Family Footprints: An Unforgettable Italian Adventure – Part 4

Posted on September 15, 2025 by memoriesandsuch

Venice
We reached Venice around 8 pm, and my god, the first view of the city by the water completely blew me away! We reached just around sunset, and the city was so beautiful! We took a water taxi to the stop closest to our Airbnb, which was the Rialto Bridge, and walked to the house. Venice is full of cobbled streets and lots of bridges, so we had a slightly hard time walking to the house. The flat was on the second floor and didn’t have an elevator, so again I had to climb with the luggage. We went and brought back food, had a nice dinner with wine, and slept after a tiring day.

The next day, our last day of the trip, we woke up slightly late, and then after getting ready and checking out, we left our luggage at a luggage storage place. There are lots around, and we found one midway between our house and the water taxi point. We also booked tickets for a water taxi to get to the airport before leaving the house. After coffee, we walked to St. Mark’s Square, where we took in the beauty of the square and the Doge’s Palace. Then it was time to tick off a bucket list item—a gondola ride. We negotiated and got two gondolas and took the one-hour ride. After that, it was time for a quick lunch before one of us had to leave for the train station, as she was continuing her trip in Italy. The rest of us wandered around and finally picked up our luggage before heading to the water taxi embarkation point at Rialto. The taxi took about an hour to get to the airport, which is also connected to a jetty. It was super hot at this point, and it was the only time I had to put my hair up! Then a two-hour flight back to London before we took a taxi back to my sister’s house.

*Another view of the Venice Grand Canal*

The next day, the day I was flying back to Singapore, we all woke up late, after being exhausted the previous six days. After getting ready, I got my sister to take me food shopping. I had a list of some cheese, tea, and oils to buy, which I was not able to purchase in Italy because of the rules in the UK. Then we went to lunch at this amazing West African restaurant. We had the tasting menu, which lasted for about 2 hours. After that, we dropped the sister, who also lives in London, at the train station, which was the easiest way for her to get home, and then rushed home because it was late for me to get to the airport. I was stressed at this point because I had heard so much about how long it would take to clear check-in and passport control at London Heathrow that I was constantly refreshing all the apps I had checking about the times it would take me. After quickly changing and putting my things in my bag, we left for the airport. Check-in was smooth, as was passport control and customs, and I was finally on the other side. Then it was another 13 hours to Singapore, which I spent more or less sleeping, and then I was reunited with my family!

And that was our epic trip in spring!

Some last thoughts:

We packed too much into the trip – if I have to redo it, I would only do one main activity or attraction in a day and let us flow through the day. Since this was the first trip to Italy for most of us, we wanted to maximise our time there. What we forgot was that if you have six women trying to get out of the door, things will be delayed! Also, maybe we should not have gone to Venice and had an additional day in Florence. But this just means I have to go back to see all that I missed.

We used the Frecciarossa high-speed train from the Italian Rail, and I was impressed. We decided to spend a bit more and booked business class tickets on both journeys. The trains left and arrived on time on both trips. On the trip from Rome to Florence, other than us, there were two other people in the cabin, while we were the only ones in the cabin on the trip from Florence to Venice. The ticket also included a drink and a cookie. There is a small storage area above the seats, and bigger bags can be stored in a dedicated space at the entrance of the cabin. It was safe, as this was a nonstop trip and we were in eye contact with our luggage at all times. During the Rome to Florence trip, we did have some police asking to see our passports, but this didn’t happen on the second trip.

We also used Rome’s metro almost exclusively during our time there and didn’t have any issues. We all had contactless cards and used them. Rome’s metro has a fixed charge, and we paid €1.5 for each trip, irrespective of the distance, and you only need to tap your card when you enter, not when you exit. We did see a couple jump fare when we were coming back from dinner near Piazza Popolo, so that took us by surprise.

I was also worried about pickpockets in Italy and especially in Rome and had taken the precaution of having my phone on a lanyard around my neck at all times, but we didn’t see anything, and touch wood, nothing happened to us. I guess, growing up in India, we unconsciously were careful, or maybe we didn’t look like it was worth pickpocketing us. I also never had my passport with me; instead, I had a photo and my digital copy on hand.

