While leafing through catalogs at my travel agent's office trying to find an idea for my summer vacation, I happened upon an Independent Freelance tour with American Express entitled "Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan by First Class Rail." Even though I would be traveling alone, I took a deep breath and booked the trip!

I was met at the airport in Rome by a representative of American Express and transferred to my hotel. The hotel in Rome was classified as Superior First Class and was the King Hotel (Via Sistina 131). A continental breakfast was included at all hotels on this tour. This hotel has an excellent location, near the Spanish Steps, but my room was very small and the so-called air-conditioning was nonexistent. I didn't spend much time there, however, and the location made up for any such inconvenience. I've noticed that single travelers are often given smaller rooms.

Eating at restaurants can be very expensive and put a big crimp in your budget. Standing up and eating at a cafe or rosticceria is less expensive than sitting down and a picnic lunch is even better. It's also helpful to save some of the fruit, bread, or pastry from the continental breakfast to use later as a snack or as part of a picnic lunch.

City tours come as part of the Freelance package and can be helpful in orienting you to the city and helping to find places to explore more fully or to put off for another time. The City Tour for Rome included the Roman Forum, Circus Maximus, Caracalla Baths, St. Peter's and the Colosseum. One thing that was a big problem in Rome (and later in Florence as well) was the presence of pick-pockets, especially in the area of the Colosseum. In Rome this consisted of roving bands of children. They would try to distract you in some way while one or more of them try to get into your purse, pockets or fanny pack. Sometimes they would push a newspaper in your face so that you couldn't see what was going on. I was very glad I had thought to bring a money belt. I kept my money (other than what I thought I would need for the day), airline tickets, travel vouchers, travelers' checks and sometimes credit cards in this belt.

Another thing I learned the hard way was to be careful what I wore if I planned to visit a church or cathedral. When we visited the Basilica, guards were posted at the entrance and would not let women enter who were wearing shorts, short skirts, or low-cut blouses. Even men wearing Bermuda shorts were turned away.

Near my hotel, I made an interesting discovery--the Capuchin Monastery Cemetery at the Church of the Immaculate Conception (via Vittorio Veneto 27). This is a bizarre cemetery of skulls and bones woven into "works of art." These bones belonged to over 4000 Capuchin brothers. I'm not sure what the purpose was but there must be a message here somewhere. In any case, I don't think I'd take younger children here. Christians did not believe in cremation as the Romans did because they believed that when Christ returns your body would rise again.

I also took an excursion to find the Trevi Fountain of "Three Coins in a Fountain" fame and was fairly disappointed. It's definitely a beautiful fountain but is located in a tiny piazza and was crowded by what seemed like hundreds of people sitting around the fountain itself as well as the piazza.

I ate dinner at the famous Babington's Tea Room near the Spanish Steps, which turned out to be an expensive lesson in how not to order food. Everything was priced separately and even little side items like bread were priced as an extra. It pays to ask what comes with the meal as you place your order because the waitress doesn't always volunteer the information.

If you choose to go to the Vatican Museums, set aside a lot of time. I felt like I was a rat in a maze and after a while everything started looking alike. Once you enter, you can't retrace your steps to leave but have to keep pushing forward until you reach the end. The most memorable part of that visit was the Sistine Chapel. It's crowded with tourists during the summer months but I couldn't be in Rome without seeing it.

As in most large European cities, the Metro (underground) is efficient in Rome and is a good way to get around. However, because of the pick-pockets, I would advise you to be extra vigilant, especially if you're walking alone. Even so, I felt the Metro was safer than the buses or trams.

I used the Metro to go to Castel Sant'Angelo. This castle was originally built as a tomb for the Emperor Hadrian and has since been a fortress to guard the Vatican, a papal residence (complete with an underground passageway to the Vatican), a prison and is now an art museum. I especially enjoyed seeing the Renaissance apartments and looking at a beautiful view of the city from the top terrace. The castle faces the Tiber River and in front of it, crossing the river, is one of Rome's most beautiful bridges, Ponte Sant'Angelo, lined with angels created by Bernini. There's a park nearby where you can cool off and take a rest stop.

