Dinner In Trastevere, Rome

"We have to visit Trastevere to experience the real Italian vibe" , Mami declared emphatically. Trastevere, in Rome? It rang a bell. I had devoured the Italian section of Elizabeth Gilbert's book, Eat, Love and Pray as part of my Roman research. She definitely ate in that neighbourhood. Well, I was definitely going even if…

Vatican Cameo

I had a wish list of the things I had to see in Vatican. a) Sistine Chapel, specifically The creation of Adam by Michelangelo. b) The Swiss guards in their colourful pantaloons supposedly designed by Michelangelo. By the way, he didn’t! c) Bramante Staircase or the double helix spiral staircase. d) Michelangelo's Pieta. Everything else…

FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) At Ajanta Caves!

Google Aurangabad and Ajanta Caves comes up as a must visit spot, every time! Incidentally the caves are around 110 kilometres from Aurangabad with absolutely no other historic or cultural site to see along the way. I almost missed it but the pressure of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) was tremendous! Anyway Bunker, our talkative…

Pompeii Calling

For me Pompeii always had a mystical aura around it. To think, it was obliterated when it faced the fury of the Roman god of fire, Vulcan himself and then it rose like a Phoenix from its ashes and lava to become a legend. Honestly, my imagination had run wild ever since I heard its…

Special Spots in Aurangabad

Think of Aurangabad, Maharashtra in India and Ajanta and Ellora Caves come to mind except they are really far from the city. Meanwhile what does one do in Aurangabad other than make travel arrangements to the caves? Well, you pack the family into an auto rickshaw and go see Deccan's Taj Mahal- Bibi ka Maqbara.…

Sleepless In Stockholm

Four memorable days in Stockholm was not a tall order but I was determined to make every hour count. So you can imagine my excitement as I sat peering through the aircraft window for my first glimpse of the city. "Venice of the North", was what my classmate had called it. I could see why.…

Perched On A Roof In Milan

“Milan is the fashion capital”, Ms Teen chirped. The Knight of course had to counter, “ San Siro Stadium- AC Milan- the gods of football.” Both good choices but I stuck to the Milan Cathedral. I should know because I was astounded when I saw it for the first time. You see, no amount of…

Chasing Art On Streets Of Italy.

Honestly speaking, street art was the last thing in my mind while visiting the land of the Old Masters. Florence was picked because of David, the one that Michelangelo carved. Well, he was spectacular but then so were Michelangelo's unfinished Prisoners/Slaves that really don't get the attention they deserve. Anyway more of that in another…

Magical Venice!

I have always dreamt of Venice like the way made famous by our very own Bollywood films and romantic novels. Water would lap at the doorsteps of these grand buildings that would stretch on either side of a winding canal. The gondoliers would be dressed in their jaunty striped shirts humming a tune, their gondolas…

Cats Of The Most Beautiful Bookshop In Venice.

It was my Instagram savvy teen who told me first about the bookshop that goes by the tag line- The most beautiful bookshop in the world. It happened to be in Venice and since I was going to be there, perfect opportunity to check it out. Well, the online chatter around it was amazing and…