I am really excited to write this post and reminisce on one of the most incredible trips of my life. This started out as a dream many years ago to visit Italy one day for our anniversary. In 2019, almost 4 years ago, the possibility very quickly became a reality. I began researching, reading, looking and booking a 10 day adventure for Kevin and I to celebrates our 20th wedding anniversary in Italy. I was so excited! I bought several travel books, sifted through Air BNB's, repeatedly checked flights and meticulously made itineraries for us. The trip was scheduled for March of 2020.
The plans were made, the flights were booked. We were ready to go. I was extremely excited about all the excursions I had booked and places we were going to see! Then, February 2020 we heard about the mysterious virus circulating through Lombardi. At first I didn't think anything about it. Then as it progressed I became more and more aware of the fact that this trip, the one I spent years dreaming about and months planning may not happen. The days leading up to the trip departure were sad. Each day I received a new email stating that something else had been canceled. Finally, the day before we were to leave, the last flight was cancelled.
I was able to recover most of our money. We ended up being in the hole about $400, which I just had to be okay with. But for the next 2 years I was relatively salty about the whole thing. Of course I do not want to sound as though I am not sensitive to the fact that thousands of people lost their lived at this time due to COVID. It was truly a horrible scene. But selfishly, I was upset about my plans and my long lost dream. I wrote off Italy. I decided I would never go. I didn't like Italy, I wouldn't like Italy. I forced myself to lose the desire.
Fast forward to fall of 2022. I get a message from a friend I went to school with. She sends me a link and the words- "if you want your redemption trip- now is your chance". Redemption trip? I was confused. I clicked the link and found the option to purchase round trip tickets from Chicago into Paris and out of Rome. Total price for 2 tickets? $1050.00 Wait a minute? Is this for real? I couldn't believe it. All the places and sites and hotels that I had so carefully picked out and booked came flooding back in. I instantly knew I had to go.
I booked the flight. It was a done deal. And to top it off, I got a $400 statement credit for booking with a new American Airlines card. So total flight costs for 2 round trip tickets = $650. This itinerary was quite different from what I had originally booked. This would require more research and planning. After a few weeks, we finally decided on the cities we would visit and rough idea of how many nights would be spent where. We would stay 1 night in Paris, 1 night in Milan,1 night in Venice, 1 night in Florence and 3 nights in Rome. That was it. That was the plan, and the rest would be booking hotels/attractions etc.
We had two flights on the way. First we had to fly to Chicago. I used a Delta companion flight ticket for that flight. We had a short time to get over to the international terminal at Chicago Ohare and get back through security to board our flight for Paris. The flight to Paris was very nice and with the 6-hour time difference, it was overnight. We arrived around 9 am and had the entire day to spend in Paris. The airport is quite a way away from where we were staying, which was very close to the Eiffel Tower. Since we had such a long night of travel, we decided to just use an Uber like app and get a ride to the hotel instead of riding the public bus system We went straight ahead to our lovely little hotel and asked to leave our bags at the front desk. Much to our surprise, our room was ready! We were very tired from out travel and decided to shower, nap and relax a bit before going out. We packed very light for the trip. I rolled up a few leggings, sweatshirts and t-shirts into a rolling backpack. The rolling backpack was awesome. I was very happy with my decision to use that and to pack light.
The view from our balcony in Paris at the Hotel Pastel
It was so interesting to visit different hotels and see their keys and policies. The Hotel Pastel had a neat key with holes that lined up perfectly in the slot to open the door. Each time we left the hotel- we left the key with the doorman at the front desk. It definitely kept us from losing the room key!
On the way to see the Eiffel tower, we crossed a beautiful bridge full of locks.
Our first glimpse of the tower! It was such a beautiful day in Paris. We wondered Paris and took in the scenery around the park and the tower.
.jpg)
We ate dinner at Carmine Cafe. It was delicious. I had the most incredible steak Florentine. It came out on a sizzling metal block and I was able to cook it to my liking. The dipping sauces on the side were all delicious! I was able to enjoy my first Spritz in Europe as well.
