What impressed you the most in Italy?
 

My most exciting moment in Italy was coming down the canal in Venice for the first time! I know its cliche but I wasn't prepared for that. What is your favorite "moment" in Italy?

Spending the night at the crater of the volcano Stromboli.

That titian-haired waitress in Rome...

The Colosseum and St. Peter's were amazing, the Forum was my favorite, but I think the place that gave me the most chills was standing outside the Mamertine Prison. It wasn't open the day we were there, but we sort of stood there staring at it for the longest time.

Amanda

Renewing personally written wedding vows with my wonderful husband on a gondola in Venice at sunset.

the volcano is on my list!!!

One thing was discovering that even in St. Peters there is actually faux marble!

thornyroses....me too!!

We took an overnight train and arrived to Venice at dawn. We were traveling down the canal at sunrise and it was one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever experienced.

The second was on that same trip....we walked the Cinque Terre from Rio Maggiore to Vernazza...above the town of Vernazza is a wine canteen up on a perch overlooking the town and mediterrian. We sat there drinking local wine watching the sun go down....perfection!!

Third.....just about every other minute I spend in Europe....too many wonderful moments to list.

.........looking down into the sassi in
Matera.

Totally unique, beautiful but triste.

I have a tie, betweeen getting off the train in rome termini station and walking down a side street looking my hostel and seeing in the distance the top of the colloseum, wow. The other favorite is my first hike in cinque terra think of a hike in the moutains with incredible med. sea views along side my lovely wife, double wow.

ttt

This is easy. We arrived in Positano for the first time under a full moon. During the first night at our hotel I woke just before dawn because of jet-lag and decided to open the big green wooden doors to our balcony. As I stepped onto the balcony, I saw Positano before me, under a full moon with the hint of a pinky/orange dawn beginning to shine on the hillside. I thought I had died and gone to heaven during the night. My husband came out to join me and we watched the sun rise over Positano. It was a singular moment in my life. (We've gone back every early June since. 76 more days!)

What impressed me the most about Italy? That's easy: The Italians!

Like anywhere you visit, it's the little things. Like my previous post being inside the areana was not nearly as amazing as seeing it from a distance. Take time in italy and don't run around too much and you will be impressed! Take a seista, lounge at a steet side place, not in a croweded plaza and watch, listen, and embrace. This is what travel is about whether your in europe, DC, north dakota, wherever!!!!!

Yes, I loved the italian and their open, warm ways to invite you in.

Padraig, what is "titian-haired"?!

It's hard to choose just one thing, but I'd have to say the accessibility of art. It seems that everywhere you turn you trip over beautiful things, there is a fresco, here is a statue, over there is a freize, around the corner a fountain; all right out there in the middle of everything...not behind a fence or enclosed in glass.

Gelati!!....pistashio that is sweet but with a hint of salt....awesome.

And....Vino, fromaggio and pasta pasta pasta....and of course more vino.

Crazy4Travel,

Tell me more about this Canteen above Vernazza. How do we find it? We're making our first trip to CT in October and that experience sounds right up our alley.

Titian-haired means hair that looks like the hair in a Titian painting. Those who look at Titian paintings can confirm that it is something special.

Coming out of the subway station and walking right smack into the Colosseum. Then seeing it from the far end of street, cars zooming all around this ancient arena.

The relaxed attitude that Italians have about children. We couldn't walk three steps without hearing "bella, bella bambina" about our sweaty, grimy kids. "Bella, bella! Relax, have some wine, the children will play."

The rolling hills and vineyards. Gorgeous.

Venice - San Marco and the Grand Canal at sunrise.

Hard to decide between 2 wonderful memories:

Venice in December - wandering in and out of the fog, deliberately getting lost, finding magical sights and shops in the least expected places.

Positano in October - croissants and espresso macchiato on our hotel terrace in the morning, enjoying the spectacular view and the sun reflecting off the sea.

