For this trip, myself and Bhavani took Malaysia Airlines from Penang - Kuala Lumpur and Turkish Airlines Inc. from Kuala Lumpur - Instanbul (Ataturk) - Venice (Marco Polo). We both did extensive research before our trip, and here’s what we did for our entire 15-days journey (27 April - 11 May 2013) in Italy (Italia):
<Venice (Venezia) - Florence (Firenze) - PISA - Rome
(Roma) - Florence (Firenze) - Trieste - Venice (Venezia)>
27 Apr:
27 Apr:
PENANG / KUALA LUMPUR
Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA)
KUALA LUMPUR / INSTANBUL
- Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Ataturk Airport, Instanbul via Turkish
Airlines Inc.
28 Apr:
28 Apr:
INSTANBUL /
VENICE (VENEZIA) - Ataturk Airport, Instanbul to Marco Polo Airport,
Venice via Turkish Airlines Inc. Upon arrival at the Marco Polo Airport, we
took the ACTV bus (Linea 5 Aerobus) to Piazzale Roma (approx 20-30minutes)
– Check-in Hotel Minerva & Nettuno, Venice
29 Apr:
29 Apr:
VENICE
(VENEZIA) – Piazza San Marco / St Mark Square - St Mark Basilica - Doge’s
Palace Palazzo Ducale) - Museo Correr - Museo Archeologico - Monumental
Rooms of the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana - Gondola Ride at Canal
Grande - Ponte di Rialto
30 Apr:
30 Apr:
VENICE (VENEZIA) / FLORENCE
(FIRENZE) - Depart from Venezia S.
Lucia (Venice) to Firenze S.M. Novella (Florence) - Galleria dell' Accademia
- Monuments of Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore (The Dome of Brunelleschi -
Baptistery of San Giovanni ) - Museo dell’
Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore - Giotto’s
Bell Tower - Archaeological site of the crypt of Santa
Reparata - Cathedral of S. Maria
del Fiore - Basilica of San Lorenzo - Gallerie degli Uffizi - Piazza della
Liberta
1 May:
1 May:
FLORENCE
(FIRENZE) - Firenze Central Market (Mercato) Basilica of Santa Croce - Piazza
della Signoria & Palazzo Vecchio/ Neptune Fountain/ Loggia dei Lanzi - Ponte
Vecchio (Old Bridge) - Piazzale Michelangelo & San Miniato al Monte Church -
San Lorenzo’s Market
2 May:
2 May:
PISA
- Depart from Firenze S. M. Novella (Florence) to Pisa Centrale - The Piazza del Duomo or Campo dei
Miracoli - The Leaning Tower (La Torre di Pisa)
- Cathedral of Pisa (Duomo di Pisa) - The Baptistery of St. John - Depart from PISA to Florence
3 May:
3 May:
ROME (ROMA) - Depart from Firenze S. M. Novella (Florence)
to Rome Termini Central Station - The
Colosseum + Roman Forum (at (Piazza Santa Maria Nova 53) + Palatine Hill (at
Via San Gregorio No. 30) - Roman Forum - Palentine Hill - Arch of Constantine -
Temple of Venus & Roma - Trevi Fountain at Trevi Square (Piazza di Trevi) -
Piazza Navona - Pantheon @ Piazza della Rotonda - Piazza Navona - Monument to
Vittorio Emanuele II – Depart from Rome to Florence
4 May:
4 May:
FLORENCE (FIRENZE) / TRIESTE - Walk around Florence
town – Depart from Firenze S. M. Novella (Florence) - Trieste Centrale (approx
4.45 hr by train)
5 May:
5 May:
TRIESTE - Piazza Unità d'Italia (Town Hall) - Municipio di Trieste - Saint
Anthon and the Canal Grande + James Joyce Statue - The Old Roman Theater - San
Silvestro - Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore - Via del Trionfo to see Arch of
Riccardo – The Roman Gateway (33 BC) - Miramare Castle/ Castello di Miramare
6 May:
6 May:
TRIESTE - FREE & EASY - Stock
Exchange Square - Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary - San Giusto Castle/
Church - Serbian Orthodox Church - Piazza
Unità d'Italia
7 May:
7 May:
TRIESTE – FREE & EASY - Grotta
Gigante - Museo Revoltella - Civico
Museo di Storia e Arte e Orto Lapidario
8 May:
8 May:
TRIESTE - FREE & EASY - Tour around Piazza Unità d'Italia (Town Hall)
9 May:
9 May:
TRIESTE / VENICE –Check-out
from Hotel Tritone, Trieste – Depart from
Trieste Centrale – St. Lucia (Venice) – Murano Glass Making – Explore Venice by
Water Bus – Check-in
San Geremia Rooms, Venice
10 May:
10 May:
VENICE / INSTABUL / KUALA LUMPUR - FREE & EASY - Depart from Venice (Marco
Polo Airport) – Instanbul (Ataturk
Airport) and Instanbul (Ataturk Airport)
– Kuala Lumpur (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) via Turkish Airlines Inc.
