The best part of your 1st trip to Italy?
Jul 31st, 2006, 11:35 AM
#21
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Meeting the one of the most beautiful and sexy man I have ever seen - Marco Napoli, on the Spanish Steps.
That was many many years ago and I had a lot less miles on me - ooops I mean travel miles
Nina
That was many many years ago and I had a lot less miles on me - ooops I mean travel miles
Nina
Jul 31st, 2006, 11:36 AM
#22
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In Florence, coming around a corner and getting that first glimpse of the Duomo. The colors of the marble and stone are so beautiful, it never ceases to amaze me and take my breath away!
This thread is so fun to read - brings back so many awe inspiring memories!
This thread is so fun to read - brings back so many awe inspiring memories!
Jul 31st, 2006, 11:42 AM
#23
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Wow, that old memory really jumbled my fingers and my brain - the first paragraph should have read -
Meeting one of the most beautiful and sexiest men I have ever seen .......
I don't remember what I had for breakfast this morning, but that day will always be bright and clear in my fuzzy old brain ;-)
Tacky,
Nina
Meeting one of the most beautiful and sexiest men I have ever seen .......
I don't remember what I had for breakfast this morning, but that day will always be bright and clear in my fuzzy old brain ;-)
Tacky,
Nina
Jul 31st, 2006, 11:59 AM
#24
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I must admit that I never had a "let's sell the house and never leave here moment" in Italy. I enjoyed our visit there, but never once thought how cool it would be to live there. It's probably because I only visited Rome, Florence and Venice, during a very busy, crowded time of the year. I admit that I would hate to have to live my daily life amid so many tourists. Tourists sometimes complain about locals being rude to them, but think about if YOU had to dodge clumps of tourists taking up the whole sidewalk while looking at their maps many times a day, every day. I always pity the folks who actually ATTEND some of the beautiful churches in Europe...how could you focus when tourists are always wandering around?
Jul 31st, 2006, 12:23 PM
#27
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I was 16 years old & driving with family along the Italian Riviera towards France. We stopped for lunch in the small town of Varazze and ended up staying for 2 days. It was completely magical - the cliffs, the ocean, the people, the food. It is a wonderful place.
Jul 31st, 2006, 12:35 PM
#28
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I was in Italy Feb/march 2006.
1. On a whirlwind day trip to Venice(I could not resist) I got myself lost and ended up buying my first gelato with a bunch of students just let out of school...my first feel for the real venice.
2.Standing in the Piazza Castello, Turin with a crowd of thousands watching the medals ceremony. An italian was awarded the gold and the whole square erupted with the Italian National Anthem.--a true olympic moment.
3.Eating each nite in a different cafe
in fron of the Pantheon. Not the best food, but a glass of wine and the view
were the best.
4.arriving by chance at noon on the Gianocolo Park to see/HEAR the canon go off. WOW.
Have a great trip.
1. On a whirlwind day trip to Venice(I could not resist) I got myself lost and ended up buying my first gelato with a bunch of students just let out of school...my first feel for the real venice.
2.Standing in the Piazza Castello, Turin with a crowd of thousands watching the medals ceremony. An italian was awarded the gold and the whole square erupted with the Italian National Anthem.--a true olympic moment.
3.Eating each nite in a different cafe
in fron of the Pantheon. Not the best food, but a glass of wine and the view
were the best.
4.arriving by chance at noon on the Gianocolo Park to see/HEAR the canon go off. WOW.
Have a great trip.
Jul 31st, 2006, 01:19 PM
#29
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On my first trip to Italy in 1980:
1. I was eating lunch with friends in a restaurant in Sardinia, somewhere outside Porto Cervo. It overlooked the water, and was practically empty, except for a few tables of people. A mariachi band (yes, I know I was in Italy, not Mexico, but there were lots of them there that August) came in and played for the patrons. A man at the next table asked them to play a certain song, so he could sing with them. Of course my heart dropped...Karaoke in Sardinia, please no! I learned that day to never assume anything...he was an opera singer, and I listened to one of the best concerts of my life that day in a funky old restaurant in Sardinia.
2. I was in Rome with friends in a small local market. A rather large (tall and fat) man was cutting Mortadella behind the counter. Wearing a small paper hat, a sweat stained tank top and with an apron tied up under his armpits, he was an imposing figure. He was even more imposing when he opened his mouth and began to sing opera. Remarkable opera, with a voice that could have stopped the crowd dead in La Scala...and all the time cutting Mortadella while I stood there with my mouth hanging open listening to that fabulous voice.
