Italy was so diverse in every city we visited !
Our first stop was Venice where we also met up with Molly's friend Tessa. The town of Venice is so pretty. There are canals everywhere you look. There's always gondalas galore packed with tourists, and other little boats whizzing around. It was good exercise walking around Venice as there were so many canals you had to cross and take a bridge. I love that there are no cars in sight and it really makes the city unique. I ate the best pasta I've ever had, on our first night. The tomato based pasta was cooked so it was still slightly chewy which I loved! Al dente! We visited the famous Rialto Bridge and also the nearby Rialto fruit market. All the merchants had an assortment of different fruits and some I hadn't even seen before. One memorable moment was when Molly,Tessa and I went busking. The compact laneways and streets made it easy fr our voices and the guitar to echo through the streets. As we were playing, people would stop and take photos like they'd never seen anything like it inVenice. at one point we had a crowd that formed around us! it was incredible and I felt like I was performing at a legit concert. We got an applause at the end as well. I'll never forget it.

The next stop was Rome. We stayed at a camping ground but in a chalet. It was basically our own house that had a front deck, two bathrooms an a kitchen. Aka luxury! We all did a walking tour around the centre of Rome. The tour guide told us all about Roman history and the really screwed up facts aswell. Like how heaps of the emperors were into incest and were all basically power hungry and crazy. We saw the mouth of truth, the Parthenon that was so amazing inside with a gaping hole at the top and of course the colosseum. We also went to the forum and saw the main busking street. Rome was so packed full of tourists it was crazy. The guide took us to lunch at her favourite pizza store. You had to choose what type you wanted and they'd cut it in front of you then weigh it and price it. I had a slice of pesto pizza with mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes. It was my first Italian pizza and by far one of the best. We also did a Vatican City tour and got to see the pope from afar behind the crazy catholic fans. Woo! It was like being at the footy. St.peters was so amazingly pretty and detailed inside with all the colourful paintings. The last tour we did was of the underground Roman catacombs. They're so dim and long. We got lead around to where Catholics used to bury their dead in peace. I saw a human skull half buried that was pretty cool! We ten visited the Sistene chapel that was the highlight of Rome for me. Everyone in the the room was in awe with Michael Angelos talent. The enormous painting on the ceiling is such an incredible thing to look at. he painted it so that hen you look up everything looks 3d. How the hell did he do that on a ceiling?! The last night we visited the Trevi fountain and flipped our coins into it. The four of us dined out for some pasta and then visited the oldest gelato shop in Rome. Bek and I went all out, ordered 3 scoops for around 4 euros which is so cheap. I got the creamiest hazelnut ice cream, Nutella and mango sorbet yummmm. Rome was crazy busy with tourists, and every corner there was an ancient ruin or monument, it was exactly how I imagined it.

Siena was a little town we stopped in for 2 nights. Although it bucketed with rain, I ate the best margarita pizza ever and got scissors to cut the huge thing. It was so flat and on pita type bread that snapped and I polished off the whole thing. The town centre was cute and we ate hot minestrone soup on the last day. One thing we noticed about Italy is the s*** hospitality. It seems like everyone hates their jobs and you are a burden to them. It was rare to strike up a convo with a worker, so we never ever tipped in Italy. The Aussie culture is so much nicer!

