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| Contiki “family photo”: Florence |
Part three of the Contiki walk down memory lane starts off in the city that was once the proud epicentre of the world: Roma!
Struggling, thanks to succumbing to the dreaded “Contiki cough”, I managed to make it through the bus trip by dosing up on any cold and flu tablet I could get my hands on, so as to be able to at least partially enjoy the majesty of a city such as Rome. We went on a walking tour that evening, taking in sights such The Spanish Steps, Pantheon and the stunning Trevi Fountain, which was a favourite of mine. I sat on the edge and threw my two coins over my left shoulder and made the obligatory wish and cemented my eventual return to the Eternal City. (FYI, that then-Lira deposit has not paid off yet but I remain hopeful!) As darkness descended, we ate a scrumptious Italian Meal in the Piazza Navona, all the while shielding ourselves from the none too subtle (but oh so ego boosting) Italian men.
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| Standing in St. Peters Square |
Hotter than hell would perhaps come close to describing the temperatures we encountered in Rome that next day. But even the relentless heat was not enough to dampen my absolute awe as we strolled through the city that was once the centre of the world. I was overcome by the magnitude of actually being in places such as The Vatican City, The Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica and St Peter’s Square, all of which were uniquely staggering to this naive mind! And when you walk in to the Sistine Chapel for the very first time and witness Michelangelo’s brilliance nothing you have ever seen in any book or on any television show will prepare you for actually seeing it up close and for real, as it literally took my breath away.
Meanwhile it became clear my conservative attire, chosen specifically to honour the sacred visit to Sistine chapel was about to make me melt. I then became one of the few people possibly to make an emergency wardrobe change in St.Peters Square…
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| Shez amongst the ancient ruins of Rome |
Catching a metro across town, I happened to be in deep conversation with one of the girls from tour and was not paying attention to the shadow I was standing in as we embarked from the station. A good three minutes later it finally dawned on me just where exactly I was…. Alongside the Colloseum! A local guide led us through the astounding crumbled ruins of the Colloseum and Ancient Rome. It was then time for a select group to break away in search of something truly unique – The House of the Cappucin Monks.
After dragging our feet for an hour, thanks to disagreements about whether we were heading in the right direction and stopping for a divine chocolate Gelati break, we finally arrived to behold one of the strangest sights I have ever seen. The tiny church was decorated ornately by the bones of the thousands of deceased Cappucin monks. It was really quite an eerie feeling as we stood in mutual silence surveying the scene noting with interest the statement from The Cappucin Monks ‘What you are now, we were; What we are now, you will be’ as we left.
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| The House of the Cappucin Monks – fascinating! |
Florence was to be our final Italian city, and once again, its history left me in awe. Visits to the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Basilica of Santa Croce were undertaken, and we were also guided through some famous Renaissance Art Works such as the world renowned statue of David, and saw the resting place of Michelangelo.
But it was Friday night in Florence that really shone through for the Contiki crew. La Shatoza is a cabaret restaurant that has been aptly described as attending “an Italian Wedding without the Bride and Groom”, and we certainly made sure we made the most of it! There were five bus loads of Contikians there, and our group set the partying stakes high! Dragged from the dance floor when our scheduled departure time arrived, we kept the party going, as we danced in our seats, Pete, our bus driver pumping the breaks to the beat of the music as we headed towards the Florentine nightlife.
If you are familiar with Contiki, you will know that after dark festivities on Florence are synonymous with one infamous nightclub. Space Electronic!
It was here the creature native to Italian nightclubs – the super sleazy man – showed its face. All through our Italian adventure there was a charm offensive at play like nothing I had ever known (great for the ego though) but it goes to a whole new seedy level in a darkened bar. It was an eye opening experience, yet still one of the best nights out on tour!
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| Obligatory Pisa pose |
The final farewell to the boot shaped country came via the structurally challenged icon that is the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Perhaps I was just too hungover to appreciate it, as I distinctly recall being rather underwhelmed… While it was an interesting sight to behold, I of course was sure to take the obligatory “look at me, I’m propping this ruin up single-handedly” photo (along with every single other person there….)
Saying arrivederci to Italia, as the rainbow bus pulled away, anticipation slowly started to simmer away. It was if we could smell the tantalising Mediterranean Ocean beckoning us over…… Fun in France was on its way!
