Italia

Sometimes I still can't believe that I have been exploring/galavanting all over Europe for the last 4 months. I got home just 48 hours ago from an 8 day trip to Italy with friends...it's absolutely unreal. Going to the country of pizza, pasta, and ancient history has always been something I dreamed about. So for the last week before exams began, Sarah and I, along with two of our other friends, went to Venice, Florence, and Rome.

At the end of my last post, I mentioned that as of Friday morning, my plan had been to just travel to Rome for 4 days. Originally, the we had all planned to do the three cities, and the other three of my travel buddies were still following that itinerary. After I had already bought my ticket to Venice, Trinity exams schedules were released, and I had one Monday April 27 and another Wednesday April 29. Trying to be responsible and aware that my time in Ireland is slowly drawing to a close, I decided to just meet them in Rome early Wednesday morning. When I tried to change my flight, Ryanair told me that the change fee was at least 30 euros. Since my Venice ticket only cost 36 euros, I didn't bother jumping through their hoops and simply bought a new ticket to Rome.

So Friday night, when friends were over before Trinity Ball, I realized that I could be in Italy within 24 hours. How could I pass that up? I asked Sarah if it was even possible for me to piggy back on their hotels in Venice and Florence (had they gone with hostels it would not have been), and she said it was definitely possible, not taking me seriously--maybe thinking it was just the wine talking. At 9 PM I checked in, and had made up my mind. Ladies and gentleman I am proud to say I spontaneously decided to go to Italy 12 hours before the flight. Unpacked and a little panicked about what I had just done, we left for Trinity Ball. The next morning was a bit of a fiasco, but by 1 PM I was on my way to Venice.

Venice

I have heard that some people don't like Venice; I was definitely not one of them. Getting lost in the twisting streets with canals and bridges around every corner was beautiful, inevitable, and so much fun. The first night we had out first of many Italian dinners followed by gelato, and walked through the more touristy streets. On Sunday, our full day, we wandered for a few hours, seeing St. Marcus's Square and Basilica and covering about half of the island. That night before dinner we splurged and did a Gondola ride--we wouldn't have been able to forgive ourselves otherwise!

Monday we had a late afternoon train to Florence, so Sarah and I spent a while looking through different shops and souvenir stands. Then for a few hours we sat on the edge of a bridge overlooking a beautiful and busy canal, our feet dangling fifteen feet above the water. It was relaxing and so pretty. Before leaving, we following our hotel's suggestion to a small restaurant that locals like to visit. It ended up being one of my favorite meals in Italy! For only 10 euro each, we were surprised to receive fresh bread, bottles of water, a bottle of wine, and delicious homemade pasta. The waitress then asked if we wanted the second course, which none of us had room for.

Florence

After a quick high speed train, we were in a city that had an entirely different feel to it than Venice. After dropping stuff off at the hotel, I met up for dinner with two of my best friends from WashU--Rachel and Megan--who are architecture students studying for the semester in Italy. We caught up over some delicious pizza and wine, and I got all of the insider tips on what to do with two days in Florence.

We woke up relatively early Tuesday morning and headed to the Accademia, which is the museum housing The David. The hour and a half long line was worth the wait, because even though I am not much of a museum person the huge sculpture actually exceeded my expectations. Next we visited the famous Duomo, one of my favorite buildings in Europe, and climbed up to the top of the dome. An absolute must do! The view from the top was beautiful; florence from above is not to miss. The rest of our day sped by with a visit to the Bargello (a sculpture museum in an old castle/prison), visiting a big central market, and just exploring Florence. One exciting find: Eduardo's, the best gelato we had in Italy!

One tip Megan gave me was to watch the sunset from Piazza Michaelangelo with a bottle of wine. Sarah and I found a pretty 5 euro bottle of Tuscany red wine, which ended up being the best we had in all of our time in Italy. The four of us headed out to find the Piazza, having no idea what to expect.

It was one of the most beautiful things I have seen in all of my travel abroad, definitely near the top of my list. Photos in no way can get close to doing it justice. Piazza Michaelangelo ended up being on a hill overlooking the entire city of Florence and the mountains surrounding it. Watching the sun set over an already beautiful city was breathtaking.