On day six of my trip, I took a train to Florence. It is very important not to leave luggage unattended in this country. If you have a lot of bags, it can be very cumbersome to get them loaded on the train if you do not want to check them. For some reason, the representative who accompanied us on the train wanted to keep our luggage with us rather than check it. I'm not sure if this was some sort of security measure but it made our arrival easier as we didn't have to go to baggage claim.

The hotel in Florence was a very nice one--the Hotel Augustus (Vicolo del'Oro 5). The location is wonderful, just a hop, skip and jump from the Ponte Vecchio, which is the last remaining medieval "ponte" spanning the Arno River. It is closed to traffic except for pedestrians and is lined with little shops.

After settling into the hotel, I still had the afternoon to do some exploring. I made my way to the Piazza della Signoria to see the Palazzo Vecchio, which was once the home of the Medici. Today, part of it is occupied by city employees but much of it is open to the public. It's full of beautiful frescoes and sculpture, some by Michelangelo and Donatello. Admission is inexpensive and well worth it.

A word about finding places to eat: Although a lot of guidebooks recommend the "tourist menu" or the fixed price menu, I tried this only once and was not terribly pleased. The restaurant had translated their menu into English and made the mistake of translating "Veal Scaloppini" as "Scallops," so I mistakenly believed that I would be getting seafood. I was very surprised when I was presented with something I could hardly identify and certainly didn't resemble scallops! From that point on, I stuck with trattorie and roticceria and had no problem with my meals. I also drank the water in the hotels where I stayed but usually stuck to wine or Coke with my meals unless I was in a more expensive restaurant.

The guide for the City Tour the next morning was excellent; she was an art student so could tell us a lot of details about the artists and art pieces we were seeing. We went to the Pitti Palace, another home of the Medici. It now houses one of the greatest art collections in Europe, with beautiful works by Raphael, Titian, and van Dyck.

We also visited the Galleria dell'Accademia to see Michelangelo's David, as well as some of his other statues. I had not realized how young Michelangelo was when he completed that work, around 27 years old, or that he had lived to what was a very old age for that period of time, into his 80s. The Medici realized how talented he was at age 11 and brought him to Florence to live with them. Finally, we went to the Church of Santa Croce and saw the tombs of Gallaleo, Michelangelo, Machievelli and Dante. Michelangelo was originally buried in Rome but his body was smuggled back to Florence. The Leather School is also within this church and it was really interesting to see the artisans working. Although the leather products here in Florence are beautifully made, they are extremely expensive. There are many shops here but I saw no bargains.

In Florence, one place you should absolutely not miss visiting is El Duomo (the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore), along with Giotto's Bell Tower and the Battistero de San Giovanni (the Baptistery), all located in the Piazza del Duomo and Piazza San Giovanni. This cathedral has become the symbol of Florence. It is as beautiful outside as it is inside, with three-colored bands of marble and Brunelleschi's dome. Both the Bell Tower and the Baptistery also have the bands of pink, white and green marble and the view from the Bell Tower is indescribable. One of my most memorable moments of the entire trip was being in the piazza at night, sitting on the sun-warmed stones, surrounded by other people from all nations in the world, listening to the music played by musicians who gather there each night.

The next day I discovered a beautiful place for a picnic--the Boboli Gardens behind the Pitti Palace. The gardens are full of fountains and statuary and the admission is free. Since I was there in July instead of May, I missed the international music festival, Maggio Musicale, which is held at Boboli and other Renaissance locations each year. That would be a "must see" if you happen to be in Florence during that month.

One of my finds on my wanderings was a beautiful little square not far from Boboli, Piazza Santo Spirito, which is very "non-touristy" and has a gem of a church named Santo Spirito, of course. I later found out that this is considered to be one of the most important pieces of architecture in Italy. It was designed by Brunelleschi (who designed the dome for the Duomo) and the interior is a surprise, after seeing the unfinished facade on the outside.