Some tips and tricks that may help future travellers:

Overall Italy:

The streets are cobbled, and most older buildings don’t have lifts or elevators. So, before you pack that extra piece of clothing, think about whether you will be able to carry it up. My knowledge is from Airbnb, so if you are staying in a hotel, it may be different.
When visiting churches, shoulders and knees must be covered (men too), hats off, and no sleeveless tops. Both Florence’s Duomo and St Mark’s Basilica are strict and actively turning people away. Pack a light scarf for instant compliance.
Reserve, screenshot, repeat. Timed tickets for hot spots (Colosseum arena, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Accademia, Uffizi) open ~90 days out and often live only in a QR code. Save it offline: Italian turnstiles frequently lose signal, and email apps can lag. Florence’s Dome is now gated by the Brunelleschi Pass, so no pass, no climb.
Stamp (or check in) your regional train ticket. Paper regional tickets must be time-stamped in the green/white machines; digital tickets need the Trenitalia/Italo “check-in” tap before departure. Fines start around €50 if the conductor catches an unstamped fare.
Historic centres in pretty much all Italian cities are camera-policed limited-traffic zones; a rental car that strays inside can trigger an €80–€120 ticket months after you’re home, plus the agency’s admin fee. Park outside the walls and ride public transport instead.
Carry a small cross-body and stay alert.
Keep phones zipped away during crowd surges and ignore “helpful” strangers who bump or offer petitions.

Rome:

Book tickets early for major sites like the Colosseum and the Vatican. We booked almost 2 months out and still could not get the dates/times we wanted. Hence, the big miss when we went to Vatican City.
Use contactless cards on Rome’s public transit system. We used the same card for both the metro and the bus and, in both cases, paid €1.50 for each ride, irrespective of its length.
Hydrate from the street. Rome’s 2,500 nasoni fountains pour free, safe water 24/7. Carry a bottle and skip pricey kiosks. Look for “acqua non potabile” signs before sipping.

Florence:

Book Brunelleschi Pass tickets in advance for timed entry.
The Uffizi is free on the first Sunday of the month, but expect crowds.
Avoid driving in ZTL zones; you will be liable for heavy fines otherwise.

Venice:

Budget for the “invisible” fees. Venice now charges day-trippers €5 (€10 if you book within 4 days of arrival) on 54 peak-season dates; carry the downloaded QR or risk a €50–€300 fine at the causeways.
Take the skip-the-line queue for St. Mark’s Basilica; watch for acqua alta.
The vaporetto pass is cheaper, but avoid large luggage. Though when we did use it from the station to our Airbnb, one of us had a large luggage, it was ok, but manageable.
There are fines for feeding pigeons or sitting on the Rialto Bridge steps.

Family Footprints: An Unforgettable Italian Adventure – Part 3

Posted on September 3, 2025 by memoriesandsuch

*View from the train on the way to Florence*

Early the next day, we checked out of our Airbnb and made our way to the Roma Termini station for our Frecciarossa train to Florence. We had booked business class tickets, and other than two other people in the carriage, we had the carriage to ourselves. We reached Florence around 10:30 am and took a taxi to our next Airbnb. Our Florence host had graciously allowed us to leave our luggage in the Airbnb while it was being cleaned. So after dropping our luggage, we started our short Florence trip. We walked to the Duomo, and I had a jaw-dropping moment there. It dominates the landscape and made me think of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London.

Construction of Florence’s Duomo complex began in 1296 under Arnolfo di Cambio; Filippo Brunelleschi crowned it with his revolutionary double-shell dome in 1436, still the world’s largest in masonry at 43 m wide. We did not go inside and climb the dome, but the next time, I will climb all 463 steps in Brunelleschi’s Dome and brush past Vasari’s Last Judgment fresco before stepping onto a 91 m-high lantern terrace for city-wide views. One can also climb the 414 steps up Giotto’s Campanile for a front-row view of the dome’s herringbone brickwork. At the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, one can stand inches from Ghiberti’s original Gates of Paradise and Michelangelo’s Pietà Bandini before they return outdoors.

After lunch in the shadow of Brunelleschi’s Dome, we walked to Piazza della Signoria, which has anchored Florentine civic life since 1330. Its irregular “w-shaped” stones still front the crenellated Palazzo Vecchio, the seat of government from the medieval Republic to today’s city council. Under the tower’s shadow, the square doubles as an open-air sculpture gallery. A copy of Michelangelo’s David guards the palace door; the neighbouring Loggia dei Lanzi frames masterpieces from Cellini’s Perseus to Giambologna’s Sabine Women. Ammannati’s marble-and-bronze Fountain of Neptune returned to full sparkle in 2019 after a €1.5 million Ferragamo-funded overhaul that replaced long-silent pumps and cleaned centuries of grime. I loved the sculpture of the young woman holding a smartphone. Apparently, it is a four-metre contemporary bronze by Thomas J. Price called Time Unfolding, which will remain until 14 September 2025. Beyond statuary, one can climb the Arnolfo Tower for 360° city views or follow the freshly reopened Vasari Corridor from Palazzo Vecchio toward the Uffizi and Ponte Vecchio, walking the same secret Medici passage first built in 1565.