11 May:
11 May:
KUALA LUMPUR / PENANG - Depart from Kuala Lumpur
(Kuala Lumpur International Airport) – Penang via Malaysia Airlines (MH)
If I would choose only one place to re-visit in Italy, it
would definitely be Florence (Firenze). Florence was our second stop for this
trip. The train from Venice (Venezia S. Lucia) to Florence was pretty
reasonable (29 Euro for an Economy class), fast and it was an enjoyable 2
hour ride with great views of the countryside. We arrived at Firenze S. M. Novella station at
10:30a.m. and headed to our B&B, Hotel
Stella Mary which was just 10 steps away from the train station.
After checking-in and dropping off our luggages,
we started to explore the city of Florence, visiting the Duomo, Cathedral
of S. Maria del Fiore, Basilica of San Lorenzo, Basilica of Santa Croce & Palazzo Vecchio and many other
interesting places which most of them are within walking distance from our
hotel. The centre of Florence is pretty compact,
so the best way to see it is by foot. It's a charming city and the people
seemed friendlier than those in Venice. Our first stop was the Galleria dell’
Academia (Academia Gallery, invaded by over
1.2 million visitors every year), which we pre-booked the tickets in
advance (highly recommended) and by passed the huge line. Well, Michelangelo's David was just magnificent!
 |
|
David is a must see in Florence!
|
 |
| Breathtaking sculpture |
After the Galleria dell'Accademia, we walked over to
the famous Duomo with its magnificent terracotta coloured cupola. We climbed up
the 436 challenging and winding steps to get a wonderful bird's eye view of the
city of Florence. After all, it was well worth it. We then sauntered past the San
Lorenzo marketplace with its leather goods.
 | |
| The magnificent Duomo |
 |
| The magnificent Duomo |
 |
| St. Giovanni Baptistery |
 |
| The Duomo, the biggest dome in the world |
 |
| Facade of Santa Maria del Fiore |
 |
| Santa Maria del Fiore,Cathedral of Florence built in 1296 |
 |
| Facade of Santa Maria del Fiore |
 |
| The Golden Gate to Paradise, east door facing the Duomo |
 |
| Looking up at the beautiful dome. Amazing! |
 |
| Breathtaking sculpture |
 | |
| Breathtaking sculpture |
 |
| Giotto’s Campanile or bell tower of the Cathedral |
 |
| Florence is a great city just to walk around |
 |
| Breathtaking sculpture |
 |
| Breathtaking sculpture |
 |
| Breathtaking sculpture |
The next day, we moved on to Piazza
della Signoria where we found unique outdoor gallery of sculptures, including
Neptune’s Fountain and a copy of the famous Statue of David followed by a visit
to Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge in
Florence built in 1345. Later in the afternoon, we took a local bus and hoofed up
to Piazzale Michelangeo for a stunning panoramic shot of the city. There we
found fantastic views of Florence and the Arno River.
 |
| A copy of Michelangelo's Da Vinci at Piazza della Signoria |
 |
| Statue of Hercules and Cacus |
 |
| Unique outdoor sculpture gallery at Piazza della Signoria |
 |
| The Rape of the Sabine Women statue |
 |
| The Statue of Neptune |
 | |
| Piazza della Signoria |
 |
| Basilica Santa Croce - Burial place of Michelangelo and Galileo |
 | |
| Santa Croce's facade |
 |
| Priceless |
 |
| I am impressed by the beauty of this painting |
 |
| The famous Ponte Vecchio built in 1345 |
 |
| View of Duomo, Santa Maria del Fiore |
 |
| At Piazza Michelangelo: Sign of Spring!Flowers blooming |
 |
| At Piazza Michelangelo, famous square with magnificent panoramic view of Florence |
 |
| Myself & Bhavani at the entrance of Basilica Santa Croce |
I
am so glad we booked our entry tickets in advance. We saved time for not
queuing in front of the Cathedral/ Gallery/Museums and have more time to
discover Florence better!
I must say that I enjoyed my trip in Florence very much! Florence is not just any historic city to me but it is much more than that. We spent five days in Florence and the next time I travel this way I will make it at least a week. If you’re an art lover, you’ll definitely love Florence. There are a lot of museums, statues, art, churches, history to see if you are into that kind of stuff. Beautiful cathedrals are one of the reasons why I love European countries. We loved our time in Florence and hope to visit this place again sometime in the future!