3. And lest you think I'm only impressed by music: My last night in Rome, my friends took me to see the Pantheon, as I had not yet seen it or the area it was in. As we were driving (in a taxi) down the road, I suddenly knew where I was... and proceeded to tell them exactly how the driver was going to take us there. And I was right, all twists and turns correct. Thing was, I'd had a dream the year before about the area (apparently prophetic), but didn't know at the time where the location in the dream was. In my dream, I had a lipstick in my back right pocket (which I never have done before or since), and in real life, I had put a lipstick in my back pocket and it triggered the memory of the dream (vivid as it was.) So I had a psychic experience with the Pantheon.
It was an incredible first trip.
1. I was eating lunch with friends in a restaurant in Sardinia, somewhere outside Porto Cervo. It overlooked the water, and was practically empty, except for a few tables of people. A mariachi band (yes, I know I was in Italy, not Mexico, but there were lots of them there that August) came in and played for the patrons. A man at the next table asked them to play a certain song, so he could sing with them. Of course my heart dropped...Karaoke in Sardinia, please no! I learned that day to never assume anything...he was an opera singer, and I listened to one of the best concerts of my life that day in a funky old restaurant in Sardinia.
2. I was in Rome with friends in a small local market. A rather large (tall and fat) man was cutting Mortadella behind the counter. Wearing a small paper hat, a sweat stained tank top and with an apron tied up under his armpits, he was an imposing figure. He was even more imposing when he opened his mouth and began to sing opera. Remarkable opera, with a voice that could have stopped the crowd dead in La Scala...and all the time cutting Mortadella while I stood there with my mouth hanging open listening to that fabulous voice.
3. And lest you think I'm only impressed by music: My last night in Rome, my friends took me to see the Pantheon, as I had not yet seen it or the area it was in. As we were driving (in a taxi) down the road, I suddenly knew where I was... and proceeded to tell them exactly how the driver was going to take us there. And I was right, all twists and turns correct. Thing was, I'd had a dream the year before about the area (apparently prophetic), but didn't know at the time where the location in the dream was. In my dream, I had a lipstick in my back right pocket (which I never have done before or since), and in real life, I had put a lipstick in my back pocket and it triggered the memory of the dream (vivid as it was.) So I had a psychic experience with the Pantheon.
It was an incredible first trip.
Jul 31st, 2006, 01:25 PM
#30
Here's another vote for Venice as the first amazing moment in Italy - though I now remind myself that i'd been to Sorrento a few years before going to Venice, and forgotten it!
Not that I'd want to live there - that's Rome!
Not that I'd want to live there - that's Rome!
Jul 31st, 2006, 01:39 PM
#31
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I just love being there. Its hard to describe, as its mostly just a feeling. I love the rich history, vibrant culture, delicious food and wine, and the people.
I absolutely love Rome, but I also love lingering around the smaller hill towns, especially the ones that aren't as touristy. There is nothing quite like sitting in a piazza in a small town in Italy with a loved one and a wonderful glass of wine. Heaven!
Tracy
I absolutely love Rome, but I also love lingering around the smaller hill towns, especially the ones that aren't as touristy. There is nothing quite like sitting in a piazza in a small town in Italy with a loved one and a wonderful glass of wine. Heaven!
Tracy
Jul 31st, 2006, 04:30 PM
#32
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Of my first trip to Italy? Okay, I guess I would have to pick:
1) The pizza at Pizzeria Etruschetto in Perugia. The best in Italy (even beats Naples).
2) The view of the Umbrian countryside out my apartment window (which was really a door with no screen or safety implements - Eh!) The sunrises were consistently tinged with the rosiest shade of pink.
3) Capri. The most stunning natural scenery I've ever seen in my life.
1) The pizza at Pizzeria Etruschetto in Perugia. The best in Italy (even beats Naples).
2) The view of the Umbrian countryside out my apartment window (which was really a door with no screen or safety implements - Eh!) The sunrises were consistently tinged with the rosiest shade of pink.
3) Capri. The most stunning natural scenery I've ever seen in my life.
Jul 31st, 2006, 05:40 PM
#33
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Catching glimpses of the dome of the Duomo in Florence from the narrow streets surrounding it...would take my breath away every time.
Sitting on the "stoop" in front of San Lorenzo church in Florence..eating gelato and watching people shop at the market ("am I really here?!?"