While we were relaxing amidst the statues, we were told our Airbnb was ready for us. So we quickly gathered our things and checked in. After resting for a while, we decided to head out, this time just walking and taking in Florence. We split up initially and then met up and did some shopping before heading out for dinner. After dinner, it was time for some gelato and then bed before our Tuscan road trip the next day.

We woke up early, and two of us went out to get the car we had reserved. Here is where we hit the first of the many snags of the day. Our plan was to be out of Florence by 8:30 am, but when we reached the car rental place by 8 am, it was still shut, and there was a queue of about 10ish people ahead of us. By the time we collected the car, it was almost 10 am, and our ticket at Pisa was for 10:30 am. The distance between Florence and Pisa is between 60 and 90 minutes, and so we were late even before we started the drive.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa looms improbably over the Campo dei Miracoli, tilting 3.97° off-plumb because the alluvial clay beneath its foundations started to give way soon after work began in 1173; the bell tower was finally completed in 1372. A decade-long engineering rescue from 1990 to 2001 removed 70 tonnes of soil, nudged the structure upright by 45 cm, and reopened it to visitors; a web of fibre-optic sensors now feeds live data to engineers who forecast at least 200 years of stability. Climbing the 251 spiral steps is a disorienting thrill; the gradient alternately steepens and eases as the tilt shifts underfoot before one steps onto the belfry terrace for wide-angle views of Tuscany and a close-up of the seven medieval bells. Back on the lawn, look for the delicate reliefs at ground level and indulge in the obligatory “holding-up-the-tower” photo.

We reached Pisa and the Leaning Tower around noon, and after parking the rented car close to the complex, we walked over. We tried going inside but were not allowed and were told to purchase new tickets. Since we were getting late, we left the Leaning Tower complex and had a quick meal before making our way to the next stop on our itinerary.

Perched on a ridge of Tuscan vineyards, San Gimignano still thrusts 14 medieval tower-houses skyward, remnants of more than 70 that once broadcast family pride and rivalries. Their unmistakable skyline, intact walls, and 14th-century fresco cycles earned the town UNESCO World Heritage status in 1990. At the Piazza del Duomo, you begin at the Torre Grossa, where one can climb 218 wooden steps for sweeping views of the Apuan Alps and Siena’s dome. Inside the adjoining Palazzo Comunale, Benozzo Gozzoli’s pastoral frescoes frame a camera-ready civic courtyard. Steps away, the Romanesque Collegiata cathedral dazzles with a near-complete Old and New Testament cycle by the 14th-century Sienese school. But we didn’t make it into the town. By the time we reached the town’s car park, we realised we had to leave if we were to make it to our wine tasting session at the Castello di Brolio on time. Reluctantly, we left and took the route passing through Siena, which we wanted to come back to.

Driving through the Tuscan countryside is amazing! We took the long route and stopped frequently to take in the views and photos. And we finally made it to the Castello di Brolio just in time for the wine tasting session. Castello di Brolio has belonged to the Ricasoli family since 1141, making it Italy’s oldest continuously run wine estate. The brick-red battlements you see today are a 19th-century neo-Gothic rebuild commissioned by Baron Bettino Ricasoli, the statesman who also penned the original Chianti Classico formula. We circled the ramparts for postcard vistas that sweep across 240 hectares of vineyards to Siena and distant Monte Amiata, then wandered Renaissance box gardens and the family chapel. We had the Classic wine tasting with three wines, and after the session, some of my sisters brought bottles of wine to take home. I am not a drinker, but even I loved the wines we tasted.

After the wine tasting, it was time for dinner. As I mentioned, some of my sisters are big foodies, and one of them found a Michelin-starred vegetarian restaurant in Siena, so we decided to go there because they were not picking up the phone to make a reservation. Another sister wanted to visit Siena, so this worked for everyone.

We reached Siena around 7 pm. Set atop three converging ridges in southern Tuscany, Siena preserves one of Europe’s purest Gothic cityscapes; UNESCO inscribed the entire historic centre in 1995 for the way its 13th- and 14th-century street plan and ochre-brick facades survive almost intact. The fan-shaped Piazza del Campo is still the civic stage: twice a year it morphs into the thundering Palio horse race. Just above the square, the zebra-striped Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta dazzles. Climb the 102-m Torre del Mangia for vineyard-striped horizons.

The restaurant was completely booked, and they turned us away. So we frantically googled alternatives. And then it started raining. We went back to the car park and tried alternatives. But it was decided unanimously that we would walk to Piazza del Campo for dinner. The streets of this part of Siena are extremely hilly and winding. But after walking to the Piazza, the views were worth it. We had dinner at one of the restaurants in the Piazza before making our way back to the car park and then the drive back to Florence.

