Italy is one of those countries that absolutely anyone could see and fall in love with. All my life, I've been obsessed with Italy. Before social media, people generally experienced a new place, if they didn't travel there themselves, via movies, books and art. Today, you have Instagram, YouTube and other platforms to experience the world, and like movies, art and books, through someone else's story or eyes. But, how often do people have the opportunity to explore their dream destinations first-hand?
Artists such as Rubens Santoro, who I wrote about on my blog previously, Edward Angelo Goodall and Canaletto painted Italian landscapes in a way that resembles an exact beauty of how the terrain truly looks.
I grew up on books such as *The Thief Lord* by *Cornelia Funke* and *Under The Tuscan Sun* by my role model/favorite author (and Instagram follower) *Frances Mayes*. And, I can't forget their movie adaptations. Other movies such as *Roman Holiday, Only You, Letters to Juliet* and of course, being a apart of the generation of *Lizzie McGuire*, the movie adaptation where the kooky teen goes to Rome have all aided my love for Italy. I could also mention the numerous books I've read and loved based in the beautiful country but that could go on and on. I've wanted to see the boot-shaped country for nearly sixteen years. I didn't know when or even if I would make it. But, in the summer of 2019, I had the chance.
It was the end of July when my boyfriend @joshsigurdson said "I want to go to Europe," out of nowhere. So, for the next few days we planned our trip and at the beginning of August, we made our way across the ocean.
We landed in Frankfurt, Germany and immediately hopped on our next plane to Milan. We only spent a night there but the small section that we saw was nice. Unfortunately, the only picture I have is of the courtyard located outside our hotel room window.. turns out I deleted it, haha.
*Piazza Bra, Verona*
Our next stop was Verona, home of Romeo and Juliet. Verona was beautiful, romantic, colorful and full of lovely architecture. We explored the *Piazza Bra*, saw the *Ponte Scaligero di Castelvecchio*, wandered many streets and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with several others under Juliet's balcony.
*Juliet's Balcony, Verona*
*Ponte Scaligero di Castelvecchio*
*Verona Arena*
After Verona, we headed to Venice. However, I don't want to go into Venice too much because I wish to create a separate post solely on the Floating City. I would like to simply say, it was magic.
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*Ponte Vecchio, Florence*
Florence was our next stop. Home of *Uffizi*, also known as *my dream job destination*, Florence is so full to the brim with history, you can feel it down every street. Although, we couldn't check out the museum, we enjoyed the *Piazza della Signoria* and spent time with David, gazed at the statues at *Loggia dei Lanzi* and *Fontana del Nettuno* and marvelled at the *Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore*.
*Replica of David, Florence*
*Duomo at Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence*
I ate some of, if not the best *pappardelle al cinghiale* I've ever had. We visited the *Galileo* museum and I got to see da Vinci's notebooks with my own eyes, I almost cried. We hiked up to *Forte di Belvedere* and observed *bella Firenze* from above. And of course, we couldn't miss the *Ponte Vecchio*. Out of all the beautiful things we saw in Florence, I think the one thing I loved the most was our B&B. It was located in a 600 year old building on a street that was alive and well. There was nothing like opening up the window in the evening, taking in the night air and just watching the city in action. I loved hearing the people across from me and below yell up to me *"Buonasera!"* and wave, or *"Ciao, come stai?"* That's something I don't experience often, or at all really. It was nice, refreshing.
*Leonardo da Vinci's notebook, Galileo museum in Florence*
*Forte di Belvedere, Florence*
*View of Rome*
Our last stop in Italy before we headed to Spain was Rome. Visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World, *The Colosseum* on my birthday was definitely something I never thought I would do and something I will never forget.
*The Colosseum, Rome*
*Piazza Navona, Rome*
*The Spanish Steps, Rome*
We ate gelato in the *Piazza Navona*, walked the *Spanish Steps*, explored the *Pantheon*, admired the *Trevi Fountain*, saw the *Teatro di Marcello* and visited the *Vatican* where I got to see the one thing I wanted to, the *Sistine Chapel*. We also visited the *Roman Forum* and the *Altar of the Fatherland*. What a marvelous city Rome is.
I have to add because it's just too funny not to include... while we were standing across the street from the *Altar of the Fatherland*, a bird pooed on me. Yes, that actually happened and no, I didn't have good luck the next day. Well, at least nothing bad happened the next day, lol!
*The Pantheon, Rome*
*The Vatican*
*Roman Forum, Rome*
*Trevi Fountain, Rome*
*Just a side note - I have pictures of the Teatro di Marcello however, I would like to make a separate post on the theatre, as well as a post on the Pantheon.*
As cliche as it is, you can't visit destinations like Rome and other tourist-y places without seeing all the tourist-y spots. As crowded as they can be, you'd regret it. You'd regret it and you'd hate yourself for it.
Going in Italy was the best experience of my life. Seeing some of the most historic landmarks in the world, standing where historic people once stood, eating gelato everyday, walking and walking and finding something remarkable around every corner and breathing in the most beautiful country was the greatest gift anyone could've ever given me. I wish one day when all the craziness that's going on in the world ends, I can see that beautiful country again, that I can see everything I missed. And, if you can, do so too. I promise that you'll love it.