Florence was my favourite place in Italy! So much quieter than Rome! We found it really easy to get around aswell. The hostel was perfect with a modern kitchen and a big room to ourselves. We went to San Lorenzo market and bought leather bracelets. There were leather belts, handbags and wallets everywhere. Bek tried to barter but the shop keepers didnt really appreciate it haha. At the central market we bought fresh fruit, veg and chicken skewers that they seasoned for us. It was cheap and delicious. One day we hired bikes and rode to piazza Michael Angelo where you could see a 360 view of Florence! There was also a replica of the statue of David there too.The view was so pretty I loved it so much , I wanted to stay forever. We then rode home which was hectic because it was peak hour so we had to weave in and out of trucks,taxis and motorbikes. It was crazy. Another night we visited a karaoke bar called red garter. I think I'm a bit sick of going out now though, especially at a club scene. Bars are so much chiller. It was still fun to have a boogie though. The last night we ate at a buffet place called kitsch. You payed 9 euros for a drink and then got unlimited food from a buffet. Homemade tomato pasta, pizza , different meats assorted with veggies , cheeses , bread, roast veggies were all on offer and we were so full. The weather stayed pretty sunny in the day but it got cooler at night. I loved Florence so much and there was so much to do and see. I will definitely go back one day.

La spezia was the next destination in Italy. We stayed in a hostel in the mountains. In a town called Biassa. We visited the towns of Cinque Terre that were so small and quaint. Everyone hikes from town to town there, so we did. It took around five hours all up from Monterosso to the other town. All the buildings and shops are painted different colours so from afar the towns look so cool up in the mountains alongside the coast. Although the water looked inviting To go swimming, it was too cold. The last night we all had together as a group of four we decided to splurge and go out for a really nice dinner. We caught a cab up another windy mountain to this dark town where a trip advises restaurant was. It was 35 euros for a ten course meal, a bottle of wine, and a round of shots. Each dish that came out was tiny but delicious, the waiter just kept bringing them out. Mussels, fish cakes, tomato pastries, modern lasagne, thin slices of meat, a fig and meat tart, biscotti and choclate slices. i felt like royalty. the place had a stunning biew of La spezia too, but it was again too cold to sit outside. The bext morning, Bek and i said goodbye to Tessa and Molly who were heading for Prague. It was weird the next few days not being with Molly, but Bek and I are used to it now.

Nice, France was the next stop the bus took us to. It was great seeing a different side of France besides Paris. A beach town aswell! It didn't seem right. One morning we went to a famous fitness class in the park. A Swedish lady from Gothenburg took us an she was really friendly. She set up cardio circuits that were so hard. Not to mention you had to run to the park and then back to the gym you started at in the beggining. On the way home we stumbled accross a little cheese and wine festival. Heaps of stalls were set up and everyone was chowing down on free food. We got to try deep fried cheese dumplings and cheese cups with some pated meat. There were also slices d cheese everywhere that we didn't miss out on either. The next day we visited the modern art museum because I really wanted to go. It was so different and interesting. There were 3d paintings, a dolls house with cameras in it and projected on the wall so it looked life like, and a dress purely made out of plastic water bottles. I really like modern art over the olden style pairings we've seen everywhere. We also visited castle hill park that had a stunning view if nice and the coast you had to climb up the stairs to see. That night we walked to an Aussie pub called Dwaynes and drank some cider. All the workers were Aussie and were so friendly. Finally.

The last stop in Italy was Milan, after our quick detour to Nice. We stayed with Beks friend from school, Vittoria. She let us stay in her apartment which was so generous of her. Vit took us around te beautiful city and pointed out all the designe stores. Some of which I'd never even heard of. We ate freshly roasted chestnuts as we strolled around the streets and piazzas. The church in Milan is one of the biggest in Europe so we had a geez inside. It was beautiful and big and the ceiling was high as. Vit then took us to her favourite bar next to the church. We drank an Italian drink called Spritz on a balcony right next to the church. The waiters also brought out sliced potato chip things and little sandwiches, falafels balls and salad. It's called appatevo in Italian when you order a drink and get snacks. She cooked pasta for us the first night that was so bloody good. On out last night she took us to a restaurant where I ate a huge alice of pizza with fresh cherry tomatoes on top. Delish! Before we boarded the busabout bus in the morning, Bek and I visited a local cafe called Calofornian Bakery. It reminded us of a little Melbourne cafe and the coffee was superb too!

I'm so behind on these blogs but will try my best to do more. Xoxo Alice