In general, I was not going to Italy this time.
In general, I was not going to Italy this time. No, I, of course, considered the route through Italy ...But definitely not the standard set of cities: Milan, Rome, Venice…
I dreamed of different European countries. She drew different routes. Vaccinated Modern. Received a paper certificate and a certificate in "Action". I really wanted to go somewhere. And I wanted to have time to "slip into the open door" until the next tidal wave began.
At some point, it broke out in French Alsace: autumn, bright colors, beautiful landscapes ...In addition, France admitted Ukrainians with a vaccination certificate without any additional conditions. Unlike Italy, which needed a 5-day quarantine. I found cheap tickets.
I wrote the program… But I didn't find a company - someone has already spent their vacation, someone has already traveled Europe and headed to other continents, someone has not been vaccinated and is not ready to take tests every 3 days or just afraid to go…
I have never traveled alone, and "at the table in a cafe" I like to sit with someone. And to solve some organizational issues or unexpected situations, I think, is always easier in two heads. : )
So I had to turn many times to the group tour.
Due to the code, our agencies refocused on Montenegro-Croatia-Albania-Turkey: to have a rest there - it is not necessary to be vaccinated, and not all tests required it. But with tours to France, Italy, Germany, Spain was very bad. Almost not.
Artex offered only Paris for a week.
Incomartour - Portugal or Mallorca with very interesting programs, but the price is not at my income. And quite classic Italy…
Hooray, "Extravaganza" has a tour to Alsace in early October! True, the route is not quite what I wanted, and the price is not quite acceptable to me, but so far I have taken a week to consider whether I am ready to pay this price for a week tour… The cost has increased by another 100 euros. Yes ...
Suddenly, at the end of September, the Italians lifted the 5-day quarantine for us, and the group began to quickly recruit for the Classic Italy tour. Deciding "not to wait for the weather by the sea", in the end, to Rome, Florence, and even Venice, I periodically wanted to return.
The tour program included: Milan - Florence (plus Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena) - Rome - Rimini (San Marino) - Venice. UIA flew through Milan.
There was only a month left before I left, and I sat down to draw up my own routes through these cities.
One week before leaving the program, San Marino was excluded (respectively, overnight in Rimini) because the San Marino was vaccinated by a satellite that is not recognized by the WHO, and you can still enter this small country, but it is impossible to leave it back to Italy without quarantine. Instead of San Marino we were given a tour of Tivoli.
On the last day before departure, I was torn between work, the need to do an antigen test, take my cat to nephews, visit my mother - buy her food and cook for a week of food… And pack a suitcase. The stress was so strong that when I saw a negative test result, tears came to my eyes.
Also, a meeting of the group was scheduled for 8 am in Boryspil, so get up at 5 am. But I managed to fall asleep only on the first night, and after 2.5 hours my body woke up abruptly.
Apparently, that's why I wandered around Milan a bit chaotically, not understanding very quickly and slightly forgetting what I had planned.
At the airport, the manager of Incomartura introduced us to guide Nazar, gave everyone a beautiful red envelope with the company's logo, which contained boarding passes, insurance, travel program, hotel list and already completed dPLF-questionnaire. We used these red envelopes to identify each other at both airports. : )
They got off the plane in Milan and immediately got to the police border - they checked the passport, the certificate with the antigen test (or PCR), the vaccination certificate, the dPLF-questionnaire (the policeman kept it). Next - passport control. I am, as always, lucky, I was again arranged "interrogation with passion" - why did I fly and with whom? For a moment she even thought it was good to be with the band.
We were lucky with the weather.
Even in Kyiv it warmed up the day before, I managed to limit myself to windbreakers and shoes, and in Italy it was almost summer for a few days.
Only one day - the first day in Rome - the trip ruined my rain, preventing me from taking pictures and adding grayness to the already not very bright landscapes.
This is where the introduction can end, and so it turned out not small. After all, this time she promised herself to write as little text as possible, making her story only such a "photo gallery". Something, and I took a "million" photos. : )
MILAN. Saturday .
Arrived at 12.05. Passport control, boarding the bus, moving to the city… Around two o'clock in the afternoon the bus was parked in Castello Sforzesco. The guide announced the program for the rest of the day, the group waited for the guide, and I rushed to implement my route.
I had a little less than four hours - at 18.00 we left Milan because we spent the night in a hotel on the outskirts of Bologna.
So… I jerked through the Sforza Castle Park - my first stop was the Chiesa e Convento Domenicano di Santa Maria delle Grazie (Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie), which was on the other side of the complex Sforzesco on Corso Magenta. Last visit to Milan we never got to this church. So I started with her. The church is famous for the famous fresco of Leonardo da Vinci "The Last Supper". However, Leonardo's masterpiece itself is located in the refectory building, to the left of the church.
Knowing from my own experience that many cathedrals in Italy are closed during the day, I carefully outlined the mode of operation of those I met. Usually, this information is always in the description of attractions on Google Maps, or on the site of the attraction.
In the case of Santa Maria delle Grazia, I did not find the time of her work anywhere and was convinced that the church is open all day: well, Milan is a very popular city, the church is most famous for its frescoes of crowds of pilgrims, and therefore the church itself … Is it logical? : ))
No. After slamming all the closed doors and talking a little with the Afro-Italian who hung out here - they always crowd in popular places, quickly calculate the number of tourists and try to pair them with some souvenir-nepo? needed - I found out that I have 15 minutes of free time, until 16.00. "Kill Time" went to Corso Magenta - I knew that there are several blocks of flats in the style of Liberty (Italian Art Nouveau), and before the trip "walked" a Google man on Corso in search of these buildings.
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I return to Piazza di Santa Maria delle Grazie in half an hour, at 4.15 pm - the church is still closed. And suddenly I saw (!! ) A sign with the mode of operation, next to the door: 09.00 - 12.20, 15.30 - 17.50.
In confusion, I turn to a lady - the beginning of the fifth, and the church is still closed, what's the matter? She leads me to the door, pointing to the number "15.30". I show her my watch: 4:15 p. m. We look at each other in surprise ...And here it comes to me - I forgot to turn the clock to an hour ago! But I remember exactly what I was going to do!
And again I have 15 minutes of free time. : )))
I see a street to the right of the square…
And thus dimensional things are brought into the apartment
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It was Via Fratelli Ruffini. I wandered from building to building, turning right and left to the neighboring streets, reaching the end of the blocks and turning back and back, crossing the square, merging at the "red" traffic lights… And tried to take pictures of everything my eyes see.
Providence seems to have heard me.
I squeaked with delight and was happy with this "15 minutes", which, as it seemed to me at first, was not at all timely.
But it's a pity I didn't have much time!
Continued here>>>