Climbing to the top of the Boboli Gardens...turning around, and the Pitti Palace and Florence stretched before me....too much for words.
St. Francis of Assisi's tomb (read my travelouge for more on that). I have never been so moved.
Just soak everything in...all moments in Italy are special...even having your morning cafe at the local bar will bring back the fondest of memories.
6 weeks and I return to Florence!!! Can't wait for more awe-inspiring times!
Sitting on the "stoop" in front of San Lorenzo church in Florence..eating gelato and watching people shop at the market ("am I really here?!?"
Climbing to the top of the Boboli Gardens...turning around, and the Pitti Palace and Florence stretched before me....too much for words.
St. Francis of Assisi's tomb (read my travelouge for more on that). I have never been so moved.
Just soak everything in...all moments in Italy are special...even having your morning cafe at the local bar will bring back the fondest of memories.
6 weeks and I return to Florence!!! Can't wait for more awe-inspiring times!
Aug 1st, 2006, 06:53 PM
#34
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Hearing a gondolier singing "Ave Maria", gliding down the canal under our hotel window in Venice.
Discovering that I liked Rome a lot in May, after being concerned it would be too loud and hectic for me.
Listening to Andrea Boccelli singing Italian arias on my iPod, while riding in the train from Italian city to city. (Artlover, you actually heard him sing in a piazza?? That takes the cake!)
Opening our hotel windows to pouring rain one morning in Rome, then watching the rain gradually let up, just in time for us to head over to the Colosseum.
Taking the train to Venice, so we could arrive at night and see the city and the canal for the first time all aglow.
Going up to San Miniato, to enjoy my daughter's favorite view of Florence and the Duomo down below.
On a beautiful sunny day, having a salad and glass of wine in a rooftop cafe directly across from the Duomo in Florence.
Discovering that I liked Rome a lot in May, after being concerned it would be too loud and hectic for me.
Listening to Andrea Boccelli singing Italian arias on my iPod, while riding in the train from Italian city to city. (Artlover, you actually heard him sing in a piazza?? That takes the cake!)
Opening our hotel windows to pouring rain one morning in Rome, then watching the rain gradually let up, just in time for us to head over to the Colosseum.
Taking the train to Venice, so we could arrive at night and see the city and the canal for the first time all aglow.
Going up to San Miniato, to enjoy my daughter's favorite view of Florence and the Duomo down below.
On a beautiful sunny day, having a salad and glass of wine in a rooftop cafe directly across from the Duomo in Florence.
Aug 3rd, 2006, 10:11 AM
#35
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stay at hotels or b&'s with internet, and book museums etc a few days before you get there, so you're not stuck to a schedule. Go with the flow and enjoy. Even the Uffizi can be booked the day before.
Aug 3rd, 2006, 10:28 AM
#37
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Here are 60 such moments from our 13 trips---some of them are from our first trip in 1984.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3827
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=3827
Aug 3rd, 2006, 10:50 AM
#38
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My first trip to Italy seems like another lifetime now...
I was 8 years old, my parents took me on an extended trip to Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Greece, Italy, and England. My sweet father, who is no longer with us, labored & saved for many years in order for us to experience the wonderland of the middle est & Europe.
The best part of Italy had to be my very first taste of pizza - I'd never had any before! What a gastronomic treat...
That trip whet my appetite for a love of lifelong travel.
I was 8 years old, my parents took me on an extended trip to Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Jordan, Greece, Italy, and England. My sweet father, who is no longer with us, labored & saved for many years in order for us to experience the wonderland of the middle est & Europe.
The best part of Italy had to be my very first taste of pizza - I'd never had any before! What a gastronomic treat...
That trip whet my appetite for a love of lifelong travel.
Aug 3rd, 2006, 05:54 PM
#40
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For us it was wandering the quiet streets of Venice on our first night in Italy. The sun was setting and it felt like we were the only ones in the city.
Sitting at a table in the campo of Siena, sipping wine and soaking in the beauty of Italy while the sun went down.
Getting up early in Rome to walk the city and take pictures. We rounded a corner to the most beautiful sight of the Pantheon. The piazza was empty and it was amazing!
Sitting at a table in the campo of Siena, sipping wine and soaking in the beauty of Italy while the sun went down.
Getting up early in Rome to walk the city and take pictures. We rounded a corner to the most beautiful sight of the Pantheon. The piazza was empty and it was amazing!
