My Italy Odyssey

 Italy trip- 2024

On August 4th, 2024, my family and I went to Italy. YAY!! We did the check-in and security procedures quickly at O'Hare Airport, Chicago. We boarded the plane that took us to Detroit, Michigan. After waiting sometime at our gate, we boarded another plane to Rome, Italy.  

At 8:45 AM the next day, August 5th, we arrived in Rome. We then took a train to Rome Termini, the main train station in Rome, to arrive at our hotel. 

On the train from the Rome Airport to Rome Termini, there was a spark of curiosity about what the beautiful city of Rome was like. Still, when we arrived, I was surprised because the elevator in our hotel was very narrow so, it was challenging to get the wheelchair in the elevator. Once my parents figured it out, we checked into our hotel room. They booked this hotel because it was closer to most of the attractions. I then quickly realized that my parents kept telling me that Rome is a congested city.

    We then freshened and rested up for a couple of hours to begin our Rome exploration. We were very hungry so, we went to a local Italian restaurant and had amazing Margherita pizza and pasta. While walking, I saw that Rome was an old city because there were small cars, old apartments, and tiny shops. 

We then went to St. Mary’s Basilica which is the oldest church in Rome. We then wheeled to the official residence of the president of Italy (Sergio Mattarella), Quirinale Palace. 

We then trekked to the Trevi Fountain.

  The Trevi Fountain is an 18th-century fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy. It was made by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and finished by Giuseppe Pannini in 1762 with several others standing 26.3 meters high and 49.15 meters wide. It was a bit hot and extremely crowded and we wanted to taste gelato which is better than ice cream. 

After Gelato, we went to the Pantheon. 

The Pantheon means "Temple of all gods", It has twelve Roman gods and, it was built by Agrippa during 25-27 B.C. We then went in a cab, but my wheelchair couldn't fit so, a woman, who was another cab driver helped us go in another car. The car driver knew English really well which is a rarity in Italy. The people were really friendly, kind and helpful. My dad conversed with him a lot about the information about his family and his background and all the attractions in Italy. It was great to listen to both of them.

The driver took us to Colosseum to watch the night view. I loved the night view 

While we were closer to colosseum, my dad immediately recollected the path on the way where the latest Mission Impossible, Dead Reckoning movie was shot and the driver confirmed it. The driver also mentioned several Hollywood movies are being shot in Rome because of the tax break. Coincidentally we watched this movie just a week back at your home and so we immediately connected with it. Also, my Dad and I watched Godzilla vs Kong on the flight and Godzilla stepped out of the Colosseum during the first few minutes of the movie and we connected instantly. We then came home wearily after a fun day and went to bed. 

    We were excited to start the second day, August 6th. First, we went to the Colosseum. 

Inside view (Left side) of the Colosseum 

Inside view (Left side) of the Colosseum 

Inside view (from the ground floor) of the Colosseum 

The Colosseum  is a large amphitheater that hosted fighting games. Parts of the Colosseum collapsed many times because of earthquakes during the fifth century. Events that happened there were fights with the gladiators, fights with wild animals, and, fights with prisoners escaping out of jail. We learned many things about the history and architectural brilliance of the Colosseum. It was extremely hot that day. We then went to the Diddi Bistro for lunch which is close to the Colosseum. When we went in the restaurant, there was lots of air conditioning and so, I was relaxed and got most of my energy back. When we were eating our lunch, we talked to a Brazilian family who was sitting right next to us. We then went to the Spanish Steps by going on the Green Line Tour Bus. In the Spanish Steps. You have to climb a steep slope between the Spanish Plaza known as the Piazza di Spagna at the base, and Piazza Trinità dei Monti. We also saw the Consulate of Spain that was nearby. 

In the night, while we were in a taxi, we saw the memorial of the first king of Rome, Romulus. We then ate at a comforting restaurant and slept. 

 On our third day, August 7th, we woke up in comfort. We then went to the smallest country in the world, Vatican City. There, we ate lunch right beside St. Peter’s Basilica.

