So much history, so much beauty and such good food!

Life has an odd way of making things work. You know the universe is with you when your timing has been perfect all along. Right from finding the right guy to getting engaged at the right time, getting married at the right time and finally heading out on the much awaited honeymoon; at the right time. 

After a wedding that lasted 4 days and a quick trip to both our native places, we reached the airport in the middle of the night, jaded and in some desperate need for sleep. 

Starting point – Mumbai, India

Destination – Rome, Italy

When heading to Italy you may think of the Colosseum in Rome, the gondolas in Venice, the Leaning Tower of Piza… but we wanted to do something unconventional. After a random google search, we chanced upon a blog about the 10 most unconventional honeymoon destinations, Matera topped that list.

My husband (Venkateshwaran a.k.a Venky a.k.a. Kartik, and henceforth referred to as Keeda) and I landed at our first destination, Rome, Italy after a seemingly long flight, headed straight to our beautiful hotel in Fiumicino and got ready for our first guided tour.

Day 1

Rome

When in Rome, roam quickly!

We met our chirpy tour guide for the evening, Janet at Piazza del Popolo.

Walking around for 3 hours, we saw some of Rome’s most beautiful sights, got some very, very interesting trivia, saw the statue of Giordano Bruno at Campo de’ Fiori - famous for its night market, encountered the mad rush at Fontana Trevi, threw in one coin, just to be sure I made another trip to this beautiful place, made a hurried trip to the Pantheon and finally concluded our rendezvous at Piazza Navona, right next to Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, the fountain by Bernini that brings rivers from every part of the world together. All on foot!

We then headed to a quaint little Italian restaurant, Casa Copelle, recommended by Janet and splurged on some of the best wine and food we’ve have ever had.

Day 2

Matera

Farmlands, olive trees and cherry blossoms

We took a flight to Bari, the next morning. While at Bari airport, Keeda and I took our luggage and started walking towards the railway station to catch our train to Matera. We walked past a series of ‘Rent a Car’ outlets and Keeda suddenly stopped short and had a wide grin on his face. 

Remember? Timing? He had an idea. A two hour drive on the highway, through a forest to fantasyland, Matera. 

BEST. IDEA. EVER!

We started our drive from Bari, Puglia (or Apulia), the southern Italian province referred to as “the heel of the boot”. We drove past some the most scenic sights of Southern Italy, through Forest Mercadente, which was dotted with olive trees and cherry blossoms. There was absolutely no one in sight. At one point, we even stopped, had a drink of water, ate some cookies and clicked pictures. Not a SINGLE car went by.

As we drove closer, the beautiful little town of Matera came in sight. It looked like any other small town in Italy. Tiny buildings, tiny cars. We followed the directions on Google Maps and suddenly, spun around a roundabout and went back in time by a few decades. That’s when we realised that on one side of the canyon was a modern city, on the other side of the canyon was old Matera, an area so ancient that it was used to portray Judea in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.” Often called the Sassi (which means stone), or the City of Stone, this part of Matera is a maze of caves and churches dating back to Roman times with zigzagging steps and stone facades carved from a massive slope of yellowed tufa.

We noticed some film equipment being moved around and some shooting being wrapped up. We only later realised that ‘Wonder Woman’ was being shot right next to our hotel. Nevertheless, I can always pretend I knew beforehand and that it was part of the reason we chose Matera.

We parked at a clearing and struggled our way up the stony stairs to our fairytale suite. We spent the rest of the day admiring our room and being lazy.

We planned our guided tour the next day.

Day 3

“The past always looks better than it was because it isn’t here.” - Finley Peter Dunne

We woke up to the mouth-watering whiff of coffee, croissants, cakes, pizza, cheese, fruits and so much more. We followed our noses to the restaurant and were met by the sight of a lavish spread that we had never seen or tasted before.  Oh the coffee! Coming from someone who swears by the typical, tambrahm filter coffee, the coffee here beat it, hands down! 

