Italy
Venice, Florence, Rome
18 - 25 June 2017
Game PLan
We'll be departing from London by plane and will visit Venice first, then Florence by train and finally Rome by train as well.
FlightEasy Jet
London Luton - Venice EZY2191 18 June, 1325hrs Ryan Air Rome Ciampino - Madrid FR9673 25 June, 0930hrs |
TrainItaliaRail
Venice S.Lucia - Firenze S.M.N. Frecciarossa 9437 20 June, 1435hrs Firenze S.M.N. - Roma Termini Frecciarossa 9427 22 June, 1438hrs |
AccommodationVenice
Airbnb - hosted by Mirko Luxury Violet with private bathroom 6 Florence Airbnb-hosted by Massimiliano The Little House Rome Agoda.com A Casa Nostra Guest House |
I've sketched out some must-eats and interesting places to visit in these 3 cities. I'm so excited about Rome. I love the movie - Angels and Demons, and it was shot mainly in Rome and the Vatican City. Plus it's ROME! I'm gonna see Roman God sculptures and paintings! It's the next best thing to Greek God sculptures. Well they're similar, but I'm more familiar to the Greek form of everything, so I guess I'll brush up on my Roman knowledge of everything before going.
Expenditure before leaving:
Easy Jet flight (London > Venice + 40kg luggage in total) MYR 869.67 (GBP 154.47)
Venice Airport bus > city center (ATVO) MYR 98.91 (EUR 21)
Venice Accommodation (Airbnb - hosted by Mirko)(2 nights) MYR 876
Frecciarossa train (Venice > Florence) MYR 344.77 (EUR 73.20)
Florence Accommodation (Airbnb - hosted by Massimiliano)(2 nights) MYR 638
Frecciarossa train (Florence > Rome) MYR 509.62 (EUR 108.2)
Rome Accommodation (A Casa Nostra Guest House)(3 nights) MYR 944.97
Rome Termini Station > Rome Airport (Terravision) MYR 56.52 (EUR 12)
Ryan Air (Rome > Madrid + 60kg luggage in total) MYR 1556.42 (EUR 330.45)
WIFI Router (8 days) MYR 208
TOTAL MYR 4546.46
All these prices are for 3 adults.
Hence, each person spent MYR 1515.49 before leaving for Italy.
Some prices have GBP or EUR amounts stated in brackets behind. That's because we paid for those transactions with that particular currency shown to us. I converted that amount to MYR using xe.com
Easy Jet flight (London > Venice + 40kg luggage in total) MYR 869.67 (GBP 154.47)
Venice Airport bus > city center (ATVO) MYR 98.91 (EUR 21)
Venice Accommodation (Airbnb - hosted by Mirko)(2 nights) MYR 876
Frecciarossa train (Venice > Florence) MYR 344.77 (EUR 73.20)
Florence Accommodation (Airbnb - hosted by Massimiliano)(2 nights) MYR 638
Frecciarossa train (Florence > Rome) MYR 509.62 (EUR 108.2)
Rome Accommodation (A Casa Nostra Guest House)(3 nights) MYR 944.97
Rome Termini Station > Rome Airport (Terravision) MYR 56.52 (EUR 12)
Ryan Air (Rome > Madrid + 60kg luggage in total) MYR 1556.42 (EUR 330.45)
WIFI Router (8 days) MYR 208
TOTAL MYR 4546.46
All these prices are for 3 adults.
Hence, each person spent MYR 1515.49 before leaving for Italy.
Some prices have GBP or EUR amounts stated in brackets behind. That's because we paid for those transactions with that particular currency shown to us. I converted that amount to MYR using xe.com
Homework
I'm gonna look into the Italian language, the basic greetings, their language structure and of course, learn some words about food and such. Understanding their culture is important as well, so I'm definitely gonna search up on that. And I planned to read some papers or documentations regarding the Roman artists, sculptures and paintings before actually seeing it with my own eyes.
Italy Time Zone : GMT +2 (6 hours slower than Malaysia)
Italy Temperature during trip : 27-31°C
Italy's tap water is safe to drink.
When we're in Italy, their day was much longer than their night. The sky only started getting dark around 10pm.
Just in case you guys are wondering whether to get a plan with unlimited data or if a certain data limit is enough for your travel needs, I included a record of our data usage beneath the dates. That is based on the amount of data we used on our WiFi Router per day.
Restaurants in Italy charges a 'cover charge' for table services, and that includes the bread basket that's served before meal. So it isn't a must to tip your server in Italy. But if you're really satisfied with their service, they wouldn't mind to be rewarded.
Italy Temperature during trip : 27-31°C
Italy's tap water is safe to drink.
When we're in Italy, their day was much longer than their night. The sky only started getting dark around 10pm.
Just in case you guys are wondering whether to get a plan with unlimited data or if a certain data limit is enough for your travel needs, I included a record of our data usage beneath the dates. That is based on the amount of data we used on our WiFi Router per day.
Restaurants in Italy charges a 'cover charge' for table services, and that includes the bread basket that's served before meal. So it isn't a must to tip your server in Italy. But if you're really satisfied with their service, they wouldn't mind to be rewarded.
June 18, Sunday
London - Venice
Data Usage : 522.39MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media excl Youtube)
We took Uber at 9:30am from the London apartment to Victoria Coach Station which costs us ₤21.16 due to peak hour surge of X1.3. We arrived at the Coach Station around 10:10am and looked at the monitor for our bus' platform number. We couldn't locate our specific bus number on the screen so we asked the customer service counter instead. They directed us to Gate 10.
Data Usage : 522.39MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media excl Youtube)
We took Uber at 9:30am from the London apartment to Victoria Coach Station which costs us ₤21.16 due to peak hour surge of X1.3. We arrived at the Coach Station around 10:10am and looked at the monitor for our bus' platform number. We couldn't locate our specific bus number on the screen so we asked the customer service counter instead. They directed us to Gate 10.
The bus was scheduled to depart at 10:40am but there were some delay and it departed about 7-10 minutes later. I was concerned about the delay cause our flight was at 13:25pm while the luggage drop counter closes at 12:45pm. The bus ride will take 1.5 hour. I was so worried that we'll miss the flight that I lost all excitement for the trip.
Luckily, the bus arrived at Luton Airport at 11:50am, which was earlier than the estimated arrival time and it gave us plenty of time to go through all the necessary flight procedures.
Luckily, the bus arrived at Luton Airport at 11:50am, which was earlier than the estimated arrival time and it gave us plenty of time to go through all the necessary flight procedures.
We already performed online check-in for EasyJet and printed our boarding passes back in Malaysia. So we headed straight to their self service kiosk to print our luggage tags. It was my first time printing luggage tags with a kiosk and it was so fun! AND it was my first time seeing a weighing scale attached to the kiosk. Awesome! Sorry for being a 'sua pak kao' (someone who never sees modern stuffs before).
After tagging our luggage, we went to the luggage drop counter to drop off our luggage. The counter staff told us to go over to EasyJet's customer service desk for a VISA check.
So we followed the directions given and found the EasyJet Customer Service in front of Starbucks.
So we followed the directions given and found the EasyJet Customer Service in front of Starbucks.
The guy behind the service desk wasn't the friendliest person I've met, cause he didn't speak at all. He slowly walked over, slowly took our passports and boarding passes, slowly checked his computer, slowly signed on our boarding pass, then slowly gave us back our documents. He did all these without saying a word.
Seriously, just quit customer service if you think talking to people is too much for you.
Anyway, we went through security check at 12:05pm and waited for our boarding gate to be announced.
Weirdly, according to the announcement screen, the gate will only be announced 10 minutes before the gate closes. Like what...?
So we rushed to our departure gate once the announcement is made...which is Gate 25. It took 3-5 minutes to reach the gate from where we're seating.
Seriously, just quit customer service if you think talking to people is too much for you.
Anyway, we went through security check at 12:05pm and waited for our boarding gate to be announced.
Weirdly, according to the announcement screen, the gate will only be announced 10 minutes before the gate closes. Like what...?
So we rushed to our departure gate once the announcement is made...which is Gate 25. It took 3-5 minutes to reach the gate from where we're seating.
We boarded the plane at 12:55pm and the plane took off at 13:30pm.
There were no meals provided on board cause it's a budget flight, and it'll take only 2.5 hours to reach Venice.
There were no meals provided on board cause it's a budget flight, and it'll take only 2.5 hours to reach Venice.
We arrived Venice at 16:10pm and we went through immigration with no fuss and no queue. Arrival cards are NOT needed for Italy. We waited quite a while for our luggage cause we're among the first few ones to be there.
After retrieving our luggage, we went out to the streets and looked for the 'ATVO' signage. We found the ATVO buses along the second lane (counting from the exit of the airport's arrival hall).
We bought our tickets online beforehand (€7 per passenger) and printed the confirmation that has a QR code to be scanned by the bus conductor. There's a counter at the airport for passengers to purchase the ATVO tickets on the spot as well.