St. Peter's Square

St. Peter’s Basilica

A Monument in St. Peter's square dedicated to the world's migrants and refugees.

Inside the St.Peters Basilica

The church's construction was actually planned in the 15th century by Pope Nicholas V and then Pope Julius II to replace the old St. Peter's Basilica, which was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great. The construction began on April 18, 1506, and was completed on November 18, 1626. My dad and mom offered prayers after experiencing the wonder of the Basilica. We then went on a cab which took us to Piazza Navona. Piazza Navona is a public open space. It was built in the 1st century AD and follows the form of the open space of the stadium in an oval. There, we witnessed a street dancer doing impressive tricks. 

After that, we had a yummy dinner right across Piazza Navona, Tucci. The overall city of Rome had a lot of history and religion. Surprisingly, there was no tax in Rome like the US so it was little bit cheaper to explore the city.

    For day four, August 8th, we woke up slightly earlier than our usual time because we needed to go on many trains to different cities on Trenitalia, the official train of Italy.

We then went from Rome to Florence and Florence to Pisa. In Pisa, we saw the Leaning Tower.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa, or simply the Tower of Pisa is a bell tower. It is known for its nearly four-degree lean to the south and the result of unstable ground. It felt like it was falling down and all the people near it had to run away. It was so fascinating. After lunch, we headed to the Pisa station and went to Florence and then to Venice. We then went on a cab to our hotel. It was a long day but my parents prepared me and my sister Disha. Our hotel was luxurious. That night, we had a beautiful and sweet sleep. All of the train rides were really peaceful. There were small ponds that were used for beaches and rural places near the forests.

    For day five, August 9th, we went on a cab to Piazza Roma which is the last place that can be accessed by land in Venice. While on water taxi, we saw the houses and the beautiful waves rolling.

There, we ate at a restaurant that had the perfect thin-crust pizza. We then went on a water taxi to some attractions. We went to St. Marco’s Basilica. The church is located on the eastern end of Saint Mark's Square, the former political and religious center of the Republic of Venice, and is connected to the Doge's Palace. Before, it was the church of the Doge and was subject to his control. We then saw the Doge’s Palace.

 The Doge's Palace is a palace built in Venetian Gothic style and one of the main landmarks of the city of Venice. It was built in 1340 and improvised in the following centuries and became a museum in 1923. Finally, we saw the Clock Tower and strolled around St.Mark's Square. When we were walking in Venice, we visited a church and got a blessing from a nun. She was deeply connected with me and was very kind. We then thought of eating dinner and since we were bored of eating pizza and pasta, we tried Asian food. I had shrimp-fried rice and spring rolls, they were fire.  Overall, the island of Venice was quite fun. I was imagining what it would be like to live on one of those islands set up in a tent, searching for food, and watching the beautiful views of Venice from the island on the water bus.   I loved Venice overall because of the water and the little wildlife that I was able to spot.

  

    For day 6, August 10th, I had a great breakfast- pancakes, potato twitters, and juices, my sister loved her croissants and strawberry yogurt. For day 6, we planned to visit two beautiful islands near Venice- Murano and Burano. We started in a cab and took a water taxi to an island called Murano which is famous for glass factories.

There, I saw many glass sculptures and experienced a man making a glass tumbler. After that, we ate gelato because it was hot. During mid-day, we headed to another beautiful island called Burano which is famous for its colorful houses. There, we saw the colorful houses and went to a small restaurant where they had appetizing pizza. During dessert time, we had our leftover pizza on our table and three pigeons unexpectedly flocked in without fear of the humans and fought because they didn’t want to share the pizza. We then walked to a waterway and saw the reflections of the colored houses on the water. To our surprise, we saw two swans and fed them bread.

We then went on a water bus to Piazza Roma and hopped on a bus that took us to our hotel, and we slept happily. Murano & Burano was exciting. Murano was vibrant with all the glass items, it was really fun feeling them and watching the man making the glass tumbler. Burano was really polychromatic because of all of the colorful houses. The views of Murano & Burano from the boat were very colorful. 