We walked around after dinner and got to take in the Eiffel tower at night with all its beauty. It is sooo beautiful in the evening, sparkling and glowing. The tower at night is the ultimate highlight of Paris.
Breakfast pastries at Boulangerie Patisserie
Kevin enjoyed the hot chocolat and I enjoyed cappucino
We used the subway system in Paris to get around. It was super easy, quick and cheap. It operated very much like the metro in NYC
We found an incredible rooftop surprise at the Galeries Lafayette Haussmann. This was huge shopping mall/store with many levels and beautiful architecture. Everything was already decorated for Christmas
The view looking down
Selfie from the top!
Massive doors lined the streets, we later realized these were entrances for vehicles into parking garages.
We had a quick lunch at a street cafe before heading to the train station- Paris Garde de Lyon.
This was our first of many train rides in Europe. This was our longest ride as well, on the bullet train across France, Switzerland and into Italy. The 6 hour ride was beautiful and encompassed the country side as well as many cities.
We arrived in Milan at about 10 pm. We had reservations at 42 Station Hotel in Milano. I booked a hotel close to the train station because I knew we would arrive late. We had dinner at a small pizza/ pasta restaurant near the hotel and turned in for bed. As lovely as I am sure Milano is, we did not want to tour the area or spend much time here. We had breakfast, walked around the train station area a bit and then boarded the train for our next stop- Venice!
This was Kevin's first time having Carbonero. He instantly fell in love with this dish and ate it at every single restaurant we visited throughout Italy.
Milano was also our first experience with the bidet. Needless to say, I think everyone needs a bidet in their life!
These high speed trains were an incredible way to travel.
So many train selfies 😂
I tried to get some photos from the train windows... but when you are moving so fast, it proves to be difficult!
.jpg)
The tracks over the water and straight into Venice!
This was right off the train. Almost everywhere you look in Venice is beautiful. Sunset and night skies were mesmerizing!
We went straight to our hotel from the train station. Once again, I booked a hotel very close by so we could dump our backpacks and start looking around. We stayed at the Hotel NH Venezia Santa Lucia which is the perfect location for our trip. The hotel was lovely, and we had a nice window that looked out and over into the street. Once again, we were able to check right in early and unpack. I didn't really have an agenda for Venice. I knew we would walk around and see the Rialto Bridge, walk around St. Mark's Square and go for a gondola ride. We basically had 2 days to see Venice, which was plenty of time for us to get a good feel for the vibe there and see the major sites. We walked everywhere we went, as the city is totally walkable. I don't think cars are allowed in Venice. The streets are just tiny alleys and walkways all twisted up in every direction. It is such a unique place and truly incredible.
Pretty much every hotel we visited had these amazing windows that overlooked the street below. I just loved it! This is the view from our hotel window. We could see the people on the street below as well.
Everywhere you looked was picturesque. I had to force myself to stop "stopping" to take pictures and instead just stand and soak it all in. There are waterways and bridges everywhere. Everyone
The sunset was beyond words. The water and the clouds and the reflections were just stunning.
One of the smaller ally ways through the city. Street signs were located on walls of the buildings. Google maps did a pretty good job of directing us where we wanted to go! As you can see in the photo, there were people with luggage all over the place.
One of the stores we walked by, making fresh pasta!
Gelato stores were on every corner in Italy.
The beautiful Rialto Bridge. Lined with people and enjoying the views.
Sunset views over Grand Canal
We made our way to St. Mark Square. It was so beautiful and so full of people! This is a really busy area. The cruise ships port here as well, although we were there late afternoon when no ships were in port. We had a hard time finding restrooms here. Finally, after some searching, we found a pay to use public restroom.
The St Mark Basilica. This church was really pretty from the outside. We did not inside.