We're going to Venezia Piazzale de Roma, so we looked for the signage that says so, as shown on the first picture below:
After retrieving our luggage, we went out to the streets and looked for the 'ATVO' signage. We found the ATVO buses along the second lane (counting from the exit of the airport's arrival hall).
We bought our tickets online beforehand (€7 per passenger) and printed the confirmation that has a QR code to be scanned by the bus conductor. There's a counter at the airport for passengers to purchase the ATVO tickets on the spot as well.
We're going to Venezia Piazzale de Roma, so we looked for the signage that says so, as shown on the first picture below:
Our bus departed at 5pm and arrived Piazzale de Roma at 5:20pm. The bus windows were covered with black dots that acts as a shade so we couldn't see much along the way.
After we alight the bus, we walked towards the only bridge that was within our view, which is known as Ponte della Costituzione.
It's advisable to pack light for Venice because there are bridges everywhere. Some bridges have ramps while most of them don't.
After the first bridge, we arrived at the Venice train station. We continued walking straight and crossed another bridge before reaching our Airbnb that is located within the Cannaregio area. It took 20 minutes of walking from Piazzale de Roma to our Airbnb.
Instead of walking, you could take their water bus and alight at S. Marcuola -Casino SX or S. Marcuola - Casino DX. It's only a minute walk from there.
After we alight the bus, we walked towards the only bridge that was within our view, which is known as Ponte della Costituzione.
It's advisable to pack light for Venice because there are bridges everywhere. Some bridges have ramps while most of them don't.
After the first bridge, we arrived at the Venice train station. We continued walking straight and crossed another bridge before reaching our Airbnb that is located within the Cannaregio area. It took 20 minutes of walking from Piazzale de Roma to our Airbnb.
Instead of walking, you could take their water bus and alight at S. Marcuola -Casino SX or S. Marcuola - Casino DX. It's only a minute walk from there.
We have received the pass code to their front door via Airbnb once our reservation was confirmed. Once we're in, we saw a key pouch with my name hanging on the wall to our left.
There are 2 flights of stairs to climb before reaching our room.
There are 2 flights of stairs to climb before reaching our room.
Our room has:
our own bathroom/toilet
2 double beds
a sofa
a table with mirror
free WiFi
We booked the room at MYR876 for 2 nights (18th-20th June)
And below is the review I wrote regarding our stay:
our own bathroom/toilet
2 double beds
a sofa
a table with mirror
free WiFi
We booked the room at MYR876 for 2 nights (18th-20th June)
And below is the review I wrote regarding our stay:
We were sweaty and tired from walking all the way from the bus station, so we showered and rested until 18:40pm.
We planned to visit a restaurant recommended by netizens called Pasticceria Bar Puppa.
We planned to visit a restaurant recommended by netizens called Pasticceria Bar Puppa.
We took our own sweet time walking and enjoying the amazing view of Venice.
Guys, Venice is magical.
Everything looks amazing and beautiful. The water in the canals is wavy from the movement of boats and gondolas. Clumps of seaweed are floating by the walls of the canal. When you look down towards the water from the bridge, a breeze will gently caress your cheeks. You will sometimes hear locals playing the accordion, while inhaling the scent of freshly baked bread.
It's everything you imagined Venice to be...and more.
These pictures doesn't do Venice justice.
Guys, Venice is magical.
Everything looks amazing and beautiful. The water in the canals is wavy from the movement of boats and gondolas. Clumps of seaweed are floating by the walls of the canal. When you look down towards the water from the bridge, a breeze will gently caress your cheeks. You will sometimes hear locals playing the accordion, while inhaling the scent of freshly baked bread.
It's everything you imagined Venice to be...and more.
These pictures doesn't do Venice justice.
As we were walking along Strada Nova, we spotted a gelato shop named Grom. My uncle has raved about Grom selling the BEST gelato in Italy. So of course we'll have to try it out!
We had the medium cone that comes with 2 gelato flavors,
we picked Coconut and Strawberry with Meringue.
It costs €3.20.
We had the medium cone that comes with 2 gelato flavors,
we picked Coconut and Strawberry with Meringue.
It costs €3.20.
We proceeded down the road towards Bar Puppa, and finally arrived at 19:20pm.
It's located along a small street, and only has 6 tables and could only probably sit 13-14 guests at once.
- We ordered their set which includes a main dish, a beverage and coffee at the end.
Spritz is a wine based cocktail which consists of white wine, a sweetener, a bitter agent and sparkling water. It's a common beverage in Venice.
As for food, we had Risotto(minimum 2 portions) and Spaghetti Carbonara
Their main dishes were nice. It was homey and comforting. We all enjoyed the meal.
Their espresso was very strong and smooth.
Our meal costs €36.
It was a good meal.
So after dinner, we walked a bit more to explore the area.
Their espresso was very strong and smooth.
Our meal costs €36.
It was a good meal.
So after dinner, we walked a bit more to explore the area.
We were afraid that we would get hungry later, so we stopped by a pizzeria and got ourselves two slices of pizza. If I remember correctly it's €2 per slice.
One of it was a tomato based pizza and the other one should be cheese.
We also bought beer from Co-Op to go with it. They costs €1.68 and €1.78.
One of it was a tomato based pizza and the other one should be cheese.
We also bought beer from Co-Op to go with it. They costs €1.68 and €1.78.
The pizzas were nice. But once it's cold, it became really hard to chew.
June 19, Monday
Venice - Realto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, Basilica di San Marco, Campanile di San Marco, Doge's Palace, Bridge of Sighs
Data Usage : 577.84MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media, Youtube)
At 10am, we went out for breakfast at Nobile Pasticcerie in Venezie. It's a bakery with only 3 high chairs and a side table by the window. Normally the customers will just order coffee and pastry and stand by the service counter to enjoy their breakfast.
Data Usage : 577.84MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media, Youtube)
At 10am, we went out for breakfast at Nobile Pasticcerie in Venezie. It's a bakery with only 3 high chairs and a side table by the window. Normally the customers will just order coffee and pastry and stand by the service counter to enjoy their breakfast.
We ordered 2 pizza cups, a croissant and also some kind of pastry with cream filling. It costs €7.50 in total.
The pizza cups consist of tomato sauce, cheese and anchovies. It tasted quite interesting.
We continued walking towards the direction of Piazza San Marco, but mum fell 2 steps off one of the bridges.
So we decided to bring her back to our Airbnb room to rest, cause it's going to be a long way to arrive in San Marco. We bought her a €7.50 Aglio Olio pasta for lunch from one of the restaurants ran by Chinese employees. My mum said it tasted awful.
After that, bro and I continued walking towards Piazza San Marco. And because the weather was TOO hot, we couldn't resist getting an iced lemonade which costs €1.80 each.
We continued walking towards the direction of Piazza San Marco, but mum fell 2 steps off one of the bridges.
So we decided to bring her back to our Airbnb room to rest, cause it's going to be a long way to arrive in San Marco. We bought her a €7.50 Aglio Olio pasta for lunch from one of the restaurants ran by Chinese employees. My mum said it tasted awful.
After that, bro and I continued walking towards Piazza San Marco. And because the weather was TOO hot, we couldn't resist getting an iced lemonade which costs €1.80 each.
We followed the signs that pointed towards San Marco ('Per San Marco'), and enjoyed every street and scenery that we came across.
After 10 minutes of walking, we saw a crowd by the Grand Canal so we went to take a look as well. It turns out we were already at the Realto Bridge!
It was stunning! The view of the Grand Canal from the top of the bridge is amazing!
It was stunning! The view of the Grand Canal from the top of the bridge is amazing!
The center of the bridge has two rows of stores along it, which was quite unexpected. I thought it's just...a bridge.
After another 20 minutes of walking, we passed by this take-away pasta shop that we wanted to try. It's called 'Aldo Pasta', and their slogan is 'Homemade pasta to go'.
There's just something about food in take away boxes that attracts me so much!
There's just something about food in take away boxes that attracts me so much!
Their pastas costs €7 each. You get to choose your choice of pasta and your choice of sauce.
My brother had Spaghetti with Pesto alla Genovese while I had Gnocchi di Patate alla Puttanesca.
My brother had Spaghetti with Pesto alla Genovese while I had Gnocchi di Patate alla Puttanesca.
We ate while walking towards San Marco and arrived there 7 minutes later.
Piazza San Marco houses a few tourist attractions.
Basilica di San Marco
Campanile di San Marco
Doge's Palace
Bridge of Sighs
Piazza San Marco houses a few tourist attractions.
Basilica di San Marco
Campanile di San Marco
Doge's Palace
Bridge of Sighs
There's a LONG queue for the Basilica, but we queued up anyway. When it was our turn at the entrance, the guard told us that we can't bring our backpacks inside. So they asked us to bring our bags for safekeeping at a service desk in one of the streets nearby called Calle S. Basso. It's complimentary for 2 hours only. |
After depositing our backpacks, we went straight to the entrance of the Basilica, without having to queue all over again.
The entrance into the Basilica is complimentary. Pictures are not allowed to be taken inside the Basilica though.
The entrance into the Basilica is complimentary. Pictures are not allowed to be taken inside the Basilica though.
