Ciao Bella!
it means 'hello, beautiful' in italian. so here I am, sitting in front of the laptop, trying to come up with extravagant ways to describe my trip to Italy...but then the only thing that keeps popping up in my tiny little head is the word 'cuci mata'...oh yes, I did indeed. the people are generally good looking than the Brits or the Americans. they are fair-skinned but with dark hair and deep-set eyes. oohhh me likey! (sorry U! =P)
so let's start with time sequence of my Optrex-like trip to Italy.
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Dubai Airport
flew on Emirates, meaning there would be a transit in Dubai Airport. I had high hopes for this place, after hearing about the greatness of the shopping areas within the airport.
Oh, wait...did i mention that there were three international futsal teams that played in Kuala Lumpur just days before I left was on board of the same plane as I was...yes, ladies...it means more fresh young hot athletic men...wait...lemme google their picture if there are any....
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alaaaa takdela gambar mamat hot tu...fcuk! the brazillians were the hottest group lah tapi ehehe. one looked like Thierry Henry but younger...drool.
ok back to Dubai. we had three and a half hours transit time there, so we walked around to look for a dslr...
can you believe it?!?!?! there were only one nikon dslr there and it's a d40x....the rest were canons and shit...so i sulked until dad bought it for me...i know what you're thinking...what a stupid spoiled brat...whatever lah kan.
so kesian the sony t-70 disisihkan. my dad said, since you guys have the new gadget, im gonna use this terbuang camera..hahah takleh blah ayat!
got bored after the second hour going around the airport, it was not that impressive...although the cosmetics and fragrance part was the highlight, me n mum decided to buy them on the way back later on.
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Rome
Arrived in Rome at late noon. went for a quick sight-seeing before it gets dark, straight from the airport.
First stop:
Trevi Fountain
well, i know most of you has seen this fountain, whether in movies or you've been there yourself.
the fountain is actually the backside of a courthouse in the middle of a square. In Italy, you would see squares at almost everywhere. Its just like the round-abouts in Shah Alam, they divide the sections into four. In Italy, it divides the road and blocks into four with the squares.
went to the far-end of the fountain to take pictures
the rock looks almost ancient, like the pyramids in this picture below.
there were even tiny sculptures on the rocks.
there were men dressed as the roman soldiers, or gladiators around. note that they'll ask u to take a picture with them, but it doesn't come off as free. if you negotiate before you take the picture, u might be able to score a 5euro fee (RM25). If you don't, they can charge you anything up to 10Euro (RM50) for the picture which is fairly ridiculous in our currency. in my case, my sister snuck around to take pictures of them.
I wasn't sure whether this guy noticed we were taking pictures of him.
The statues and sculpture on the fountain.
we did the infamous coin-tossing thingy, using only 20 Malaysian sens hihihi cheating kan. we can't simply throw a 1Euro (RM5) into a pool of water...that could buy me a cup of cappuccino ok!
it is being said that the government collects at least a 1000euro a day in the pool...imagine how many people come there, and do this tradition (termasuk jakun2 seperti kami)
anyhow, you're sposed to make a wish before you toss, stand backside facing the fountain, and toss the coin with the right hand OVER the left shoulder...bukan suka2 baling je eh! tapi bila baling sambil take the picture, mcm tula jadinya...muka pun tak nampak...dad's timing sucks.
so we had some free time to grab a bite...walked along the small streets and dropped by a pizzeria...in Italy, Pizza is like our mamak...best kan?so i ordered a vege pizza. i thought a vege pizza would suck ass since im a meat-lover, this pizza proved me wrong...it was one of the best ever. not a lot of people in italy speak english so getting food is a problem. i dont know what pork is in italian, so i ask them to tell me the ingredients, thank goodness i could understand the name of the ingredients even though it is in italian.
btw, they also sell
NUTELLA PIZZA! how cool is that...
another picture of the Trevi
we then left Trevi Fountain to our next stop:
Spanish Stepsif you have no idea what spanish steps is like, u can go to Pavillion on weekends and see people sitting on the stairs at the entrance to the middle piazza.
the only difference is, that the Spanish Steps is outdoors and there were tons of good looking stylish people who just sits there to listen to music and have a ciggarrette (including my dad lah)
plus, it IS facing the famous Via Condotti.
us trying to blend in...
