#italiarail

[tamidoll]

Going somewhere?? . .. #train #station #venice #venezia #Italy #arival #tourists #italiarail (at Venice, Italy)

[findingsenorita]

Venice

From Roma Termini, there are trains which take you to Venice. Venice is an almost 4-hour train ride from Roma Termini. There were a few stops on the way but it wasn’t really bothering. The sceneries outside the window were just marvelous and the trains were really clean, its seats were very comfortable. Plus, the water closets were really spacious. I like it better than the Spanish Renfe. We bought our tickets at https://www.italiarail.com.

We arrived at the Santa Lucia Train Station in Venice at almost 4 in the afternoon. From there, we would be taking a water bus to Rialto Station, from where we would be walking to our hotel. We fell in line in the ticket booth and waited for our turn. Thing is, I already found Rome quite expensive, but not until we bought our water bus tickets have I realized that Venice was even more expensive. Water bus costs 7.50€ one way per passenger! We bought tickets anyway because we didn’t want to get lost on our first day in the city.

We didn’t lose our way trying to find our hotel because their instructions on how to get there were very clear. We had our booking at Hotel Caneva. It has a very good location; St. Marc’s Square is 15-min walk away while the Rialto Station is a 10-min walk. Because local transport is quite expensive, we figured we’d just always walk our way around the city during our whole stay.

You see, the thing with Venice is that maps are not given to tourists for free. They sell it for 3€, I saw a store selling a 2nd hand map for 2€ but I thought it wasn’t worth it still. So before we went out of our hotel, we saved directions and offline maps on our mobiles so we wouldn’t get lost. Think of Venice as a huge maze and you can really get lost if you don’t know the right direction. Streets aren’t parallel at all times and they come in different sizes. Some streets can be wide and can fit a whole group of 15 people, while some can be so narrow that you have to walk in a single file.

For our first activity, we met with our friend Joanne who was also there with her boyfriend. Once we saw them we went on a gondola ride. Gondolas cost 80€ for a 30-min ride. It is expensive but a gondola can take up to 6 people so just make sure to travel to Venice with some friends so it wouldn’t be as expensive. We went to the gondola station near St. Marc’s Square and they offered us a deal: a 45-min ride for 100€ instead of the usual 120€. We accepted and rode the gondola.

Personally, I’m not really into touristy things especially if it is something as expensive as the gondola ride. I’d rather eat and be full than ride boats just because other tourists say it’s a must. The ride was just okay. It wasn’t really anything special. I guess it was, I was just bummed out that I had to pay 20€ for it, I’m not really sure. Plus, the next day, we were able to ride a gondola for only 2€. Story on that later! Anyway moving on.

We had dinner at this restaurant near St. Marc’s named Rossopomodoro. The price of a plate of pasta for 1 person ranges from 9-16€ while the price of a whole pizza ranges from 8-15€. And those prices most of the time do not include the service charge. Make sure you check out suggestions online before you enter a restaurant. Since you’ll be paying higher, just make sure that it is worth it.

The next day, we were scheduled to go to Guggenheim Museum which is a 25-min walk from our place. Unfortunately, the museum was closed that day. They are closed on Tuesdays and I didn’t get to check that, I just always assume that museums are closed on Mondays. So then we decided to just sit on this bench beside the Grand Canal. You see, Venice is expensive but I think it is very worth the visit. It is so beautiful; I think I’ve yet to see something like it. After taking all the sceneries in, we decided to just walk around and follow street signs going to Rialto Station. We passed by this church on our way to Rialto and we decided to enter it because my friend Bok is a huge believer of wishes and in the Philippines, they say that when you enter a church for the first time, you are thereby granted a wish. We continued walking until we reached the Rialto Market. There, you can find souvenir items for sale. Venice is actually famous for its Murano glass so there are a lot of pretty handmade glasses around. There are also pastas in different shapes! I once saw a pack of pasta shaped like a penis, in black color. Haha.

We grabbed a paper cone of fried street food as we were walking towards nowhere. We didn’t really know where we’re going at that time. We just knew we had a tour starting at 3PM but it was still early so we were just looking around and walking like completely lost tourists but quite frankly, it liked it. All the streets are full of colorful artsy things, you won’t get bored.

After having the best carbonara that I have ever tasted for lunch, we started walking towards Campo San Geremia, where our fee walking tour would be starting. We arrived a little early at Campo San Geremia so we all decided to enter the public park just beside it and rest.

Came 3PM and our walking tour started. The tour was not your ordinary touristy tour. Our guide took us to some places which tourists don’t often visit, told us about the history of Venice and shared some stories, I guess only people born and raised in Venice would know. It was quite interesting and I highly recommend this tour. You can check them out at http://freetourvenice.com. Our guide, Nico also showed us a way to ride a gondola for 2€. At the Grand Canal, there are Gondola Stations where gondola will take you to the other side of the canal. The ride only lasts for less than 5 minutes but it is still a gondola and I’ll take that anytime haha.

Our tour ended in this piazza near the university. There we ate our last meal in Venice as we are headed to Prague the next morning.

So things to remember in Venice: First, make sure your hostel has a really good internet connection because you need that for your maps, unless you are willing to py 3€ or look for that store which had a second hand one. Second, it is best to go there with friends, maximum of 6, otherwise you won’t fit the gondola. Third and I think the most important one, take time to absorb everything in this beautiful city. Sit down and learn to have fun by looking around at boats, rivers and people walking around.

[eminflorence-blog]

Cinque Terre: The trains & Riomaggiore

Cinque Terre is a series of five villages along the Western Coast of Italy, just north of Pisa. The towns were sheltered from industrialization until about 1900 when the railways were able to bypass the mountains, so the culture there is still pretty intact. Far less touristy than Florence. Before I start talking about the cities themselves, I'd just like to say a few tidbits about the trip/Cinque Terre as a whole.

First, you can have fun in Cinque Terre in one day. But to really appreciate the atmosphere, food, views, people, sea and everything else that makes the cities delightful, you need at least 48 hours, as we did.

Things you must bring, regardless of what city you go to: A water bottle, sunscreen, camera WITH FULL BATTERIES, and sunglasses. Wear light clothing, because the stairs that count as streets in most of the cities will have you sweating like a pig. And the best thing you can do for yourself is stay hydrated. I figured that one out the hard way.

So, Riomaggiore:

All of the towns have a lovely marina, and the view from the one in this town is superb. When I first saw the water, I couldn't believe how blue and clear it was. My immediate thought was that they must have dyed the water, like they do with fountains and ponds, but then I realized you can't dye the sea (super blonde moment). This town in considered the most picturesque, because the way the town wraps around the marina makes for a ready-made good composition for photographers of any skill level. It's considered the most touristy town, and it certainly seemed the most geared towards outsiders. However, the sweet, small-town feeling was ever present with loads of laundry hanging above your heads in the cramped paths and stairways, and women talking to each other from down the street through their windows. The mains street is beautifully colored and has a lot of food. I had the best espresso in my life there.

So when I say that I learned the hard way that you have to stay hydrated in Cinque Terre, I mean that I had that espresso after having only a small amount of water that day (to keep my backpack light, I only filled by bottle about halfway), and found the marina and immediately needed to climb all over the wave breakers. About half way down the rocks, I was feeling pretty sluggish, but my travel buddies were near the top of the town and were going to take a picture of me at the end of the wave breakers. So I hadto keep going. By the time I got off the water and hiked back up to them, I was feeling like I had heat stroke. So. Drink yo aqua.