After a round of touring inside the Basilica, we saw an entrance towards a staircase leading to the upper level of the Basilica. It costs €5 per person, but we went up anyway.
There's a souvenir shop and an exhibition of historical stuffs all across the upper level of the Basilica. Visitors can step out to the 'balcony' for a panaromic view of Piazza San Marco as well.
After the Basilica, we went to retrieve our bags and proceeded to queue for the Campanile.
It costs €8 per person to go up the tower.
It costs €8 per person to go up the tower.
We paid for our tickets at the entrance and followed the queue towards the elevator.
It took 40 seconds to reach the top, if I remembered correctly.
It took 40 seconds to reach the top, if I remembered correctly.
We could look at the view of Venice in all directions. But we had to wait for the others to move away before we could stand by the window to enjoy the view.
There's occasional sea breeze that washes over you while you enjoy the view of the ocean. It felt serene and peaceful. I hope I could stay at such a place when I retire.
There's occasional sea breeze that washes over you while you enjoy the view of the ocean. It felt serene and peaceful. I hope I could stay at such a place when I retire.
We had to queue for the elevator to go back down to the Piazza.
After that, we went to look at Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. I've read online that the Bridge of Sighs is the bridge that prisoners had to walk pass when they're being sent to jail. Hence the name, Bridge of Sighs.
After that, we went to look at Doge's Palace and the Bridge of Sighs. I've read online that the Bridge of Sighs is the bridge that prisoners had to walk pass when they're being sent to jail. Hence the name, Bridge of Sighs.
Venice was SO HOT, I wanted to jump into the ocean and stay there for the entire day.
At 3:30pm, we left Piazza San Marco and wandered around aimlessly.
We don't have any specific places to go, so we just walked into any accessible streets that we find along the way.
At 3:30pm, we left Piazza San Marco and wandered around aimlessly.
We don't have any specific places to go, so we just walked into any accessible streets that we find along the way.
We came across this cafe that has a really attractive sandwich display counter, called Bar Ducale.
I ordered Involtino 2, which has prosciutto cotto, rucola and formaggio.
€5
My brother ordered Ducale, which has salame and formaggio.
€4.50
They heated it in a panini presser before serving it to us.
Besides the sandwiches, my brother had a bottle of Spritz which costs €4.
I ordered Involtino 2, which has prosciutto cotto, rucola and formaggio.
€5
My brother ordered Ducale, which has salame and formaggio.
€4.50
They heated it in a panini presser before serving it to us.
Besides the sandwiches, my brother had a bottle of Spritz which costs €4.
My Involtino 2 was really nice, it's like chicken ham with cheese rolled up with some bitter-ish salad.
There are many similar sandwich shops all over Venice, so don't worry about having to search high and low for the sandwich shops.
We continued walking and munching on our sandwiches, and of course came across more interesting and breathtaking sights of Venice.
There are many similar sandwich shops all over Venice, so don't worry about having to search high and low for the sandwich shops.
We continued walking and munching on our sandwiches, and of course came across more interesting and breathtaking sights of Venice.
Okay, so I found the BEST...THE. BEST slushie ever!
Slushies are called 'Granite' in Italy. The flavor that I had was called Granatina, and it's a mixture of strawberry, lemon and orange.
And guys, it was AWESOME.
It could be the hot weather, or it could be that I'm too thirsty or whatnot, but this Granatina is the best slushie I ever had!
Slushies are called 'Granite' in Italy. The flavor that I had was called Granatina, and it's a mixture of strawberry, lemon and orange.
And guys, it was AWESOME.
It could be the hot weather, or it could be that I'm too thirsty or whatnot, but this Granatina is the best slushie I ever had!
I ordered the medium sized cup for €3, but I should've gotten five large ones.
And thanks to my Samsung Galaxy S7 edge's amazing location feature of my photo gallery, I could pin point the location where I took a picture of the stall, and hence getting to know where I could hunt for this particular stall that sells my favorite slushie in the whole wide world!
Trust me, I've tried slushies from many other stalls, none of them beats this amazing Granatina flavor.
...
...
...
Okay bad news.
I took the pictures of my slushie with my Casio camera instead of my S7's camera...
so...there's no location...of my favorite slushie stall...
It's alright, I'll just not have slushie for the rest of my life then...
JUST KIDDING!
How can you live without slushies in this increasing hot weather?
Anyway, I kinda regret not having an exercise app on my phone while we toured around Venice.
You know the one that traces your routes and calculates the distance you've covered and calories you've burned?
It would be amazing to look at how much of Venice we've covered in one day!
If you're going to Venice, please do that cause it's going to be so cool to look back at your journey.
So we did more walking, and took more pictures of everything pretty.
And thanks to my Samsung Galaxy S7 edge's amazing location feature of my photo gallery, I could pin point the location where I took a picture of the stall, and hence getting to know where I could hunt for this particular stall that sells my favorite slushie in the whole wide world!
Trust me, I've tried slushies from many other stalls, none of them beats this amazing Granatina flavor.
...
...
...
Okay bad news.
I took the pictures of my slushie with my Casio camera instead of my S7's camera...
so...there's no location...of my favorite slushie stall...
It's alright, I'll just not have slushie for the rest of my life then...
JUST KIDDING!
How can you live without slushies in this increasing hot weather?
Anyway, I kinda regret not having an exercise app on my phone while we toured around Venice.
You know the one that traces your routes and calculates the distance you've covered and calories you've burned?
It would be amazing to look at how much of Venice we've covered in one day!
If you're going to Venice, please do that cause it's going to be so cool to look back at your journey.
So we did more walking, and took more pictures of everything pretty.
We walked pass another Grom in Campo San Barnaba, so we head in and got 2 cups of gelato at €3 each, one coconut and one pistachio, as recommended by our cousins.
The pistachio gelato was creamy, too creamy. Half way through it, I was feeling nauseated and had to force myself to drink everything up after it melted.
We were tired so we rested at Ca' Rezzonico that has air conditioning! Hallelujah!
Oh and Venice's public toilets are all chargeable, but we found one in Ca' Rezzonico that is free!
and with air conditioning!
Oh I mentioned that already.
We were tired so we rested at Ca' Rezzonico that has air conditioning! Hallelujah!
Oh and Venice's public toilets are all chargeable, but we found one in Ca' Rezzonico that is free!
and with air conditioning!
Oh I mentioned that already.
We spent about 20 minutes in there cause it was such a relieve from the hot weather outside.
But at last, we decided to call it a day.
We were along the Grand Canal, so we located the nearest water bus stop and waited for it to arrive.
We're taking water bus Route 1 towards Pizzale le Roma.
But at last, we decided to call it a day.
We were along the Grand Canal, so we located the nearest water bus stop and waited for it to arrive.
We're taking water bus Route 1 towards Pizzale le Roma.
We waited at the floating bus stop for about 7 minutes before our water bus came along.
Ca' Rezzonico is a small stop, so there are no ticketing counters around.
But don't worry, cause we can purchase tickets from the conductor on board who you'll see manning the ropes and metal rail gates on the water bus.
It costs €7.50 per person, and the tickets will be valid for 75 minutes from the moment you first validate it.
There should be a machine to validate your tickets before you enter the water bus stop's waiting area.
Our destination was S. Marcuola - Casino, which was 8 stops away. The journey was very enjoyable.
Ca' Rezzonico is a small stop, so there are no ticketing counters around.
But don't worry, cause we can purchase tickets from the conductor on board who you'll see manning the ropes and metal rail gates on the water bus.
It costs €7.50 per person, and the tickets will be valid for 75 minutes from the moment you first validate it.
There should be a machine to validate your tickets before you enter the water bus stop's waiting area.
Our destination was S. Marcuola - Casino, which was 8 stops away. The journey was very enjoyable.
It's only a 1-2 minutes walk from the S. Marcuola - Casino stop to our Airbnb.
We rested until 6pm before heading out for dinner. My bro made a reservation at a popular restaurant at 8.30pm, so we went to look for something else to fill our stomachs first.
We found Osteria Al Bacco along Fondamenta de la Capuzine, and settled at one of their tables along the canal. Since we'll have another proper dinner later on, so we only ordered 2 dishes to share: Spaghetti Black Squid Ink and Sauteed Mussels & Clams.
As for the beverages, we had Spritz, white wine and coca cola. The meal costs €46.
We had a great view from our table though.
We rested until 6pm before heading out for dinner. My bro made a reservation at a popular restaurant at 8.30pm, so we went to look for something else to fill our stomachs first.
We found Osteria Al Bacco along Fondamenta de la Capuzine, and settled at one of their tables along the canal. Since we'll have another proper dinner later on, so we only ordered 2 dishes to share: Spaghetti Black Squid Ink and Sauteed Mussels & Clams.
As for the beverages, we had Spritz, white wine and coca cola. The meal costs €46.
We had a great view from our table though.
After our 'pre-dinner', we still had time so we walked around the neighborhood
We walked over to the restaurant that we have booked a table with, and discovered a super long queue. I guess it was REALLY popular.
The restaurant is called Trattoria Bar Pontini. We were lucky to have a reservation, or else God knows how long we'll be waiting outside.
