Reality bites! (Name that movie - haha - trick question). Once again, I've been M.I.A. I was busy checking something off of my bucket list! I went to Italy! I am part Italian and as long as I can remember, I have wanted to go there. My great-grandparents traveled by boat to the U.S. from Italy and ended up in the San Francisco/Oakland (California) area. I have memories of visiting my great-grandparents when I was little and being frightened of them! I think the fact that they spoke only Italian to me scared me, but I was always swayed by animal crackers. :)
I went with some friends and we had a blast! Here are some highlights from the trip (prepare for picture overload!).
ROME
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| Vatican |
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| Rainbow over the Vatican |
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| Spanish Steps |
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| Colliseum |
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| Inside the Colliseum |
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| Colliseum |
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| View of the Colliseum from Palatine |
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| Pantheon |
SORRENTO
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| Sorrento coast |
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| Sorrento coast |
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| Amalfi |
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| Lemons are a big product here |
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| Kitchen in Pompeii |
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| Pompeii |
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| Pompeii victims of the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD |
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| The baths in Pompeii |
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| Pompeii marina |
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| View of Mt. Vesuvius from Pompeii |
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| Capri |
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| In Capri - my friend said she should have worn her capri pants in Capri! hahahaha |
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| Capri |
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| Blue Grotto - Capri |
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| Blue Grotto |
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| Blue Grotto |
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| White Grotto - Capri |
FLORENCE
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| On the Arno River |
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| Us girls on the Ponte Vecchio |
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| Duomo |
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| "Perseus with the Head of Medusa" which is in the Loggia dei Lanzi |
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| At the Ufizzi Museum (with our new purses!) |
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| Florence view from the Piazelle Michelangelo |
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| Enjoying the view from the Piazelle Michelangelo |
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| View of Ponte Vecchio (bridge) |
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| Ponte Vecchio |
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| View of Florence at night from the Piazelle Michelangelo (and right before the clouds dumped rain on us while we were walking back to our hotel!) |
Are you ready to see some of the food?
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| Ravioli |
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| Spaghetti with meatballs |
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| Gnocchi |
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| Hawaiian Pizza |
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| Margerita Pizza |
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| Spaghetti Alio, Olio, y Peperoncino (spaghetti with garlic, oil, and peppers) |
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| Chocolate gelato |
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| Chocolate lava cake |
We had such a wonderful time! (although, all the walking, especially on the cobblestones, killed my feet!) I love history, so it was an amazing experience and I would love to go back again. The food was great, although, I wasn't impressed with the food in Rome, especially the pizza (thin crust). The best pizza I had was in Amalfi (the Margerita pizza above) - so yummy. And my favorite dish was the spaghetti alio, olio, y peperoncino in Sorrento - I had it twice! There were TONS of gelato shops, so of course we had that too. :)
I had to really prepare for the trip for about two weeks prior (shopping, cleaning the house, and finishing up any projects I started). And for this week that I've been back, I've been a bit useless because of the jet lag. But, I'm ready to enjoy my favorite month and holiday (Halloween) and ready to start some new projects. Happy Fall!
posted by:
Adventures in DIY
I LOVE IT!!!
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had a blast!! I want to eat all the food and the gelato, yum! Glad you made it to Italy.
ReplyDeleteomg, that pizza and the gelato! and, oh yeah, the views! you are soo lucky. i'd love to go all around italy someday. what was your favorite place??
ReplyDeletei'm super way behind on blog reading, just fyi.
WOW!! LOVE your pics of Italy!! ;) Right after high school (back in '96), I toured Europe with a group for 2 1/2 weeks. We only had 2 days in Italy (visiting Venice and Verona). Venice was hands down the highlight of the trip for me!! I said I left a little of my heart there. So beautiful!! That's wonderful you were able to tour many breathtaking cities & enjoyed plenty of delicious food too!! It looks like you enjoyed an AMAZING trip!! :)
ReplyDeleteOh wow -- your pics are amazing!!! I can't wait to go back, and this time explore the southern parts!!
ReplyDelete