Our 18 day trip to Italy has been wonderful and far exceeded expectations in so many ways. The Italians have been friendly, welcoming and proud of their cultured country and I have loved feeling I have been invited to one great Italian party. I have found myself saying 'wow' so many times and it has not stopped yet.
Highlights include:
The picturesque coasts of Sorrento, Positano, Capri and Cinque Terre.
The mountains / lakes of Como and Garda.
The historical cities of Rome, Florence and Venice.
The quiet towns of Orvieto and Siena.
The Vatican museums just impressed me again and again as we progressed from room to room. How can I ever enjoy another museum again?
The Uffizi art work was a great lesson on the development of art from medieval through Renaissance. The Doges Palace was outstanding to behold, while the Galleria Academia was also a treasure.
But, just as we were readying ourselves to say 'arriverderci' and return to the UK, a funny thing happened. That Icelandic volcano with that unpronounceable name erupted; causing massive concerns regarding ash cloud particles in European skies and grounding all planes.
And so, we are stranded in Venice. Or rather, we have had a one-week extension to our holiday. We moved out of Venice to sunny Sirmione, and now Verona. This geological event has significantly impacted on travellers across Europe, and yet has claimed no victim (and hopefully that will continue).
Not satiated with Italy yet, I shall return one day and visit the Dolomites and Assisi, but next time it will be at a slower pace so we can savour the culture. My attempts at speaking in Italian have improved. I am now confident about constructing sentences to talk to the locals, usually in the form of asking for assistance and directions. In the first weeks, after my feeble question, they spoke back in English. Now, they answer in Italian; much to my enjoyment.
The problem occurs when they think I am more proficient than I really am, and I understand about half of the reply. But it is fun and I persist, despite some of the replies getting lost in translation.
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