I'm in Florence Italy and having a blast although it's raining, big deal, we're in Italy! Got in yesterday from Venice where we spent 3 nights.
Anyway, my wife is watching over my shoulder waiting to go see David...so I'd better go.
Ciao.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
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Hey, welcome to Old Europe. You ARE going to visit Rome, right? I have some requests for pictures queued up for when you do. B)
-------------------- ".mirrorS arE morE fuN thaN televisioN" - TEH PNIK FLAMIGNO
Registered: Nov 1999
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If you visit Rome, you must yell out "I'M SPARTICUS!!!" at least once. It's required.
-------------------- Justice inclines her scales so that wisdom comes at the price of suffering. -Aeschylus, Agamemnon
Registered: Aug 2002
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Teh PW
Self Impossed Exile (This Space for rent)
Member # 1203
posted
I have 3 "96 Hour" trips to Roma during my time stationed in Sicily. 9 hour drive with a rented Fiat with no 2nd gear to speak of, ending with chilling on the Spanish Steps with the college kids there. good times...
-------------------- "I am an almost extinct breed, an old-fashioned gentleman, which means I can be a cast-iron son-of-a-bitch when it suits me." --Jubal Harshaw
Registered: Feb 2002
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We just spent 3 nights in Florence and got in today from a night in Lucca.
Florence was AMAZING. The city, the food, the traffic (and I thought Los Angeles drivers were nuts).
Siena is awesome as well...Il Campo is breathtaking.
We're going to take a day trip to Pisa tomorrow to do the tower thing, and another night in Siena, and then off to Rome.
And yes, Cartman lad...well maybe...I think I can score some pictures for you. Post what you want and I'll see what I can do. I've got some great ones as it is. Some of Mrs. Jay waondering why she married this guy...2 weeks together can do that.
Anyway, we're having a blast!
Registered: Mar 1999
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Italy is something else. I try to get over there at least once a year, although I suspect the whole moving to the other side of the world thing may get in the way of that.
Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
Cheers, Jay. I haven't been to Rome since 1998, but I did live there for a year, so while I couldn't tell you if my favorite pizzeria and coffee bar were still around, I could probably navigate you to most of the landmarks from memory.
Here goes. Start at Piazza di Spagna, walk down Via Condotti and onto Via del Corso (warning: traffic is MURDEROUS here), then south past Piazza Colonna, onto Via Delle Muratte to Piazza di Trevi, south again on Via del Luchessi and Via Pilotta, then west on Via Novembre and Via Cesare Battisti to Piazza Venezia, negotiate the stairs down to Foro Romano, hop onto Via Fori Imperiali (aka Mussolini Road) to Piazza del Colosseo, head down Via di Gregorio (or, if you're so inclined, make a small detour up Piazza di Maria Nova and Via di Onaventura for a really kickass view of Trastevere), along Via dei Cerchi and Circo Massimo, onto Piazza Rocca Verita and down Via Petroselli, onto Piazza di Savello, across Isola Tiberina onto Lungotevere Anguillara, back up over Ponte Garibaldi, follow the river westward along Lungotevere Vallati and Lungotevere Tebaldi up to Ponte Mazzini, then north onto Via Filippo Neri, Via Moretta and Via Cartari to Piazza Chiesa Nuova, and then head east down Via del Governo Vecchio and Via Pasquino until you reach Piazza Navona. Catch your breath, you're halfway through.
Now walk east some more down Via Staderari and onto Piazza di S. Eustachio, head north on Via Rotonda to Piazza della Rotonda, north again on Via Rosetta to Piazza Maddalena and Via Maddalena, west over Piazza Campo Marzio and Via Stelletta, then down Via Portoghesi and Via Dell'Orso to Piazza di Omberto, along Via Tor di Nona to Piazza Ponte S. Angelo, then cross Ponte Vittorio Emanuel II, west again over Borgo Spirito and onto Piazza San Pietro, head back east along Via Concilliazione, Lungotevere Vaticano, Lungotevere Castello and Lungotevere Prati, then cross Ponte Cavour onto Piazza Porto Ripetta and Via Tomacelli, and finally crawl the last few meters back to Piazza di Spagna through Via Condotti.
Oh, and don't take the bus or the subway unless you absolutely have to. Roman pickpockets are legendary. And try not to behave like a tourist, eh? B)
Registered: Nov 1999
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More people in Old "Yerp" needs to learn to speak English. We become the only world superpower and invade Iraq so I have to speak Italian in Italy!
I am, of course, only kidding. The language barrior hasn't been too bad...even when we and the other person share only a couple of words in common, the general pantomime thing works pretty well.
Traffic is crazy. I've been trying not to look out the front window while driving in a taxi cause I don't really want to see what's coming up. But despite all the pedestrians, cars, buses, scooters, tourists, locals...there is an amazing lack of accidents.
Trains are cool. We had intended to drive in to Tuscany from Florence, but decided against it when we got to the city. Other than needing to change trains at Empoli, the station we seem to spend a great deal of time at...and at Florence...the train situation has been great, on time, and a great deal less stress than trying to navigate around Siena.
My feet hurt! We walk all over the place and no one in Venice, Florence, Lucca, or Sienna circa 1400 thought to put in grass. Stone, stone, and more stone. It's getting to be rather rough on the peds of mine.
Food, good. Like there was any doubt.
Again, we're having a great time, and we're off to Rome tomorrow.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Oh, and Cartman, I'll have to run that walking tour by Mrs. Jay...she may have a thing to two to say about a thing or two.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
Heh, I expect she might.
No, but since I was playing guide anyway, I thought I'd talk you through my old scenic route... I know it's much more fun to explore Rome on your own, but there are so many things to see that a few short days really aren't enough, so just believe me when I say you'll be covering a LOT of ground. B)
One place where you MUST make a pit stop though is Torre Argentina, Rome's cat sanctuary on Via Marco Papio (you can't miss it if you follow Via Plebiscito from Piazza Venizia). It's as awesome a sight as the Colosseum.
[ January 22, 2004, 09:20 AM: Message edited by: Cartman ]
Registered: Nov 1999
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My cats miss me...and I'm sick. Got a nice head cold the last day in Rome. It's really flowered today and I've pretty much been laying in bed watching television.
Anyway, my impressions of Rome later.
Oh, we went to see the cats....very cool.
-------------------- Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war. ~ohn Adams
Once again the Bush Administration is worse than I had imagined, even though I thought I had already taken account of the fact that the Bush administration is invariably worse than I can imagine. ~Brad DeLong
You're just babbling incoherently. ~C. Montgomery Burns
Registered: Mar 1999
| IP: Logged
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