Our tour guide, Cosimo greeted us at our hotel restaurant right after. It was cold and rainy. He walked us to some unimaginably old, yet unbelievably beautiful chapels with elegant frescoes that were chipped off at some places and made way for new ones as Christianity evolved. We went around the labyrinthine stairs to some old wine cellars, ancient grottos that portrayed the Matera way of life almost centuries before us and visited some charming little kitchen gardens.

While on the move, I naively pointed out to Cosimo that he must have been really lucky to have grown up in a place as beautiful as Matera. And then he said something very interesting. He said that these limestone caves and houses were originally inhabited by slaves and the outcast. Without proper sanitation and drainage systems, Matera was actually a breeding ground for infections and diseases. At one point it had to be evacuated. It is today that these old, limestone houses have been transformed into gorgeous luxury hotels and residences. Thanks to the United Nations.

We ended our tour late afternoon, it started raining as we walked back to our room, oh my God, it was cold. The streets were empty, there was an eerie silence which was suddenly broken by the church bells; we saw a headless goose on a parapet wall and literally ran to our hotel room to save our lives.

Day 4

Trani

Over the horizon

We left for Trani early, next morning, to make it back in time for supper.

As we drove closer, we spotted the horizon.

Now, frankly, I wonder why we haven’t heard more of this place!

Trani has a captivating view of the shoreline and boats bobbing in the harbour, a beautiful chapel that looked like it was recently built and some of the best panoramas Italy has to offer.

We walked along a lonely ramp to a light house. Well, we were actually stalking a cat which led us to an amazing view. The photographers in both of us woke up with a jolt. The next few minutes were spent attempting panoramas from every angle.

We got tired and found our way to a quaint little restaurant for some pizza. We spent a little time walking around and then drove back to Matera only to be spooked by the headless goose and the empty, cobblestoned alley.

Day 5

Alberobello

“Green gold olive trees, red soil, blue sky and white houses. The world is beautiful, I love the world.” - Vito, our tour guide

We researched a little about Alberobello, and everything about it seemed very attractive, including the fact that a Bollywood song was shot there.

We met Vito, our tour guide at Bari station who drove us to Alberobello. Continuing our path around the perimeter of the forest from Vieste we enjoyed vistas of the Adriatic coastline with clear blue waters.

As we drove closer, we spotted the tiny white and grey hut like structures. If the Hobbits had to suddenly take up residence in southern Italy, they’d likely do so in the trulli dotting the countryside of Alberobello. Many of these stone hut structures, often dating to the 14th-15th centuries, were originally built to house agricultural workers or as storage buildings. Why this style of home became so popular is still a bit of a mystery. One appealing theory posited: people built trulli so they could easily dismantle them before the tax collector arrived. How’s that for a clever tax dodge?

While we went around the tiny little town, which also happens to be a busy tourist attraction in peak season, we saw many small shops selling souvenirs, but among them we found one appealing local shop, spoke to the owners there, and got introduced to some of the best wine from the region.

To say the least, we clicked a gazillion pictures.

We went back to Matera a little later that evening, and walked our way up the lonely streets, crossed the headless goose, who started to seem friendlier now and went straight to our room to get ready for our date night. 

I sincerely made an effort to dress up and look pretty. We went to a Michelin Star restaurant, Baccanti, for dinner. The meal was, to say the least, divine! Goat cheese starters, pink sauce pasta and the best tiramisu either of us have ever had. Keeda even stole a wine cork for me, as a souvenir of this fairytale land and the fairytale dinner.

Day 6

Florence

Miracles happen upon special request.

This special request had been put in by my mother-in-law. How she raved about Florence, its beauty, and how she was mad at us for not visiting it.

Remember I spoke about timing. Here’s another instance when we miraculously decided to cut short our stay in Matera and headed to one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

We took a flight to Rome and drove to Florence, straight from the airport.

The sights of snow capped mountains, vast plains, clean cows, stuff I have seen only in Bollywood movies, were right in front of me. All through the drive, I only remember clicking pictures. Oh! And we stopped for some delicious Margherita on the way and carried on our way to Florence on the Auto Strada at 200 kmph.

