Padova

University towns - yay


With kids who take smokos en masse...


and buy second hand clothes...


and create angsty political graffiti...


and still find time to fall in love.

(Then again, the padlock thing happens all over Italy - people throw the key in the water as a symbol of their undying love for whoever. I've heard that hardware stores near italian bridges sell an awful lot of boltcutters too, but maybe that's just a cynic's myth)

Verona

Yeah, Verona is not a bad little town.


Even if it does have a slightly overrated balcony ("romeo, romeo" - you get the idea).


And the worst hostel in Italy (with beige blankets that were... shall we say... suspiciously stained).


After all, its not everyday you get to watch a bunch of randy tourists rub the copper plating off juliet's right breast.

Venezia

I know it's generic, but I really love venice.




But this time round, I spent much time away from the water.


Watching french video art.


Pondering latvian sculpture...


And exceeding my daily biscuit quota by 210%.

San Marino

So, like the Vatican, San Marino is an independant state.


And on a clear day you can see croatia.


And their church is very concerned about umbrellas.


And it was pretty much deserted except for this fella.


And they sold HEAPS of toy guns, for some reason.


And that is about all I remember.

Cesenatico

Umm - I was here for less than 24 hours, and it was dark for most of that.


But they had a nice harbour (even if those boats are fake).

Rimini

Dirt! Modernity! Youth! Life!


I didn't know Italy had it in her.


Fellini comes from here. The Riminians are pretty proud of that.


They like to paint murals on their houses in homage of the guy.


They also have a 24-hour dairy vending machine.


Ricotta at 4am. Gotta be happy with that.

Bologna

So, I had fun here.


I went to visit a friend and hung out with her in her college dorms.


I elbowed a million other italians to get a hot chocolate at the Cioccoshow.


I thought about australian politics.

Emilia-Romagna

Yesss.


I hung out for four days in an empty hostel in Piacenza.


I ate more pig than I have in years.


I visited Parma (home of the famous ham).


I rode a bicycle around farm land.


I met a boy with dreadlocks.


AND I went to see the beautiful 5th century mosiacs in Ravenna. Impressed? :p

Monte Bianco (and Valle D'Aosta)

A.k.a. Mont Blanc, highest mountain in western europe.


Note to self: next time you decide to visit an incredible health spa in the most romantic place on earth, make sure it's your honeymoon.


Any other time, it just gets too depressing for words....

Firenze (Tuscany)

O.k., so maybe i've been travelling too long.


Florence is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, so people say.


And all I remember is american tourists and grumpy italians.


(no, this is not the statue of david - just a copy I could see for free, without having to queue).

Torino (Piedmont)

Torino. lah dee dah.


Used to be the seat of the savoy empire (never heard of them? you philistine you)


They have a driverless metro (the woman in the pink tights turned out to be a bit of a nutter, which was a nice change from all the upper class well dressed proper folk who live there)


They have an awesome museum of cinema (see the blurry guy on the right? that's keanu reeves. see the blurry gal on the left? that's lara flynn boyle. and the goofy tourist in the middle? that's me).


Gotta love italian contempory art. (Yes, that is a dead horse. Wowowowowowowowow)