ITALY!! Italy has been my NUMBER ONE travel bucket list destination for as long as I can remember. I got my bachelor’s degree in Art and Visual Communications and a minor in Art History so heading to Italy to see so much of the art I studied was a dream for me. I missed out on the best study abroad with my sister a few years back and it’s always been my one regret in life. My parents also went to Italy during the summer which inspired us to plan our own trip for my birthday in October! I was beyond excited and hoped with all my heart that Italy would be all that I imagined and IT WAS. It blew my expectations out of the water and it was just as beautiful and amazing as I dreamed it would be. I would head back in a heart beat! It’s so crazy that we were able to visit Italy and so many of its beautiful cities right before everything got shut down with the virus. Seeing Italy get hit so hard broke my heart after we had just experienced this unforgettable country.
ROME
After the Colosseum and the Roman Forum we had another long walk ahead of us to The Borghese Gallery where we were able to see some of the insanely beautiful sculptures by Bernini including Apollo and Daphne, Bernini’s David, Rape of Proserpina and more. We also saw some pieces by Caravaggio as well. Before reaching the gallery we stopped by what would become our favorite gelato shop GIOLITTI! One of the oldest gelato shops in Rome and just thinking about it makes my mouth water. They have so many different flavors and they are SO creamy and perfect. It was rare we didn’t have a gelato in hand everyday multiple times a day on our whole trip. But Giolitti was my very fave! Once we got to the Gallery we met with our tour guide who took us around to all of the art. Bernini is my very favorite sculptor because the statues are incredibly life-like and detailed. It’s insane how realistic and emotional he made these pieces look out of MARBLE. The imprints of the fingers onto skin, the facial expressions and the way the limbs bend with different tensions and movement is something you have to see in person to really appreciate. The pictures don’t do it justice at all.
For our last day in Rome we started the day at the Vatican! We started at the Vatican Museums which was probably the most crowded place we went to during our whole trip. We saw works by Raphael like School of Athens as well as the Carravagio rooms and the sculpture Laocoon and His Sons which I wrote a paper on in College. And of course we were able to walk around the Sistine Chapel and gaze at the masterpiece on the ceiling by Michelangelo. You aren’t allowed to take any photos or videos but I secretly took a couple pics with my phone. I tried to be discreet so the photos are pretty horrible ha ha! But it was so beautiful and truly a masterpiece. After the Vatican Museums we walked over to St. Peter’s Basilica. It was so opulent and HUGE inside. I saw The Pieta sculpture by Michelangelo and then walked around the Basilica with Tyler. We couldn’t believe how extravagant everything was in there. We also climbed to the very top of the Dome to get the most incredible view of the Vatican. After the Vatican we walked over to the Spanish Steps! It was fun to hang out there for a minute, eat some gelato and explore some of the nicer shops in the area. We ended our last night in Rome at another little restaurant with the yummiest pasta!
FLORENCE
Our next stop in Italy was FLORENCE! Taking the train from Rome to Florence was so much fun! I loved looking at the countryside and the little vineyards that would pop up every now and then! After arriving in Florence we walked to our airbnb which is my all-time favorite airbnb we’ve stayed at so far! It was right in the city center at the very top of an old building. We had to hike up like 10 flights of stairs with our backpacks but it was so worth it! We reached a huge wooden door and opened it to find the best little apartment! The cutest little kitchen with an iron spiral staircase that led to a loft with the bed! We opened the green wood shutters to see a little view of the Duomo! Our hosts left us a gift basket of snacks and drinks which we weren’t expecting but loved!! You can see more of the airbnb I’m talking about in the travel video. The next two days consisted of us eating famous paninis, pizza and SO much gelato! The Duomo sits in the center of Florence and it is one of the most gorgeous buildings I’ve ever seen! We hiked to the top of the bell tower to get a better view of the Duomo and Florence and it did NOT disappoint! I loved how Florence had a completely different style than Rome when it came to the buildings! Still so beautiful but it had more of a European village feel to it mixed with classic, old Italian flare. We spent some time visiting some different chapels and squares including Piazza della Republicca which is one of the main piazzas in Florence. It has the cutest little merry-go-round in the middle and while we were there a little band was also playing music.
Our second day in Florence was dedicated to the art and galleries! The first on our list was Uffizi Gallery: the world’s premier museum of Renaissance art including the Botticelli Room “Birth of Venus” (Which I wrote a second paper in college about), paintings and sculptures from Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Botticelli, Raphael, and Titian. Everything was just as amazing as I thought it would be! I absolutely love Botticelli and Raphael so seeing everything in real life was incredible. After the Uffizi Gallery we headed over to Galleria dell Accademia or otherwise known as the home to Michelangelo’s “David” statue. There was a bit of an issue with tickets as we were going in and we ended up waiting in line a little longer than we thought. We made some friends with some other tourists who were also a little confused and we all were joking and laughing and having a really good time in line. I don’t want it to sound cheesy but walking in and seeing the David was one of the best things we’ve ever done. The David is absolutely gigantic and the attention to detail is perfect. It was an experience Tyler and I will never forget. It wasn’t too crowded in there either, so we really took our time to take in the masterpiece. After the David we headed to what became our favorite pizza on the trip Gusta Pizza! It was so yummy!
