Italy

I have been several times to Italy. The first times were a long time ago. Actually, I think I spent some of my first vacations ever in Italy - when I was about 1-2 years old (and also a bit older) :-) I do still remember being carried by my father in the sea with waves bigger than me, and I still remember some frogs. And our small caravan.

Another time I have been to Venice with my parents. I can't remember when it was but I was older already. The gondolas, the pasta <3, the squares and piazzas, churches and bridges... Simply beautiful. I remember being very worried about the sinking of Venice... In summer 2001, I did a short day trip from Cannes to Sanremo. It was beautiful.

But I have done also some individual traveling in Italy. During the summer 2004, I did an interrail tour through Europe. I visited France, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy. Unfortunately, I had only a few days left of my interrail ticket, so I couldn't see too much. My first stopover was in Milan. I was really surprised to see the city completely deserted! I was later told that this is completely normal in summer time: Everybody escapes the hot city to the coasts of Italy. So couldn't experience the hype of the fashion city after all.

After Milan, I decided to sleep in the overnight train and go to Naples. There I did some extensive sightseeing. I was impressed by the awesome views from the city over the sea and by the "world's best pizza"! That's what it said in the Lonely Planet. I went there - and it was REALLY simply not comparable to any pizza I have eaten anywhere else. So fresh, so tasty, so mighty. There was only one thing, which disturbed me in Naples: the litter all over the streets. I would like to know if the situation is better today.

After Naples, I didn't have any money left, so I had to use my interrail ticket to get back home to Germany, via Switzerland. To summarize, the cities in Italy are, imho, the capitals of culture in the world. I definitely want to spend more time getting to know this extraordinary country - and the most beautiful and melodic language in the world.