OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007

It was our first trip to Italy.

W e expected to see a lot of ancient civilisation( ROME, POMPEII), the religious center of the World (VATICAN CITY), icons of Italy (NICOLOSSEUM, LEANING TOWER OF PISA, VENICE, TREVI FOUNTAIN), wonderful statues and frescos, paintings, architecture and the culture of a country known for its history and its famous people( MICHAELANGELO, LEONARDO DA VINCI, GALILEO, ST PETER, ST FRANCIS OF ASSISSI,MARCO POLO).

All these we visited and saw the beauty of Italy.

Some advice we wished to give new visitors:

Parking for coaches are always very far from the tourist spots so be prepared to walk a lot. Try and get comfortable sport shoes.

During summer it can be very hot so buy lots of water to drink during your trip.
Water can be bought at different prices in the country. Rome and Vatican city are the most expensive with 500cc of water costing 3.50 euros while at Florence we were able to get 12 litres of water for only 0.99 euros.

The sun can also be very glaring to the eyes. We advise bringing good UV block sunglasses or wear a hat or cap.

Most of the big shops uses the major credit cards such as VISA, MASTERCARD, DINERS CLUB, AMERICAN EXPRESS but for the small stall holders selling souveniers cash is still important.

Bring sufficient cash for incidental buying of souvenier, food, icecream, even the usage of toilets etc. Remember that there are many pickpockets in Italy so keep your valuables(cash, credit cards, and passports) in a body pouch. It is safer than to lose your valuables to the pickpockets.

All services and goods carry a value added tax of 20% which can be refunded at the customs in the airport provided the amout is large enough. Get a form filled up at the shop where you buy the goods.

The hotels in Italy are generally comfortable but do not come with amenities like kettle, teabags or coffee. So if you need to boil water, bring along a travel kettle. Remember to bring the the right plug for the electical socket.
There is no airconditioning in most hotels but there are heaters for winter. Services like porters are slow so expect to receive your luggage late. It is better if you can bring the luggage up to your rooms yourselves.

Most Italians speak very little English. So try to learn a few Italian phrases.

Internet services cost about 5 euros for half an hour.

We found that there are a lot of illegal immigrants such as Africans and Asians selling fake goods along the roadside.

Once on the way to our hotel there was a blockage ot the road by the police as a result of strike by some workers working in factories. As a result the coach had to U turn and go by an alternative route.

Not all the toilets are free. Some cost 0.5 to 1 euro per entry. Best places to use a toilet would be at MacDonalds or you may be able to use a toilet at a food shop provided you buy food from them. No purchase means no usage of their toilets.

Bring sufficient batteries for your camera or bring the charger for your camera. If you don't then all the pictures which you take for your vacation will be wasted. The cost of batteries are very high in Italy.

Photo taking are prohibited in many places in Italy especially where there are frescos as the flash damages the painting. Examples are Sistine Chapel, Pompeii, Assissi.

Churches or Basilica are places of worship so your dress code should be decent-no mini skirts and exposed shoulders. Silence is also important!

The largest lemon in the world can be found in Sorrento.

Finally enjoy your trip to Italy as we did with all these tips and precautions.

OUR TRIP TO ITALY APRIL 2007 - PISA

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the freestanding bell tower,
of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa.
It is situated behind the Cathedral and
it is the third structure in Pisa's Campo dei Miracoli (field of Miracles).
Although intended to stand vertically,
the tower began leaning to the southeast
soon after the onset of construction in 1173
due to a poorly laid foundation and loose substrate
that has allowed the foundation to shift direction.
The height of the tower is 55.86 m (183.27 ft) from the ground
on the lowest side and 56.70 m (186.02 ft) on the highest side.
The width of the walls at the base is 4.09 m (13.42 ft)
and at the top 2.48 m (8.14 ft). Its weight is estimated at 14,500 tonnes.
The tower has 294 steps. The tower leans at an angle of 5.5 degrees.
This may not seem a lot, but this means that the tower is 4.5 metres
from where it used to stand vertically.
The Tower of Pisa was a work of art,
performed in three stages over a period of about 174 years.
Construction of the first floor of the white marble campanile
began on August 9, 1173, a period of military success and prosperity.
This first floor is surrounded by pillars with classical capitals,
leaning against blind arches.
The tower began to sink after construction progressed to the third floor.
In an effort to compensate for the tilt,
the engineers built higher floors with one side taller than the other.
This made the tower begin lean in the other direction.
Because of this, the tower is actually curved.
After a phase (1990-2001) of structural strengthening,
the tower is currently undergoing gradual surface restoration,
in order to repair visual damage, mostly corrosion and blackening.
These are particularly strong due to the tower's age and
to its particular conditions with respect to wind and rain.
On February 27, 1964, the government of Italy requested aid
in preventing the tower from toppling.
It was, however, considered important to retain the current tilt,
due to the vital role that this element played in
promoting the tourism industry of Pisa.
A multinational task force of engineers, mathematicians and historians
was assigned and met on the Azores islands to discuss stabilization methods.
After over two decades of work on the subject,
the tower was closed to the public in January 1990.
While the tower was closed, the bells were removed to relieve some weight,
and cables were cinched around the third level
and anchored several hundred meters away.
Apartments and houses in the path of the tower
were vacated for safety.
After a decade of corrective reconstruction and stabilization efforts,
the tower was reopened to the public on December 15, 2001.
It was found that the lean was increasing due to the stonework
expanding and contracting each day due to the heat of sunlight.
This was working in combination with the softer foundations
on the lower side.
Many methods were proposed to stabilize the tower,
including the addition of 800 metric tons of
lead counterweights to the raised end of the base.
The final solution to prevent the collapse of the tower
was to slightly straighten the tower to a safer angle,
by removing 38 m3 of soil from underneath the raised end.
The tower has been declared stable for at least another 300 years.
In 1987, the tower was declared as part of the Campo dei Miracoli
UNESCO World Heritage Site along with neighbouring cathedral,
baptistery and cemetery.
Movies associated with the leaning tower of Pisa:
The movie Superman III features an evil Superman
doing several "bad deeds" around the world -
one of which is straightening the Leaning Tower of Pisa,
played to comedic effect.
The famous final scene of the film features Superman
pushing the tower back to its normal inclination.

In the Disney movie Sky High, the very beginning shows
Will Stronghold's superhero mom getting "take out"
pizza from Italy. In one shot of the comic strip,
she is seen with a pizza box, flying past the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

On a Tool Time segment on Home Improvement,
Tim Taylor shows a picture of the tower as
an example of how men create and build masterpieces with tools.

In the Disney movie the Return of Jafar,
the Genie's song 'Nothing in the world' refers to
the Leaning Tower of Pisa where,
comically, the Genie is seen cycling into the tower,
which falls on top of him.