On this trip, I have decided to try my hand at couchsurfing. For those of you that don't know what couchsurfing is, here is a little etymology of the term from wikipedia:
Couchsurfing is a neologism referring to the practice of moving from one friend's house to another, sleeping in whatever spare space is available, floor or couch, generally staying a few days before moving on to the next house.
Here is a proper link to the wikipedia description for information on the website/movement and what it does:
CouchSurfing
I have found a place to stay in Rome for the two nights I will be there. I plan on getting into the city on the evening of the 30th, then spending all day on the 31st and 1st seeing Rome. My host also said that he might be able to take me to the Catacombs outside the city on Tuesday. After two days in Rome, I will hop on a train to Assisi (as in St.Francis of Assisi). I have booked a hostel there for the night of the 1st.
I mentioned earlier that I had purchased a copy of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's Italian Journey, about a trip he took to Italy beginning in 1786. It is basically a travel journal about his time there. I had a feeling it would be an appropriate read, but I didn't realize at the time how appropriate! Goethe, though he was a German, was actually living at the time in Bohemia, in what is now part of the Czech Republic. There was a historical period when Bohemia was largely populated by ethnic Germans - one of the reasons Hitler felt he had a claim to region. At the time of his journey, Goethe held a government post in Carlsbad, know in Czech as Karlovy Vary. This journey was something of which he had always dreamed, as he longed to see the classical art and architecture that up until then he had only read about and studied in books.
CouchSurfing
I have found a place to stay in Rome for the two nights I will be there. I plan on getting into the city on the evening of the 30th, then spending all day on the 31st and 1st seeing Rome. My host also said that he might be able to take me to the Catacombs outside the city on Tuesday. After two days in Rome, I will hop on a train to Assisi (as in St.Francis of Assisi). I have booked a hostel there for the night of the 1st.
I mentioned earlier that I had purchased a copy of Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's Italian Journey, about a trip he took to Italy beginning in 1786. It is basically a travel journal about his time there. I had a feeling it would be an appropriate read, but I didn't realize at the time how appropriate! Goethe, though he was a German, was actually living at the time in Bohemia, in what is now part of the Czech Republic. There was a historical period when Bohemia was largely populated by ethnic Germans - one of the reasons Hitler felt he had a claim to region. At the time of his journey, Goethe held a government post in Carlsbad, know in Czech as Karlovy Vary. This journey was something of which he had always dreamed, as he longed to see the classical art and architecture that up until then he had only read about and studied in books.
Goethe in the Roman Campagna, 1787 by Johann Heinrich Wilhelm Tischbein
Italian Journey is great because Goethe talks about his reactions to various buildings and paintings that moved him, as well as his impressions of the land and people. Just today I have followed him from Venice, through Florence, and to Assisi on his way to Rome. We will be visiting many of the same places! While I wish he had spent more time in Tuscany, I am excited to read about what he saw in Rome, and to visit some of the same sites - 230 years later. I can't think of a better book to have with me on this trip, and I'm glad I came across it while I was browsing at the book store. I will also be reading The Tempest (Shakespeare) and The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton.
After staying in Assisi for the night of the 1st, I plan on moving on to Cinque Terre. However, I haven't booked a room there yet, as I want to keep my plans open in case I decide to stay an extra day in Assisi or stop somewhere in between. The tentative plan is to move on next to Cinque Terre, where I would spend a couple of days. Next I would like to visit Siena, where I have been looking for a couch through CouchSurfers. I haven't found anything yet, but there is still time. I do have a place to stay in Florence from August 6-10. I will stay at the family villa of a guy named Francesco. He lives on an old farm in the countryside with his family - close to the center by bus. I am excited to see the place!
So those are my current plans for Italy. I have heard it is extremely hot this time of year, so I should bring an umbrella as a shield from the heat of the sun. Also, I will need a shawl to cover my shoulders for some of the churches, as tank tops aren't allowed. Generally, I will be travelling very lightly. Just a backpack with clothes, toiletries, and a few books.
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