Viva Italia

Leaning tower of Pisa

Pisa
Pisa was my first stop after Rome, and unfortunately my cousin studying there was still in Sicily for the holidays, so I found myself alone in a pretty average hostel. I only spent one night in the city, with the sole purpose being to view the infamous leaning tower, so I headed straight over there in time to get in on one of the last entry slots of the day. A slippery walk up the tower, and several obligatory tourist photos later, I bought myself yet another (totally necessary) gelato before having a whole pizza to myself for dinner. I can't say Pisa was a favourite, but I managed to fit in eating and ticking off a bucket list item, so it was ultimately worth the train ride up.

Verona

Verona, city of love! I may be somewhat biased in my dislike of Verona, first and foremost because of my hugely cynical nature regarding all things love, but also because of the time of year that I found myself there. The hostel I was staying at was run by nuns, and was closed for the most part of daylight hours, leaving me to find entertainment out in the dreadful cold approximately 8 hours of the day. I was also one of two people staying at the hostel, with the other girl leaving the morning after I arrived, leaving me feeling a bit alone (an unfortunate side effect of travelling to smaller cities in the middle of winter). The highlight was again an act of an obnoxious tourist - copping a feel of Juliet's breast (for good luck of course haha).

Statue of Juliet

Venice

Venice was an amazing experience, although I think I would have enjoyed it even more had I been there in the warmer months. The unique experience of this city on water was quite surreal, and the views were quite beautiful. One of the first places I visited was la Piazza San Marco, and it was definitely a standout of the many gorgeous places of worship to be found throughout Venice. One of my favourite experiences in the Venetian city, as with many places I've visited, was the art of getting lost in the city. The beauty of this is extremely prevalent within the canal ridden nooks of Venice, and I proved to get a bit snap-happy due to all of the beautiful scenery. This was particularly prevalent in my favourite Venetian island, Burano, with the canals being lined with brightly coloured buildings, striking murals and quirky shops. 

Venetian Canal 

Burano

Florence
Florence was home to what was probably my favourite Italian hostel, Archi Rossi Hostel. Not only was it right next to the main train station and nearby the infamous Duomo, they offered free breakfast, dinner and a computer in each dorm room - what more could a backpacker want! The hostel was quite social, and the muraled walls of the hallways gave it a personal touch and a great vibe. The only downside was the single toilet/shower combination on each floor, as frequent backpackers will know that their peers are not always as clean as they are friendly. The art culture of Florence drew me in, along with the scenic views from Piazzale Michelangelo and the beautiful nearby city of Siena. Had I not been particularly stringent with my money at this point I probably would have gone crazy with shopping for the gorgeous leather goods Florence is famous for!

View from Piazzale Michaelangelo

Naples

I found Naples to be one of those places that I didn't experience much in the context of cultural landmarks, however it was a memorable experience none the less. I was staying at Hostel of the sun, which I couldn't recommend more highly (no surprise they've won numerous awards for excellence in their field) and the atmosphere was extremely engaging, making it easy to make fast friends. I spent my time with said people playing drinking games, bar hopping, shopping and taking walks to view the scenery over the city. Food wise (I've got my priorities straight here), my favourite place would have to be the famous pizzeria Gino Sorbillo, which was incredibly hard to find but completely worth it. My quick culture fix was a visit to Pompeii, which was quite chilling, but also a fascinating and ironically quite peaceful experience overall. That is of course if you disregard my brief encounter with a young local male who decided to expose himself to me asking 'ti piace', causing a quick getaway on my behalf - though I've got to claim it as a very unique story, how many can say they were flashed at Pompeii? 

More shenanigans coming soon, ciao for now!

-Melissa