Snack time! Panini and cannoli! I love the little cafes that line the streets and allow for outdoor seating and the most wonderful people watching.
We came back across the Rialto Bridge after sunset. It was lined with white string lights, and it was so beautiful!
Views from the top of the bridge at night.
We took a nighttime Gondola ride!
After the gondola ride was dinner. We found a very authentic Italian place to eat. We weren't too terribly good at speaking Italian and the waiters at the more authentic restaurants weren't too good at speaking English. So somehow, in a chain of unfortunate events... I ended up with an entire carafe of wine. Since I had actually paid for it, I decided I must drink it all. They had brought 2 wine glasses assuming Kevin and I would both be drinking it. He does NOT like wine. So, I did what any classy gal would do and I poured both glasses for myself! And I drank that entire carafe with dinner. The food was good- I had tortellini and Kevin carbonara.
As a side note, I use Hotels.com to book all our hotel reservations. I have used them for years. Their customer service is fantastic, and their rewards program have earned me many free nights of hotel stays over the years. For every 10 nights booked you get a free night to use! We use them so often we have reached gold level which includes perks such as early check in, free wine, upgrades, etc. We received a lovely bottle of wine at almost all our hotels in Italy.
I made sure to book hotels with free breakfast to save us time and money. This was the best choice! We had the most delicious full course breakfast meals with coffee, juice, cappuccinos and coffee. Breakfast in Italy is far different from breakfast in the United States. It was a lot of pastries, croissants, fruits and meats... which I loved! Not a lot of grits, bacon or biscuits and gravy.
The streets of Venice were alive with culture and art and music. We loved the fact that every place we looked had something to see and enjoy.
The train ride to Florence was so fast! Less than 2 hours from Venice to Florence. We used the Italia train app to purchase all the train tickets. The app was very easy to use and allowed us to purchase tickets and scan them on the train right from the app.
We arrived in Florence and headed to the hotel. I booked a hotel close to the train station again so we could drop our luggage off easily. Florence is completely walkable, and everything is close. The Hotel Santa Maria Novella was a gorgeous and full of character. I couldn't help myself, and I just had to hang out the window and look around at the people and the street below. I loved the windows! We received another delicious bottle of wine upon our arrival. We unpacked quickly and began our day wondering around Florence. It is just such a beautiful city to walk and explore. There were lots of people in Florence, much busier than I anticipated.
Our hotel was directly across from the Basilica of Santa Maria Novella. It was so beautiful! The architecture and design on the church was stunning and we saw similar designs throughout Florence.
While we chose not to visit the Accademia Gallery, we were able to see plenty of statues and art scattered about throughout the city.
We wondered around the city with no real agenda. Just taking in the sites and enjoying the views. We decided to try out a sandwich shop that we had heard a lot about. The famous restaurant, All'Antico Vinaio offers fresh cut meats and cheeses and array of delicious breads. There were so many people waiting in line! The restaurant did a great job of moving people through quickly. It was very rushed and chaotic, and we were not 100% of what we were even ordering due to the language barrier. Overall, the sandwiches were good and definitely worth the money, but not our favorite. It was a cool experience non the less.
Waiting in line for a sammy!
These sandwiches were massive!
And of course, I had to try the gelato. There are gelato shops all over Italy.
My friend who had sent me the amazing deal on the flights, also partook in the Italian adventure. We were on the same flights out and bid each other farewell in Paris. But the stars aligned, and we were in Florence at the same time. Chloe is one of my best friends from nursing school and I was hoping we would have the opportunity to indulge in Italy together a bit! We decided to give an Italian cooking class a go. We found the class on "air-bnb experiences". We met for wine before the class at a bar around the corner.
The class was so much fun. We started with flour and eggs and progressed to delicious, hand rolled pasta. We laughed, cooked and had an amazing time. After all the pasta was carefully handmade, we cooked the sauce and pasta and sat down at the big family style table to enjoy our dinner together. It is one of the highlights of our experiences in Florence!
