Travelling to the Calabria region, Lamezia - 23rd Dec

Today I'll be travelling to the South of Italy, the Calabria region, to a town near to Lamezia, where my colleague, Francesca is staying. Before I got to know my colleague, I did not know about Calabria. So i did spend a little time reading up Calabria what there is to offer. Apparently, this part of Italy has the best seafood, the best weather! hahaha..... and the beaches, sea are just so nice.... coz its mediterranean weather. 

Street outisde my room in Casa Romana
Anyway i woke up as usual, paid my rent to Fulvia and went exploring some parts of Rome. Coz I would be taking the train at 12.37pm. And I've got like 3hrs to kill. So after a pretty heavy breakfast, I decided to walk along the street 'via Cavour' to visit the church 'Santa Maria Maggiore'. Apparently, this church is the largest Roman Catholic Marian church in Rome and its also one of the basilica that is owned by the Holy See. Apparently the famous Bernini was buried here! Hmmm.... but I did not see his tomb... probably it was written in Italian or I just passed it. Anyway, this church was majestic!

Santa Maria Maggiore

The otherside of Santa Maria Maggiore

Statues on the basilica's walls

Bronze door at the entrance of Santa Maria Maggiore

Main hall of the basilica

Man in confession

Obelisk in front of Santa Maria Maggiore

The next place I headed to was another church, but a smaller church. and This church was built on a mini hill. I had to climb a flight of steps to reach it.

Flight of steps leading to Saint Pietro in Vincoli

The church is Saint Pietro in Vincoli. This church is best known for housing Michelangelo's statue of Moses, which is part of the tomb of Pope Julius II. The statue of Moses was different from the usual as Moses was depicted to have a pair of horns on his head.

Michelangelo's station of Moses

The main hall of the church

The main altar of the church

One other thing that I discovered this church is different from other churches are the statues at the sides of the main hall. Hmmm... how should I put it. In all the churches, basilicas i've seen so far, the walls at the sides in the main hall are either decorated with painting, or sculptures of popes, Jesus, Mary or some other saints. However for this particular church, they have sculptures of skeletons! Yup! I'm not bluffing. So I took a few photos of the side walls. 

1 of the side wall (think its on the right side of the hall)

Another statue of the skeleton

After visiting this basilica, i wanted to get to Domus Aurea and Colle Oppio, which are ruins opposite the Colosseo. As usual, I tried to follow the map on hand and strolled down the wrong road again. And ended up with Colosseum right in front of me! Hahaha.... i never intended to see the colosseum so soon, as I'v planed to see it on my 2nd last day in Rome (30th Dec). Anyway, there I was. I was totally awed by the colosseum and started to take a few pictures of it. Anyway, the weather was really good, with blue skies and sun, so better to take now than wait until 30th, coz you never know if the weather will be shitty on 30th.

That's me & the colosseo

close up view of the colosseo

Majestic Colosseo. I'll see u again on 30th! =D

After snapping the pictures, it was time to find my way to Domus Aurea. Coz by then it was close to 10.30am and i had to get back by around 11.30am to get my bag. I found Domus Aurea and was greatly disappointed by it.

Entrance to Domus Aurea

Coz most of the ruins were fenced up as restoration works were in progressed. So i did not manage to see it. The next place I thought I can probably check out was 'Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II'. hmmmm i was even more disappointed. Coz it was just a fenced up area of rubble. And worse, it was in a park and I was a little apprehensive walking through the park. Coz in that park, apparently homeless people stay there.... not too safe. In fact that whole region around Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II is not safe to venture at night.

So its time to head back to the B & B to collect my bag. As I was walking back, I passed by another piazza - Piazza Fanti. This looks better than the previous one... at least there was a nice building in it. hahahaha.....

