetti

Pizza

The spaghetti came with nothing in it but tomato puree and cheese. It wasn't bad. It wasn't good either.  A few seconds later, the pizza came in a large plate, with no other toppings except for the tomato puree and cheese. Accustomed as we were to pineapple, chicken/beef, button mushrooms  and bell pepper toppings, this too turned out to be less than appetizing.  I took two slices before pushing my plate away. Mind you, the pizza was bigger than my head, and how do you tuck in something this big without worrying about the weight factor? I looked around at the others and noticed that most of them did not finish their spaghetti and pizza too. The crust was good though, that much I'll say.

It was time for the washroom so we piled into the back of the restaurant to find a long queue already waiting in line. There were only two so it was a long time before I was done, Thereafter, I stepped before the sink. I hate this part of the washroom experience.

Back home, different shopping malls had different sinks in their washrooms. Some are installed with sensors which triggered the water to flow from the faucet, Some came with a little handle which you push to one side to bring forth the water and in others, you push down a knob at the top of the faucet and water started flowing until the knob returned to its original position. Gone are the days when faucets came with a cross at the top which you turn clockwise or anticlockwise whichever the case may be. I'd always hated this part of the washroom experience because I could never remember which faucet is installed at which shopping mall.

So I stepped before the sink, and found nothing that could be pushed either to the side or downwards. I placed my hands below the faucet but there were no sensor anywhere in sight. "Maybe there's a water cut today," I thought as I stepped away from the sink. I found a barrel with an attached spigot outside the restaurant and washed my hands there. I figured that they wouldn't place a wine barrel outside the restaurant so it should contain water. It did.

Later, I discovered that the water in the washroom sink were operated by foot-pumps below the sink, like the picture below. This was something I hadn't seen before so I whipped out my camera for the shot.

Oh, by the by, unlike Austria, there were few public drinking fountains in Italy although tap water is safe to drink.

With Alexis, our Roman guide, explaining away the wild chestnuts and olives, we embarked on the CITY TOUR

Central hub of Rome

Also known as
Wedding Cake /Giant Typewriter
Built as tribute to the first king of united Italy

Rome is scattered with ancient ruins. We listened politely as Alexis told us who died where. The spot where Brutus killed Caesar is now a depression by the side of the road.

If you looked at the parked car in the picture above, you should have some idea how colossal these ruins were.

The basilica was a Roman public building, which in Greek meant "regal" or "kingly". In the centuries after the Roman Empire, basilicas started to mean "Big Church" because the first big churches were built in the style of the old Roman basilicas

Houses the relics belonging to St Helena (mother of Emperor Constantine)

COLOSSEUM

According to Roman mythology, the Palatine was the birth-place of Romulus and Remus, the twin brothers suckled and raised by a she-wolf. They became the founders of Rome. Palatine is one of the seven hills of Rome. It is now an open-air museum. Inside are the ruins of the ancient abodes of imperial rulers and their beautiful gardens.

Entrance to Palatine Hill

Colosseum (Flavian Amphitheatre)

Arch of Constantine (largest surviving Roman triumphal arch) commemorate Emperor Constantine's victory over the Roman tyrant Maxentius (Situated between Colosseum and Palatine Hill)

The tour did not include tickets to enter the Colosseum so I watched ruefully at the long queue waiting patiently to purchase said tickets. Up the Colosseum, little specks of moving objects (visitors) gave you a sense of how big the Colosseum truly is.

As a gentle breeze embraced us in the shade of the dying sun, I allowed my mind to drift into the Colosseum. I saw myself walking upon the travertine stone, alone and unencumbered, looking up at the blue sky and marveling at the vastness of the place and it's deafening silence. No chirping birds, no human murmurs, no evidence of life, only a cajoling breeze on a dubious mission. Suddenly and almost absentmindedly, I stepped over an unseen threshold, a portal of sorts which took me to a different dimension - the past. I was seated with the Roman ladies, clad in fine silk and exotic jewelry, looking in bewilderment at the gore below, gladiators wrestling with hungry lions. An unpleasant sight, I thought and as if in retrospect, a shift in the imagination found me now one of the gladiator facing certain death in the eye. "Not cool!" I thought, as I snapped myself out of this reverie and gazed at Alexis (our Roman guide) who showed us the spot where Nero once stood and fiddled while Rome burned. I did not ask her if that was a historical fact for she followed this with another revelation. Nero's statue which once stood at the spot overlooking the Colosseum was pulled down by angry Romans for some reason or the other. Overlooking the spot where Nero's statue once stood, was an ancient temple on Palatine Hill. A colossal statue of Venus occupied this temple. And with that, Alexis grew silent as her eyes searched the sea of faces, looking probably for someone she knew. 

Seeing that each of us were done encapsulated in our various thoughts, Mr C said that it was time to go.

VATICAN CITY

Bernini's Square
(St Peter's Square)
Built by Bernini

Marble columns and statues of saints and popes

First picture above showed a group carrying a huge cross, singing as they entered the church, pausing to kiss the door. This was a special period in the Vatican when whoever enters the church through this door would have all their sins forgiven.

