So it has been the
bambino’s mom’s childhood wish to go to the land of the good looking fellas.
And boy, did she satisfy her wish! They say in Paris a man cannot walk looking straight
and in Italy, a woman can’t!
Well, seldom I write a travelogue but it was the first time with
our 15 month old and it was so much fun I can hardly describe! Rome and Venice
was the short and sweet plan.
Our Rome apartment was right near the parliament from where
mostly all tourist spots were walkable. So the day we landed as our jet lagged
son dozed off, we set off with the map to do our touristy stuff. And while we
walked, we used Bengali as the language to get around! Oh yes, there are Bangladeshi
hawkers all around helping us with the way!
Though Paris is considered to be an open museum, Rome is
too! A 3000-year-old city still standing strong and beautiful. The beauty of
Rome is in its streets which makes you feel the way it must have been millennials
ago. Pantheon. Who would say a 2000 year old grandeur like that is right there
amongst the more recent Roman buildings. It had been a temple which is converted
to a church and its dome is stunning, which inspired the likes of Michelangelo!
The light from the dome and front doors light up the entire building. Then there
are these 2500 ancient aqueducts still serving drinking water & Rome's great
squares and fountains. Trevi fountain and Piaza Navonna were magnificient
squares to enjoy the freshness of Rome, drink the culture n cappuccino and eat
the delicacies. The gelatos were mamma mia :) & the fetuccini at Alfredo’s was
truly worth it. The best of Rome is in its roots- The Palatine hill, Roman
forum and Colosseum. Words and pictures cannot explain the feel of it. Our
guide while explaining the Roman forum rightly said- “You are standing on
history”! I never felt goose bumps in any historic travel as I did in Rome. “Palaces”
word has been derived from the “Palatine Hill”. That’s the hill from where
Roman empire was born with Remus and Romulus. One can see the entire Roman
Forum from the hill. The senate house, the place where Cesar was cremated, the
path from where the Roman horses marched post victory and so on. It’s amazing
to realise that the cradle of the modern day border fights was this. 2000 year
ago Roman empire probably spread across more than 50% civilised earth. Colosseum,
the largest amphitheatre ever built lost is lacklustre when there were no men in
the city to play the bloodbath games. The backstage of Colosseum is the most
intriguing which let animals and gladiators arrive out of any trap door
underground. Apparently 400k men died in these games and Pope every year visits
Colosseum on Good Friday to pray for the departed. The Vatican definitely gave
a holy feeling and made us praise the splendour of the St Peter’s Basilica ,
the contemplation of how it must feel on 25th December !
Venice had always been intriguing and I always wanted to
understand how the city functions and why it is the way it is! Turns out that
it’s not that mystic. It’s just that the people fled from the mainland after
the fall of western Roman empire to the Venetian lagoons and settled there. So
these are set of 118 small islands which are connected by numerus bridges. The
islands were reinforced with wooden planks to slow the ruining city. Grand canal is the main canal and there are
buildings which are 200-800-year-old. The buildings and the infrastructure though
worth a visit with its green symmetrical windows, gondolas and vapporattis, but
it’s too overpriced I would say. The merchants of Venice are all Shylocks! They
know the demand is everlasting and they encash it to fullest! The cover charges
in every restaurant, the prices of hotels etc. are all overkill. However, the most
cherished memory in Italy is the conversation we had with our Gondola rower. It
was the best football talk I ever listened too. What’s a tour to Italy without talking
football? And the Venetian sea food is again worth a mention. We had the best
seafood risotto there. It was yummy! We also went to the islands of Murano and colourful
Burano. Did most coveted glass and lace shopping and had astonishing glass
making demonstration.
Lastly I must mention the Italians. They are very kind (though
the Dutch are still the best) and loves kids. So it was very easy to get around
with our lil one. For instance, one of our co-passengers in train kept on
showing kitten pictures on mobile to him till he finished eating. We don’t expect
half of this from any Indian stranger.
Overall, it was a perfect vacation marked with good food and
gelatos, lots of quality shopping, relaxing evenings over wine and cakes, getting
to know the loveliest of people while walking the paths of history. Though all
parts of Europe have its own beauty, Italy would never fail to surprise you!
And specially if you are a lady my friend, you will remember Italy for the
solace it brings to your eyes ;)
P.S. Well I really didn't write anything about our "bambino", but he had immense fun overall! He had so much joy, that he started walking and crawling stairs which was long pending. He got rid of his shyness and started conversing with fellow kids and co-passengers. He loved it probably more than we did!
P.S. Well I really didn't write anything about our "bambino", but he had immense fun overall! He had so much joy, that he started walking and crawling stairs which was long pending. He got rid of his shyness and started conversing with fellow kids and co-passengers. He loved it probably more than we did!
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