Building in Piazza Fanti

So i collected my bag and headed to Roma Termini. Apparently, the board had not shown which track the train will be, so I sat down and wait. around 12.10pm, the sign came on. I was unsure if that was the train that I was going to board, but the timing of departure seems correct. I must say, the Italian train signboard is not the best ever. Coz they do not show the train number. At least if they show the train number, I can be assured it is the right train I was taking. anyway, I had to checked with passengers boarding the train to see if I'm taking the right one.

Train platform at Roma Termini station (took this from my window seat)

Once in the train, found my seat and I was happy. Coz I got the single window seat! hahaha.... so i need not worry about disturbing passenger when i go to the toilet. But I must say I was shocked. the passengers were allowed to bring their dogs up into the train. The dogs are not anestisized, but the dogs are pretty obediant. They sit beside their owners.

Inside the train carriage. You can see the dog seating in the middle of the ailse

Anyway I cannot grumble too much, for 19€ travelling from Rome to Lamezia was really a very cheap buy. I've got 6 hrs to kill on the train. I read and eat. The Kindle i bought last year is really a very good buy. Coz These days I have it with me wherever I go. And i've got lots of books in it, hence i can read books anytime i want. =D

Finally I reached Lamezia. I had to wait about 5min before Francesca's husband, Emanuele came. He drove the train station with Francesco, their son. It was a short drive about 15min to their house. As it was night i was not able to see my surrounding. But Emanuel's mother and father were waiting at their house for me! hahaha... a very good welcome indeed! After a little catching up, we headed out for dinner. They brought me to a pizzeria. I must say that I was surprised. Coz the table setting was so nice that as if i was eating at a restaurant. And the pizza was cooked in the traditional oven (that's the furnace). 

That's the chef who will make and cook our pizza. Behind him is the tradiational oven

They ordered a lot of food. Lots of dishes of antipasti, then 1 huge thin crust pizza for me (which I could not finish), beer and 1 amaretto for me. Which they told me is for digestion. hahahha.... when it arrived i was shocked again! hahaha.... coz it was very strong Italian liquere. But it tasted good. Emanuel's parents told me that the amaretto was made in Calabria so its very good. (think the alcohol % is about 40%) its ok for me i guess... 

the pizza they ordered for me. It had artichokes, sardines, proscuitto, marzorella, tomamtoes and mushrooms

Group photo at the pizzeria

After dinner, they brought me to see a thermal waterfall & pool. and really its as if i was in Rotorua (New Zealand) coz i smelt the Sulphur dioxide. Emanuel and Francesca told me that people come here to soak in the water (and the temperature of the water was just nice). But you gotta wear bathing suits (hahaha... so they are not like the japanese, koreans & taiwanese coz in such thermal pools people had to enter with their birthday suits and I've seen it in Gifu prefecture)

Thermal Waterfall of Lamezia

After viewing the thermal pool, we had to say goodbye to Emanuel's parents. Coz they stay in Lamezia and Emanuel and Francesca's house is in between Farlena and Lamezia (in the countryside). Tomorrow is going to be an interesting day!

Christmas and winter in Italy - Day 1: 21st Dec

Happy 2013 everyone! 2012 had been an amazing year for me! with all the wonderful victories achieved (in gakkai & my life), getting 1 paper published (another in the midst), getting a PhD position in DTU, meeting new people and new friends etc. 2012 has juz been amazing! 

Anyway, I'm going to recap my recent trip to Rome & South Italy. this will be my 3rd country out of Denmark. And Yes! I'm finally heading to Italy. I must admit that Italy had been 1 of the countries that I've always wanted to visit since I was a child. Maybe because I was attracted to the Roman history and the ruins and later on when i was older, after reading Dan Brown's books, it made the longing for travelling to Italy even more. I'm really happy that I got this opportunity to travel to Italy and I must say I got more than what I was expecting! this had been quite an adventure for me.