The next day I again went off the beaten track so to speak and found the Medici Chapel, which is the funeral chapel for the Medici family. It is full of marvelous Florentine mosaics, marble designs and other works by Michelangelo. Some of these works of art took years to complete, which may be difficult for our modern-day minds to comprehend.

One afternoon I took a bus tour to Pisa, which is about 47 miles from Florence. It would have been a quicker trip by train (about $5 one-way) but I chose the bus tour because I've found all the American Express guides to be very knowledgeable and helpful. Both the cathedral and the Baptistery were treasures. At the time of my visit, no one was allowed into the Leaning Tower because it is in danger of collapse. Hopefully, someone can come up with an idea to save it.

One word of advice--if you go on a bus tour or city tour and go exploring away from the group, be sure to keep your eyes on your watch and return to the bus or announced meeting place on time or you may be left behind. This happened to three women on the Pisa trip and to an elderly couple on our City Tour. The guides have a schedule to keep and will not wait more than a few minutes for stragglers to reappear.

On Day 10, I was again picked up at my hotel and taken to catch the train to Venice. Our bags were loaded onto a baggage car this time, which meant that I didn't have to maneuver them through the train as I had before. However, the water taxi in Venice was not easy to negotiate and we had to carry our own luggage from the mooring all the way to the hotel. The hotel in Venice was the Hotel Cavaletto e Doge Orseolo (calle del Cavaletto 1107) and is very near St. Mark's Square.

Food in this town is extremely expensive, especially near St. Mark's Square, and, as elsewhere in Italy, you pay even more for the privilege of sitting down at a table. At some places, the waiters seemed very irritated if you sat down at a table and ordered anything less than a four-course meal.

The City Tour consisted of a walking tour rather than going by bus, since there are no cars in Venice. We visited St. Mark's, the Doges' Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. The inside of the basilica is stunning, richly decorated with gold mosaics, sculpture, marble and items from the far reaches of the Venetian empire, such as Syria and Constantinople. Supposedly, St. Mark's body was smuggled out of Alexandria in 828 and shipped to Venice, where he became the patron saint of the city. These Italians seem to have made a habit of smuggling bodies from place to place! The Treasury in St. Mark's was a bit disappointing because I had expected to see jewels like the Crown Jewels in London. However, it was actually the spoils from the sacking of Constantinople in the Byzantine period--glassware, religious articles, brass cups with inlaid stones. You might want to skip this if you're short of time.

The Doges' Palace (Palazzo Ducale) is another "must see" attraction. This was the home of the doges (dukes) who ruled Venice but was also a civic structure. Venice was more democratic than either Rome or Florence because in addition to two Doges, who I believe served for life, they had a council and a larger body similar to a senate. The Bridge of Sighs links this building with the prison, hence the sad "sighs" of the victims led from the Council of Ten to certain torture and possible death.

I later took a water taxi to Murano, an island in the lagoon which is famous for glass factories. I went on a tour of one of these factories and saw some exquisite glass pieces in the showrooms but the prices were out of sight. Although they expect the customers to negotiate, their attitude toward the customers seems somewhat patronizing. I found this behavior--making faces and muttering under their breath--to be insulting and at times it affected my enjoyment of this beautiful, romantic city.

One custom I didn't quite understand is that if you are shopping and see an item you would like to examine more closely, you do not pick it up but rather point it out to the storekeeper. He places the item on a little tray and presents it to you. If you purchase it, you place your money on this tray and he puts your change back on it to return to you--almost as if it is not considered classy to exchange money hand to hand.

Two things I will always remember about Venice are St. Mark's Square (Piazza San Marco) and a gondola ride by moonlight. The Piazza is one of the most beautiful in Italy, flanked by St. Mark's cathedral, the bell tower, the Doges' Palace and elegant shops and cafes. Feeding the pigeons in the piazza is an experience in itself!

The gondola ride was one of those special experiences that happens when you allow yourself to mix with the "locals" instead of associating only with the people on your tour bus or hotel. In our explorations of Venice, I and my two new friends met a gondolier and were invited on a ride by the light of the moon, complete with champagne and a seranade.