We made tortellini, fettuccini and ravioli.
Our family style dinner of the pasta we had prepared.
The next morning, we took a stroll over to see the famous Ponte Vecchio bridge and browsed the many stores that lined the inside. Most of the stores offered jewelry.
Italy has its own schedule and way of life. It is far different than here in the US. We loved the fact that when you went to a restaurant to have a drink, they would serve you a whole tray of delicious snacks known as "small plates" or Antipasto. It was usually nuts, pretzels, olives, cheese, crackers, etc. So, before dinner, we would treat ourselves to antipasto and drinks!
I enjoyed the Bellini's very much! As well as all the cute little street side cafe's
We decided to do a tour of the Duomo. The famous Florence Duomo is the centerpiece of the city. I didn't really want to do a regular tour. I wanted to see the upper portion of the Duomo and check out all the amazing views. I booked a tour with viator called "Duomo Skywalk- Florence Heaven"
Our guide took us through the main are of the church, up through the terraces and all the way to the top of Brunelleschi's dome where we were able to take in the massive frescoes by Vasari that lined to top of dome. We were also able to climb on TOP of the dome for the best views in Florence.
This is the side door of the church we entered in. We has skip the line passes included.
A magnificent view of the side of the Duomo.
Inside the church from the bottom floor.
Looking up from the bottom to the top. It is impossible to see from this picture, but there are 2 tiny walkways around the top of the Duomo. We would eventually climb to the top and be able to view the beautiful frescos painted on the ceiling up close. They were incredible!
The views from the terrace were amazing.
We were on the first level of the upper dome looking across here.
The view of Florence from the very top of the Dome was beyond words. I think about this beautiful view often. It is something a picture can't truly portray.
This is the view from the very top of the dome. It was full of paintings that very clearly told biblical stories to the poor, illiterate people of Florence. I was in awe of just how well these frescoes depicted biblical truths in a very simplistic way.
The clock tower, which required a separate entrance that was not included in our booking.
I had to stop at a "Vino Door"- little secret doors that offer wine. After my little wine experience, we made our way to the train station.
The last train ride of our trip took us from Firenze to Roma. From the train station, we caught a local bus to our Air BNB. We absolutely loved our apartment. The owner met us there upon arrival and showed us how to get in, gave us keys and showed us around. I can't get over how cheap it was to stay here in Rome. Our apartment with a living room, kitchen, very nice bedroom/bathroom was only $85 a night. The owner even sent us his recommendations on local restaurants and things to do. I love the area we stayed in; we were just a few steps between the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain. Our apartment was directly across from a 24-hour guard station as well, because we were in the financial district. So, we felt very safe. The city is so walkable and easy to access. The bus system is wonderful and easy to use. There are very few subways here due to the fact that the city of Rome is essentially a graveyard of historical artifacts underground, waiting to be dug up!
A little selfie at the apartment
The first stop of the evening was the Trevi Fountain. This was by far the most romantic place in Rome at night. The massive fountain in mesmerizing and I felt like I could just hang out near it all evening.
Our first dinner in Rome was at a very authentic Italian restaurant recommended by our air bnb host. We sat shoulder to shoulder with many other Italians and enjoyed a loud, Italian experience! Da Olimpio was delicious and did not disappoint.
I love the tiramisu at Da Olimpio.
After dinner we walked backed to the apartment by the Pantheon. The Pantheon is such an architectural wonder. It was built almost 2000 years ago and is so well preserved it will blow your mind. The size of the building itself with its huge columns is enough to stun. And once you go inside, it gets even more intriguing. I think seeing the Pantheon at night made it even more mysterious.
We stayed out late the first night in Rome walking around and soaking in all that Rome has to offer!
I got up really early the next morning and went for a walk around the city. I stopped by the fountain to experience it when hardly anyone was there. I liked seeing Rome before it "became busy".
The Spanish steps, looking up
I had a delicious little croissant and cappuccino.