There were three mummies on display inside the church but I gave them a wide berth

Maybe a manhole or a secret passage to underground tunnels?

The Confessional?

ceiling

A storm was brewing outside the church so we were trapped in St Peter's Basilica. There was no time to see the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican chimney many of us have seen in the news. By the time the rain subsided, we had to circumvent the underground bus parking lot because the closest entrance was flooded. The day's tour had come to a conclusion and after a comfortable dinner, we checked into the hotel.

By the way, bottles of mineral water were provided at the hotel but they were not complementary. There were no complementary coffee or tea and no kettle.

Day 1/2 - Roma Part 1

Our group of 21 adults and one toddler met at the airport and was quickly rounded up by Mr C, the Tour Manager. The next few hours were tiring but exciting because our destination was a few hours closer.  We landed in Rome at about 6 in the morning and what do you know? A luggage went missing from the baggage carousel. The next hour was spent in luggage claim and by the time it was done, we were looking at a bright and sunny 7 am Roman morning. The tour commenced immediately,.

THE SPANISH SQUARE The Column of the Immaculate Conception (below) was discovered under a monastery in 1777 and relocated to this square 80 years later. At the top of the column stood a statue of the Virgin Mary. Column of the Immaculate Conception

The fountain below (flooded boat at the center of a basin) was inspired by the flooding of the Tiber in 1598 when a small boat was stranded at this spot after the water subsided. The fountain is located below the Spanish Steps. Fontana della Barcaccia

Spanish Steps

The French Gothic church above with the twin bell tower is the Trinita dei Monti. It was said that the French wanted to erect a statue of King Louis XIV at the top of the stairs. Papal opposition caused this plan to be shelved until 1723 when the staircase was built without the statue. (137 steps with 12 different flights)

I found a THE BRIDGE outlet near the Column of the Immaculate Conception and the leather purse at the window display was the one I had planned to buy but dang it,  shops were closed on Sunday so there wasn't going to be any shopping at this place on this day. The coffee and gelato place next door was opened for business so we piled in for some coffee and gelato, but mostly, to umm.. use their washroom?

Here's something interesting Mr C told us. Gelati is the plural of gelato (Italian ice cream) just as cappuccini is the plural of cappuccino.

The best part of Mr C? His constant nagging about pick-pockets and "check your passports!" and "swing your backpacks to the front!" was a sad reminder of the wretched world we live in. At the Trevi Fountain (picture below), Mr C "pulled us away to safety" when he spotted a stranger getting close to our group. "Beware of strangers, and pick-pockets, and gypsies," said he with a vengeance.

TREVI FOUNTAIN

The oldest water source in Rome, built at the end point of the *Aqua Virgo Aqueduct in 19 BC, at the junction of 3 roads, therefore Three-Street Fountain or Trevi Fountain.

*Aqua Virgo Aqueduct - so called in honor of a young Roman girl who led thirsty soldiers to the source of the spring to drink.

The construction of this fountain was financed from money earned by the reintroduction of lotto in Rome. It is mostly built from travertine stone, i.e. stone from the Tiber (river). This is the same material used to construct the Colosseum. Today, the water at the fountain is no longer drinkable because it contained recycled water.

The throwing of coins off the shoulder into the fountain was an ancient tradition. It was said that the first coin thrown in will make the gods of water favour the journey/help them return home safely. (back in the days when sea travel was the option), the second coin for those seeking love while the third coin to bring forth wedding bells. People will believe anything they hear, if you ask me.

As it is illegal to fish out coins from the fountain, the sum collected daily must be substantial judging by the huge crowd gathering at this spot. These coins, collected nightly, are given to an Italian charity (CARITAS) for a supermarket program giving rechargeable cards to Rome's needy. (grocery)

It was almost surreal to think of the mighty Roman Empire (as they once were) now crowded with pickpockets and gypsies, and speaking of gypsies, I was surprised to see some Bangladeshis/Pakistanis (can't tell the difference) manning the souvenir kiosks in front of the fountain.

PANTHEON

the text on the face of the building means "Agrippa built this during the reign of Augustus" Former Roman temple, now church. No admission.

I was again surprised to discover that many of these street performers were Bangladeshis/Pakistanis. The man above looked like he's levitating above the ground. He's not. I felt sorry for the man for it was going to get intensely hot soon.

Square outside Pantheon, with
Fontana del Pantheon, and
obelisk originally from Heliopolis

Built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, 1st century AD
followed the form of the open space of the stadium

Brazilian embassy

Resemble 4 gods at its base from which shoots the totemic Obelisk of Domitian

Baroque church facing Piazza Navona Built at the site where the early Christian (St Agnes) was martyred in the ancient Stadium of Domitian

Above: Neptune having a contretemps with an octopus Left: Immobile Street Performer (Bangladeshi/Pakistani)

Built by Giacomo Della Porta
unique rose coloured marble base

We were famished by this time so LUNCH was the only option.