On Day 13, I was again met at the hotel by an American Express representative and transferred by water taxi to the car park to catch the bus to Milan. The hotel in Milan was the Jolly Touring Hotel (Via V. Tarchetti 2). It was a very modern hotel and the room was big and bright with a fully stocked minibar.

This was an occasion when the City Tour was particularly beneficial because my time here was extremely limited (only a half day) and this is a city that is too large to see by walking alone, as in Florence and Venice. The tour took me to the Castle Sforzesco, which is now the Museum of Ancient Art (Museo D'Antica). This was bombed extensively in WW II, as was most of Milan, but was restored and now houses Michelangelo's Rondanini Pieta, on which he was working at his death.

Michelangelo made four Pietas--the most famous being in St. Peter's in Rome. Two others are in Florence, and the Rondanini is here in Milan. All except the one in St. Peter's are unfinished.

The tour also went to the La Scalla Opera House. This building was also heavily damaged in WW II and was renovated and reopened in 1946. The opera season runs for six months beginning in December. I regretted not having the chance to hear a Verdi or Puccini opera sung here--it would have been a magical experience.

Next, we went to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, which is an extravagant 19th-century precursor of today's shopping malls. This is midway between La Scalla and the cathedral and is sometimes called Il Salotto (the Livingroom). It is actually a beautiful structure in the shape of a cross with a glass dome and mosaics. It also houses a unique institution called an Albergo Diurno (daytime hotel), where you can take a nap or a bath, get a haircut or get a suit pressed. What a great idea!

We then went to the Duomo, the most beautiful, ornate Gothic cathedral I've ever seen. It is one of the largest cathedrals in the world, along with St. Peter's in Rome. It reminded me of a sand castle on a beach, tall spires and Gothic arches. One of the things that I will always remember is the linear calendar on the floor of the cathedral. A hole was placed at a certain spot in the ceiling and at exactly noon the sun shines directly through the hole and strikes a point on a brass inlay line on the floor. It strikes a different point each day and indicates the day of the year. How did they figure that out?! They had none of the intricate scientific instruments we have today. Supposedly, this church will hold 40,000 people.

The next day, a bus picked me up at the hotel and transported me to the airport, which is a 40-minute drive from town. My wonderful Italian adventure was drawing to a close.

Travel is an opportunity to broaden our horizons--to become acquainted with other customs, foods, clothes, religions, politics. It is a way to discover where we fit in this mosaic of life. Our way of being is not necessarily the only way or the best way. Traveling alone is both an adventure and a challenge. This trip to Italy has given me memories that will endure much longer than the actual photographs I took. I hope that this web page will inspire someone else to make the trip.

The Parker Company:This site contains travel tips, listings of houses and villas for rent, hotels, and other helpful information for trip planning.
Italiatour:The programs of this tour company are designed primarily for independent travelers. Some tours are escorted and others are not structured tours.
Perillo Tours:This company has offered tours of Italy for the past 52 years and offers First Class and Deluxe escorted tours and cruises with free air to New York from over 50 TWA cities.
Windows On Italy:This site is a large collection of bilingual links for travelers containing daily Italian newspapers and virtual tours of numerous cities.
Italian Lessons:Learn key phrases.
Italy Hotel Reservation:More than 2,000 hotels are listed in this database and online booking is available.
La Scala:This is a guide to La Scala opera house with a searchable calendar of the upcoming season and information on pricing and telephone ticket sales.
Spalato Exhibit:This site is a virtual exhibit that lets you wander the halls of this gem of late Roman architecture.
Italian Government Tourist Board:This site can provide you with a wealth of information about transportation, entertainment, points of interest, shopping, etc.
Lonely Planet Travel Guide for Italy:This site contains information about the regions and cities in Italy, history and culture, practical information, things to see and do, and accommodations.
Lonely Planet Guide to Rome:This travel planning site contains information to help in planning a visit to Rome.
Lonely Planet Guide to Florence:This travel planning site contains information about Florence.

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