In my previous post I said I was for a couple of weeks living in Milan, Italy. It gives me the opportunity to travel around in Italy. I do everything by train and other common transport. I found it not expensive: for a ticket from Milan to Venice you pay like 24 EUR for 2nd class on the fastest train; even cheaper if you add like 30-40 minutes.

Last Saturday (7 Oct 2006) I started off with Venice. It’s a must-have-been-there place and it was indeed pretty spectacular. I took a 12 EUR day ticket for the vaporetto, which you can compare to a subway but then on water with boats (amazing!). I would advise anyone to take that one and use it at least 3 times (single trip is 5 EUR!!) if you are only there for a day. If you go, give it away like I did and make somebody happy (it’s valid 24h).

Venice I compared to a forest of stone. Except for the busy touristic areas like San Marco and San Polo, it’s quite like in a forest: no cars, sometimes a boat, some people, fresh air. For working from home it would definitely be a nice place! Don’t forget to visit Cannaregio, it’s often forgotten but it gives a view how people actually live in Venice.

Venice can be done in one day if you go alone (forget romance for a day..) and don’t go to much inside checking stuff out and wait endlessly in line. Take a line going around the city on the sea. It’s great and included in the day ticket! If you seen and know how Venice works, the next visit you can plan to actually go inside some buildings like the Basilica San Marco and Campanile.

Here the complete set of pictures: One day in Venice, Italy

The following day (8 Oct 2006) I went in the early morning from Milan to Verona. The original plan was actually to stay in some hotel around Venice or in Verona. But I was to late to book anything, so I took the more cheaper approach: travel back to Milan, which in the end is cheaper.. and takes only about 3.5 hours.

But: I got stopped by some policemen! I was taking pictures from the huge Milan train station, but suddenly a policeman was waving to me. I thought I was standing where I should not (usually do that) and was moving along making other pictures.. Then I saw these policemen coming over in my direction through my camera! “Oh Oh”, I thought. “English?”, said the officer which I confirmed not going into endless details. “Show me pictures!” So, I showed him the last, then previous, and then he saw it. “You make picture of me. You can not do.” Then I understood.. I’m usually careful about this, but I didn’t see them. The picture was OK though, it was too blurry for them to get recognized.

Verona is like Rome (I think): old! From the train station I was disappointed a bit, but after walking the whole way Porta Nuova to the Piazza Brà I forgot about the stressy traffic around the city. There was the Arena! Holy goodness: that’s big and old and original! It hurt my knee while climbing the stairs inside. I wonder how the smaller people from that time did it.. Maybe they were not as heavy as I? Maybe..

Going along some shopping street I reached Piazza Ebre. If you stand in front of this fountain of the 14th century, what do you do? Well, I make a picture, and wonder what people were doing at that time, where I was standing.. Probably wearing something better than I (I really don’t fit into Italian dress..code). Or maybe they just washed their hand after going doing their daily business.

Going around I wandered from church to church, from bridge to bridge, castle to castle.. Oh, it was a long long walk.. Venice was still in my legs, and the climb to the top of a hill was worth it, but..

Verona is great because it has a river slaloming through it. Somehow I just love having a river making it more alive. The fact that there is not much traffic inside the inner city, makes it a nicer place than for example Milan (which is bigger..). A must do, and I guess another must do is the whole region around Verona with the Lago Di Garda, a big lake. I’m thinking to go back maybe coming weekend, but we will see.

More pictures? Yeah, sure: One day in Verona, Italy

Milan? Still trying to figure it out. I compare it with an espresso: small and compressed (at least the center). I don’t really like it much that I would ever consider live here longer, but it’s OK.

Continuously updating set of pictures: A few weeks in Milan, Italy