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We set off for Rome, Italy on the 26th of December but we had to stop at Milan for a night as it was cheaper than flying direct from Bristol to Rome and the best part is that the flight from Bristol to Milan was only 1p! We reached Milan in the evening and dinner was at a small restaurant which we gleefully ordered 4 pizzas. The pizzas were an absolute delight to the taste buds as the base was thin and crunchy. Although the toppings were rather sparse, the pizzas were definitely better than the ones sold in Pizza Hut or Dominoes. The next morning we stopped by a few places namely the Doumo; the second largest cathedral in the world as well as a few other churches. Our hopes of catching a glimpse of the Last Supper painting in Santa Maria delle Grazie were dashed as we were told that to view thepaintings we had to book in advanced.



At the airport in Milan.


In front of the Doumo.


A shopping gallery near the Doumo.


Somewhere in Milan...


In the evening we flew out to Rome where we were greeted by Anthony. He kindly offered to accommodate us at his place as well as to give us a guide around Rome. (Side note: Thanks for putting up with us throughout our entire stay there Anthony, gratzie) Feeling fresh the next morning we started on our tour around Rome. Although I forgot most of the names but we visited the Coliseum, Independence Square and a few churches in between.


Pictures will be uploaded as soon as I grab hold of Vincent's elusive camera... =)


The next morning we headed off to Florence in a 3 hours train ride to visit the Doumo and the Ponte Vecchio. We went up to the top of Doumo's tower for a birds eye view of Florence and we were not dissapointed. After the visit, we splitted up into two groups with one group heading for the Leaning Tower of Pisa while the rest us including yours truly remained in Florence. Lunch was steak which according to Anthony is a must try when visiting Florence as steak originated from there. The steaks there even has it own name; bistecca alla fioretina (literally translated as steak ala florence style), something like Penang's Char Kuey Tiau or Ipoh's White Coffee. After the heavy but satisfying lunch, we went about walking around Florence. We were walking by a row of shops when something caught our eyes, a table with chess sets on it. The best thing about it is that the table was the chess board and the whole set came at a cool 4 figures. Now that's a chess set that costs an arm and leg to buy! Dinner was at McD since by the time we reached home we'd be too tired to cook. The interesting part was that condiments such as tomato sauce is not provided f.o.c. but instead one has to pay 0.10 euros for a packet of ketchup. Apparently the Italians hate ketchup as it tastes artificial and the only reason why they have ketchup packets are to for foreigners.



The Ponte Vecchio is behind us.


Inside the Doumo.


Stopping to pose for photos on the way up. Btw, there were over 400 steps to the top!


The view from the top of the Doumo.



Back on ground zero.



What's green with three wheels and has a motorcycle engine and handlebars instead of a driving wheel? Don't know? Me neither!


The next day started early as we had to line up to get into the Vatican city. We got there at 7.20am which by then the queue was about 200m long. If waiting in line in the wee hours of the morning wasn't bad enough, we were standing out there in the cold without much sunlight. Even a steaming cup of hot chocolate wasn't good enough to keep us from freezing but the wait was well worth it once we reached the Sistine Chapel. The walls and the ceiling were hand painted by Michelangelo's paintings and they were truly a sight to behold. How one man managed to paint all of it is anyone's guess. By the time we came out of the vatican city, the queue had grew very much longer and I'd estimate it to be at least 2km. As they say, the early bird gets the worm. ;) Dinner was at a pizza restaurant recommended by Anthony which is one of the few pizza diners that uses charcoal to bake its pizza. The moment I sank my teeth into the pizza, every other pizza I've tasted in my entire life faded away. Even the pizza in Milan was no match against what I was eating. The dough was soft and pliant while being firm and crunchy at the same time. The topping was bursting with flavours and the balance between the base and the topping was perfect. If I had to rate the pizza on a scale of 1 to 10, I'd gladly give it 11! We wrapped up the night by going to some of the scenic places at night such as the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.



Dig in!


Inside the Vatican museum.

The day's itinerary included visiting the Partheneon and various parts of Rome (I forgot some/most of the names) Taking a short break from walking, we were brought to two ice-cream shops, one after the other in the span of 1.5 hours. To put it simply, Italian ice-cream never tasted to good! The smoothness and texture was comparable to the likes of Hagen Dazs. The most popular flavour is chocolate and rightly so as the chocolate ice-cream was full bodied. None of that 'chocolate' flavoured ice-cream which they sell in supermarkets. Even Hagen Dazs' "Belgium chocolate" could not match the full bodied taste of the dark/semi-sweet chocolate ice-cream. The chocolate in it was so pronounced, eating it felt as if I was biting into a bar of dark chocolate except that it was in the form of an ice-cream. In the evening we decided to a bit of cycling before heading home so all five of us rented a bike. With four guys at the pedals and a gal managing the camera, it wasn't long before we started our crazy antics with the bicycle which nearly tipped over at one point and almost hitting the curb at another. At first we were peddling leisurely around the park but as soon as we saw a road bump, we started peddling furiously towards it and boy did we go over that hump with a bump! The onlookers could only look on and shake their head in amazement and disbelief at our boundless energy and our cycling frenzy. Anthony went slightly bonkers from the beginning by honking the horn at anyone he thought was in the way. His honking seemed to have annoyed a mutt as it tried to take a bite out of him while we were passing by. Dinner was courtey of chef Anthony who whipped up fried rice balls with mozzarella in it and a japanese dish which looked like fried eggs.



At Piazza Poppolo.


Indulging in ice-cream at Giollitii's Ice-Cream Parlor.


In front of Fendi's on the designer's street.


The calm before the storm.


The ride of terror!


San Angelo's Castle.


Dinner in Italy!


On the last day, our first stop was the Vatican post office where we dropped off our respective postcards. Then we went we went around town shopping for memorabilia and souvenirs. Anthony stocked up his fridge for the tonight's full course dinner; for starters it was an Italian dish which consisted of chopped tomatoes on a slice of toasted bread with a liberal dressing of olive oil on the top. The first main course of the night was Anthony's specialty, lasagna and the second dish was grilled sausages with smoked cheese. A bowl of salad wrapped up the entire meal and the dessert was fruits. Before the stroke of midnight we went up to the rooftop and popped a bottle of champagne to commemorate the new year. Fireworks lit up the Rome's sky and the air was filled with festive laughter and merriment.



Dropping by St. Peter's Square again for some pictures.


Sending off postcards back to Malaysia!


Parting was the hard part since it had been so much fun while we were in Italy and I'll definitely miss the pasta, pizza and ice-cream and Anthony’s cooking after I'm gone. Overall, it was an enjoyable experience being able to visit Italy. Given the opportunity I'd gladly jump on the next plane to Rome for a second trip around Italy. :P