Piazza del Campo is the red-brick heart of Siena. Its distinctive shell unfurls in nine cream-travertine wedges, a permanent tribute to the “Nine” oligarchs who guided the city’s 14th-century heyday, and a key reason UNESCO protected the entire historic centre in 1995. On the square’s lower rim rises the Palazzo Pubblico with its soaring Torre del Mangia. While the belfry’s 400-step climb rewards you with views over Chianti hills, the palace itself offers a rarer thrill: scaffold-level tours of Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s Allegory of Good and Bad Government frescoes. Opposite, Jacopo della Quercia’s marble Fonte Gaia gleams again after a laser cleaning completed in February 2024; its wolves and Genesis reliefs now sparkle against the Sienese brick.

We left Siena around 10 pm for the 1-hour-plus drive back to Florence. I had a headache because of the rain, and so I pretty much slept the drive. I think in the entire trip, this road trip would stand out as a highlight because of all the fun we had. We stored the car in a local garage to be returned the next day.

The next day was our last in Florence, and we had tickets to see David at the Academia. Our original plan was to take a 2 pm train to Venice, but because we wanted to spend more time in the city, we moved our ticket to about 6 pm. Our slot to the Academia was at noon, so after a good breakfast, a couple of us went to return the car while the rest of us worked on clearing the house and getting ready to leave. Our host very graciously offered to let us keep our luggage at a restaurant they co-owned close by, so after checking out and leaving the luggage, we walked to the Academia. We had to wait in a queue for about 15-20 minutes before we could enter.

The Galleria dell’Accademia was founded in 1784 as a teaching museum; today its seven rooms orbit Michelangelo’s David: the five-metre marble hero carved 1501-1504 and installed here in 1873 to shield him from the elements. Every two months, restorers vacuum dust from his curls and scan for micro-cracks, a ritual that keeps the icon in “remarkable health” despite drawing more than two million visitors a year.

*Sculpture of Stitch at the Galleria dell’Accademia*

The Hall of the Prisoners, where four unfinished slaves wrestle with their marble bonds, comes first before a long hallway with David at the very end. It was not very crowded, and we could walk around the statue, taking in the sculpture’s beauty. Then we walked into the Hall of the Colossus to see Giambologna’s life-size plaster for The Rape of the Sabines flanked by early-Renaissance altarpieces. The luminous Gipsoteca Bartolini showcases 19th-century plaster casts under skylights restored in 2021, while the adjoining Museum of Musical Instruments, home to a Stradivari “Medici” violin and one of Cristofori’s earliest pianos, was amazing. Towards the exit, unexpectedly, I came across a sculpture of Stitch from the film, Lilo and Stitch, draped in a toga. The project is a three-way partnership between Disney Italy, the Italian Ministry of Culture and the museum, timed to promote the live-action Lilo & Stitch remake and to pull new, younger audiences into Florence’s most visited art space. I enjoyed this ode to modern art amidst all the classical and Renaissance art and sculptures.

After visiting the Academia, we decided to have Indian for lunch and walked to one about 10 minutes away. After lunch, we each wandered away, to do our own thing before agreeing to meet at the place where we had stored our luggage around 4 pm. Then it was time to go back to the station to catch another high-speed train to the last stop of our holiday.

Our last stop, Venice, comes up next, along with lessons learned and some tips.

Family Footprints: An Unforgettable Italian Adventure – Part 2

Posted on August 27, 2025 by memoriesandsuch

Rome
We reached the airport about 2.5 hours before our flight because we had heard all sorts of horror stories about the airport. But we were pleasantly surprised and checked in and were sent on our way in less than 10 minutes. After breakfast at the airport, we started our journey. We landed in Rome in the afternoon, and there was a bit of a rush in Italian immigration. We could have taken the train to Roma Termini, but because there were six of us, a taxi was cheaper. Though Italy has Uber, only the premium taxis can be hired. Instead, the FreeNow app is more widely used, from which we got our taxi. We used Airbnb all through the trip, and our Airbnb in Rome was close to the Colosseum.

After checking in and freshening up, we headed out to go to the Vatican. We had a 5:30 slot at the Vatican Museum and a slightly earlier slot at St. Peter’s Basilica. We missed the basilica slot but made it to the Vatican Museum. Because it is a Jubilee year and a new Pope has just been selected, the crowds were crazy in all the Italian cities we visited. The Vatican Museum was no exception. But what a museum!