We ended the night by going shopping at some of the markets and especially the leather shops which Florence is known for! There was a restaurant called Trattoria ZaZa which I had been dying to go to and looking forward to our whole trip. But I ended up getting something that had nuts in it (I’m seriously so mad. I’m usually so careful but it was in the sauce and I got confused) The reaction was instant and I ran up to the waitress asking if there were nuts in my meal and she was like um YES. So we hurried back to the airbnb because I started to feel violently sick. I took some benadryl and long story short ended up throwing up most of the night! But I felt much better in the morning! It was really scary and could have been a lot worse. Luckily I only had one little bite. Any more than that and it could have been a different situation. It just reminded me of how careful I really need to be. When we went to Japan and Thailand I carried a card around with me that said I was allergic to peanuts/all nuts/anything touching nuts (one in Japanese and one in Thai) and also asked if any nuts were in the food I was ordering or asking about. I just didn’t think to bring one to Italy! But lesson learned!
CINQUE TERRE
The Cinque Terre is one of those bucket list destinations that you see pictures of and you just can’t believe a place like that actually exists. A photo of one of the villages in Cinque Terre was what first lit a fire under me to visit Italy. The Cinque Terre is made up of little villages that sit in the cliffsides. There are 5 towns in all and you have to take a train between them through the mountainside and against the coast. Or you can hike in between to get there. The buildings are bright and colorful, the harbors are full of fishing boats and orchards and vineyards are also scattered into the mountainside. It literally looks like a dream. We originally were going to stay a night in one of the towns as well as a night in Venice. But decided it was easier to just do a day trip from Florence to Cinque Terre. We had to get up extremely early to catch the earliest train. It was drizzling rain that morning and we ended up getting out of our airbnb a little late. I will never forget RUNNING and I am not a runner ha ha I am the most awkward runner ever. But we had to RUN in the rain to the train station to catch our train. We couldn’t find the platform and the Italian security guards must have thought we were crazy as we ran up to them gasping for air while trying to ask where it was. We found it and got on board right as the train was about to leave! It was about a 4 hour train ride until we arrived at the first town!
We only visited 4 out of the 5 but each one was so unique and beautiful! We visited Riomaggiore first which is a small fishing village with some amazing views! It was cloudy and a bit stormy the first half of the day! I had packed my swimsuit because I heard there was some awesome cliff jumping areas into the ocean. But because of the waves they had everything blocked off, I was bummed but it turned out ok because it was actually pretty chilly! Next we headed to Manarola which had incredible views as well! It had gorgeous walking paths and looked exactly like a postcard! After that we headed to Vernazza where we explored the harbor, pastel colored buildings, and I took my favorite photo of ALL time (The first one I posted under the heading) We had lunch here and both of us had the yummiest fresh fish and seafood from a restaurant right on the harbor. Our last stop was Monterosso which has the largest beach area if you want to swim. Again, it was too cold and I was a little bummed. The town is also darling here with an incredible chapel, pretty little streets which we explored and a beautiful bell tower. Being on the coast was absolutely amazing! A huge bucket list item to cross off the list!
VENICE
Our day trip to Venice was our last item on the Italy 2019 itinerary! We woke up again super early to catch the earliest train to Venice so we could have the whole day to explore. I really didn’t have too much on the schedule to do in Venice so we decided to just lose ourselves in the city. I had heard that Venice was kind of overrated so I was nervous about it not meeting our expectations. But once again, Venice blew me away and made my heart so incredibly happy! I thought the entire city was BEAUTIFUL! The canals, the bridges, the flowers, the streets. I mean, the canals just go on and on and on and you just find yourself exploring side street after side street, running into canals or little piazzas full of kids playing soccer or people walking their dogs. It was just pure beauty to me. The only thing that I thought was a little much was the gondolas. We didn’t end up riding one because they are CRAZY expensive! We had lunch by the cutest bridge and canal and we witnessed the funniest traffic jam of gondolas. It was a little crazy how full the little canals would get with gondolas. But other than that I was obsessed with everything! We saw the Bridge of Sighs, the Rialto Bridge and St. Mark’s Square. We found the BEST candy shop and went ham on filling our bag with the yummiest candy that we ate on the train ride home. We were able to just sit a while on the steps of the Santa Maria della Salute talking and laughing, reminiscing about the week we just had. We listened to lots of street musicians who were all extremely talented. Ate even more gelato and watched the sun set over the grand canal. It was the perfect ending to the perfect Italian adventure.
If you’ve made it this far reading this post you’re a champ. I’m happy I have a place to write down my memories and share my pictures+videos to look back on. This trip was an actual dream come true for me. Something that my heart had been longing for. We went back and forth for a while if we should go or not and when we decided to just go for it my heart was full of so much peace and excitement. Italy will forever hold a special place in my heart and it’s a country I hope to visit again soon! I feel like there’s still so much more to see and learn. I’m so thankful we were able to explore these beautiful cities and experience so much of the culture, food and sites. I already miss it so much. Especially the gelato 😉