Via Condotti is where all the designers stores are...the most famous street to shop if you have the moolah. cheaper things are available at the other lanes inter-connected with the main route. but the down-side is that when you shop for designers, you would want exclusivity right? the shop assistant assisting you, and you alone. but here, the shops were crowded to the maximum so it sort of dampened my family's mood to shop. so Dad said to wait to shop at other places as well, esp in Milan. so we didn't buy anything in Rome though.
when Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes wed last 2 yrs, all the guest went shopping here at Via Condotti...so we were kind of hoping we would spot an A-lister. tapi tak dapat lah kan too many people. I guess they were hiding inside the bloody famous Greco Cafe.
here's a sculpture at a Piazza (square) near Spanish Steps.
got to the hotel and dozed off after dinner like a log. very badddd jet-lag. plus, its dark after 5.30 so my bedtime was at 8pm hahaha
next day,
woke up effing early for a quick visit to see the Pope! heheh nahhhh went to Vatican City to see the St Peter's Basillica, or the huge church. in case you didn't know, Vatican City is actually a country...Shah Alam is even bigger than Vatican. it is as big as a pekan. It is the smallest country in the world, google it. the main religion is Roman Catholic, ruler, the Pope. now it's Pope Benedict if im not mistaken.
wake up morning glory!
the entrance fountain
St Peter's Square
inside the basillica.....
that is the Pope's personal apartment. how do you know whether he's inside? well, the windows were all open, indicating that he is in town, and at home.
these are the swiss army/guard that guards the entrance of the Vatican residential area.
then,
had a short trip around the city. the streets were effing small so there were no big sedan cars. the most common car is a Fiat Punto, or a Smart Fortwo. parking is a huge problem in Italy, so cars are parked bumper to bumper...like seriously bumpers grinding against each others, sodomizing the car in front like craaaazzzyyyy hahahah parking at the side of the street is free, that's why you'll see cars flocking and you're lucky if you can find a spot...there are parking areas however, but they charge a huge sum of money for it.
the picture above shows a souk, or a marketplace during the ancient times. it is said that the ruler at that time did not like the noise or markets therefore built a center for all trades to be conducted, leaving him in peace with only sounds of peacocks and doves...lol. its sort of like the ancient shopping mall...ingenious!
we then dropped by at the colloseum just to have a view and take pictures...no time to enter though since we had to go for lunch...
in front of the arch..looks like the one in Paris, but smaller.
my fave shot of the colloseum
having a castor sugar bagel-like doughs...its abit cold for my liking though...
walkway to the Roman Forum...
then we went off for lunch at a chinese restaurant. turns out the one of the waiters is actually a Malaysian Johorean...we didnt order any meat see, only afterwards that we talked to him that he explained all the meat was Halal since they bought their meat from an Arab and Pakistani community...chit...wht a waste. could have had chicken! i missed chicken and U so much at that time, but if I had to choose, I'd choose chicken instead harharhar.
we had two choices after lunch, whether to go to a Factory Outlet Store an hour and a half away from the city, or to walk around the city on our own...I chose to walk around rather than to shop, since we can shop in Milan...and also along the way to the Colloseum.
so we walked, without directions and ended up at a Piazza, a square with a Julius Caesar memorial in the middle of the road. went up to take pictures with my brother and sister, while my dad scour around for a map. he ended up asking from another very kind tourist, and he gave a map to my dad just like that.
see, its Julius Caesar on the horse.
i didnt take a picture at the ruins where he was killed though...i totally forgot about it heeeee. Julius Caesar was killed by his own son, Brutus. so the word brutal, came from his name since it was deemed to be very sadistic and cruel to kill his own father.
walked alll the way through an elementary school and yadda2 till we reached the Colloseum. Mom and Dad wanted to stay outside (they're not fascinated by these things though) and I guess mom was pissed Dad stuck to my choice of going around, hurting her feet by walking all the way and not go to the Factory Outlet to shop. heheh.