We were seated inside and the menu was given to us. We each ordered a dish and beverage.
My mum had Baccala Mantecate (cod mousse) and Spritz.
My bro had mushroom pasta if I'm not wrong, and apple juice.
I had the tuna or sardines pasta, can't remember which, and an orange juice.
The restaurant is called Trattoria Bar Pontini. We were lucky to have a reservation, or else God knows how long we'll be waiting outside.
We were seated inside and the menu was given to us. We each ordered a dish and beverage.
My mum had Baccala Mantecate (cod mousse) and Spritz.
My bro had mushroom pasta if I'm not wrong, and apple juice.
I had the tuna or sardines pasta, can't remember which, and an orange juice.
The meal costs €53, which in my opinion, was very not worth it.
The cod mousse that my mum had was tasteless. Like there's REALLY no taste at all. Was it supposed to be like this? It's so weird to eat something that taste like nothing!
And the pasta that I had, the one with the tuna or sardines or some kind of fish, is SO SALTY. I almost went berserk for how salty it was! Oh wait, or was it salmon? Gosh I'm sorry, I really can't remember what fish I ordered. It's not a pleasant memory. But now I'm 70% sure it's salmon.
The only decent dish was my bro's mushroom pasta...or at least that's what I remembered it to be.
We went home after dinner, with unhappy taste buds and tummy.
The cod mousse that my mum had was tasteless. Like there's REALLY no taste at all. Was it supposed to be like this? It's so weird to eat something that taste like nothing!
And the pasta that I had, the one with the tuna or sardines or some kind of fish, is SO SALTY. I almost went berserk for how salty it was! Oh wait, or was it salmon? Gosh I'm sorry, I really can't remember what fish I ordered. It's not a pleasant memory. But now I'm 70% sure it's salmon.
The only decent dish was my bro's mushroom pasta...or at least that's what I remembered it to be.
We went home after dinner, with unhappy taste buds and tummy.
June 20, Tuesday
Venice - Florence - Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, Piazza di Santa Maria Novella, Ponte Vecchio
Data Usage : 914.74MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media, Youtube)
Our Airbnb's check out time was 10:30am, so we were awake since 9am. But we're all lying around doing nothing while we wait for time to pass by. The WiFi at our Airbnb wasn't working, so we had to rely on our WiFi Router.
We finally got ready and left our room around 10:45am. We left our luggage at the common area because we had another 4 hours to spend before our train departs at 2:35pm.
We went to look for a place for lunch, and we settled for a restaurant along Campiello de la Chiesa. I forgot to write down the name of the restaurant, but according to Google Maps, it should be Trattoria Alle Lanternine. Yep, checked the satellite image, that's the one!
Data Usage : 914.74MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media, Youtube)
Our Airbnb's check out time was 10:30am, so we were awake since 9am. But we're all lying around doing nothing while we wait for time to pass by. The WiFi at our Airbnb wasn't working, so we had to rely on our WiFi Router.
We finally got ready and left our room around 10:45am. We left our luggage at the common area because we had another 4 hours to spend before our train departs at 2:35pm.
We went to look for a place for lunch, and we settled for a restaurant along Campiello de la Chiesa. I forgot to write down the name of the restaurant, but according to Google Maps, it should be Trattoria Alle Lanternine. Yep, checked the satellite image, that's the one!
I was so happy to be able to try out the Bellini before leaving Venice. I've read online that Bellini is a must try cocktail in Venice. It's made of Prosecco (Italian sparkling wine) and peach puree.
My bro and I each had a Bellini, and my mum had a Spritz.
As for our main dishes, my mum ordered Spaghetti Carbonara, my bro ordered Aglio Olio, and I ordered a Cannelloni Ricotta Spinach.
Cannelloni is a tube pasta that is usually baked with a filling and covered in sauce. As suggested on the menu, my cannelloni was baked with spinach and ricotta cheese. It tasted decent. Better than our dinner the night before.
Our meal costs €53.
My bro and I each had a Bellini, and my mum had a Spritz.
As for our main dishes, my mum ordered Spaghetti Carbonara, my bro ordered Aglio Olio, and I ordered a Cannelloni Ricotta Spinach.
Cannelloni is a tube pasta that is usually baked with a filling and covered in sauce. As suggested on the menu, my cannelloni was baked with spinach and ricotta cheese. It tasted decent. Better than our dinner the night before.
Our meal costs €53.
We had no where to go after lunch, so we went back to our Airbnb and sat at the common area. The WiFi was working normally again, but I've already posted my review on Airbnb, so...oops.
At 1pm, we took our luggage and started walking to the train station. We stopped by a cafe to take away some sandwich rolls and soda. The guy at the sandwich counter was so friendly. The cafe is called Doppialuna SNC, Di Dai Shuanyue & C, it's right at the foot of Ponte delle Guglie (bridge).
At 1pm, we took our luggage and started walking to the train station. We stopped by a cafe to take away some sandwich rolls and soda. The guy at the sandwich counter was so friendly. The cafe is called Doppialuna SNC, Di Dai Shuanyue & C, it's right at the foot of Ponte delle Guglie (bridge).
We arrived at the train station at 1:30pm. I looked at the departure board but there's no platform number for our train yet.
The website that I've used to book our tickets provided useful information on how to read the departure board.
The website that I've used to book our tickets provided useful information on how to read the departure board.
There's another Grom in the train station, so we bought another medium gelato (melon and espresso flavor) €3.20 with chocolate covered cone (extra €0.5), plus a grande Granita €4 with a mixture of strawberry and lemon. The lemon slushie overpowered the strawberry though.
Our train was delayed for 25 minutes. I thought trains don't delay in Europe, but apparently I was wrong. Anyway, I informed our Florence Airbnb owner about our delay and pushed back our meeting time from 5pm to 5:20pm.
We bought the tickets online, so we have already received the link to download and print our e-tickets. When making the reservation, the system will automatically assign seats for you. Your e-ticket will show your train number, coach number and your seat numbers.
The e-ticket does not have passenger names on it, and the conductor did not check passenger IDs as well.
The e-ticket does not have passenger names on it, and the conductor did not check passenger IDs as well.
Above shows the e-ticket that we had. We're in Coach 9, with seats 15C, 15D and 16D. The seats are arranged in a '4 seats to a table' setting. Refer to the pictures below for clarification.
The train door will indicate its car number and the row numbers. Just look for the one that matches yours and get in. There are luggage racks for your big luggage, as well as overhead compartment for your smaller ones.
Our train's scheduled departure time was 2:35pm and it was scheduled to arrive Firenze S.M.Novella at 4:40pm, hence it was a 2 hour 5 minutes train ride.
But since our train was delayed for 25 minutes, we would reach Florence around 5pm.
Our train's scheduled departure time was 2:35pm and it was scheduled to arrive Firenze S.M.Novella at 4:40pm, hence it was a 2 hour 5 minutes train ride.
But since our train was delayed for 25 minutes, we would reach Florence around 5pm.
The train may not be a direct train. It might have a few stops before arriving at your destination, so don't freak out if the train stops before the scheduled time. The monitor will show which stop you're at, so keep an eye on it.
At 5:10pm, we finally arrived Firenze Santa Maria Novella. I've looked at Google Maps before arriving in Florence, so I had a general idea on how to go to our Airbnb.
I followed the streets as memorized earlier, and we arrived at the Airbnb location at 5:17pm. I was about to call the owner when he approached us and said hi.
He brought us up 2 flights of steep staircase, and taught us how to use the keys. Once we're in the apartment, he explained the features and we paid €15 for tourist tax. (€2.5 per person per night, so it's €2.5 X 3 X 2). Tourist tax is deemed mandatory by the government for people who runs accommodation for travelers, the Airbnb owners will state this outright in their property description.
I followed the streets as memorized earlier, and we arrived at the Airbnb location at 5:17pm. I was about to call the owner when he approached us and said hi.
He brought us up 2 flights of steep staircase, and taught us how to use the keys. Once we're in the apartment, he explained the features and we paid €15 for tourist tax. (€2.5 per person per night, so it's €2.5 X 3 X 2). Tourist tax is deemed mandatory by the government for people who runs accommodation for travelers, the Airbnb owners will state this outright in their property description.
Massimiliano rents out the entire apartment, which has:
A bedroom with king sized bed
A bathroom/toilet
Washing Machine
Living Room with a sofabed, TV, dining table, dish cupboard
Kitchenette with proper stoves, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, fridge, freezer and microwave
Free WiFi
No Air Conditioning
We booked the apartment at RM638 for 2 nights (20th - 22nd June)
Below shows the review I wrote for Massimiliano's Airbnb:
A bedroom with king sized bed
A bathroom/toilet
Washing Machine
Living Room with a sofabed, TV, dining table, dish cupboard
Kitchenette with proper stoves, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, fridge, freezer and microwave
Free WiFi
No Air Conditioning
We booked the apartment at RM638 for 2 nights (20th - 22nd June)
Below shows the review I wrote for Massimiliano's Airbnb:
We were surprised to learn that air conditioning was not available in the apartment, because I remember air conditioning was listed under the amenities section on his Airbnb page. Hmm...