I must say that I enjoyed my trip in Florence very much! Florence is not just any historic city to me but it is much more than that. We spent five days in Florence and the next time I travel this way I will make it at least a week. If you’re an art lover, you’ll definitely love Florence. There are a lot of museums, statues, art, churches, history to see if you are into that kind of stuff. Beautiful cathedrals are one of the reasons why I love European countries. We loved our time in Florence and hope to visit this place again sometime in the future!
 |
| Architecture of Florence |
 |
| You see street artists everywhere in Italy |
 |
| One of the streets we walked on to get to Piazza del Duomo from Piazza della Signoria |
 |
|
Who is the artist behind these entertaining forms of harmless graffiti?
|
 |
| Trash bin along the streets |
 |
| Piazza di Santa Maria Novella |
Penang - Kuala Lumpur (via Malaysia Airlines MH) and Kuala Lumpur -
Instanbul (Ataturk) - Venice (Marco Polo) via Turkish Airlines Inc. / Venice (Marco Polo) - Instanbul (Ataturk) - Kuala
Lumpur via Turkish Airlines Inc. and
Kuala Lumpur – Penang (via Malaysia Airlines MH)
Local Transportation:
VENICE (VENEZIA S.L.) - FLORENCE (FIRENZE SMN)
How to get there: Took Frecciargento train from Venezia S. Lucia - Firenze S. M. Novella Departure time: 8.25a.m. - 10.30a.m. (approx. 2 hour)
Fare Type: 30,75 Euro/pax (Economy/ Class 2)
Click here for details: http://www.italiarail.com/italian-high-speed-trains
Accommodation:
Venice (Venezia) - Hotel Minerva & Nettuno
Florence (Firenze) - Hotel
Stella Mary
PISA – N/A (1- day-trip from Florence)
Rome (Roma) – N/A (1- day-trip from Florence)
Trieste - ICTP Galileo Guesthouse and Hotel Tritone
Venice (Venezia) - San Geremia Rooms
Ticketing:
PISA – N/A (1- day-trip from Florence)
Rome (Roma) – N/A (1- day-trip from Florence)
Trieste - ICTP Galileo Guesthouse and Hotel Tritone
Venice (Venezia) - San Geremia Rooms
Ticketing:
Dome
of Brunelleschi - 12 Euro
Baptistery of San Giovanni - 7 Euro
Santa Croce - 6 Euro
Church of Santa Maria Novella - 5 Euro
Galleria dell' Accademia (Academia Gallery) - 10,5 Euro
Read more about our travel experiences @ Italy (Italia):
Italy Part 1: The Venice Experience (Venezia)
Italy Part 3: More than just a Leaning Tower (Pisa)
Italy Part 4: Rome wasn't built in a day! (Roma)
Italy Part 5: Unlike any other Italian cities! (Trieste)
Baptistery of San Giovanni - 7 Euro
Santa Croce - 6 Euro
Church of Santa Maria Novella - 5 Euro
Galleria dell' Accademia (Academia Gallery) - 10,5 Euro
Read more about our travel experiences @ Italy (Italia):
Italy Part 1: The Venice Experience (Venezia)
Italy Part 3: More than just a Leaning Tower (Pisa)
Italy Part 4: Rome wasn't built in a day! (Roma)
Italy Part 5: Unlike any other Italian cities! (Trieste)
“Travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on,
deep and permanent, in the ideas of living.” – Miriam Beard
Welcome to Small World! This blog allows me to share my travel experiences with others in a straightforward and far-reaching way. I often made great use of other peoples travel blogs and websites every time I plan for my travel itinerary as they often contained most updated information and invaluable resources from their past travel experiences. I really hope that you will find every piece of information contained within my blog handy and useful for your upcoming trip. Thank you very much for reading my post(s) and feel free to leave a comment/testimonial. The writer is a passionate traveler who enjoys speaking to young keen travelers about the freedom to get cultured and to taste the fullness of life. Feel free to contact the writerif you need any travel guidance or tips or if you have any burning questions with regards to your upcoming trip/ journey
Welcome to Small World! This blog allows me to share my travel experiences with others in a straightforward and far-reaching way. I often made great use of other peoples travel blogs and websites every time I plan for my travel itinerary as they often contained most updated information and invaluable resources from their past travel experiences. I really hope that you will find every piece of information contained within my blog handy and useful for your upcoming trip. Thank you very much for reading my post(s) and feel free to leave a comment/testimonial. The writer is a passionate traveler who enjoys speaking to young keen travelers about the freedom to get cultured and to taste the fullness of life. Feel free to contact the writerif you need any travel guidance or tips or if you have any burning questions with regards to your upcoming trip/ journey
- Be inspired but more importantly be inspiring -
No comments:
Post a Comment