Founded in 1506 by Pope Julius II and expanded by successive pontiffs, the Vatican Museums form a 7-km labyrinth of galleries that chart 3,000 years of human creativity. The Sistine Chapel is the last but probably the most visited part of the museum, where Michelangelo’s ceiling and Last Judgment remain the undisputed stars of the collection. The recently restored four Raphael Rooms are gorgeous, their luminous frescoes now glowing as they did for Leo X’s court. In the Pio-Clementine Museum, the newly restored Apollo of the Belvedere once again commands the Octagonal Courtyard, its marble surface revealing subtle details lost for generations. At the Anima Mundi, the reimagined ethnographic wing, the freshly installed Africa and Americas galleries place sacred masks, bark-cloths, and Inuit carvings on equal footing with the Western canon. I loved the Gallery of Maps with its intricate illustrative maps, the jewel-like Pinacoteca, and the vertiginous modern Bramante/Momo spiral ramp. When you are finally exhausted, you reach the Sistine Chapel, where photography is prohibited, and just find space in the benches in the perimeter of the room to sit and take in the beauty of the room and the ceiling!

After this assault on the senses, it was time for dinner. Our group was comprised of foodies, so we ate really well during this trip. The first evening, we had a fancy dinner at the Raphael hotel. We could not get the rooftop dining experience, but the food was so, so good. I was practically falling asleep at my plate, so around 10 pm, we finally called it a day.

The next day was for the Colosseum. Our timed entry was for 9:30 am, but since we were less than 10 minutes away on foot, we took our time in the morning. Carved into the heart of ancient Rome, the Colosseum and neighbouring Palatine Hill form a single archaeological park that distils two millennia of power, spectacle, and imperial luxury into a walkable circuit. We began with the Colosseum, inaugurated in AD 80 by Emperor Titus. We only had the normal ticket, so we only went to the main area. But if you purchase the full experience ticket, you cam go onto the partly reconstructed arena floor, gaze down into the fully accessible hypogeum with its maze of lifts, cages, and service corridors reopened to visitors after a recent restoration campaign, and then climb to the upper ring for skyline views stretching from the Capitoline to the distant dome of St. Peter’s. We spent quite a bit of time at the Colosseum, marvelling at its grandeur. After a quick lunch nearby, we walked back to tackle Palatine Hill, mythical birthplace of Romulus and later the postcode of choice for Rome’s emperors. We walked around and caught the vividly painted private rooms of Augustus and Livia that survive in remarkable condition. We last headed to the Farnese Gardens, Europe’s first botanical garden, which offers fragrant terraces with postcard views over the Circus Maximus. After spending a couple of hours here, we headed back to our Airbnb to freshen up before dinner near Piazza del Popolo.

On our last full day in Rome, we decided to head to the Trevi Fountain first. The Trevi Fountain is carved into a palace façade at the junction of “tre vie,” channels the 1st-century BCE Aqua Virgo aqueduct, and crowns Rome’s Baroque age. Pope Clement XII commissioned Nicola Salvi in 1732; after Salvi’s death, Giuseppe Pannini finished the marble theatrics in 1762, centring Oceanus in a shell chariot that surges from craggy rocks toward the city’s ancient heart. A 16-month restoration funded by Fendi in 2014-15 scrubbed the travertine, replaced hidden pumps, and relit the basin, ensuring its moonlit shimmer endures.

We walked about 25-30 minutes from our Airbnb to get to the fountain. It was so crowded, but we managed to get up close in front to take photos and do the coin toss. It is believed that if you stand facing away from the fountain and toss a coin over your left shoulder, you will return to Rome. And for those who are seeking love, it is believed that tossing three coins will get you the love of an Italian!

From the Trevi Fountain, we walked to the Pantheon, but not before a gelato. As with every other attraction in Rome, the Pantheon was also crowded, and so we just saw it from the outside before making our way to Piazza Navona.

Rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian around AD 118–125 atop Agrippa’s earlier temple, the Pantheon still boasts the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome and an oculus that rains sunlight, and, each Pentecost, rose petals into the marble rotunda. Converted to the church of Santa Maria ad Martyres in 609, it shelters the tombs of Raphael and Italy’s first kings. A €5 timed-entry system introduced in July 2023 now funds ongoing conservation, including 2025 dome reinforcement and portico cleaning backed by Tod’s. One should not miss the noon sunbeam illuminating the floor, the original bronze door leaves, and the Latin portico inscription (“M·AGRIPPA·L·F·COS TERTIVM·FECIT”) linking two Roman ages.

Occupying the footprint of Domitian’s first-century athletics stadium, Piazza Navona is an elongated “living room” and is Rome’s Baroque set piece. At its heart lies Bernini’s Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, personifying the Nile, Danube, Ganges, and Río de la Plata. Framing it are Giacomo della Porta’s Neptune and Moor fountains and Borromini’s undulating façade of Sant’Agnese in Agone.