Oh well, nothing can change the fact there these's NO air conditioning for the next 2 nights!
Anyway my bro found a decent restaurant near our accommodation, so we showered and head out for dinner at 7pm.
Oh well, nothing can change the fact there these's NO air conditioning for the next 2 nights!
Anyway my bro found a decent restaurant near our accommodation, so we showered and head out for dinner at 7pm.
Trattoria Da Giorgio.
It was quite empty when we entered, and we were seated right next to the kitchen.
They offer set dinners that costs only €15,
which includes a first course/pasta , a main dish, a side dish, wine and bottled water.
It was quite empty when we entered, and we were seated right next to the kitchen.
They offer set dinners that costs only €15,
which includes a first course/pasta , a main dish, a side dish, wine and bottled water.
Since we're having 3 set dinners, it means we have 3 choices of each courses.
For the first course, we ordered ham & melon, homemade pasta Giorgio with pork and cheese and ravioli with butter & sage.
For the main course, we could only order sliced chicken breast with saffron because my family doesn't eat beef...and everything else is beef.
As for the side dishes, we had spinach, potatoes and grilled eggplant.
We also had 2 white wines and 1 red wine.
For the first course, we ordered ham & melon, homemade pasta Giorgio with pork and cheese and ravioli with butter & sage.
For the main course, we could only order sliced chicken breast with saffron because my family doesn't eat beef...and everything else is beef.
As for the side dishes, we had spinach, potatoes and grilled eggplant.
We also had 2 white wines and 1 red wine.
It was a decent meal, but nothing to shout about. And it's cheap!
After dinner, we walked around our neighborhood and saw Basilica di Santa Maria Novella and Piazza di Santa Maria Novella.
After dinner, we walked around our neighborhood and saw Basilica di Santa Maria Novella and Piazza di Santa Maria Novella.
We walked along the streets and saw some interesting buildings too.
We wandered aimlessly and found ourselves along Arno River that has beautiful bridges across it.
It was near sunset at that time so the scenery was beautiful and amazing.
It was near sunset at that time so the scenery was beautiful and amazing.
At one end of Ponte alla Carraia, we found Gelateria La Carraia that was featured in the list of must try Italian food recommended by my uncle. The smallest size costs only €1, that's insane! You'll get only one scoop though, but €1 only? Wow. And it tastes good too!
All our gelatos are of the same color, but they're 3 different flavors, namely milk, banana and cottage cheese with pear.
And I have to stress that it only costs €1!
Go get it!
Once we're halfway through our cones, we proceeded down the Arno River towards Ponte Vecchio.
I've read online that Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge left that has buildings on it.
And I have to stress that it only costs €1!
Go get it!
Once we're halfway through our cones, we proceeded down the Arno River towards Ponte Vecchio.
I've read online that Ponte Vecchio is the only bridge left that has buildings on it.
Below shows the view from the both sides of the bridge:
It was about 9:30pm when we decided to head back to our Airbnb to rest.
June 21, Wednesday
Florence - The Leaning Tower of PISA, Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Brunelleschi's Cupola, Basilica di San Lorenzo, Mercato Centrale
Data Usage : 594.25MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media excl Youtube)
We planned to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa today. So we woke up at 8am and left the apartment for breakfast at 9am.
There was a pastry/coffee shop at the end of the street. We settled in and got ourselves 2 sandwiches, a croissant and an Americano for mum. The sandwiches were awful, it's hard and dry. Don't even bother trying it. The cafe is called Caffetteria il Cantuccio. The meal costs €9.30.
Data Usage : 594.25MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media excl Youtube)
We planned to visit the Leaning Tower of Pisa today. So we woke up at 8am and left the apartment for breakfast at 9am.
There was a pastry/coffee shop at the end of the street. We settled in and got ourselves 2 sandwiches, a croissant and an Americano for mum. The sandwiches were awful, it's hard and dry. Don't even bother trying it. The cafe is called Caffetteria il Cantuccio. The meal costs €9.30.
By 9:30am, we walked to the Firenze SMN train station to purchase tickets towards Pisa San Rossore which costs €8.40 each. We bought the tickets using the Self Ticketing Machines. It was quite easy, just follow the instructions on the screen and voila!
Oh and be careful of random people that comes over and offer you assistance. If you have any questions or doubts, ONLY ASK THOSE WHO ARE IN UNIFORMS. There's even a message on the ticketing screen urging visitors to be aware of strangers offering help. If you really don't know how to operate those ticketing machines, there are ticketing counters manned by people at the main entrance of the train station.
While we were at the ticket machine, a lady came over wearing a t-shirt, knee-length shorts and a sling bag and asked if we need help. I immediately shook my head and hands to indicate NO!
At the end of the purchasing session, the screen stated that we need to validate our tickets before getting on board. We didn't know how to validate them, so we went off looking for someone to ask. My mum suggested to look for the lady earlier who came to offer help, and I said no. I explained to her that they're syndicates who have associates waiting somewhere for them to catch a prey, then they'll approach together to pickpocket or worse, rob you.
So we finally found someone in uniform sitting at the information booth. He directed us to a small green machine on the pillars along the train platforms. We went over and insert one end of our ticket into the machine, and it produces a printing sound and then it's done.
You'll see a line of numbers and the name of the train station printed on the left side of the ticket.
We need to know which platform to wait for the train, but there wasn't any train numbers or departure time on the ticket. So we don't have any reference to check on updates on the departure board.
Luckily I wrote down the train departure times yesterday night while we were researching on the train schedule. Hence, I manage to find out that our train will depart from Platform 5.
Oh and be careful of random people that comes over and offer you assistance. If you have any questions or doubts, ONLY ASK THOSE WHO ARE IN UNIFORMS. There's even a message on the ticketing screen urging visitors to be aware of strangers offering help. If you really don't know how to operate those ticketing machines, there are ticketing counters manned by people at the main entrance of the train station.
While we were at the ticket machine, a lady came over wearing a t-shirt, knee-length shorts and a sling bag and asked if we need help. I immediately shook my head and hands to indicate NO!
At the end of the purchasing session, the screen stated that we need to validate our tickets before getting on board. We didn't know how to validate them, so we went off looking for someone to ask. My mum suggested to look for the lady earlier who came to offer help, and I said no. I explained to her that they're syndicates who have associates waiting somewhere for them to catch a prey, then they'll approach together to pickpocket or worse, rob you.
So we finally found someone in uniform sitting at the information booth. He directed us to a small green machine on the pillars along the train platforms. We went over and insert one end of our ticket into the machine, and it produces a printing sound and then it's done.
You'll see a line of numbers and the name of the train station printed on the left side of the ticket.
We need to know which platform to wait for the train, but there wasn't any train numbers or departure time on the ticket. So we don't have any reference to check on updates on the departure board.
Luckily I wrote down the train departure times yesterday night while we were researching on the train schedule. Hence, I manage to find out that our train will depart from Platform 5.
It's a regional train, sort of like KTM in Malaysia, or TRA in Taiwan. Meaning it operates on those classic train tracks. There are no seat numbers assigned, and the journey will take 1 hour and 17 minutes. We departed on time at 9:53am, and was scheduled to arrive at 11:10am.
The bus conductor came to check our tickets half way through the journey. And he reminded us that Pisa has 2 stops: Pisa Centrale and Pisa San Rossore.
Our stop: Pisa San Rossore is the stop after Pisa Centrale, so he told us to not get off the wrong stop.
The bus conductor came to check our tickets half way through the journey. And he reminded us that Pisa has 2 stops: Pisa Centrale and Pisa San Rossore.
Our stop: Pisa San Rossore is the stop after Pisa Centrale, so he told us to not get off the wrong stop.
We followed the signs to exit the train station and the junction below came in view:
The 'Do Not Enter' sign on the left has a signage below it that shows a left arrow to Torre Pendente. So we went left and walked straight until we reach another junction, we followed Via Andrea Pisano as indicated on Google Maps.
We could see the tip of the leaning tower from a distance. Once we reach the end of the street, we're at some sort of a flea market that sells all sorts of souvenir gifts and summer necessities. Once we walked pass that market, we entered a border-like wall and discovered that we're inside Piazza del Duomo, which houses Baptisterio Pisa, Cattedrale di Pisa and of course, the leaning tower of Pisa.
We could see the tip of the leaning tower from a distance. Once we reach the end of the street, we're at some sort of a flea market that sells all sorts of souvenir gifts and summer necessities. Once we walked pass that market, we entered a border-like wall and discovered that we're inside Piazza del Duomo, which houses Baptisterio Pisa, Cattedrale di Pisa and of course, the leaning tower of Pisa.
We wanted to go up to the top of the tower, but there's a queue system whereby you purchase your tickets according to the slot of time available. For example, when I'm buying the ticket, I have to tell them that I want to buy the slot for 1pm. And with that ticket, you can only go up the tower at 1pm. If you miss your time, you will have to re-purchase the ticket.