We walked from our apartment to the Roman Forum and Colosseum. We had booked a tour of the Colosseum to the gladiator floor. It also included the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Everywhere we looked there were historical buildings and ruins that dated back 2000 years. It was incredible to walk where the Romans walk so many years ago. These pictures don't portray just how massive these ruins were.
We stopped for some pizza before our tour of the Colosseum.
There is nothing more delightful than pizza in Italy!
The beautiful Colosseum!
When we made our way into the colosseum, we were very overwhelmed with how massive it was. The arches and columns were so beautiful. It had withstood the test of time and we were in awe to be there.
This was the walkway out into the center of the colosseum. When we made our way into the heart of the building an looked up and around, we were absolutely taken away.
Looking out over into the underground of the floor. Some of it is covered with flooring and some is exposed. The picture shows the exposed area with no arena flooring on it.
From the second level looking out into the arena. Most of the floor is missing but plans to put the floor back are in place. It was like a maze of tunnels in the underground of the coliseum.
After our inside tour of the Coliseum, we headed outdoors to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We spent several hours strolling the ruins and learning all about the hundreds of years of history and walking where the ancient Romans walked. It was truly indescribable.
I don't think pictures would ever do this justice.
The beautiful drinking fountain on Palatine Hill with fresh water. There were too many pictures to post of this area and the gardens and the views. I could go on and on forever about what all we saw on our tour. After our tour we headed back to the room for a little nap before we walked to dinner, but first we stopped for a snack.
We walked across the river to a trendy little restaurant area known as Trastevere, where we ate dinner at place called Hosteria Del Moro. We sat out in the street and enjoyed the evening sights and sounds. We decided to share the delicious steak Florentine that was cooked to order right in front of us.
A little taste of Trastevere, narrow little streets lined with people, food and drink.
Our last full day in Rome we visited Vatican City. I have always loved art and been very fascinated with Michelangelo and Renaissance Art. I originally went to college as an art education major and spent a lot of time studying the art and artist of this time period. Naturally, I knew seeing the fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine was a priority, as it has always been a dream of mine. We caught the public bus over which was super easy and cheap. I had booked a super early tour of the Sistine Chapel to get in before the crowds so we could really enjoy it. The tour we booked really didn't spend much time in the actual museums of the Vatican, although we were allowed to spend all day there after the Sistine tour. You could spend hours wandering the many halls of museums at the Vatican. The amounts of historical relics will blow your mind. It is said to be the largest collection in the world. Photos are not allowed in the chapel, so I don't really have anything to show for it, but man... I will never forget the feeling of walking into the beautiful chapel and seeing it all with my own eyes. It was incredible. After we spent some time in the chapel looking at the paintings and seeing what each depicted- which were biblical scenes, we headed out into the museums. The endless halls lined with artwork, relics and statues were fascinating.
The hallways were super long.
The ceiling lined with art.
I loved the spiral staircase we had to take to leave the museum portion.
We made our way to St. Peter's Square and St. Peter's Basilica. We decided to skip touring the basilica itself and just wonder around the area. We did not see the Pope, but there was a huge wedding finishing up with about 50 brides that did not dissappoint!
We decided to walk back from Vatican City to our apartment. We stopped on the Ponte Sant'Angelo (bridge) and saw the Castel Sant'Angelo (fort)
We had lunch in Piazza Navona, where we people watched at the Fiumi Fountain.
I enjoyed delicious bruschetta.
One last gelato at the Pantheon!
We spent one last beautiful night wandering around Rome. We ventured over to the Villa Borghese and saw the city at night. It was so beautiful!
Piazza del Popolo at night! We walked down to the piazza which was way bigger than it looked from up high.
We flew back home through London and grabbed one last photo together at the airport before going back to the US. It was a wonderful experience and a trip I had dreamed of for many years. I can't wait to return to Italy, it definitely stole my heart and I look forward to seeing more of this beautiful country.