Italy Road Trip: Floating the Idea
Did you see the look in Bilbo's eye when he saw Smaug's vast treasure for the first time? You will have that same predatory gleam in your eye when you have Italy on it's knees.
I'm hanging out at home. My older brother, Andre, comes home from work. He excitedly enters my bedroom (I wrote 'rushed in' then deleted it because honestly it was a little strong; Andre doesn't rush any where). ''I have a week to take off work, let's go to Italy!'', he cries. ''Well I've got nothing better to do'', I replied happily.
Italy is the fifth most visited country in the world (behind France, the United States, Spain and China). Italy possesses more World Heritage sites than any other country. There's an endless list of reasons why you should visit Italy. The Coliseum in Rome, gondolas in Venice, art museums in Florence, boat rides on Lake Como, trekking in the Dolomites, skiing in the Alps. Sounds tiring? Well there's delicious pizzerias, ice cream vendors and quaint cafes to keep you refreshed. Did you see the look in Bilbo's eye when he saw Smaug's vast treasure for the first time? You will have that same predatory gleam in your eye when you have Italy on it's knees.
So, the rough plan was to road trip around Italy for one week. We had to be realistic about how far we could travel and how much we could see. We couldn't do everything in such little time. So I chalked up my favourites. Firstly, the countryside of Tuscany, along with it's main city, historic Florence. Secondly, 'Cinque Terre', a national park area on the west coastline with a string of five picturesque villages nestled into the cliffs. Thirdly, Lake Como, the most popular of Italy's lakes.
I would be missing out on Rome, Venice, Pompeii and the Amalfi coast to name just a few. But I don't really think of it that way; I focus on the amazing places I will be going to and promise myself I will explore those I am missing when the opportunity next arises. I have actually already been to Rome; I went in March, which was great as we missed the worst of the summer crowds. I loved being submerged in such rich history. I also very much revelled in indulging myself and smugly explaining my actions with the quip, ''When in Rome!''. You should really try it, it feels so good. It's also worth pointing out I didn't fancy visiting the romantic city of Venice with my brother. Imagine how awkward it would be when the friendly liberal gondola handler began to serenade a young man and his sugar daddy. Sadly, it was too late to drive up the mountain passes. As the late, great, Eddard Stark was fond of saying; ‘’winter is coming’’. In October there would be snow falling in the passes and they would be closed. I had really fancied driving up and up, to the very precipice of Italian territory, to gaze down haughtily at Switzerland. If you are lucky enough to be travelling in summer whilst the passes are open, then consider the Stelvio Pass (north of Milan, near the border with Switzerland) or ‘the Great Dolomite Road’ (which runs between Bolzano and Cortina).
It’s worth explaining that Andre and I were determined to at least partially cut loose from the ‘tourist trail’. I’m not going to pretentiously claim that I have no interest in popular tourist hotspots, because I absolutely do. Like everyone else, I'm not fond of huge crowds or inflated prices. However, at the end of the day, the Coliseum is still the Coliseum and you need to see it, appreciate it, experience it. Significantly, having the freedom of a car meant we could travel virtually wherever we pleased. We also booked no accommodation in advance, preferring to keep our options open and take advantage of the off-season to book on the day. We hoped that by moving away from the well trodden path we might find hidden treasures. We wanted an authentic experience of Italy.
We decided on a combined approach that was very fulfilling. We ticked off some major attractions, such as Florence and Cinque Terre, which was precisely what all the other tourists were doing, but we also strayed from the path at times, venturing into much lesser known towns and countryside, refreshingly bereft of foreigners. When I am going to visit somewhere, I habitually search it on tripadvisor and research the top 10 'things to do'. This is both a blessing and a curse. Those lists are both aids and shackles. Sometimes it feels good to break free. It's an old cliche perhaps, but its true that the journey is as important as the destination. For our road trip, I wanted to watch the scenery go by as much as I wanted to reach our destinations.
Sometimes, you can make a great and startling discovery by ignoring the guide books. Take Christopher Columbus as a case in point. The European kingdoms were all in competition to establish lucrative trade routes into the east, for spices from India and silk from China. However, the Ottoman Turks were blocking the old route through the Mediterranean Sea. The portuguese were attempting to bypass this obstacle by sailing south down the coast of Africa and around. This might be self-evident to us, but back then people weren't sure the route existed. Columbus ignored conventional wisdom by arguing you could sail west, effectively into the unknown of the Atlantic Sea, and that you would eventually reach the east. Experts claimed the distance was too far and the voyage was untenable or impossible.
Columbus said they were fools and cowards and that he would go and bloody well prove them wrong (he wouldn't of phrased it that way, because only British people say 'bloody'). Columbus sailed and ended by accidently discovering the continent of America (for a while he tried to claim it was India). The point is, there are great rewards if you take a few chances. In the context of my road trip, that simply meant if I spied a quaint town, monument or scenic spot from the road, I would detour there, or otherwise I would spontaneously choose routes and roads as we went along.
Admittedly, this approach to travelling isn't to everybody’s liking. Here’s one of the most likely scenarios you would find yourself falling into. An Italian waiter quizzically approaches you and if you’re lucky, cautiously mutters in broken English, ‘English?’, or if you’re unlucky, rifles off some Italian line which whistles over your head and eyes you expectantly. The communication descends into suggestive gestures and the shrug of shoulders. You’re hoping for an authentic dish but have no idea what that would be or how to explain that’s what you want. Eventually, you hash out an order with the waiter, leaving you both feeling uncertain. So you bonded, kind of. That's just one example. Some people enjoy the occasional foray out of their comfort zone, others resolutely keep within it. Personally, I like to do a bit of both.
The only other determination I had made was to slow down and enjoy myself whilst I travelled. Too often before, I felt like I had to make the most of my time, which translated into rushing around everywhere and never fully appreciating any one place. I was experiencing a string of whistle-stop tours, which was tiring and not overly fulfilling. It felt superficial. At the time I thought I was being productive but with hindsight I realised I might of enjoyed myself more had I slowed down. It is good advice, but it is very hard to follow because you don't instinctly feel that way when you are there. So let me amend my advice; slow down just a little bit. Spend the extra hour in a place and relax whilst you are there. Stop yourself from time to time and appreciate what is special about where you are or what you are doing.