That's fine by us, but the next slot available was 1:15pm and we were there at 11:30am. So we decided to ditch the tower and went for lunch. By the way, the admission for the tower is €18 per person.
That's fine by us, but the next slot available was 1:15pm and we were there at 11:30am. So we decided to ditch the tower and went for lunch. By the way, the admission for the tower is €18 per person.
We walked into the street opposite Piazza del Duomo and randomly picked a restaurant to dine in. There were horse carriages on the streets.
We chose Paninoteca Il Canguro for lunch. Mum ordered Spaghetti Carbonara, bro had Seafood Spaghetti and I opted for Boar Stew with potatoes. We also ordered 2 San Miguel beers and a fanta orange.
The meal costs €49
The meal costs €49
After lunch, we made our way back to Pisa San Rossore train station to rush for the next train back to Florence. We went to Platform 1 for the self ticketing machine to purchase tickets. The next train requires us to change train at Pisa Centrale. But we took it anyway, cause the next direct train to Florence is quite some time later. The tickets costs €8.40 each as well.
The train from Pisa San Rossore to Pisa Centrale was delayed. So we had to run towards the next platform in Pisa Centrale to head back to Florence.
We finally arrived in Florence at 2:40pm. We then visited Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Brunelleschi's Cupola and Basilica di San Lorenzo on foot. We also bought another slushie on the way cause the weather's killing us.
We finally arrived in Florence at 2:40pm. We then visited Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, Brunelleschi's Cupola and Basilica di San Lorenzo on foot. We also bought another slushie on the way cause the weather's killing us.
We also went to Mercato Centrale cause mum wants to buy some leather products.
There's a street full of vendors selling everything from souvenirs to leather books to football jerseys to leather bags, and then there's an indoor area for fresh products such as meat and cheese. Upstairs of that indoor area was a food court with fancy food.
There's a street full of vendors selling everything from souvenirs to leather books to football jerseys to leather bags, and then there's an indoor area for fresh products such as meat and cheese. Upstairs of that indoor area was a food court with fancy food.
We decided to leave the food court for the next day and cook at home tonight. We left the central market and went to Carrefour Express to get ingredients to cook. We bought a bunch of stuffs that costs €29.
We made Pesto Spaghetti with sausages, cubed pancetta and chicken ham. We also bought a pre-made minestrone which we heated up in the microwave. Besides that, we also have powdered mushroom soup and some rocket leaves.
We made Pesto Spaghetti with sausages, cubed pancetta and chicken ham. We also bought a pre-made minestrone which we heated up in the microwave. Besides that, we also have powdered mushroom soup and some rocket leaves.
We also bought some beverages to try as well. The San Pellegrino China does not suit my taste, I threw away almost 3/4 of it.
The orange Breezer is really nice though.
The orange Breezer is really nice though.
We stayed home after dinner and went to sleep after that.
The neighborhood could be noisy cause people downstairs will be talking and laughing loudly. And because there's no air conditioning in the apartment, we had to open the window to allow air to ventilate the place. So...it could be disturbing to sleep at night with all the noise pollution.
The neighborhood could be noisy cause people downstairs will be talking and laughing loudly. And because there's no air conditioning in the apartment, we had to open the window to allow air to ventilate the place. So...it could be disturbing to sleep at night with all the noise pollution.
June 22, Thursday
Florence - Rome
Data Usage : forgotten to record
Data Usage : forgotten to record
By 10am, we left the keys on the dining table as told, and brought our luggage to the Firenze SMN train station for storage. Our airbnb owner has a luggage storage service, but it's located at the other side of Arno River. So we decided that placing it in the train station would be easier.
The luggage storage service is located next to Platform 16, and it operates from 6am - 11pm everyday.
The charges per luggage is:
€6 for the first 5 hours
€0.9/hour from 6th-12th hour
€0.4/hour from 13th hour on
The luggage storage service is located next to Platform 16, and it operates from 6am - 11pm everyday.
The charges per luggage is:
€6 for the first 5 hours
€0.9/hour from 6th-12th hour
€0.4/hour from 13th hour on
They'll need an ID/passport to register upon storing the luggage. After that they will give you a ticket that is needed when you retrieve your luggage.
Payment will only be made when you retrieve the luggage.
Oh and for those of you who are interested in riding their public buses; please be reminded that you have to purchase bus tickets before you board the bus. The drivers will sell tickets at a higher price, and most of the time they might be sold out of tickets. So where to buy the bus tickets?
At the left exit of the train station (the one nearest to McDonald's), you should be able to see an orange mini bus by the street that has a banner stating 'Ticket Sales Here', with the ATAF logo on it. That's where you can purchase bus ticket.
You can also purchase bus tickets at any convenience shops that has the ATAF logo on their glass doors.
Payment will only be made when you retrieve the luggage.
Oh and for those of you who are interested in riding their public buses; please be reminded that you have to purchase bus tickets before you board the bus. The drivers will sell tickets at a higher price, and most of the time they might be sold out of tickets. So where to buy the bus tickets?
At the left exit of the train station (the one nearest to McDonald's), you should be able to see an orange mini bus by the street that has a banner stating 'Ticket Sales Here', with the ATAF logo on it. That's where you can purchase bus ticket.
You can also purchase bus tickets at any convenience shops that has the ATAF logo on their glass doors.
Remember to validate your bus tickets when you board the buses, or else a heavy penalty will be issued to you. Refer to the link below for more details.
After we've deposited our luggage, we walked over to the Mercato Centrale, again, for lunch. We could see more fresh products stalls today compared to yesterday cause it's still early, so we did a quick tour around.
We headed upstairs for the food court, but most of the stalls weren't open for business yet. So we bought some juice, arancine siciliane (1 prosciutto ham filling , 1 ragu filling at €3 each) and tiramisu €3.50 to fill our stomachs first.
The arancine is a sicilian meat rice ball dish, where they cover meat with rice and make it in a stretched-out ball shape. It was nice but could be better if it wasn't cold. The tiramisu tastes good though.
We waited until 11am for the roasted chicken stall to be ready. My bro ordered 6 chicken wings at €5 and grilled chicken with salad at €12.
We also ordered Seafood Spaghetti from a stall that opens at 12pm that costs €13. But their spaghetti was seriously undercooked.
We waited until 11am for the roasted chicken stall to be ready. My bro ordered 6 chicken wings at €5 and grilled chicken with salad at €12.
We also ordered Seafood Spaghetti from a stall that opens at 12pm that costs €13. But their spaghetti was seriously undercooked.
Our train to Rome will depart at 2:38pm, so we slowly made our way back to the train station around 1:30pm. Because there's no platform number yet, we took seats at McDonald's and ordered coca cola and sundae cones to cool down from the hot weather.
Before that, I also bought stamps (€2.20 each) from a convenience stall in the train station, in order to send postcards for my friend in Singapore. I wrote my 3 postcards in McDonald's and insert them into the postbox in the train station.
Before that, I also bought stamps (€2.20 each) from a convenience stall in the train station, in order to send postcards for my friend in Singapore. I wrote my 3 postcards in McDonald's and insert them into the postbox in the train station.
Our platform number was finally announced at 2:25pm. So we retrieved our luggage, paid €12 and waited at platform 12. There are staffs at the front of the platform checking our tickets before allowing us through.
It took 1.5 hours to arrive in Rome. We alighted at Roma Termini and followed the signage towards the metro station. We bought public transport tickets at the metro machine and went for Line A to Manzoni station.
Their public transport tickets can be used for all public transports, including buses, metro and trams. You can either purchase their Travel Pass that's available for 24, 48 or 72 hours; OR if you think you won't be using much public transport, you could just buy their single tickets for €1.50 each which will be valid for 100 minutes after you first validate them. Within that 100 minutes, you can use however many public transports that you need with that 1 single ticket.
For more details, please refer to the link below:
For more details, please refer to the link below:
As we arrive in Manzoni station, we followed the exit sign pointing towards Via Emanuele. Once we're out to the street level, we walked straight and paid attention to the units on our right. We wouldn't have noticed the entrance to our hotel if it wasn't for Google Maps.
Our hotel name wasn't shown at the entrance of the building. It's just a wooden door with phone dials on the right.
Look for the hotel name 'A Casa Nostra' on the phone dials. Press it and they will buzz the door open for you. A Casa Nostra
Via Emanuele Filiberto 217, Scala A, Int. 1, Stazione Termini , Roma, Italia, 00185 +393896466792 We walked through the wooden door and was greeted by the receptionist halfway through the corridor.
We were brought into a a small garden and then to their reception desk. Our room is located within that building itself, so we didn't have to walk to another place as indicated by some other Agoda reviews. We booked a triple room inclusive of breakfast. |
Tourist tax is implemented in Rome as well. We paid €31.50 for 3 persons for 3 nights.
After we've showered and rested, we went out for dinner. We found a family run restaurant nearby in Google Maps, called Trattoria Fusco. They had great reviews so we decided to give it a try! It's located along Via Statilia, so it's just 2-3 minutes away from our accommodation.
After we've showered and rested, we went out for dinner. We found a family run restaurant nearby in Google Maps, called Trattoria Fusco. They had great reviews so we decided to give it a try! It's located along Via Statilia, so it's just 2-3 minutes away from our accommodation.