Art, and the art of living, very old and very new. Italians have an extra gene for art and everything beautiful and enjoyable. They understood aaages ago that you only live once, that you "cannot take anything with you" and that life is to be enjoyed in the present. Carpe diem.

anoukaimee
Maybe they understood that you live more than once and that beauty and great art should endure so that it can be enjoyed for a long time. One can always come back and see it lifetime after lifetime.

Once in Rome I saw an elegant women in her 50s hike up her long skirt and hop on a Vespa in high heels driving away with a smile.
Brava!

Thus far it would have to be the Isle of Capri. I spent the day with a tour company, visiting the blue grotto, bus to Anacapri, chairlift to lookout ontop, Lunch, and view from the lookout encompassing the port of Capri.
The day was clear with blue skies and scenary was fantastic!

You are right, Ahotpoet! The Medici family was an example of such enlightened mind.

Two things, the food and the people. Especially the people, who else would invite a total stranger out to thier farmhouse to make dinner for them and six of thier friends? A day I will NEVER FORGET!!!

Tom

www.pbase.com/trsw/image/69340474

For me, seeing the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvious and visiting my mother's family home in Torre del Greco.

a sunset gondola ride in venice

the duomo in florence

the view from montalcino

the bernini statues in villa borghese

(i'm sorry it's hard to stop)

the FOOD

adventureseeker....as you walk the path from Vernazza to Corniglia the little wine bar is on the way out of town...you can't miss it. It's a wonderful spot...we happened upon it after a long walk from the first town of Rio Maggiore...to Manrola...to Corniglia...on a warm day so we were quite tired. The local white wine was cool and refreshing and the view absolutely stunning!! Take a look at this web page as it shows some shots of Vernazza from that angle.

http://www.cinqueterreonline.com/villages.htm#vernazza

seeing the country through my daughter's eyes Her enthusiasm & knowledge of the places we went & also of the art OH the ART! bella

we were traveling companions & it was a trip I will always treasure

Have to go with 2...

Christmas Eve mass at the Pantheon (and I'm not religious)

Paestum at sunset with an almost full moon over the temples

dave

The people.

Venice: exiting the train station and seeing the Grand Canal for the first time. This was in 1978, and I still can remember the emotions it brought.

Venice: sitting at a table in San Marcos listening to the dueling orchestras on a beautiful night.

Orvieto: there was this amazing pasta -- very thin lasagne noodles wrapped like roses, filled with cheese and honey.

San Gimignano: saffron gelato.

Lake Como: touring the villas. At the Villa Monestaro I was the only person there and it had a calming effect.

Italy in general: thinking about the history everywhere I went.

Hmmm....laying in bed on the Amalfi coast with the balcony doors open watching the moon shine on the Mediterrean....ahhhh; My first glimpse of Venice....love at first sight!; a sunset gondola ride while being serendaded; an incredible lunch from the rooftop restaurant at the Hotel Danieli....great food, wine and the best views possible in Venice!; All of Rome....one big WOW! ALL of the wonderful people in Sirmione on Lago de Garda who treated us like royalty....they all remembered my greatgrandparents and grandparents who had a summer villa there; watching the World Cup with all the locals in outdoor cafes set up with huge tvs; Gelati!; Ok...EVERYTHING impressed me! I LOVE ITALY!!!!!

p.s. sorry for the typos......see, just thinking about Italy and I can't type! :)

Those first few moments after exiting the station in Venice and crossing the bridge is like stepping into the Land of Oz. I was utterly unprepared for it, and I can't tell you how thrilled I was. 16 years later, I still have goosebumps.

Similarly, I defy anyone to stand in the middle of St. Peter's basilica and not be impressed. Or in the Sistine Chapel, for that matter.

Also in Rome, walking down the Sacre Via through the heart of the Forum was nearly overwhelming for me. So much history in such a small area.

And the multi-colored marble exteriors of the Duomo and Campanile in Florence are rather impressive, too. As is the view from the top (of either).

I could go on and on, but I'll stop there for now.

Something that I glad I did was going to Pompeii. It's very memorable and can't be seen elsewhere.