TRAVELING they say, is a laborious undertaking, full of uncertainties, not to mention the expenses that go with it.
And that’s why traveling is not for the faint-hearted. Consider these valid points that can hamper one’s dream to explore new places, and discover the beauty of nature—simply to enjoy what the world has to offer.
I often go on a pilgrimage with a group to religious and historical destinations. But there are also times when I travel alone, simply to learn about other ways of life, different cultures and beliefs.
One notion that gets me thinking, and it’s because many people are saying it: “Italians are the Filipinos in Europe, while the Filipinos are Italians in Asia.”
Last October, I traveled to Italy, particularly in the cities of Rome, Florence, Milan, and Venice. Also, I made a side trip to Castel Gandolfo,the summer retreat place of the Pope. Although Rome is my favorite place for its rich historical treasures and religious heritage, I decided to take the train and go to Florence, Milan, and Venice. Traveling by train in Europe is a common and convenient means. From Rome in the early hours of the morning, I took the train to Florence and spent more than a day there.
I heard from friends that Florence is the place where you can buy quality jewelry, for yourself as a souvenir or gift to your loved ones. Look for the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in
Florence, best known for its many shops situated over the Arno River. Florence is also known for its towering Gothic Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore and the beautiful Basilica di Santa Croce, which serves as the burial place of Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Foscolo, Gentile, and Rossini. Other churches that I visited were the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella, Basilica di San Lorenzo, Galleria dell’Accademia, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Medici Chapel, Palazzo Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, and the beautiful statue of David. Of course, the food in Florence is amazing. When the day was over, I took the train from Florence to Milan.
Early in the morning I took the Trenitalia to Milan, traveling at a speed of 300 mph, which is enough to make me fully awake. I checked in on time at the Ibis Hotel Milano, had breakfast and took a shower before heading to the famous Cathedral of Milan or the Duomo Milano. Tourists from all over the world come to see this Gothic-style Cathedral, which was dedicated to St. Mary of the Nativity and the seat of the Archbishop of Milan. Then, before going to the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio and the Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie where we can find the mural of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci, I tried the food in Milan, inside the one of world’s oldest shopping malls, the Galleria
Florence
Vittorio Emanuele II. Milan has a lot of commercial and financial buildings but I didn’t let the bustling environment bother me at all. I knew better and looked for a nice restaurant to enjoy a newly discovered Italian wine.
When the day was over, I went back to the hotel to get ready for the early train ride to Venice the following day. Finally in Venice, I could only say, “Wow!” This place is oddly unique compared to other cities I’ve seen. A busy city surrounded by waters is totally new to me. I was looking for the usual taxis and realized that only water taxis are available. Wow, indeed! This city gave me a whole new experience, at least in the context of transportation. How about the food? Well, since Venice is still within the Italian space, I enjoyed their pizza and pasta with seafood concoctions… although I really wanted to try Venetian local food.
Venice
Another new experience that the city gave me was not the gondola ride, but the rising water that got inside the Basilica of San Marco and the Piazza San Marco. It was a rainy day, but people didn’t mind the bad weather. I enjoyed walking through the Rialto Bridges from one end to the other, and visited the Doge’s Palace and Grand Canal. Overall, it was very nice. But there was one situation I had to endure, which was the trip from the hotel to the airport. It was an hour water taxi-ride to the airport with the big waves, rain and all.
My trip to the different Italian cities were not without challenges, but I charged them all to a learning experience. This would not happen without God’s blessing to experience the beauty of His creations.
