Paint the town red! Or yellow. Or blue. Or pink. Or green. Or orange. Or…
Burano Island is a cute little island being part of the Venetian lagoons, and a trip here would definitely add a splash of colours to your holiday.
Knowledge is King. Curiosity is Queen.
The idea of moving around by water buses in Venice was daunting at first because we were so used to being chauffeured around by cars and buses, and having to move around in boats was a little unimaginable. Fortunately, the water buses in Venice ran frequently and the ticketing system was reasonably easy to understand.
I liked Florence, but I didn’t love it.
(Gasp!)
Almost every single person that’s been to Florence raved about this city when I told them I was planning a trip to Italy. I have to admit, I had high expectations for Florence before I came. But then again, I had high expectations for every city that we visited this time (except for Rome, because everyone kept talking it down), yet Florence was the only one that did nothing for me.
If you would like to feel a stronger connection with Rome and the Roman Empire, watch a gladiator themed TV drama or movie before you come. We really liked the TV series ‘Spartacus‘ (warning: contains strong violence, erotic and naked scenes), which tells the story of rebellious slaves and gladiators back in the Roman Empire, and how they started a revolution. It’s based on true historical events which made it more fascinating!
Almost everyone tells me how Rome is too touristy for their liking, and the Colosseum is just a pile of rubble. Well, yes it’s touristy and yes it’s mainly ruins inside the Colosseum now, but that’s part of the beauty of Rome! It’s lively and traveler-friendly and almost everything you see is full of history.
I suspect part of the reason why some tourists complain about Rome being “full of tourists” (I always find this comment ironic) is that they spent too much time waiting in line. But this can so easily be prevented! Read on to find out how we legitimately “jumped the queue” for both the Vatican Museum and the Colosseum.