10 recently published experiences http://www.hereorthere.com/countries/italy en-us Although Brescia lacks the popularity of nearby cities such as Verona and Bergamo , or maybe for that reason ,I found it a very charming place , maybe rough around the edges , maybe it needs some time to be fully appreciate .Who knows ?what I liked the most was the views from the castle,on the hill right in the city centre and the winding narrow streets at its feet . The newly revamped Museo della citta ` ( santa giulia ) is a wonderful place to begin the discovery of Brescia ,Based in a monastery built around three churches the plan of the museum is a bit confusing , but make sure you don't miss Santa Maria in Solario , the nuns choir and the roman ruins of the villas with a film display . In the museum are also hosted international art exhibitions, when we were there it was AMERICA , which toured Brescia after having been in places such as the National gallery in London (next will be Van Gogh drawings ). If you have time from piazza Paolo VI take the bus that will take you to S ... Brescia, Italy dearivan Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:42:35 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/dearivan/experience/1485 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1485 I had always wanted to see Positano after I watched the movie “Only You” where some of the scenes were shot in this small picturesque village. That is why when my travel buddy and equally passionate traveller Bebeth and I were planning a trip a few years ago, I decided to do the Amalfi side of southern Italy. I decided that we had to sleep over in Positano to savor the sight and culture of the place. Positano is a small town, jutting out from a hill and leads down to the bay. From Rome, we hired a limo to take us straight to Positano. We were on a tight schedule so could not afford to take the train and local bus for that will mean losing several more hours. We scrimped on hotel expenses and stayed in a monastery in Rome so we we will have some money to pay the limo and driver. Besides, we were able to do some photo shoot stops along the way. If one had more time, here are various ways to reach this beautiful place besides are car: * By aeroplane one arrives at Naples ... Positano, Italy maandt Sun, 11 May 2008 20:34:12 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/maandt/experience/1430 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1430 As a single woman traveling alone, I can honestly tell you that it is difficult to go to restaurants and sit alone, walk along the beach without having men come up to you thinking you are available, and have to endure the endless questions like “Where is your partner?” and so on……. So, I decided to do something different this time, I came across this great language school on the internet, I had seen a romantic film ‘Only You’ about one woman’s destiny to meet her future husband in Italy, so I decided that this was the right place to be. The school was fantastic and very professional. Put it this way, I know more than ‘ciao’ now! Also, we had excursions to Pompeii and Naples too, which really opened my mind and got the culture vulture out of me. The great thing was that I actually got the chance to make new friends and, instead of going out to eat alone, I had a blast with my new language friends. Then, of course there were the men (still are, actually)!... Sorrento, Italy GoLearnTo Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:06:39 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/golearnto/experience/1365 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1365 I’ve talked before how first impressions of a city can often make the most memorable of images, and there’s no place better for striking first impressions than Venice. That is, of course, if you understand the geography of the place. There is the Venice we are familiar with through its reputation and media coverage – the lagoon, the canals, the gondolas, all the, if you’ll excuse the term, obvious stuff. But the other half of Venice is on the mainland, and this is indeed where most tourists will be accommodated, tourists of my calibre anyway – you’ve got to have real money if you want to stay in one of the swanky hotels that are actually on the lagoon. So if you get off at Venice Mestre train station expecting to walk out to a vista of shimmering water and traditional gondoliers , your first impressions will be of massive disappointment. A quick comparison would be to say it’s fairly similar to Pisa, a touch run down, a touch dirty. Needless to say though, don’t jud... Venice, Italy lenoz Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:46:13 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/lenoz/experience/1363 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1363 (continued from Day 2)… After our disappointing non-visit of the Boboli Gardens that overlook Florence, we were back the next day, student cards in hand for a 50% discount. We didn’t want to miss out on the highly-recommended views over Florence, and we’d both also roundly expressed an eagerness to find somewhere to do some quality sunbathing on this most glorious of days. Instead of walking up the hills to the top entrance like yesterday, we strolled round the side of the Piazza Pitti hopping to find the bottom entrance, which we did indeed. Florence, Italy lenoz Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:36:27 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/lenoz/experience/1362 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1362 (continued from Day 1)… The following day brought delicious weather again so we decided to just walk into the centre with two main plans; visit the Uffizi Gallery and see the Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge over the Arno river. Both we knew to be easily accessible from the Piazza Della Signoria which we had visited the day before. Upon arriving in the large square, it was instantly obvious to us just how much busier it was than the previous day. Hordes of tourists of every nationality were packed into groups, taking pictures of each other standing by the statues, or huddled around a tour guide, of which at least five of every nationality and language seemed to be operating. We had already been wondering why our hotel was considerably more expensive for Tuesday and Wednesday in comparison to yesterday (Monday) and concluded that either; a) Mondays are quiet days in Florence/Italy, like Tuesdays were in Paris (the one day we tried to visit the Louvre and the one day of the week the... Florence, Italy lenoz Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:30:30 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/lenoz/experience/1361 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1361 When you’re travelling for the first time, when you’re not too experienced with foreign cities, foreign maps, foreign street signs… the manner of your arrival can really have an impact on your opinion of the place. Florence, Italy lenoz Thu, 10 Apr 2008 16:21:21 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/lenoz/experience/1360 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1360 It was a relief to make it in one piece out of the crazy neapolitan traffic. I’ve seen some mad driving on my travels, and Naples’ is right up there with India and Madagascar. We took the coast road to dusty Ercolano and its ancient forebear Herculaneum. Pompeii, Italy Alexandra Wed, 09 Apr 2008 01:12:35 +0100 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/alexandra/experience/1359 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1359 Sitting in the bright April sun, relaxing after a tiring day at the Colosseum and Roman Forum, the Choc-Mint Gelato was a delight to the senses. In front of me the glorious buildings that adorn St Peter's Square provided a spectacular scene. On stage an Italian group of musicians entertained the young crowd with up-beat rhythms and angelic harmonies. As the afternoon began to wind down a sudden buzz grabbed hold of the crowd and a roar spread through the people like a wild fire through dry grass. Before I had chance to take stock of what was happening and gather my thoughts, everyone was standing on the seats waving white flags around their heads. It was clear that something special was happening; something the crowd had been waiting expectantly for. On the giant screens that flanked the stage, images of Pope Benedict traveling through the crowd were televised. The crowd was going crazy. It was like Jesus had returned! I did my utmost to get a good view of the Pope; standin... Vatican City, Italy Travelling_Teacher Mon, 17 Mar 2008 21:40:47 +0000 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/travelling_teacher/experience/1337 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1337 Pisa’s Leaning Tower is to Italy what the Eiffel Tower is to France – a landmark as recognisable as it is popular, and one that the country seems to know how to exploit best to serve its tourism. So, Pisa – does it hold any attraction more than the tower itself? These days Pisa is a fairly quiet university town, and in general has the calm studenty air that you’d expect. It’s a pretty small place – it’s nice and easy to walk from the train station to anywhere in Pisa. The trouble is, because all the tourists flock to the Tower, the main part of the town seems to have become less hospitable as a result. When we visited, the area around the train station (unfortunately where our hotel was) was crowded by rowdy, abusive drunks, and in general there’s quite a lot of litter around. Walking from the train station into the centre, things start to improve. The buildings are occasionally beautiful, and thanks to the lack of chain stores and big brands, the town seems to reta... Pisa, Italy lenoz Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:22:33 +0000 http://www.hereorthere.com/members/lenoz/experience/1309 http://www.hereorthere.com/experiences/1309