The owner greeted us at the entrance and ushered us in. The server was extremely helpful in explaining all their dishes of the day and also recommending which one's good.
We had their Matriciana pasta (HOLLOW spaghetti with roman bacon and tomato sauce), Pasta with Mussels and also a pasta dish that resembles carbonara with asparagus and bacon.
We also ordered Italian beer - Peroni!
We also ordered Italian beer - Peroni!
Our meal costs €45.
After dinner, we walked over to a nearby Gelato store that has quite good reviews online. It's called Olive Dolci.
The server looked quite uncomfortable with us. He didn't act impolitely or said anything rude, but he looked like he's trying to keep a distance from us. When we paid and he handed back the change, his body language somehow shows that he does not want to touch my hand.
Maybe I'm thinking too much, but...it kinda bothers me.
Their gelato costs €2.50 for each cup, I had Chocolate Chilli and my bro had Hazelnut.
After dinner, we walked over to a nearby Gelato store that has quite good reviews online. It's called Olive Dolci.
The server looked quite uncomfortable with us. He didn't act impolitely or said anything rude, but he looked like he's trying to keep a distance from us. When we paid and he handed back the change, his body language somehow shows that he does not want to touch my hand.
Maybe I'm thinking too much, but...it kinda bothers me.
Their gelato costs €2.50 for each cup, I had Chocolate Chilli and my bro had Hazelnut.
After we've gotten our gelatos, we walked over to a nearby garden for some sightseeing.
Yep, that's how bright Italy was at 8:30pm in June!
We went back to our accommodation for rest after that.
We went back to our accommodation for rest after that.
June 23, Friday
Rome - Colosseo, Arco di Costantino, Altare della Patria, Fontana di Trevi, Chiesa de Sant'Ignazio di Loyola, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Tiber River, Supreme Court, Castel Sant'Angelo, Ponte Castel Sant'Angelo, Via del Corso
Data Usage : 1.09GB (Google Maps, Google Search, Move It, Social Media, Youtube)
We woke up at 8:30am for breakfast in the garden. We were each given one pastry , one juice and one hot coffee/chocolate.
Data Usage : 1.09GB (Google Maps, Google Search, Move It, Social Media, Youtube)
We woke up at 8:30am for breakfast in the garden. We were each given one pastry , one juice and one hot coffee/chocolate.
At 10am, we started walking towards the Colosseum, which is 25 minutes away from our accommodation. As we're approaching the Colosseum, we could see some ruins along the streets.
We didn't enter the Colosseum because of the crowd and the long queue. But if you're interested to go in, there are a lot of people with brochures standing around asking the public if they need 'fast track' access into the Colosseum. I didn't ask for more information cause I wasn't interested.
We walked around the area and saw Arch of Constantine. It's located in the same compound as the Colosseum.
We walked around the area and saw Arch of Constantine. It's located in the same compound as the Colosseum.
Since we're not going into the Colosseum/Palantine Hill/Roman Forum, my bro wandered around and found a path that leads to a steep road up to somewhere. So off we go!
The path leads to a church. Along the path, we could peek into the Roman Forum compound, which charges an admission fee and visitors must go through security check. I was a cheapskate so I held my camera through the metal railings to snap pictures of the chargeable compound.
The path leads to a church. Along the path, we could peek into the Roman Forum compound, which charges an admission fee and visitors must go through security check. I was a cheapskate so I held my camera through the metal railings to snap pictures of the chargeable compound.
After 30-40 minutes of wandering around. we proceeded down the main road towards Altare della Patria. We came across some interesting stuffs along the way.
My bro found a staircase called Scala dell'Arce Capitolina. It is located behind the Altare della Patria which leads to Piazza del Campidoglio. The square hosts a few picturesque sites as well, including Convento Santa Maria in Aracoeli, Cordonata, Statua equestre di Marco Aurelio and Fontana della Dea Roma.
There's a street called Via Del Campidoglio in between Fontana delle Rea Roma and the city hall. If you walk through it, you'll be able to see a panoramic view of the roman forum that we came across by the Colosseum earlier.
Once we're done with sightseeing, we went back down towards the Altare della Patria.
We stopped by a cafe with tables by the street for lunch. It's called La Fontana and I really don't like the server's attitude. At the end of our meal, I asked for the bill. And that guy, whom I assume is the owner of the place, asked me 'Are you paying?'. I was confused, cause it wass none of his business who's paying for the table. So I said 'Yes, I'm paying.'
And then he goes 'Wow you're rich. She's rich.' He said that while looking at my mum. So I was like, what the hell was that? First of all, whoever's paying is none of his fucking business. His freaking job, was to bring me my fucking bill. How hard was that? The way he said oh wow she's rich was so insulting to my ears. Fuck.
So we finally gotten our bill, and we'd like to pay by card. You see, most of the restaurants that we visited in Italy has a portable credit card machine, where the server will bring it to our table for payment. So I signaled the other server that we'd like to pay by card, and instead of informing us that we need to go in to the cashier to pay by card, he just gave some weird hand gesture that waves towards the inside of the cafe. How was I suppose to know what it meant? (We were seated outside the cafe by the way)
Scenarios like these makes me wonder what happened to humanity. Incidents like this makes me wanna be a better person. Better than those scums of earth. For a place that is swarmed by tourists, those scums are not even qualified to be a waiter, because all they did was humiliating the Romans and degrading their community. Shame on them.
So yeah, go there if you want to experience the unfriendliness of Romans. And their food sucks. Their minestrone soup was as cold as the North Pole.
And then he goes 'Wow you're rich. She's rich.' He said that while looking at my mum. So I was like, what the hell was that? First of all, whoever's paying is none of his fucking business. His freaking job, was to bring me my fucking bill. How hard was that? The way he said oh wow she's rich was so insulting to my ears. Fuck.
So we finally gotten our bill, and we'd like to pay by card. You see, most of the restaurants that we visited in Italy has a portable credit card machine, where the server will bring it to our table for payment. So I signaled the other server that we'd like to pay by card, and instead of informing us that we need to go in to the cashier to pay by card, he just gave some weird hand gesture that waves towards the inside of the cafe. How was I suppose to know what it meant? (We were seated outside the cafe by the way)
Scenarios like these makes me wonder what happened to humanity. Incidents like this makes me wanna be a better person. Better than those scums of earth. For a place that is swarmed by tourists, those scums are not even qualified to be a waiter, because all they did was humiliating the Romans and degrading their community. Shame on them.
So yeah, go there if you want to experience the unfriendliness of Romans. And their food sucks. Their minestrone soup was as cold as the North Pole.
After that insulting meal, we head over to the Trevi Fountain and it was exactly like what I expected.
We stopped by Zara at Via del Corso for a shopping break cause mum was very tired, and also wanted to get souvenirs for friends and family back home. Via del Corso is a popular shopping street in Rome that houses several popular outlets such as H&M, GAP, Adidas, Nike, Zara and Mango.
After Zara, we took the bus back to our accommodation as mum doesn't want to walk anymore due to her back problem. We bought some public transport tickets at the metro station earlier this morning before heading to Colosseum.
I used the 'Move It' App to look for bus routes in Rome.
Once we've boarded Bus 51, we looked for the ticket validating machine and inserted our ticket into the machine. It will produce a printing sound before ejecting the ticket back to us. Remember to validate your tickets to avoid hefty fines should the bus inspectors come aboard to check randomly.
The ticket will then be valid for 100 minutes from the time you first validate your ticket.
After Zara, we took the bus back to our accommodation as mum doesn't want to walk anymore due to her back problem. We bought some public transport tickets at the metro station earlier this morning before heading to Colosseum.
I used the 'Move It' App to look for bus routes in Rome.
Once we've boarded Bus 51, we looked for the ticket validating machine and inserted our ticket into the machine. It will produce a printing sound before ejecting the ticket back to us. Remember to validate your tickets to avoid hefty fines should the bus inspectors come aboard to check randomly.
The ticket will then be valid for 100 minutes from the time you first validate your ticket.
We rested and showered before heading out again at 4pm. We took the same Bus 51 in the opposite direction back to where we stopped earlier.
We then followed Google Maps to some of the attractions nearby: Chiesa de Sant'ignazio di Loyola, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Tiber River, Supreme Court, Castel Sant'Angelo and Ponte Castel Sant'Angelo.
We then followed Google Maps to some of the attractions nearby: Chiesa de Sant'ignazio di Loyola, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Tiber River, Supreme Court, Castel Sant'Angelo and Ponte Castel Sant'Angelo.
chiesa de Sant'Ignazio di Loyola
Pantheon
Piazza Navona - Fontana dei Fiumi
Tiber River
Supreme Court
Castel Sant'Angelo
Ponte Castel Sant'Angelo
After sightseeing, we walked back towards Via del Corso, and then looked for Via della Croce, in order to go to Pompi Tiramisu. This store is in the list of must-try-places that my uncle gave us.
We then walked towards H&M cause my bro needs to buy some shirts.