Had to pay 11euros per person, Eu members had to pay only 6euros damnit. so it's RM55 per person for us...if you want to go in a group, with an english-speaking guide, u can ask from the people waiting outside in a group with a tag on their necks and pay about 20euros each.i guess it was abit too expensive for me and plus, I cant wait longer to go around the whoooolllleeee freaking area with an explanation since mom and dad is outside, just waiting for us. btw, the gate closes at about three thirty, we made it just in time so go early if you can, there's a lonnnnggg queue.
upon entering.
went in, marvelled at the scenery and took tons of pictures.
our version of gladiator-fighting...kungfu fist fight waaaccchhhaaaa!!!!
the ground had collapsed i guess...the ground, if im not mistaken are those areas with grass on it. the lower ground, with space and rooms, are where they kept the lions, tigers and gladiator slaves. the seating? ah well...seriously i can't really imagine how it looked like, if you want an idea, you should buy the book they are selling outside the Colloseum...not that expensive, about 12euros i think but at least it gives you an idea of how it looked like in the past.
kepoyoan yang maximum...testing the lenses laaaa duuuhhh
then we walked around town until it was dark, if youre not up to walk for hours, you could pay 6euros for abus tour, double-deckered open-air top deck and go around town, with the aid of a audio guide in various languages
the pick up point for the bus is near the Colloseum at 7.30pm so we had to walk back to pass through the Colloseum...and my goodness, it looked nicer at night! sorry the picture is abit blur i was snapping while walking.
while waiting for the bus.
got to the hotel, dozed off like a log, yet again.
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next stop,
Pisa Town
it's a three and a half hours drive from Rome, stopped by at the R&R called Autogrill...it's the best R&R i've ever been to! they have everything...and cappuccino is ass cheap! and sedappp!!!
bought tons of snacks, including these in the picture below...
arrived at Pisa city after a loooonnnnggggg bus ride due to a road construction. it seriously ate up time so we had to rush everything to fit in the schedule.had two and a half hours to scour the Square of Miracles and also to have lunch...so we opt for lunch first. well it is a UNIVERSITY TOWN= more boys =P
we ate at a small cafe outside the Square of miracles. Miraculously, the waitress can speak english, i guess she's a student at the nearby university. I asked for everything to have no meat in it, she spoke so effing fast then when i ordered carbonara, she asked me whether im sure or not to order a carbonara. i said yes, but no meat, we cannot eat meat. she thought we didnt want meat for the seafood spaghetti only so there was bacon in my carbonara. we couldnt exchange it so we had to order another bowl of pasta. that lunch of three pastas (one wasted), a plate of fries, a bruschetta and drinks scored us 95euros without tipping...times 5, about RM400 just for lunch kan...the other day we had 4 fish fillets, and a caesar salad at McDonalds and it was 50euros = RM250....lagi gila! i think if i were backpacking on my own i'd starve or just eat dry maggi =P
after lunch we walked around the Square of Miracles/ Piazza dei Miracolei. why is it called a miracle? well, during the world war, bombs were dropped there and these three buildings survived the disaster, except for a part of the graveyard. the Square of Miracles includes three buildings that represents the moments of life, the baptistry (birth), the Cathedral (life) and the cemetery (death). the Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually just the bell tower of the cathedral...for a fee, you can walk up to the top of the tower. every year, the tower will lean for another 0.5mm so the government of Pisa is doing all they can to preserve it so it won't collapse but to no avail, for now....if you can't make it to Italy, you can try going to Teluk Intan in Perak, they're almost the same je just that the weather and scenery and Piazza dei Miracolei is what makes it nicer and different.
the classic picture poses if you're here at Pisa...
classic picture no.1 - the tiny pisa
classic picture no.2 - we conquered pisa pose
below are the stalls that sells souviniers at the square. i bought a venetian Carnivale Mask to be used for a conceptual shoot later.
on the way back, guess what i saw...
if only my guy friends were with me, i think we won't be heading for Florence that night it seems =p
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Florence
straight from Pisa, it took us a one and a half hours bus ride to Florence, or also known as Firenze in Italian. Honestly, I thought that Florence would be a kampung village-side kind of town with cobblestones as their main road. Boy was I wrong. Florence, to me is one of the best places, either to hang-out or to shop. The scenery after dark is breath-taking and you can see life-sized sculptures at the main Piazza once you reach Italy. Downside is that you have to walk a long distance from the bus, and it's not a good thing if you're travelling during the cold season.