After spending some time admiring the gorgeous sculptures, we made our way for lunch, after which we did a spot of shopping, and then two of my sisters decided they wanted a break. The rest of us decided to walk to the Spanish Steps, which took us about 20 minutes of walking. We also stopped for coffee on the way.

One of Rome’s iconic sights, the Spanish Steps, is fashioned from creamy travertine and was built between 1723 and 1726. With 138 steps, it was financed by France to link its embassy-church above with Spanish diplomatic territory below. A €1.5 million Bulgari-backed restoration scrubbed the balustrades in 2016, and since 2019, anyone who sits or rolls a suitcase on the monument risks fines of €250-€400, preserving the marble for posterity. Crowning the staircase is the Church of Trinità dei Monti, a French-Gothic twin-tower basilica whose nave shelters delicate 16th-century frescoes and an 1864 Cavaillé-Coll organ. While we didn’t go inside the church, we were impressed with the views from the porch of the church.

A few minutes’ stroll farther up Viale Trinità dei Monti leads to the pine-fringed Pincio Terrace, the southern gateway to Villa Borghese’s gardens. We walked to the gardens and took in the atmosphere. Then, tired, we sat down at a lake in the garden to chit-chat for a while and take a break. While there, I was entranced by a young Roman family with their toddler. All this while, my bag had been strapped crossbody with my phone on a strap around my neck. I was so engrossed with the toddler’s antics that when it was time to leave, I forgot that I had removed my bag from my shoulder and kept it aside. So, I just got up and started walking. We left the garden and walked across the street, and were contemplating whether we should take a taxi or the metro to get back to our Airbnb. It was then I realised that I didn’t have my bag with me! I immediately started running back to where we were sitting, and during those five minutes, my mind was frantically cataloguing the contents of my bag and wondering which cards I should cancel and how. It was one of the longest five minutes of my life. I reached the lake where we were sitting, and in a huge miracle, my bag was exactly where I had left it. With all that I had read about Rome, this was my Roman miracle, and I thanked all the gods, Indian and Roman, for my good fortune! We then walked to the nearest metro station, which happened to be in Piazza Poppolo. Our time in Rome had come to an end as we were going to have a quiet night with a cheese board, wine, and gossip.

Our next destination, Florence, is coming up soon.

Family Footprints: An Unforgettable Italian Adventure – Part 1

Posted on July 28, 2025 by memoriesandsuch

It’s been a couple of months since I came back from my epic spring trip. So, it’s high time I wrote a trip report, and that’s what this, along with a few more posts, will be all about.

To recap, six of us cousins and sisters planned on a trip together this spring. We’d been planning this trip for a long time, and it finally came together in May. How are we related? We’re all first cousins, our mums are sisters, and we’ve been quite close all our lives. When we were younger, because of the age gap, maybe we could not be as close as we wanted to, but as adults, we have maintained a closeness and know all the highs and lows of each other’s lives.

*My home for the 13 odd hours to London*

The Planning
After going back and forth on locations, we finally zeroed in on Italy. Mainly because it checked all boxes, including being vegetarian and vegan-friendly. Our base would be London, where two of my cousins lived, and the others would travel to Europe. We flew in from North America and Asia. Once the location was decided, I decided to spend some days before the trip in London. I decided to travel about five days before we were supposed to fly out to continental Europe, and I was the first to arrive.

I flew Singapore’s flagship airline, Singapore Airlines. My options were nonstop flights to London or transiting in the Middle East. I decided to go the nonstop route since it was a 13-hour flight, and this would be my first long-haul flight, and I don’t do very well during flights. Even on flights to India, after about two hours, I start getting impatient and just want to land. So I rationalised that a nonstop flight would be faster, hence, it would be easier on me. Next came the choice of the airline. My choices were Singapore Airlines, which, at the time I booked my tickets, had four daily flights to Singapore, British Airways, which had two daily flights and Qantas Airlines, which had one daily flight, all flying into London Heathrow. I think Singapore Airlines also had one flight to London Gatwick, but since Heathrow was closer to my sister’s house, I didn’t look at this option. I next looked at ticket prices and all three airlines had similar prices, within $100-150 of each other. Since I have been a KrisFlyer member, and this trip would give me miles, it was a no-brainer for me to choose SIA. I booked a day flight out to London, which meant I took the flight that left Singapore around 9 am and landed in London around 3:45 pm, local time. My return flight was a late evening flight which left London at 8:30 pm, landing in Singapore the next day around 5 pm. This meant I reached London late enough that I don’t crash with jetlag and can sleep after an early dinner to be able to sightsee the next day, and the return flight meant I had almost the entire day after landing from Italy to spend more time with my sisters.

