Rome, Florence, and Venice, OH MY!:)

Just a tiny dot in front of the Colosseum:)

Dear Italy: I think it is safe to say I have been dreaming about you my whole life. Pasta, pizza, gelato, and wine aside…the sights, landscape, architecture, and history of this country are just a few more wonders on their own. I felt like I was living in a fantasy world, walking around aimlessly through some of Italy’s finest cities, gawking at all of the beauty around me and pretending to be as cool as Liz Gilbert (Eat, Pray Love, anyone?). As corny as it sounds, it is easy to see how you could lose yourself…or better yet, find yourself…in the midst of all of the beauty and culture.

The adventure began in Rome and I literally felt like I got a history book thrown at my face. With the exception of the Trevi Fountain the night before, we pretty much saw all of the sights of Rome in ONE day (is that a record?!). This included the infamous Colosseum, the Palatino, the Roman & Imperial Forums, the Pantheon, St Peter’s Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican, the Spanish Steps, Castel Sant Angelo, and Piazza Navona for some Christmas market action. We somehow managed to have some leisurely and delicious Italian meals in between and (thanks to our expert capability of stumbling across our favorite Gelato place, Grom, that we discovered in Paris) GELATO. My favorite sights in Rome were the Colosseum (literally took my breath away) and St Peter’s Basilica. Thanks to Saint Peter, I will never be able to look at another basilica the same. To say that it was gorgeous is an understatement. It was STUNNING. Every detail crafted out of marble and the arched ceilings full of intricate designs towering what seemed to be miles above our heads. I will say this a lot, but I wish the pictures did it justice. Of course, walking around and just taking in all of the history that Rome boasts was nearly overwhelming in itself but sooo incredible.

Photo shoot in front of Ponte Vecchio:)

Next stop: Florence. When I picture Italy, the quaint, artistic, and beautiful city of Florence is what comes to mind. Aside from some brief moments of panic when our train arrived at 1:45am and the last check-in time for our hostel was 2am (clearly things never go quite as smoothly as planned when you make travel arrangements), we opted to take a taxi and made it just in time. The next morning, we met up with a friend of mine from college who was backpacking around Europe and was in Florence at the same time as us. It was great to see a familiar face and share travel stories while exploring yet another beautiful European city. We spent a good chunk of time (and money;)) at the infamous San Lorenzo market which offers an overwhelming selection of pashmina’s and every type of leather good you could ever imagine. We visited the Cathedral (Il Duomo) and walked across the bridge, Ponte Vecchio, for some good photo opps J For lunch we enjoyed some delicious pasta dishes at a cute little restaurant called Osteria de Benci and I ordered a spaghetti dish sautéed in red wine, garlic, and green pepper. Much to my surprise, it strongly resembled a large plate of worms due to the red wine but I assure you it tasted MUCH better than it looked. At sunset we walked up to Piazza Michelangelo (thanks to Mandy for the recommendationJ) and took in beautiful sights of the city despite the gray backdrop. For dinner we went to a restaurant called Pizzeria Dante and enjoyed a fine meal consisting in lots and lots of pizza and of course lots and lots of wine.

Old couple in Venice. Love.<3

Last stop: Venice. It might have had something to do with the good weather we had while we were here, but I think that Venice was my favorite. Good weather aside, this city is so unique and unlike anything I have ever seen and will ever see. There was a very relaxed vibe (especially because it was a Sunday) in the city as people meandered around the narrow streets and along the water. Aside from seeing the basilica and clock tower in Piazza San Marco we had nothing on our agenda, which might have been another reason why it was my favorite…a perfect way to end a long weekend of sightseeing. On a not-so-relaxing note, in Piazza San Marco I was attacked by a PIGEON. I wish I was kidding. Some background information: the pigeons in this plaza are fearless (I even tried running at a few to scare them away and they just stood there…karma is a $#&@#!) because everyone feeds them and allows them to stand on their shoulders, arms, hands, head, etc. Gross. So anyways, I was minding my own business and eating a calzone when I made eye contact with a pigeon, which apparently in this plaza is code for ‘I want to feed you’. The next thing I know I’m shrieking and turning my back to avoid making face-to-face contact with the dirty creature. Judging by Sara’s reaction I would assume that this would have been quite the sight to see…if only we could go back in time and see my expression as my life flashed before my eyes! Evidently, it was quiiiite humorous.;) This traumatizing event aside, we spent the rest of the day walking around and letting the streets wind us throughout the city without a care in the world.

Overall the trip to Italy was beyond amazing and I realize I say this a lot but…I MUST go back. Still on the list: Sienna in the Tuscan region, Cinque Terre, and anywhere on the Amalfi Coast, Sicily, or Sardinia, just to name a few (might as well dream big, right..?!;)). Despite a SEVEN-hour delay on the flight home (thank you, Ryan Air) we made it back to Madrid in one piece, complete with an extra checked bag full of wine and souvenirs to hold us over for a little while until we can get our next Italy ‘fix’, although I am already having withdrawals...! Sigh. Italy, looks like I will be seeing you in my dreams until we meet again. Arrivederci! <3