After shopping, we walked back to Pompi and bought their classic tiramisu and Panna Cotta with mixed berries for mum to try.
After shopping, we walked back to Pompi and bought their classic tiramisu and Panna Cotta with mixed berries for mum to try.
Mum asked us to buy some fried chicken from McDonald's, so we headed over to that direction after receiving our desserts. I was so excited at McDonald's because they have the self order kiosk! I've never used the kiosk and I can't wait to use it!
Apparently we could choose to pay at the counter as well even if we ordered using the kiosk! And they have these super cute Ikea-like trolley for bulk orders!
Apparently we could choose to pay at the counter as well even if we ordered using the kiosk! And they have these super cute Ikea-like trolley for bulk orders!
We took the metro back to our accommodation, and also bought more public transport tickets for the next day's itinerary.
Once we're out of the metro station, we went to a convenience store to get some beverage to cope with the hot weather. We had our McD dinner and enjoyed our cold beverages in our room and went off to bed.
By the way, the orange Breezer is naise...
By the way, the orange Breezer is naise...
June 24, Saturday
Rome - Vatican City (Piazza San Pietro, Basilica di San Pietro)
Data Usage : 743.3MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media, Youtube)
We don't have any other places to go except Vatican City, so we slept in a little and had breakfast in our room around 9:30am.
At 11am, we took the metro from Manzoni to Ottaviano. From there, we followed the road signs towards the Vatican City. We knew the entrance fee for the Vatican City is very expensive to be bought on the spot, but we still didn't purchase online in advance because we aren't sure if we'll be visiting.
Along the street, there are loads of agents selling express tickets into the Vatican City, and there's one particular agent who was SO freaking annoying.
He stopped us on our way to Piazza San Pietro and started explaining about his package deal. Since we didn't check out any other agent's packages, so we stopped and listened to what he has to say. After some discussion, we decided not to buy the tickets cause my bro and mum aren't interested in entering the Vatican City. So we thanked the agent and walked away.
We stopped at the area where people are queuing and tried to peek to see what's inside. Then the same agent came again, and repeat his package deal. We were already not interested but we stood still cause we don't have any idea where to go next yet. We rejected his offer again, and walked a few steps away to look into the city again.
Then that same agent followed us, and repeated his deal again. I was like what the fuck man? We said we don't want it, what's his problem? But of course, being polite and all, we didn't chase him away. But simple smiled and shook our head.
And then the agent goes like :'Okay, I say this SLOWLY okay?' At that point, my temper just went off the roof. Like what? Do you think we're incapable of understanding English? I muttered to my brother that this agent is really getting under my skin. So my brother snapped at the agent and told him if we want to purchase the deal, we will look for him okay?
And the agent just wouldn't shut up and leave us alone. He kept repeating that it's a good deal blah blah blah, where he'll be at blah blah blah. UGHHH if this is my hometown I'm gonna freaking scold him off. Damn it! Take the hint and leave dude!
So we had no choice but to leave that area. We continued walking until we saw the entrance to Piazza San Pietro. The Piazza is free to roam around.
Data Usage : 743.3MB (3 persons - Google Maps, Google Search/Translate, Social Media, Youtube)
We don't have any other places to go except Vatican City, so we slept in a little and had breakfast in our room around 9:30am.
At 11am, we took the metro from Manzoni to Ottaviano. From there, we followed the road signs towards the Vatican City. We knew the entrance fee for the Vatican City is very expensive to be bought on the spot, but we still didn't purchase online in advance because we aren't sure if we'll be visiting.
Along the street, there are loads of agents selling express tickets into the Vatican City, and there's one particular agent who was SO freaking annoying.
He stopped us on our way to Piazza San Pietro and started explaining about his package deal. Since we didn't check out any other agent's packages, so we stopped and listened to what he has to say. After some discussion, we decided not to buy the tickets cause my bro and mum aren't interested in entering the Vatican City. So we thanked the agent and walked away.
We stopped at the area where people are queuing and tried to peek to see what's inside. Then the same agent came again, and repeat his package deal. We were already not interested but we stood still cause we don't have any idea where to go next yet. We rejected his offer again, and walked a few steps away to look into the city again.
Then that same agent followed us, and repeated his deal again. I was like what the fuck man? We said we don't want it, what's his problem? But of course, being polite and all, we didn't chase him away. But simple smiled and shook our head.
And then the agent goes like :'Okay, I say this SLOWLY okay?' At that point, my temper just went off the roof. Like what? Do you think we're incapable of understanding English? I muttered to my brother that this agent is really getting under my skin. So my brother snapped at the agent and told him if we want to purchase the deal, we will look for him okay?
And the agent just wouldn't shut up and leave us alone. He kept repeating that it's a good deal blah blah blah, where he'll be at blah blah blah. UGHHH if this is my hometown I'm gonna freaking scold him off. Damn it! Take the hint and leave dude!
So we had no choice but to leave that area. We continued walking until we saw the entrance to Piazza San Pietro. The Piazza is free to roam around.
After that, we wandered around the streets before heading for lunch.
We walked over to I Pizzicaroli for their meat and cheese platter. The size of their platter depends on how many persons are having it, so ours came in 3 persons' portion which was a lot. There were a few different types of platter at different price range to choose from. We had the 'Special' platter.
The meal costs €53.5 in total.
At 3pm, we went back to our accommodation because the weather was so hot and we had no where else to visit. We just lazed around, dozing off, and watch Youtube. We found a family restaurant near our hotel, so we went there for dinner at 6pm.
It's called Bistro al 133.
It's called Bistro al 133.
The owner was very friendly. He took our orders and recommended their specialty dishes. So we had 2 Italian beers - Peroni, baked chicken with potatoes, Pasta al Ragu and Truffle pasta with pepper and lard sheep cheese. Our meal costs €53.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel to rest again, And at 9pm, we came back out to the streets to get some pizzas cause we haven't had one in Italy yet.
We went to a take away pizzeria just a few steps away from our hotel called Piccola Palermo. We chose 3 types of pizza at €11. You can choose how big of a slice you want and they'll weigh and charge you according to the weight of your pizza. How awesome was that? We chose one pizza with mushrooms, one with eggplants and another basic one with tomatoes and cheese.
The pizzas were greasy, but very tasty.
We went to a take away pizzeria just a few steps away from our hotel called Piccola Palermo. We chose 3 types of pizza at €11. You can choose how big of a slice you want and they'll weigh and charge you according to the weight of your pizza. How awesome was that? We chose one pizza with mushrooms, one with eggplants and another basic one with tomatoes and cheese.
The pizzas were greasy, but very tasty.
June 25, Sunday
Rome - Madrid
We've booked the 7am Terravision bus from Roma Termini station towards Ciampino airport. Hence, we woke up by 5:15am to get ready. We left the hotel at 6am, and left our room key on the reception table as there weren't any staffs working yet.
We took the metro towards Roma Termini station, and walked along Via Giovanni Giolitti until the end of the station. We found a Terravision bus waiting by the street but the driver and bus conductor were reluctant to answer our enquiry as of whether this bus is the 7am bus to Ciampino.
So we had to wait by the bus until the bus conductor is in a good enough mood to check our tickets and board the bus. After travelling to several countries, I can't help but to notice that people in the capital city of every country had the worst attitude.
Anyway, we bought the bus ticket online at only €4 per person.
We've booked the 7am Terravision bus from Roma Termini station towards Ciampino airport. Hence, we woke up by 5:15am to get ready. We left the hotel at 6am, and left our room key on the reception table as there weren't any staffs working yet.
We took the metro towards Roma Termini station, and walked along Via Giovanni Giolitti until the end of the station. We found a Terravision bus waiting by the street but the driver and bus conductor were reluctant to answer our enquiry as of whether this bus is the 7am bus to Ciampino.
So we had to wait by the bus until the bus conductor is in a good enough mood to check our tickets and board the bus. After travelling to several countries, I can't help but to notice that people in the capital city of every country had the worst attitude.
Anyway, we bought the bus ticket online at only €4 per person.
The bus departed at 6:43am. Apparently that bus was one bus shift earlier than our 7am bus, but we didn't mind as long as we're able to reach the airport on time.
We arrived the airport at 7:05am, and did our counter check-in with Ryan Air. We had breakfast at a cafe and had a queue-cutting-incident at the counter by some random guy. Another customer in front of us told that guy off for cutting our queue and told us to be more aggressive cause Italians are like that. At that point, I was so done with Italy and I just want to get out of that country.
Very bad ending to our trip in Italy, and Italy definitely did not leave a good impression on me.
Our flight took off at 9:30am, and that officially ends our trip in Italy. Hurray!
We arrived the airport at 7:05am, and did our counter check-in with Ryan Air. We had breakfast at a cafe and had a queue-cutting-incident at the counter by some random guy. Another customer in front of us told that guy off for cutting our queue and told us to be more aggressive cause Italians are like that. At that point, I was so done with Italy and I just want to get out of that country.
Very bad ending to our trip in Italy, and Italy definitely did not leave a good impression on me.
Our flight took off at 9:30am, and that officially ends our trip in Italy. Hurray!