Drokpa Journal

Dates Traveled: September 2001
(I’d also traveled here in March 1998, but that trip is without details)

Venice

Venice must be one of the few cities in the world where buildings, which are in such a state as to be falling into the canals, can be termed charming, but there you have it. Venice does have a certain charm to it. Always fun to wander the winding, narrow alleys. For those that need to know exactly where they are in a city and on a map, may I suggest going someplace else….Venice is not for you. You have to simply let yourself go and know that, chances are, you’ll eventually wind up at the main bridge over the Grand Canal - the Rialto, or you’ll find yourself with the thousands of pigeons in San Marcos square.

Rome

From Venice it was a 4 1/2 hour express train to Rome. I’ve never been much of a fan of big cities, but, no matter how dirty it is, it’s hard to ignore Rome with it’s historical ruins everywhere you turn. It’s impressive, from the Trevi fountain - which basically covers the entire end of a building, to the immediately recognizable Colosseum, to the many ruins of the Forum. Once you get a bit ‘ruined’, you head to Vatican City. St. Peters Basilica is immense and very ornate inside - containing Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Beautiful. Vatican museum is another must-see. It’s amazing, because you have the many works of art, but the building itself is impressive, with paintings on the walls/ceilings, and many sculptures. After winding through what can only be termed a maze of rooms - always following the arrow that points towards ‘Sistine Chapel’, and always anxiously turning the corner expecting to be in the great room, you finally arrive. The entire chapel must be one of the greatest works of art in the world. The detail is incredible, and the colors vibrant. It’s easy to sit there for quite some time - staring at the ceiling and wall, with your mouth open. Second time I’ve seen it, and still overpowering. For those that haven’t had enough of museums after the Vatican, I’d suggest the Capitolini Museum, which had many fantastic busts, sculptures, etc. What else is an absolute necessity while visiting Italy? Ice cream, and plenty of it.

Previous Trip

I’d also visited Italy back in March of 1998. Unfortunately, I don’t have access to my journal for those travels, and so they’re not covered in this travelogue. On that trip I visited Bari, Rome, Pisa, Florence, and Venice.

Italy Photos

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