It has been a month since I left Singapore for exchange at Europe and I have been traveling quite a bit around Europe. Italy is one of my favourite country so far. I am mesmerised by the intricate design of the architecture and their rich culture that is deeply immersed throughout the country.
One thing I love about Italy is their coffee. Italian coffee is soooooo good. I am so hooked onto their coffee and I had three cups of coffee everyday while I was there. Expensive indulgence that left me sleepless for quite a few days but it is so worth it. I love the concept of Italian bakeries where you can grab a
pastry and drink your coffee by the their bar counter. Some places charge a
premium for take away and sitting at their tables. Drinking your coffee by the
bar counter is the cheapest. A cup of cappuccino costs about 1.20 - 1.50€.
Venice
Venice is the first city that I visited in
Italy. Famous for their waterbuses and bridges all over the island, it is made
up of 124 tiny islands. Some islands are only big enough to occupy a small
building and you can walk from one end to another end of Venice by foot in less
than an hour.
The is the night view of the popular Piazza San Marco, also known as "St. Mark's Square" in Venice. This is the only "square" in Venice and all other spaces are called "Campi" (field).
I signed up for a free walking tour in
Venice and it was the best free walking tour I have had so far. It was 3 hours
long and the guide was really good in explaining their history and culture. I
felt that the trip was much more meaningful after being able to understand the
city a little better. Without the tour, I think Venice would probably just be
another place with pretty shop houses and bridges everywhere. The guide also
recommends several restaurants around Venice. Several tips to identify the authentic Italian restaurant: menu should not have pictures of food and the language of menu should only be in Italian. In fact, Venice is known for their seafood instead of the commonly mistaken pasta and pizza.
The guide also brought us to one of the very famous bookshop, Libereria Acqua Alta in the world. The bookstore features classic volumes of Italian and American books packed in tradition Venetian gondola boats.
I spent half a day at Burano, also known as the colourful
town. If time allows, you may want to visit other nearby islands such
as Murano. Burano is a small town (full of tourists) with strikingly colourful
short buildings and shop houses.
This is my favourite bakery at Venice and I
have my daily fix of coffee and breakfast there. My favourite is the Mela brioche on the top left. Croissant costs 1€ each.
You can get cheaper food from snack bar, cafes and supermarkets. They offer sandwiches, paninis and pizzas, ranging from 2-4 €.
2 scoops of gelato for 1.8 € and each of us had three scoops a day. Where do you get such prices in Singapore?
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