the sculptures are mostly replicas of the real thing and it is displayed in front of a cathedral, in the middle of a square where you can sit on the ground or have a cuppa at a nearby cafes. if you want to see how the shoplots in Florence looks like, u have to watch David Rocco's Dolce Vita on the Travel Channel.
ummm..abit too gay innit?
one of the grand cathedrals
from the main Piazza, we took a short ride to the top of the hill where you can overlook the city of Florence. It's a major plus if you're there after dark as it is a spectacular scenery. there's also the replica of the statue of MichealAngelo...you know, the one with the small weewee. So yeah, took pictures and off we went for dinner at a very stylish Italian Restaurant with free red wine on the house. giler...nasib baik tak minum. plus it was CNY eve.
by the time we reached the hotel, it was wayyyy too late since we got lost in the rural areas and I couldnt see what was ahead so i was knocked off and pulled by luggage to my room, eyes closed. by this time, I was a seasoned traveller already so i couldnt care less abt changing and taking off my makeup already...However, I did wake up to realize that we were in some kampung, a true authentic Florence style..in a hotel with a great view!!! the picture below was taken after breakfast from my hotel room balcony.
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Venice
Reached Venice after a two hours bus ride from Florence, and took a boat from the mainland to the Island of Venice. the view from the boat is breath-taking although you will see how high the tide will get before it can submerge Venice's streets. The main concern now is that Venice will flood or even go missing like the Atlantis if Global Warming continues as it is threatened by the surrounding waters. reached there to have lunch, before we go for an educational tour of the glass-blowing session with a local.
pigeons were everywhere, and they are big...really big...unlike the scrawny ones we see elsewhere.
walking down the winding streets to grab a light lunch. ended up at a small cafe where they post notes from every currency by the tourist that ate there...So my dad gave a RM1 note, signed by all of us with a quote "Forza Italia, Forza Malaysia" to be pasted among the hundreds of notes from other currencies on the cafe wall...
after lunch, we had to go for a glass-blowing session...well, there was this one guy who doesnt speak english apart from another that does, that makes the glass sculptures and he's the Mafia type all rowdy and frikkin hot. he didnt really blew the glass as he was alone that day so he made a stallion from a hot melted glass on his left hand in the picture, tweaked and twisted in a matter of 3 minutes, and wallah! there's a stallion...even if the sculpture is done, the translator explained that it takes a while for the glass to cool down...so he demonstrated by puting a piece of paper near the stallion and it burned to flames in seconds! that's how hot that thing was...everything in the shop is hand-made and the skill is not learned theoretically, it is a secret that is passed down from father to son for centuries. so there are many famous families that created a name by creating glass sculptures in Italy. he said that when people come, it is a bit weird bcause in the old days, the ones that watched the sculpting are the ladies, not the men....
after the glass-blowing session, we went for a ride on the gondola. With a fee of 30Euros (rm150) per person, you get to go on a 10minute ride around the water canals in the city. it was not how i imagined it would be since the maximum number of six were crammed in one gondola...not as romantic as in the promos eh? plus, if you want them to sing, you have to pay extra, otherwise, you get a rower that talks to another rower on the other boat, or smsing his friends while rowing....the water also emits a non-pleasant smell, maybe a cause from the pollution or such.
after the ride, we had time to shop...got into Prada, bought a bag. and OMG i tell you i cant tell whether the salesman was gay or not cause he was super effing hot...like Mcsteamy kind of hot but he doesnt have that gay flair...he was super nice and super friendly and very helpful. and me, my sis and my mum had a tough time to pay for the bag cause we didnt want to leave the shop. marry me, can or not Prada salesguy? hihihi darn i should've taken his picture. he said he knows the Prada in KL, or he's been there...I'm not sure...well i hope i do see him again heheh.