I also offered to plan the itinerary of the trip. The cousin I was staying with is an intrepid traveller, and between her practical know-how and my planning skills, we were able to plan the trip. We decided to go to three cities, Rome, Florence and Venice. We stayed in Rome for three nights, spent two nights in Florence and stayed overnight in Venice. All travel between Italian cities was conducted using their high-speed trains. We flew out of London Gatwick to Rome and from Venice into London Heathrow.

My almost 14-hour flight from Singapore to London Heathrow was uneventful. The aircraft was an A380, which meant about 500 people across multiple classes were flying together on two levels. I had booked the cheapest ticket, which came with 25 kg of checked-in baggage and 7 kg of carry-on luggage. While booking the ticket, I wanted to book the exit row seat, which came in at SGD 150 per seat per leg, but was dissuaded by my sister, who said this would open up during check-in. She was wrong. A month or so after I booked my ticket, those seats were snapped up, and I regretted not purchasing them when I could. Since I was a solo passenger and maybe because of my frequent flyer membership, I got an aisle seat (thank god) next to a lovely couple who were travelling from New Zealand to London. So at least I was able to move around during the flight. Since my flight was a day flight and we were flying west, chasing the sun, I felt the flight was boring!

I had pre-loaded my phone and tablet with entertainment and books, and also used the in-flight entertainment system, but as I mentioned earlier, I get bored easily onboard. So the walking around really helped. I could not sleep because I was well-rested and also excited, though I think I did take a couple of small naps during the flight.

London
We landed in London on time, and immigration was a breeze. Singapore citizens need an ETA or Electronic Travel Authorisation instead of a visa, which I had gotten a week before my trip. I needed to download the UK ETA app on my phone and apply for the ETA by scanning my passport’s biometrics into it. It cost about GBP 16 or SGD 30, and approval came in less than five minutes after the application. The ETA is valid for two years, and I can stay in the UK for tourism purposes for six months at a time. So, because I had the ETA, all I needed to do was scan my passport at border control, and I was officially in the UK!

My sister picked me up from the airport, and after meeting her family, we went for a walk around 8 pm, and the sun was still shining! I laboured on till dinner and bedtime because I wanted to be fresh for the next day, my first day in London. I had about 2.5 days to explore London, after which the others would land and our trip would officially begin.

On my first full day in London, we left the house early and headed to Hyde Park. My sister lives on the outer edge of zone 1, walking distance from a tube station, so that was our mode of transport. After walking across Hyde Park, I checked out the Serpentine lake and saw Kensington Palace from outside, and then sat for a while in Kensington Gardens before walking out of the park.

Our next stop was the Victoria & Albert Museum. This museum has been on my visit list for years. When I was in my late teens or early twenties, the V&A Museum had a travelling show they took to many cities around the world, including Mumbai. I think this was to celebrate a milestone year in the museum’s history. I went to the museum twice, once alone and once with my sister, and this cousin and her sister. I was entranced and knew whenever I go to London, I had to visit the museum. And to my good fortune, my sister also enjoys museums and just the week before she had gotten membership to the V&A. This meant, in addition to the free exhibits, we could also check out their special exhibit, which was an exhibit showcasing Cartier’s jewellery over the years, which was out of the world.

After spending a few delightful hours at the museum, we went back to Hyde Park because my sister had to run some errands. We then walked to Buckingham Palace and saw it from the outside. Then walked across St James’ Park, where we spent some time admiring the views and then home. I had walked more than 23,000 steps and was feeling jet lagged at this point.

On the next day, we left home bright and early to go and visit the Tower of London. I had prebooked a slot for us for 9:30 am. The Tower of London is phenomenal. If there is only one attraction you want to pay for in London, it should be this. Rising on the north bank of the Thames, the Tower of London began in 1078 when William the Conqueror ordered the White Tower, a stark stone keep meant to cow newly conquered Londoners and guard the capital. Over nine tumultuous centuries, it expanded into a concentric fortress, royal palace, menagerie, mint, and, most famously, a high-security prison. Its walls echo with tales of intrigue and tragedy: Anne Boleyn’s final walk, Guy Fawkes’s interrogation, and the mysterious disappearance of the “Princes in the Tower.” The Tower is a UNESCO World Heritage Site today and one of Britain’s most popular museums and tourist attractions.

I wanted to see the crown jewels and especially the Koh-i-Noor diamond, but to be honest, the diamond felt a bit underwhelming to me. Maybe because of the diamond’s history, I expected it to be much more, but it didn’t speak to me like I thought it would. We also joined a Yeoman Warder’s tour, but because of the crowd, we couldn’t hear much, so left the tour less than 10 minutes after joining it.