We reached Florence and it was everything we’d imagined it to be and more. We followed the instructions on Google Maps and drove almost 70 degrees uphill in a street that was less than 8 feet wide. We did it. Finally, we reached our hotel, Villa Agape. And the views! Oh my God the views! They were breathtaking.

The property had a curious charm. The origins of Villa Agape are actually lost in history. 

It changed hands a few times, and in the process expanded to a beautiful estate. At one point it was owned by Galileo’s close friend and fellow academician. In fact, we learnt that Galileo spent a part of his house arrest in this villa. Until 2014 it was owned by the  Stabilite nella Carità Sisters, and was a place for spiritual exercises, conferences, meeting, studying days, short or long periods to rest in solitude for physical and spiritual relaxing. The nuns renamed the Villa to Villa Agape.  And in 2015 with a new management, it has become a wonderful hotel in the hills of Florence. 

We literally lived in a place of historic significance and I didn’t feel the weight of it until just now.

Day 7

“Sometimes I arrive just when God's ready to have someone click the shutter.” - Ansel Adams

Much like Rome, you need several days to get even a glimpse of Florence. If you really want to see it properly, you should probably just move there. There is no way you can take it all in, in a day. We tried.

We started our day early in the morning, after a sumptuous breakfast. We got dropped off by the hotel cab in the city centre, which is where we began discovering the gorgeous city of Florence. We walked the entire city on foot, under the Tuscan sun.

We started at Palazzo Duomo which was gorgeous, to say the least. We walked a round for a bit and then decided to climb up to the tomb. Did I mention I am claustrophobic? The climb to the top of Brunelleschi’s dome at Palazzo Duomo was probably the scariest thing I have ever done. I was in tears because of the narrow stairway and dim lights. Keeda walked up with me, step by step and calmed me down. Once were up there, the view was worth all that effort and more. 

And as we made our way down to discover the Lindt cafe downstairs, the fear was gone in seconds.

My personal favourite, though was Ponte Vecchio. This bridge does get packed with tourists, but it really is a special place that you should experience once. Legend has it that if you and your loved one attach a padlock to any surface of the famous bridge and then throw away the key into the Arno River below, your love will last forever. Funny thing is, you can’t do that anymore, but people still do!

We went on to cover almost everything Palazzo Vecchio (Dante’s death mask), Palazzo Pitti, Boboli Gardens, Uffizi, San Lorenzo, Piazzale Michenangelo. We tried to do more, but of course we couldn’t. It started getting dark and the entire city started shutting down, like I said earlier, by 7:00 pm.

After one very scary walk to Piazzale Michelangelo, imagining multiple situations of being mugged, killed, hurt and what not, we stared at David’s statue and his teeny weeny for a few seconds and got done for the day.

Day 8

For some desi khana in the heart of Rome.

We drove back to Rome from Florence. It was a very long drive. Keeda dropped me off at our hotel and went straight to the airport to return the car. We spent the rest of the day in our room, catching up on sleep. 

By night, I was desperate for some masaledaar khana. We found an Indian restaurant about 300 metres from our hotel. It was a happy meal.

Day 9

Vatican City

When in Rome again, do as the Romans do.

This was the day we chose to purge all our sins at the holiest place on earth, the Vatican City. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. Well, for the things we saw there, 1,000 words wouldn’t begin to do it justice. It was the day we were part of history.

We first went to the Vatican Museum. We wandered for hours through galleries crammed with 15th and 16th-century Italian paintings, courtyards displaying Greek and Roman sculpture, and seemingly endless hallways lined with ancient maps and musty tapestries. Oh my God, the artistic treasure that lives within those walls. But, one of the most striking features, in a world full of renaissance art, was the Bramante staircase, spiralling down in a hypnotic spin.