so we left, with a heavy heart while walking, and we saw a photoshoot just in front of Prada.people were swarming, but it seems like a couture shoot. very simple, no elaborated lighting, very very warm and sweet...i felt pity for the model though since it was freezing cold and she had to wear summer outfits.
the thing about Venice is that the streets are all winding, so we wasted time by going around the same street and getting lost all the time. thank God we found an eccentric store where i bought a high-cut shoe since i cannot tahan wearing pumps and leggings anymore. I just couldn't seem to find the right boots either despite the sea of shops selling pretty boots all over Italy. Then we went into Gucci, and me and my mum were fighting on two bags. the one she wanted looked a little old for me...f.y.i, the girls in my house all share our bags. So everything that my dad buys is for me, my mum and my sister. So dad pointed at the gold bag I wanted and straight away ask them to wrap it...mum was...let's just say she didnt say anything heheh...
It was almost dark when we left, so we had a good view of the sunset while waiting for our boat. there was a guy playing guitar with the sunset background. and couples were watching him, sitting on the cobblestone pavement, holding each other...ahhh how i wish my other half was there...it would be perfect.
Venezia purchases...excuse me, they are authentic ok! dont go saying it's fake now. if not, I'll shove the warranty card down your throat hahahah.
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Verona
Verona is known for the start of the folk-tale of Romeo and Juliet. It is a FICTIONAL character, it's not real...but they created the house and the balcony where Romeo talked to Juliet and also her cemetery...over gila kan?
Verona also has very swanky shops and cafes.
oh, this guy above? heheh saja je. there were a lot of football teams going around Italy for tours. dahla muda and handsome pulak tu semua hahahah.
btw, it is said that if you want a new lover, you should touch the chest/breast/boobies of Juliet's statue, so guess what my dad did?.....
mengada kan?
the balcony...
i wanted to write on the Lover's wall tapi takut kena tangkap since the local govt just imposed a new law tht u cannot write anymore on that wall...the wall dah full pun, full of names of lovers who came from all over the world. if i were to write, i'd need a spray paint, not a pen.
verona is also known for the pink marble amphitheater, just like the colloseum but its smaller...operas and theatres are still done there, and the walls are made of pink marbles...its not THAT pink lah kan, that's computer editing, but it is quite pink. so we left Verona after lunch to go to Milan.
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Milan/ Milano
Graffittis are a common thing in Italy. They're just everywhere.
we arrived in Milan around 3 something, it was almost dark already so we scurried off to squeeze in time to shop. We walked around
Corso Vittorio Emmannuelle II, where all the nice, big, branded shops are...there are also affordable brands like Zara, H&M and so on and these chain stores were having major sales. that statue, in the picture above, is the statue of Leonardo Da Vinci. you can also view the infamous painting, "The Last Supper" in a church (sorry i dont remember the name), but you have to book two months in advance as they don't let people in just like that. There's no any entrance fee whatsoever.
Below is the Gothic Cathedral just in front of Corso Vittorio Square, has been under construction for hundreds of years, and still are...It looks enchanting especially at night. There's also a Carnivale, the sort of party where you wear masks and everything while we were there so a lot of people were around with face paints and make-up and there were stages for concerts and everything.
The indoor area of Corso Vittorio Emmannuelle II
after dark.
Milano Purchases.. Fakes don't get you the pretty paper bags ok?
H&M's....not on sale though..the people are generally our size, skinny but tall so only big sizes were left on the sale racks.
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Lugano, Switzerland
took a one hours drive to the border of Italy and Switzerland in Lugano, just to enjoy the scenery...We were hoping to see George Clooney though...he has a house there. =P
nice place, quieter than other parts of Italy...very very cold and nice lined designer stores.
Bought a black Bally bag je, didnt take picture there.
the lake-side resort
dad says he wants to retire and move here...riggghhhttt!
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Home sweet Home
Other Purchases
superslim dunhill collab with rothmans
Bought in Dubai on the way back
all the bags bought except for the H&M(not in picture) and the LV, the front bronze coloured Bruno Magli was bought at the Milan Airport...best la the airport pun full of designer stores!
mine and dad's
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ok penat dah...alot more to write but thank fully i managed to finish this one...tu pun alot tak sempat tell...