After the Tower of London, we walked to the Tower Bridge and took some photos before our next destination, a quaint church close to the Tower Bridge called St Dubstan of the East. Set within the ruins of a Wren church, St Dunstan in the East Church Garden is a green oasis with benches and a fountain with greenery draping the historic walls. The church was originally built around 1100, a new south aisle was added in 1391 and it was repaired in 1631. It was severely damaged in 1666 by the Great Fire of London. The Church was again severely damaged in the Blitz of 1941. Wren’s tower and steeple survived the bombing. During the reorganisation of the Anglican Church after World War II, it was decided not to rebuild St Dunstan’s. In 1967, the City of London decided to turn the remains into a public garden, which opened in 1970. When we were there, it was lunchtime and we found many office workers having lunch there. I wish there were someplace like this when I worked full-time, so I could also have a breather during lunch in cool and sylvan surroundings.

Our next destination was a place that was GG’s wish, Leadenhall Market. A huge Harry Potter fan, Leadenhall Market is where the first film of the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, was partly filmed. Leadenhall Market was used to represent the area of London leading to the popular wizarding pub The Leaky Cauldron and was the inspiration for the magical shopping street Diagon Alley. It’s a charming, airy market in the heart of the city with shops, boutiques and restaurants with stunning architecture dating back to the 14th century.

We were hungry at this point, and our next stop was perfect for lunch. We went to London’s highest public garden, the Sky Garden, to take in 360-degree views of the city’s iconic skyline as well as have lunch at one of the restaurants in the space. Access to the Sky Garden is free of charge, but spaces are limited and visits must be booked in advance. Here we were joined by others in the family, and it was lovely to see all the sights in the city centre with the Thames flowing past, and then have a yummy lunch.

Post lunch, we wandered across the London Bridge and walked to Borough Market. This is one of the largest and oldest food markets in London, with a market on the site dating back to at least the 12th century. The present buildings were built in the 1850s, and today the market mainly sells speciality foods to the general public. After having some dessert here, we hopped into the tube to Greenwich to take an uber for an exciting trip.

*The financial district from the Uber Boat*

At Greenwich, we walked down to the pier to take an Uber boat down the Thames. The only option available at that point was a boat to the Westminster Pier, so we hopped into that. It was a nice way to see London by the river, and I enjoyed the trip, soaking in the sights that I would otherwise not see. The trip took about 30-40 minutes, and we were able to pay using the same cards that we used on the tube and bus. After disembarking from the boat, we wandered around Westminster and then took the tube home.

On my third day in London, the first thing we did was to return to the airport to pick up my sister. After she came home and freshened up, we went out. Our destination was the St Paul’s Cathedral. Dominating the skyline with its gleaming dome, St Paul’s Cathedral is the masterpiece Sir Christopher Wren raised after the Great Fire of 1666, and was completed in 1710. Outside, its soaring 365-ft silhouette draws the eye, while inside, a serene Baroque nave draws the eye up to a coffered dome inspired by St Peter’s in Rome. Whisper along the interior of the Whispering Gallery to test the acoustics, then climb to the Golden Gallery for panoramic views of the Thames, the Shard and Tower Bridge. In the crypt, Admiral Nelson, the Duke of Wellington and Sir Winston Churchill lie. The cathedral hosted the funerals of Diana’s maternal grandmother, state services after the Blitz, and the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana in 1981. The stairs going up are a killer to the knees, but the views from the top are spectacular.

After lunch at a Greek restaurant, my first time, we took the tube to Covent Garden, walked around the theatre district a bit, and then went to Europe’s largest shopping centre, Westfield, for some retail therapy and dinner. And that was pretty much the end of my London sojourn.

*The Theatre District, somewhere near Covent Garden*

The next day was spent travelling to both London Heathrow and Gatwick to pick up the last two who landed almost at the same time. So we had a mini road trip before our big trip. In the evening, we all trooped to the last sister’s place, who lived a bit further away, but closer to Gatwick which was from where we were supposed to board our flight to Rome. After a scrumptious dinner, we woke up early on flight day. The taxi to drop us at the airport was supposed to pick us up at 5:30 am, so we had an early start.

The next three parts will be all about our Italian adventure, so keep watching this space!

Memories and Such

Memories of a very ordinary life

Tag Archives: Sisters Trip

Family Footprints: An Unforgettable Italian Adventure – Part 4

Family Footprints: An Unforgettable Italian Adventure – Part 3

Family Footprints: An Unforgettable Italian Adventure – Part 2

Family Footprints: An Unforgettable Italian Adventure – Part 1