We walked our way to St Peter's Square next, while trying to fend off guides on our way. And once we got there, wow! The panorama that it offers! It was breathtaking, words can't even describe the expansive, gorgeous structure that it is. And inside the Basilica, all of the amazing sculptures, the ceilings and artwork were just mind-blowing. So. Much. Gold. The whole interior of the church is so extravagant and opulent, but so beautiful. I still can't get over that all of this is nearly 500 years old. It's just really incredible to think that all of this has survived so much, and so many years, and is still in excellent condition.

We went to the Sistine Capel next. We walked the length and breadth of the chapel, heads tilted back and mouths open, enjoying every discovery of a new perspective to appreciate the frescoes that arched above us covering every wall. 

Whoever has endured a visit to the Sistine Chapel during the day would agree that there is something divine going on among the chaos. The shoulder-to-shoulder scrum of tour groups, the guards barking “no pictures, no pictures,” the fight for seats, the pressure to move on and make way for the crowd behind you, but one look at the frescos and you transgress into a parallel dimension, one full of wonder and awe.

We ended the evening at the Pantheon again, an awesome reminder of the great Roman Empire. Michelangelo famously described it as being built by angels and not by man. We both relived Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons all over again by following those multiple references to the Pantheon, the Oculus, Raphael’s tomb and what not!

We concluded the night with a cozy dinner at a restaurant right outside the Pantheon. Delicious food, amazing wine and my sexy husband, I couldn’t ask for more!

Day 10

The legend of the Trevi Fountain

This was the day we saw Rome in its truest spirits. We spent the day just enjoying the open air museum that is Rome; full of ruins, glorious fountains, and beautiful architecture, it was such a treat.

After wandering about for a while and spotting some amazing things like Gepetto’s wood shop, some very cool vespas, vintage cars and quirky looking artichokes, we reached the Trevi fountain again. So, the legend goes, the throwing of a coin from the right hand over the left shoulder will ensure that you will return to Rome in the future. Turns out, it is true! I did go back to Rome, the second time. So, this time, Keeda threw a coin in.

We walked to the Roman Forum next. Imagine stepping on the same soil that Romans stepped on, 2000 years ago. Nestled in a valley between Palatine and Capitoline Hills, the Roman Forum still impresses, just as it must have centuries ago when it was the centre of Roman public life.

The play of Julius Caesar by Shakespeare was part of my curriculum in school and it was both fascinating and unnerving to be on the same ground that he was actually cremated in. After his assassination, he was granted the title Divine Julius and in 29 BC and Augustus had a temple dedicated in his honour. The temple was built on the site where Caesar’s body was cremated and Mark Antony read his famous speech, right there. Today, all that remains of the temple is the alter. And we were standing right there.

I was engrossed in its rich history and fascinated by the remaining structures. The Roman Forum used to be a city centre, not just a single museum or a building. An area so big you need hours to explore. Not only that, remember that Rome was not built in a day, and that the buildings are coming from different periods, all vying for space in this formerly densely populated city centre. It was brilliant!

Our next stop was the Colosseum. Built around 80AD, it once held over 50,000 spectators who came to watch the best in Roman entertainment. You could see gladiators fighting, wild animal hunts with exotic species like tigers and elephants, or plays being performed, and even a few sacrifices. Although it has been heavily damaged by earthquakes since then, it is still one of Rome’s most recognisable buildings. And as you walk around the galleries and look down into the arena you can still picture it as it was, filled with excitable – and slightly bloodthirsty – crowds. Needless to say, we clicked way too many pictures. It started raining. We walked out, grabbed a quick bite and took a bus back to our hotel.

Until next time!

We packed up as soon as we reached the hotel and took the Leonardo Da Vinci Express to the airport. The fatigue hit us almost as soon as we reached the airport. We unwillingly dragged ourselves away from the Eternal City and headed home to officially start our journey as husband and wife.

This blog barely justifies the extravagance of the most amazing holiday of my life and I have to thank Keeda for making it so. There is more, so much more, but right now, I'd like to end this blog by giving you one big tip, DO NOT miss the pizzas at Auto Grill; you'll find them at gas stations on the highways when you are driving across the country.