Prior to travelling to Italy, I was a little paranoid, coz there were still things that were left unsettled. Especially my train ticket from Rome train station to Lamezia (where I'll be spending christmas eve and several days there). Coz until 20th Dec, Trenitalia still had not sent me a confirmation email with the PNR number for the train ticket. Coz I read on Tripadvisor from the various forum pages that it was necessary to have this PNR number which the train conductor will note down. Otherwise you'll be given a fine or thrown off the train. So you can say that I was a little panicky. I sent 2 emails to Trenitalia, but my mails got bounced back, coz apparently the Trenitalia mailbox was full. So I tried calling the office. I must say that I had the wisdom to call them using the school's phone, otherwise I'll need to pay quite a bit for my mobilephone bills. the 1st call, went to the message box. i left a message, but i was unsure if it was recorded and if the people will call me back. So I tried calling a 2nd time. I must say I was really fortunate! Coz a guy picked up my call. He was really nice, he sent me the confirmation ticket immediately. And he even called me 5min after sending me the email to counter check. So what I read on the Tripadvisor forum pages are pretty true on Trenitalia about them not sending the confirmation email of the train ticket. However, about the phonelines being engage, i guess that really have to depend on your good fortune. Anyway it was later that I got to know that I was really fortunate to have purchased the ticket at a super good price. Coz it cost me 19€ to travel from Rome Termini station to Lamezia Terme Central station! But there is a catch in travelling with such cheap ticket. You'll find out more on my 3rd day recap of my adventures!

The other issue i had was taking the bus from Fiumicino airport to Rome center. Coz I was contemplating purchasing the shuttle bus ticket online. Coz after reading the forum pages on Tripadvisor and also recommendation from the lady whom I was going to stay at her Bed and Breakfast, on the bus company Terravision. Apparently, this was the more popular bus company that people use. After thinking through, I decided to purchase the bus ticket when I arrived at the airport. And this turned out to be the best decision I made!

So I travelled to Rome on 21st Dec. Took the 10.30am flight on Norwegian Air. I was duely surprised that Norwegian Air is a budget airlines. So food on the plane had to be purchased, just like Jetstar and Airasia. Thank goodness, I had the foresight of knowing I'll be hungry when I reach Fiumicino Airport (also known as Leonardo Da Vinci airport, Rome) I packed some muffins in my hand-carry. 

bye bye Copenhagen, see you in 10 days time!

After about 2hr 40min of plane ride, I arrived at Fiumicino airport! Hmmm.... I've had my share of seeing different airports in all the countries that I've travelled. I must say that the airport was not as nice as I was expecting it to be. Hmmmm....looks pretty old to me.... oops! And the baggage belt was really really far from the arrival gate and the signposts indicating the baggage collection were not clear. I just followed the crowd and got to the belt to get my backpack!

Finally I can exit the airport, and after asking around, the shuttle bus company was in the same terminal that I landed. so its good. I found the bus company, Terravision. it cost me 5€ to get to Rome. it was ok! and there was already a queue for the bus. I must say, it was a bad choice to purchase the bus ticket from Terravision. coz i waited for about 50min for the bus! coz apparently the bus that was susposed to come earlier did not arrive! and i saw some of the people started to take another bus from another company (T.A.M.). And Terravision's staff kept telling us that the bus was held up because of traffic. Which we thought was absolute lies, coz the buses from other companies kept arriving in intervals of 30min! hmmm.... thank goodness i did not purchase the return ticket on Terravision! Whilst waiting for the bus, I had a conversation with a Venezulan girl who was there for holidays with her family. by the way, bus ride was 1hr.

i reached Rome at around 4pm. and there was no traffic congestion at all! hmmmm.... so apparently Terravision was telling lies then. anyway with the instructions that the lady-owner of the Bed and Breakfast 'Casa Romana', Fulvia, gave me, I found the place where i was going to stay for 2 nights! i must say that the reviews of this Bed and Breakfast on Tripadvisor were all true! Coz Fulvia was really friendly and warm. She gave me a map of Rome and told me where to eat (good eats), where to visit and how to get to some of the sights by public transport. And the room that I was given, it was really spotlessly clean! 

my room in Casa Romana

the ceiling was high and you have everything that you want in the room. Bed was good. Only downsides were there was no TV and the showerstall was really really small. Hmmm... for me it was pretty ok, but a bigger size person may have some problems squeezing through the showerstall doors. But with the room and the location, i highly recomend this wonderful Bed and Breakfast to those who are visiting Rome in the near future! 