On Day Seven, August 11th, we checked out of our hotel early in the morning. We then went to the Venice Train Station and got on a train for three hours which would take us to the fashion capital of Italy, Milan. In Milan, we went on a subway to Lotto, the place where our hotel was. The hotel had unique technology like day and night modes and indicators that tell us if any person is inside the hotel room. When we went into our room, it looked so nice. We then went on another subway to Duomo. There, we saw the Duomo Cathedral. 

Duomo Cathedral

Backside of Duomo Cathedral

The cathedral took nearly six centuries to complete. The construction began in 1386, and the final details were completed in 1965. It is the largest church in the Italian Republic. The girls went shopping in a mall named Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II right next to the cathedral. My mom and dad told me about a Telugu film Attaraintiki Daredi that was shot at the mall entrance. When we got home, I watched the Olympics with my sister and slept. An interesting thing that we noticed in Italy is how the bottle cap is stuck with the bottle. I felt this was so cool and can easily be implemented in the U.S as many a times, I experienced it is difficult to safe guard the bottle cap.

Bottle Cap Uniqueness

    On day eight, August 12th we ate a delicious breakfast at Mami, a restaurant in the hotel. We talked about going to the Last Supper painting in Milan by Leonardo Da Vinci where there is Jesus and twelve other apostles but one apostle informed the king to kill him. Yet, Jesus is kind. We also boarded a local train to reach the city center and strolled the upscale shopping centers like Hugo, Gucci, and Prada. My dad and mom told me almost all of the brands. We visited the Louis Vuitton showroom and then we headed to a kids' place named Hamley’s where my sister got a few gifts as she was sweetly pestering my mom.

We then went to the first floor of the Duomo Cathedral. My dad and sister climbed to the rooftop to see the stunning views of Milan.

Roof top of Duomo Cathedral

Once we came down, I ate gelato. I was hungry, so, we ate at Burger King. I had some chicken nuggets. The girls shopped once more because they love shopping. Then, we headed to our hotel. Overall, Milan, the fashion city was really relaxing. The good side was that there was not a lot of heat and that our hotel was really nice. Yet, the bad side was that there was a lot of tax and only two attractions.

    On day nine, August 13th, our vacation was coming to an end like all good things come to an end. We were leaving Italy. We went to Cardona FN and took a regular train to Malpensa Airport. After one hour, we boarded the plane which took an eternity to start moving as we were waiting on the runway to have clearance to fly which took us to Atlanta, Georgia. In Atlanta, we were starving so, we went to T.G.I Fridays. When we sat at our table, the boarding started, so we decided to eat on the plane. On the plane, I was exhausted so, I slept for a couple of hours and we arrived in Chicago. Finally, we went home after a wonderful trip. The experience of Italy was amazing we saw so many attractions and we stayed in nice hotels. Another plan of ours was to go to the Amalfi Coast but, it was not recommended because it wasn't wheelchair accessible. In Italy, the people were super nice and compassionate. Also, in Rome and Pisa, they didn't take tips at restaurants or elsewhere and they did all the things we needed. Even though it is a small country, the infrastructure for accessibility and public transport was extremely good combined with helpful people, so it was not very difficult for my parents and our trip was very smooth and enjoyable. 

Public transport in Milan

Wheel chair accessibility in Milan at their train stations

Wheel chair accessibility in Milan at their train stations connecting to the street

I highly recommend Italy to you all as you get see different cities with different cultures styles: Rome and Vatican City are all about History. Pisa is also history but it is also fun to experience Leaning Tower. Venice is a unique city built on water. Finally, Milan is a stylish city. Oh, by the way I picked up couple of Italian words taught by some Italian people.

Grasie - Thank You 

Si- Yes

Prego - Your welcome

Ciao - Hi, Bye

I hope you enjoyed my writing and found it informative. Thank you- Maurya Koduri :)

 

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