Italy has special nostalgic memories , bcoz of many reasons.Firstly, it was the first country I visited abroad in mid-2000 ’n had many unforgettable experiences .I had never dreamt of visiting this country ’n when I was told that I wud be travelling to Italy , I really didnt know what to expect , as I had known very little of this place...Okay, so let me share my experiences:
Italian cities :
This western European country is a poor cousin of its neighbours like France, Germany ’n UK financially ’n infrastructure wise, but when it comes to culture , tradition ’n history it has a place of its own. Eventho’ its a a tiny country , each ’n every city is a world famous must-see tourist destination be it Venice, Pisa, Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Milan , Naples, Siena etc etc ’n not to forget abt the Alps resorts adjoining France ‘n Swiss (Mont Blanc etc) borders, the beaches along Italian Riviera ’n Mediterranean Islands (Sardena, etc ).(Check out my hidden revus for details on most of these places).All Italian cities has that typical grandeur look with gothic structures , cobbled roads , vinatge courtyards, street side cafes, narrow arched bylanes, marble statues , huge squares flanked by fountains , gardens, posh villas , wineyards .Some buildings can be quite deceptive in the sense from exterior it may seem to be a building right onthe verge of collapse but inside I was marvelled by its antique plush interiors. This is the only western country where I had seen ppl riding old scooters typical of our bajaj (but bajaj has much better design) ’n those bare skeletal bicycles(‘ve u seen Life is beautiful..) , ’n u can expect to sight a Ferrari to be parked just next to it. So r the cars on the road, where one can see a Porsche or a latest model from Mazerati zooming next to the siblings of our lost lorn Indian Fiats .I personally liked the cool Northern Italy which is much tidy, clean ‘n chic compared to extreme south or east Italy which is hot , sultry ‘n a bit dirty especially cities like Naples which is just too commercialized ‘n polluted.
Language: I had this misconception that one can survive in any part of the globe if one knows a bit of English. But I was in for a rude shock as soon as I stepped into the cab. Oh god, simple words like hello, Good morning is met with a strange lost looks . Even a villager in remote corner of India is much knowledgeable in this aspect. I was all dumb ‘n deaf for first few days.
But I luved the Italian language , its more like a song , full of expressions ‘n very catchy.
People: People r very very friendly , n whenever I interacted with ‘em, we both had mutually tough time to convey our thoughts across , ’n many a times they went out of their way to make us understand their point of view. But I found a huge huge generation gap between the present my generation teenage Italians ‘n the older lot in all aspects right from dressing sense to mannerisms, same as in any other parts of the world.
Italian girls I must admit r damn pretty, sexy, ravishing ‘n stylish , with their hi-cheek bones ‘n sharp features which I just luv , a la Sopia Lorens in her glory days ‘n if I don’t want to create any controversies in this site , beats when comes to comparing them with any other countries I ’ve visited.(ofcourse indian gurlz r Miss Worlds no competition there ).
Fashion: Italains r very artistic ‘n have a gr8 aesthectic sense which is reflected in the pillars of Vatican to tower of Pisa etc with renowned masterpieces from Michelanago, Bernini etc .The same creativity is passed down to the present day with leading names in fashion like Armanis, Versaces, Guccis, valentinos etc. Forget abt big designer names , its evident even in the decor of small side street cafes or gellaterias (ice cream shops)which looks so pleasing ‘n inviting .So no wonder I just developed this craze for window shopping.Forget the price tag just enjoy the pleasure of watching the fab creations.
Music: This may be the land of Pavorottis etc , but the local teenagers r as ignorant regarding it as me. But one thing that really surprised me was despite English being an alien language all English songs rule the charts ‘n english pop stars r big pinup stars like in India.It was here that I developed a taste for new genre of music called “electronica”, “Euro Trance” etc to my tastes of Brit rock , American pop, Black rap ‘n our own mushy DDLJ chorus. When I first heard it, I was wondering as to what is this instrumental music ‘n was zapped ‘n hooked to it .
Transportation: All the cities r well connected thro’ the network of trains , which r always dot on time. The public transportation is the best part of Europe , which is cheap ‘n well connected , unlike US where its horrible ‘n without ur own car one is totally crippled. But the trains of France ‘n Swiss r much more sophisticated than the Italian ones .
Food ‘n Drinks: Food is a big tradition here ‘n lavish with long lunch ‘n drawn out dinners. I am no culinary expert ‘n contrary to the popular belief they ‘ve a wide veggie menu . Apart from this no intro needed for some of the popular names in any mediterranean menus like Pizza, Macaroni, Farinata, Pasta , Ravioli, Lasagne etc. But the best part I luved was eloborate dressings ‘n stylish presentation of food particularly desserts ‘n ice-creams.
No Italian food is complete without wines , which depends on the type of food ‘n season ‘n there’s a big etiquette attached to the type of wines to be served on a given occasion ‘n also depends on the region.Some popular traditional names being chianti , Barola, Latour, Domaine etc(I just hope I got those names right.)
I relished italian mozarellas, gorgonzollas ‘n some cheese spreads , but somehow I don’t remember those names. Next comes those local brews which r so popular in Indian cafes like Barista ‘n Cofee days like Mochachillo, Capachillos, Espressos etc
Seasons: I was here during summer ‘n start of winter .August is vaction time ‘n the whole of city closes down ‘n ppl travel to Alps or beaches .With 2 hours drive to the west it has those lovely tanned beaches along Italian Riviera ‘n another 2-3 hours drive up to the north one is headed for those lovely cool Alps resorts. So holidaying throws up lots of choices with France , Swiss , Monaco etc all just hours away. Summer is a picture of festivity with lots of concerts, ’n cultural events in the city centres .
Miscellaneous:This may not be applicable now with intro of common Euro currency, but before it was big joke.A small cone of ice cream wud have costed 5000 liras, a cheap shirt 20000liras , ’n initially I had heartattacks hearing those figures ‘n my salary was running in tens of lakhs ‘n I felt like a millionaire for a change.One just couldn’t count the zeroes in the price tag of a M.Benz. Exchange rate : 2000 liras = 1 dollar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Finally, don’t worry of rumours of Mafia , pickpockets etc , its something like saying Bombay is full of underworld dons , how does it matter to an average tourist? If u r in for a bad day/luck , it can happen in any place.