Ciao, bella!

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our final day in Florence was spent doing my absolute favorite things: shopping and relaxing! Trafalgar organized a demonstration at a leather shop - maybe you've heard of Peruzzi? After a fancy new belt for Adam, we wandered the streets checking out local and tourist shops. The early afternoon was spent in the possibly my favorite city square, Piazza San Croce. I bartered with street vendors for scarves, jewelry & trinkets. I people-watched with a glass of rosé while a local handmade me a namesake bracelet.

(Turns out, every time I took a step, my sweet hubby was muttering "stop buying stuff, stop buying stuff!" under his breath. Oh well!) Adam did get me a fun new charm for my Pandora bracelet - the fleur-de-lis, the symbol of Firenze, purchased at an outrageously priced jewelry store at the corner of the piazza.

My heart was heavy when it came time to hop on our bus and head back to Rome. It was the most magical week. But, the long bus rides were their own kind of fun!

When we arrived back in Rome, we checked in to the Executive Style Hotel Rome. This hotel has been completely remodeled since it's days of housing  Catholic priests. Super modern and fun! It was late September and about 85 degrees - no complaints here.

Our final dinner was a DELICIOUS meal at The Cabiria. 

Wine flowed and after several lazy courses, new friendships were cemented. Knowing we had to get up early to catch our flights to Heathrow and then Philly, we did the responsible thing…haha no we didn't we stayed up most of the night! Didn't make a difference, anyway…free drinks on the plane made sleeping through the flight a breeze even for my airplane-anxious husband. 

The crash after week of running on adrenaline didn't hurt. 

I could cry just reminiscing - it was the most amazing week. Every experience was that much more special because I got to share them all with my best friend, my partner, my favorite person in the world. We dream of going back, but know it's not necessarily likely. This truly was the trip of a lifetime. There is definitely more adventure to come in our life together - it's just  taking place on American soil for now ;)

Ciao, bella - fino alla prossima volta.

Ciao, bella! (Part 5)

Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember and remember more than I have seen.

- Benjamin Disraeli 

(Told you I'd slack at this! But I'm almost through so…)

I left off in Garda. The next day, we hopped the bus to head to Florence. As much as I expected to fall head over heels in love with Venice, I was a bit surprised by how infatuated I was with Florence! It's this charming city full of art hidden on winding streets connecting open piazzas loaded with cafes…and then there's the shopping. I was in HEAVEN. Ladies, if you're a shopaholic, Firenze is your Mecca! And their specialty…leather goods. Hard to imagine buying a leather coat when it's 90* out! But I digress. One of our first stops after wandering the streets a bit was lunch. By far, the best meal I had in Italy! A teeny hole in the wall off a side street called Francesco Vini. We both had the most decadent, amazing food and, yes, wine! 

After lunch & a bit of exploring, we headed…There. What do you HAVE to see in Florence? Michaelangelo's David. 

Holy hell. Do you have any idea how HUGE that statue is? It's massive. The giant replica standing in the original location, the Palazzo della Signoria, doesn't even prepare you for the sight of the original. It's sitting on a up on a pedestal and stands, total, 17 feet tall! 

Not much else in the Galleria dell'Accademi interested us, so we hit some shops before heading back to the hotel. We were in for a huge treat that night! We checked in to the Grand Hotel Mediterraneo Florence and…

Villa Il Leccio Strada

We had dinner at a family home in the heart of Tuscany. Villa Il Leccio Strada in Chianti was absolutely breathtaking. We sipped prosecco overlooking the vineyards and toured the original facilities before settling in for an outstanding meal. Everything about that night was so absolutely perfect - except the impending end to our tour of Italy, that is!

After dinner, we stopped by the replica David once again before way too many glasses (bottles) of wine in the hotel lobby with our new friends. I could get used to this lifestyle…

La bella vita, no matter what time zone :)