Overlooking the entire Florence city during Sunset / Michelangelo Piazza

Haven't been faithfully updating this space but I guess I will start doing so from now on. I've been out of Singapore for the past 2 to 3 weeks and will only be back after 5 months. I've never planned for an exchange and everything happened because I was placed at the right place, at the right time and cleared modules way before and in time for an exchange. My GPA certainly did not qualify me for an exchange to Asia, what more Europe. But God made it possible for me. Every step that I have taken, I've seen how faithful He was in making this happen. So here I am, typing this, from another part of the world, another continent. I applied for a school in Ostrava, Czech Republic but my two other friends and I decided to travel before school starts. We decided to head to Italy first. I have only been to Asian countries despite travelling almost annually with my family. It's weird how I never manage to visit any caucasian-filled countries. On the side note, I did not bring along my DSLR, which was a tough decision to make.



Sister's present for me before I flew off.

Our plane flights were pretty fine. We had a stopover at Doha before continuing to Rome. I've only trusted SQ airline since young but this time round we took Qatar airway. Lo and behold, I was blown away by their interior and how great their inflight entertainments are. I think I accidentally deleted the interior of their aircraft but it was great. Great taking off skills and soft landing skills. Bravo.

- ROME -
4D3N
3°C - 5°C

Rome is extremely romantic. It's not the people that you are with that makes it romantic. This city itself is already very romantic. The street performers played love songs that impacted me so much. I felt as though I travelled to Europe to heal my heart or to search for some lost love. It's a very wonderful place to be at. The food in Rome is pretty expensive. 1 plate of Pasta can easily cost €12 which is around SGD$18 and the portion is just right for 1 person. It is more expensive than Florence and Venice, considering the portion. Since we are still in the winter period when night is longer than day, a lot of shops were closed by 7pm. The streets were pretty empty around 6.30pm. The sun sets at around 6.30pm too.





Featuring our useless, or rather, useful-for-the-first-20min handwarmer from Watsons.
Threw it away on the first day in Rome.



I feel that it's important to look for Airbnb near metro stations and more importantly, it has to be near to the attractions. Rome's attractions are quite centralised therefore you can save a bit on the metro and walk around the places. The metro cost €1.50 regardless of the distance you travel.




Trevi Fountain
which was absolutely stunning





Our first gelato experience.

I have always enjoyed eating Ice Cream in winter because it never ever melts! The flavours were rich. Nutella flavours, Blueberry, Banana, Coconut and many more awesome flavours. €2.50 for picolo cone (Small cone), just right beside Trevi Fountain.







Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel (€12.50 per pax for students with ISIC card if I'm not mistaken)

If you're not a fan of museums, then you should totally skip this place. Or maybe, just pay a visit to the Sistine Chapel. Honestly, I did not quite enjoy the museum because I'm not into these kind of things. Perhaps a WW2 museum or Concentration camps will get me excited.







St. Peter's Basilica

The enormous structures made me realise how minute we are. I have a thing for Ivory buildings.





The Colosseum
Where Gladiators tread and fought for more golds and honour

The games in the Arena back in the Roman empire era were cruel. Somehow, human lives don't mean much to the Kings. People who were sentenced to death will usually be called to play in the game. They were given no weapons and had to fight beasts like lions, leopards, tigers and much scarier animals. This is the real Hunger Games.














Why is it that Singapore does not have Tronky anymore? ):




We bought bus ticket from the bus station at Firenze S.M.N train station and went on with our journey to Florence. Flixbus is the bus that we took and it has wifi and washroom onboard! Extremely comfortable and much more affordable than taking Trenitalia. Download GoEuro application to check for Buses, Trains or even Flight timing to places you want to go.

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- Florence -
4D3N
3°C - 7°C





Our Airbnb was nothing short of amazing. It was 3 minutes walk to the Duomo and everywhere was pretty walkable. I personally prefer Florence so much more to Rome. The food, the culture, the place and the people, they are so awesome. It's the atmosphere in Florence that I really enjoy. I have also started to dress down a little even though the weather remains cold as ever. 1 layer of heat tech on legs and I won't say it's warm but at least it doesn't trap the cold air.






For the best view of Florence, head up to Michelangelo Piazza. 

If you haven't been working out for a really long time, then the way up to this place is a little tiring. The never-ending flights of stairs we took and the steep hill upwards was a little tough but the view was so stunning that we did not mind that climb. I would suggest that you reach before sunset because that's when you see the most beautiful skyline.



Bus ticket to get to The Mall
Website: https://www.themall.it/en/outlet-italy/homepage.html
Bus ticket is not that cheap but you can really score your branded goods there.






Gucci cafe was surprisingly affordable! Per cup of Caffe Latte was at €1.20 only.
This cafe is located at The Mall.



Amazingly good beef noodles from an Asian shop near our Airbnb for €4 and had it for dinner in 2 days.
Surprisingly, there are quite a few asian restaurants around our Airbnb area.









Not the best Gelato I've had.





Finally made it to Leaning Tower of Pisa. Made a day-trip to Pisa and only spent 2 hours there.
The trip there from Florence is around 1.5hours if I am not mistaken.



Cinque Terre - Monterosso 
People generally visit this place during summer. It will be filled with beach-goers.






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- Venice -
3D2N
2°C - 4°C








Dark Chocolate with Orange Gelato
Best flavour ever. I have always loved Dark chocolates with a tinge of orange.
This is so perfect but expensive too!








Chance upon De Gea at Venice with his girlfriend!



Italy was so amazing. I would love to return to Florence again. It's one of the best cities I've been to. As for Venice, once is enough (hahahaha). Not a fan of Venice except for the fact that we met De Gea on the streets!

Will blog about the other places that I will be travelling soon x