Drive Thru Italy - Pictures from our 10 Day Journey

I love Italy. The country has so many different experiences to offer and so many different faces it can show its guests. In Italy’s Südtirol, you’re as likely to hear German spoken as you are Italian. Likewise, you’re just as apt to find a plate of spaghetti bolognese as you are a plate containing jägerschnitzel and frites. That’s the Italian Alps for you. A mix of cultures and people that hold steadfast to their roots and traditions, even if it is seemingly a mixture from different countries. The state boundaries in the Alps have changed frequently throughout history, but the people living in the Alps didn’t necessarily change with them.

As you move down Italy’s Autostrada 22 and further south, things definitely do become more distinctly Italian. Stop in a few towns along the way, however, and you’ll notice some differences between the people. Verona, although a good-sized city, has a small town feel where the people are friendly and seem more laid back. In contrast, Florence has a much more cosmopolitan feel, where fashion, no matter how God-awful it looks, is worn with gusto and conversations between friends sound like two enemies ready to go to blows. I think a simpler way to put this is that the young people of Florence are just really, really in to themselves – and it’s damn entertaining to watch!

Since I’m running short on time, I’ll just get straight to the pictures.  Click on the underlined portion to go directly to the Flickr gallery for the pictures.

Rosskopf, Italy - an afternoon of skiing.  This is right over the Austro/Italian border.  Dawn, Jef, and I hiked this area last summer also.

               

Kronplatz, Italy - skiing with the ski club in the Italian Alps
 

       

Alta Badia / Sella Ronda, Italy - The Italian Dolomites.  This area was amazingly gorgeous!

     

Verona, Italy - We only spent one night here.  I wish we could have stayed one day longer.  A great city.

     

Florence, Italy - Dawn, Osu, and I feel that Florence is a bit overrated.  It definitely is more of a museum city rather than a walking around city.  Scooters, cars, trucks, bikes - you name it - they are everywhere!  Traffic 'laws' seem only to be suggested instead of hard and fast rules.  Still, a beautiful city!  We planned on spending four nights here, but cut our stay short two nights so we could spend more time in Siena.  That was a good choice on our part!

      

Pisa, Italy - Yep, had to go see the Leaning Tower.....and, it was better than expected!

      

Siena, Italy - I'm glad we made the choice to spend more time here.  The city is nice, but you can see it all in one day.  What is special about the place is the surrounding hill towns only an hour or so away.

      

Towns Surrounding Siena

       

Now, it's time to start working on the high-quality photos and posters from this trip.  I have a lot of material to go through, but am really looking forward to it!  Until then!