Bed and Breakfast: Casa Romana

Address: Via dei Mille, 41, 00185 Roma, Italy

Website: http://www.myromeapartment.com/

Price. 45€ per night

So after putting down my heavy backpack (not really that heavy, about 7kg), i decided to stroll to Republica Plaza. Coz Fulvia recommended a nice pastry shop, Dagino, there. When I reached there, really the shop was very nice. I bought a sandwich, which the person placed between 2 hotplates and pressed it down hard to sort of toast and warm it up. So the sandwich became 2 flat toasted bread with the parmigano and proscuitto and tomatoes inside. cost me 3.50€ It tasted great!

Republica Plaza

After getting something to eat, i decided to stroll to Piazza di Spagna. But i kept getting lost. Coz it was not easy to read the road names in the dark.... and i was also not familarised with the roads yet. I had to ask for directions or ask people to indicate on the map where I was. hahaha.... 

Fontana Del Tritone (this was done by Bernini)

but finally i found the Piazza di Spagna. This is also known as 'Spanish Steps'. This set of steps comprised of 138 steps. they were built in the Baroque period, and at the bottom of the steps is a fountain 'Fontana della Barcaccia' (Fountain of the Old Boat) built by Pietro Bernini (father of the famous Gian Lorenzo Bernini). However, I could not take the fountain coz lots of China tourists were sitting at the fountain. i think probably there was a Chinese tour group there. however, the huge christmas tree standing tall there was really beautiful. And there were lots of Bagalis selling lighted toys, scarves etc. there. hmmm... they can be a little irritating... coz they kept approaching people like me (whom they know are tourists) to pester us to purchase their items, when what interest me most was to capture nice pictures of the monuments and sights! Urgh.

By the way, Piazza di Spagna was made famous by the American film 'Roman Holiday' starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Pack.

Church at the top of Piazza di Spagna

the oblisk in front of the church

the huge majestic Christmas tree at Piazza di Spagna

walking down the steps

Piazza di Spagna

Shopping street in front of the Spanish Steps

After Piazza di Spagna, the next on my item as Fontana di Trevi! Yup! I've seen this famous fountain so many times in photos, but now, I'm finally able to see it with my own eyes! hahaha....its the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. I must say the fountain was really majestic. Read from Wiki, that it was sort of designed by Bernini. This fountain is situated at the end of Acqu Virgo, the acqueduct constructed in 19BC! The central figure is Neptune, the god of Sea. he is riding a chariot of seasell, pulled by 2 seahorses. On his right is the statue of Salubrity, left is Abundance.

that's me at the Fontana di Trevi

close up view of the fountain

After viewing Fontana di Trevi, I had to take dinner. so i went into a Bar (by the way, Bar in italian context, is similar to a pizzeria where pizza, pasta, drinks are served) I had a thin crust pizza and a bottle of coke. After dinner, I wanted to head back to the B & B coz tomorrow will be a long day for me. As I will be visiting the Vatican City!

my dinner 6€ for the pizza and bottle of coke

However, as usual, I lost my way. And ended up in a place where there were ruins. So i took some photos... and it was later that I discovered that those were the ruins of Largo di Torre Argentina. This was the place where Julius Cesare was assisinated. 

one of the many coloumns I saw in Rome

Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II

Piazza Venezia

The ruins of Largo di Torre Argentina

After asking around, I finally found the correct road to head back to the B & B. I crashed out around 11pm, even though i reached the B & B around 9pm. coz i did a little reading of the Vatican City.