Spring of 2017 I journeyed on over to Italy for a family vacation. This was my first time to Europe and it was truly amazing. Being an adult and becoming accustomed to the American culture and way of living it is so eye opening to see the lives of those in other countries. 

The home we rented was in Cortona, a small town in Tuscany. The choice in renting a home through Air BnB and other outlets gives a much more authentic touch to your vacation. The home came with two bedrooms with connected bathrooms upstairs, a small kitchen, a dining room with a fireplace, and a small sitting room. It also included a balcony off the bedroom, a pool, and a covered terrace.

It was around 50 degrees throughout our trip so we never got the chance to hop in the pool but the view from the yard was breathtaking. Sitting by the pool overlooking the rolling hills of Tuscany was something out of a movie.

Each day we hopped in the rental car and journeyed to the beautiful surrounding cities. Our trip to Florence was like stepping back in time. The city is so rich with the history of architects and artists their touches are seen everywhere. The tight stone streets are now filled with retailers like Gucci, Prada, and Dior. Florence offers amazing shopping and food but the main focus for me was the history.

We visited the Duomo and a few different museums containing work from Michelangelo and Raphael. We also decided to take a horse drawn carriage ride, which is a neon sign that we were tourists, but it was really interesting to learn from the driver all the quirky things I never would have known about the city. I think its worth it to look like an idiot tourist to meet interesting people and learn new things!

We spent one evening running around Luca. This city is truly a maze. I found that out the hard way getting lost in the streets. Sometimes getting lost is the perfect way to discover things. We had to ask many people for directions and finally decided to just walk to the wall and follow it around the city until we were back to the entrance we came in.

That is one thing about Italy that was pretty cool to me. All of the cities we visited are built on high ground and enclosed by walls, this was once useful for protection from invaders. It was useful to me to find the way back to the car.

We did Pisa and Rome in one day. I would recommend visiting Pisa for the photo op but not much else. It was the most Americanized place in my opinion, offering Burger King and McDonalds. It was also a bit stressful because the city is flooded with pick pocketer and scam artists. It was a get in get out visit for us.

We then went into Rome for a guided tour of the Vatican. This was really amazing and I’m so glad we had this opportunity. There is massive amount of art throughout the entire building, marble statues, paintings, maps, and the architecture itself. To me the Raphael rooms and the Sistine Chapel were the most beautiful things about the entire building.

Its something we are so used to seeing on screens or posters but experiencing it in real life is completely different. The Sistine Chapel doesn’t allow talking or photographs and you are shoulder to shoulder the entire time. It was still such a powerful and beautiful thing to experience this would be my number one recommendation in Rome.

Finally we visited the Trevi Fountain. It is super hidden in the streets and just emerges from the surrounding buildings. This is also a spot I would highly recommend, the piaza is really tight but it makes it more of an authentic experience. The fountain itself is beautiful but it was also beautiful to throw in a coin with all the other visitors. The feeling of this space was really powerful.

Finally we visited Positano on the Amalfi Coast. This was the only hotel we stayed in our entire trip. I have never seen a view as incredible as this. The Amalfi Coast is truly like a fairytale. I really wish to come back to this place during the summer. The beaches were closed due to the temperature but the view from that blue water would be unparalleled.

You definitely have to work for this view though. The roads that lead to Positano are tight and winding and once you’re there basically everything is stairs. Trust me the hike is more than worth it.