I came, I saw, I conquered. This seems like an appropriate phrase for my most recent weekend of adventures. Our little Czech family has been travelling since last Tuesday when we departed for a class trip to Vienna and Venice then were graciously released for a week of leisure over spring break!
Italy indubitably and indisputably is the most magical destination I’ve visited thus far. My heart lingers in Venice, in Cinque Terre, in Rome. Though I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everywhere our group has explored up until this point, Venice for me was the start of a week of bliss: it held a certain quaint European charm that I hadn’t quite felt anywhere else. The lack of paved streets and some subsequent modern conveniences created an ambient rustic appeal and the sound of waves followed you wherever you wandered off too. Perpetual amazement and appreciation for the ingenuity of mankind were the themes of the day in the city of a thousand canals.
There goes an urban tale that its bad luck if you don’t eat gelato everyday you’re in Italy, and I took that piece of advice very seriously, sometimes indulging multiple times a day. It surely must be true because my spring break went off without a hitch. Following our last day in Venice, Clark and I ventured out for Florence as the first stop on our grand Italian tour. Panic was definitely present in my mind as we had plans to take trains all week, and I possess a passionate dislike of trains, mostly because I never really feel like I know what I’m doing or where I’m going in the stations, but all week our transport was effortlessly flawless.
Florence was a solid introduction to the Italian lifestyle for us: we ate an exorbitant amount of pasta, learned the ins and outs of wine and olive oil making, and biked the Tuscan countryside for some incomparable views. Tuscany may very well be one of the most beautiful places on this planet- it was a nice change of pace to appreciate the nature beauty of Europe as opposed to all the cityscapes we’ve been admiring. I also discovered that apparently two bros can’t casually traverse the Tuscan countryside without people thinking they’re a couple, so Clark and I had to get used to looks of confusion when we explained to people that we’re just friends who share a mutual appreciation of Italian wine.
As for Pisa, it really only needs one sentence. It was neat: we took pictures, we got sunburnt, we napped, we ventured on.
Cinque Terre, on the other hand, was majestic beyond words can portray. The juxtaposition of man and nature posed by the small coastal villages perched precariously on the Italian coastline was nothing short of phenomenal. Between hiking the rugged trains between the villages, wading in the crystal blue waters, cliff diving from some terrifying heights, and indulging in some top-notch seafood, Cinque Terre surely took our breath away. Though hiking eight or more hours a day in sub-par footwear was exhausting, the region itself is like something out of a fairytale and that made it all worth it. I’m a bit of a nature child back in the states so the forests and beaches of the Italian coast were a nice refresher. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to actually live somewhere so tranquil and pristine.
Rome, of course, was stunning as well, but in a very different kind of way. It never ceases to amaze me how ancient historical monuments are just niched away in the center of bustling urban centers. I get this picture in my mind of sites such as the Colosseum in their own little world out in the middle of nowhere, which makes it somewhat disorienting when you just turn a corner and there lays one of the most prominent reminders of ancient Roman culture, surrounded by street food and gay bars. I also find it amusing how scooters and Vespas are such a prominent method of transportation in Italy. In Nebraska where trucks run wild, it would be an embarrassment to drive something so fuel efficient, whereas in Europe people care more about pragmaticism than status symbolicism when it comes to transport.
I’ve thoroughly enjoyed everywhere we’ve travelled thus far, but Italy was the first to truly call to my soul. The food, the people, the sea called to my soul in a way that nowhere else has, and I will surely return. Ciao, Italia. You have my heart.
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