Rome

Wednesday afternoon we left Florence in a high speed train, bound for Rome. Since I jumped on the first half of the trip at the last minute possible, I had to buy my train tickets only a day or two in advance. Somehow for this ride it worked out in my favor, because I randomly got bumped up to first class! With ten other passengers in my car maximum  I had cushy leather seats, and a few minutes into the ride a man came around with wine and chocolate. Living the life!

Our first full day in Rome was amazing. In the morning we spent a few hours in the Coliseum, which was unreal to see in person after growing up watching Gladiator with my parents. Afterwards we went to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum, an impressive display of ruins from Ancient Rome. Following our pasta filled lunch break, we stopped by the Pantheon (which in my opinion was nothing too special) and took a break overlooking the Spanish Steps. We tried to see Trevi Fountain, but it was under construction for our whole stay.

After dinner we decided we should see a little bit of nightlife in Rome, and opted for the touristy Ice Bar. It was completely made of ice, at -5 degrees celsius which meant we had to wear these ridiculous looking thermal coats. Even the cups holding our ice-snow-cold themed drinks were made of ice! It was a very cool experience :) (that pun has not been made enough I assure you...)

We didn't stay for too long, but on our walk home stopped by the Coliseum. It was amazing to see at night, and we sat on a ledge looking over it for a long time. Friday while our two friends slept in, Sarah and I sat outside a small cafe people watching and sipping Italian lattes. Once they woke up, we walked across Rome to Vatican City.

We spent an hour walking through the Vatican Museum, not lingering because the rooms were pretty crowded. The map room was my personal favorite, though of course the Sistine Chapel was gorgeous. We got to skip the line since we precooked tickets, but the line for St. Peter's was dauntingly long.

Luckily we didn't have to wait in it! My dad had given me an Italy guide book he and my mom used on their trip, and in the Rome section was a handy little tip. If you pay for tickets through a tour group, there is a small special access door at the back of the Sistine Chapel that leads right into St. Peter's. Technically for tour groups only, the author suggested trying to just walk through. So it was the Catholic with three jewish/nonreligious people that suggested sneaking into one of the holiest places on the planet.

It worked! We simply walked through with a tour and got to bypass the two hour long line outside in the heat. For me, St Peter's was the highlight of the Vatican. We even got to go below ground and see the tombs of past popes. The basilica itself was the prettiest and most magnificent I have ever seen, and in the last four months I have seen lots of impressive churches. The whole basilica had an awe-inspiring and humbling air to it, and I was sad to leave.

We spent a few hours sitting in both St Peter's square and a nearby cafe, taking a break from our long day of walking/lines/sun. I had heard multiple times about a small restaurant near the Vatican that my parents loved from their trip, so we decided to try it for dinner.

The Holy Canoli
(yes eaten in Vatican City) 

The definition of a whole in the wall, it was one of my favorite meals in Italy! Antonio the owner was really friendly, and we were the only ones in the restaurant for most of the meal. On his suggestion I had spinach ricotta ravioli in walnut sauce...yum!

Deciding we wanted to see a new part of Rome, we stayed north of the river and walked towards a wine and chocolate bar Sarah and I had found online. It ended up being in a very young, chic, and local part of the city that we wish we had explored more. A few words on this bar...it was not at all what we expected! Everything was served in chocolate glasses--which was awesome--but innuendos ran rampant. It is not the place for those easily shocked/to go with your parents, but was hilarious and a great time.


On Saturday, Sarah and I again went to a small cafe while the other two slept in. Once they met us downtown, we went to the top of the Victor Emmanuel Monument (huge white building) to see a birds eye view of Rome. While not nearly as impressive at that of the Duomo, I really enjoyed it. We followed it up with a few hours of souvenir shopping, which is always fun.

On my last night in Rome, I got to see St. Peter's Square at night, which was one of the prettiest places I have been so far. Seeing it lit up and very much emptied out was beautiful.

In an amazing stroke of fate, one of my best friends Glenna happened to arrive in Rome Saturday night...on her 21st birthday! We went to a late dinner where I had perhaps my favorite pasta dish (gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce) and got late night gelato as we caught up for a few hours. It was amazing! Who would have ever guess I would be spending my freshman floor mates birthday with her in Rome.

Overall it was an amazing trip. I am absolutely in love with Italy, and can't wait to go back one day.


Thanks for reading!