Side Trip #2 Verona, Italy. Verona is the second largest city in Italy's northeast, with more than 715,000 inhabitants! We had to rent a car and drive here because it is about 200KM away, which is about 125 miles. There are many tourist traps here because it is one of most visited cities in Northern Italy. It is also seen as the city where Romeo and Juliet met and fell in love. You can see cathedrals, towers and piazzas. It ,again, differs from Florence because it is a bustling, new, city, not and old, relaxed one. Tourism is a large part of the economy. Many families get their living off owning vending racks at squares and malls. It was great visiting Verona and seeing what northern Italy is like.

Side Trip 1#

Today we are visiting Roma, or more commonly know as Rome. I am traveling there by train, which is the common transportation mode here for short distances. Though there are 2 main airports here, trains are cheaper. The people are like Florence's population, but are more busy. With a higher population density and more business-oriented, instead of Florence's agriculture-oriented culture, Romans are faster-paced and more lively. Tourism is a big part of the economy because of such things as The Roman Coliseum, Tiberius' Arch, and The Great Forum. Rome is renown around the globe for beauty and was the center of the Roman Empire.