Returning to Italy in October 2011!

Ciao a tutti!

I had expected to go to Rome last year, but with my job, the shaky economic situation worldwide and just being plain busy made it hard to get away.

I plan to return to Rome in October for three weeks.  I plan to spend some time in Rome as well as heading back to Sicily and visiting some new cities and place in Italy.  I'll keep you updated as I iron out my itinerary!

Leaving Rome When Visiting Rome

Rome is an excellent city to visit because it has great transport links to other cities and regions in Italy.  Rome is a stupendeous city, full of wondrous things to see and do, but there are many other cities and towns in Italy, while smaller than Rome, offer just as much, and, in some cases, even more.  Just because you intend to visit Rome, do not think that you cannot leave the city for fear of missing out.  If you are only in Rome for a day or two, taking a trip outside the city might be difficult and not worth the expense or the time.  If you are in Rome for a week or more, then there are several places that you can visit for the day or even two days and still have enough time to see and enjoy Rome. Also, if you have been to Rome in the past, you do not have an excuse for getting out of the city and seeing some of the countryside and nearby cities and towns.

In the coming weeks, I'll be profiling different areas that you might consider visiting on your next trip to Italy.  Rome is convenient for travelers:  there is so much to see and do.  Public transport is plentiful and generally quite satisfactory.  Smaller cities and towns sometimes lack good public transport, and it is often difficult to purchase tickets and understand schedules, especially if you do not speak the language.  With a little patience and some effort, you can easily overcome these obstacles.

I'll profile the following cities/towns/attractions (to name a few): Villa Adriana, Pompeii, Naples, Palermo, Viterbo, Palestrina, Florence/Tuscany, Milan, Bologna

In the meantime, visit my other blog, knowingrome.com!

image: Fontana del Moro, Rome -- located in Piazza Navona

Agrigento

The archaeological park at Agrigento has to be one of the most spectacular places that I have ever visited in all of my travels. Being a student of archaeology and ancient history, I had studied for many years the area, and it had always been a dream of mine to see the ruins up close and personal. It's also a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it's not difficult to see why it is.

Agrigento isn't far from Palermo, in my opinion, although, I guess it would depend on what your idea of far is. I took the coach bus from Palermo to Agrigento in the morning and arrived in Agrigento just before lunch time. It's about 2 to 2.5 hours, but the ride is comfortable and the scenery is worth it. The bus makes a few stops between Palermo and Agrigento and picks up the occasional passenger.

The bus drops you off a short walk from the center of town. I walked from the bus station to the train station which is only a short walk and then caught the bus to the archaeological park which is about 10 minutes each way. Make sure when you buy your bus ticket -- which you can purchase from a tobacco shop -- that you buy two: one to get you to the park and the other to bring you back. I think you can probably buy tickets at the park, but when I purchase my tickets from the tobacconist inside the train station, he suggested that I purchase two.

Inside the train station is a help tourist information point, and the people who worked there spoke English. So if you get lost or are unsure of which bus to get on, just ask, and people are willing to help. Most of the people in town are used to day tourists coming through to see the park.

I'd like to return to Agrigento and maybe spend a day visiting the park and another exploring the town proper. So when to go? I went in mid-June, and let me say that it was hot. I wish that I had a place to crash in Agrigento because after walking around the park all day, I just wanted a hot shower, a cold bottle of water and a comfortable bed to crawl into. Also, the ride back from Agrigent at 4:30 took a bit longer because of the traffic that we hit as we neared Palermo so it would have been nice to shower, stay in the town for the night and take the morning bus back.

For more information about the park, visit the park's web site:

http://www.parcovalledeitempli.it/valledeitempli/home.php

Read more about the park on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valle_dei_Templi

Italy Calling...

My usual summer trip to Italy is postponed until the fall, unfortunately. Because of the exorbitant price of airline tickets this season (at least, I found them to be higher), I plan to go after the high season in order to save some money. I figure since I live in the southeastern US, I'll get plenty of sun (and hot weather).

Each year that I travel to Italy, I try to visit a new city or region. I plan to visit Rome (it is my favorite spot), Palermo (my second favorite spot), and a few days in Naples (pizza, pizza!)

I have narrowed my choices for the new city or cities down to:

1. Milano
   I've been to Milan twice, but both times my visit was extremely short, and I didn't get to see much of anything. I'd like to spend a few days there and see some of the highlights.
   
   
2. Genova
   I haven't spent much time in the north of Italy, and I think that Genova with its rich history would make an excellent choice. It's also a smaller city and might be more manageable for a shorter stay.
   
   
3. Bari
   I've always wanted to visit this southern Italian city, but I am thinking that I have spent so much more time in the south of Italy that it might be better to spend it in the north.
   
   
4. Venice
   Everyone always seems surprised when I tell them that I have never been to Venice. I want to go, but I think that I'm scared off by the crowds and touristic feel of the city. It's home to Vivaldi, some great architecture and Harry's Bar so I don't think that I can postpone visiting this Italian gem for too many more years.
   
   
5. Ravenna
   Ravenna is home to some important Italian art from the Early Christian period as well as the tomb of Dante and a slew of other monuments and sites. I have always wanted to go there - perhaps a short stop-over on my way to Venice?

Buon Anno e troppe foto!!!!

Happy New Year / Buon Anno!

I've been a bit slack in updating the blog only because on my trip to Rome, I took over 5000 photographs. When I published the blog, I published many photos as I was taking them. Now that I've had a chance to go through them all, I've published most of them to my Flickr page:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitto1975

Taking so many photos...well, maybe was a bad idea since it has taken me so long to organize them. But now I'm back, and I'd like to share more of them and my experiences and perceptions with you.

In the coming year, I'll post more photos as I prepare for another summer in Italy! This year I plan to return to Rome (there were just so many things that I didn't get to see!) as well as return to Naples and Caserta, spend some more time in Sicily. This year I would like to go to Milan, Turin and also Genoa and see more of the north of Italy but will always return to Rome, which is, my favorite place in Italy.

Thank you for reading and visiting my blog. Please leave comments, suggestions and questions -- I enjoy hearing from all of you! Don't forget to visit my blog, Knowing Rome which is a blog about traveling to Rome, its history, art, culture, language and more.

Orvieto: Il Duomo

This striped marble effect (marble and basalt, to be precise) is the hallmark of Orvieto's Duomo as well as several other churches and cathedrals throughout Italy during the late Middle Ages (around 1290-ish). That, along with the bas relief sculpture on the facade make this a definite stop if you're ever in the area!

The Wikipedia article on Orvieto is pretty decent, too.

Siena: She-Wolf and the suckling twins

The she-wolf with the suckling twins is a symbol of Rome, but it was borrowed by the old city-state of Siena as a means of promoting the city's standing among the other city-states in Italy. You'll find this symbol all over Siena, where legend has it that the son of Senius, the son of Remus (one of the founding brothers of Rome). The leaders of Siena believed that by associating with Rome that the city would have more legitmacy than its rivals. The history is a bit more complicated than that, but that's the jist of it.

Rome: Arch of Titus

The Arch of Titus is located near the Roman Forum.

This is a good place to spend the day because there's just so much to see.

It's super touristy there so watch your wallets/purses when you're walking about.
Bring your own water (I've seen vendors charge 2 euro for a small bottle of water!).

Also lots of great photo opportunities.