Joey and I just returned from our annual holiday trip. This year we went to Italy, and we packed a lot into our itinerary. We visited Rome, Florence, Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre), and Venice.
We started in Rome, which is a beautiful city brimming with history. My favorite part was probably the Vatican Museum. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos that day, so I have nothing to share. All I can say is it is well worth the money. We reserved tickets online ahead of time, which was a good time saver. My second favorite activity was visiting the Forum. It’s mind blowing to see these ruins from so long ago.
Florence was our next stop. Like the Vatican Museum, I don’t have any photos to share. We spent most of our time in museums looking at the Renaissance masterpieces (The Birth of Venus, David, etc.), which no photos can do justice, so I didn’t even try. I had high expectations for Florence, and the city did not disappoint. There is a lot to see, the food is delicious, and the city is all around beautiful.
After Florence, we visited Cinque Terre region, which is comprised of 5 towns along the coast. Riomaggiore was our base camp, but we explored quite a few of the towns along the coast. If you are looking for stunning scenery, this is it. It reminded me of the Algarve region in Portugal (photos here), but without cars. The first three photos are from Riomaggiore. The rest of the photos are from Manarola.
We ended our trip in Venice. I’ve heard that Venice can be overrun with tourists in the summer, so I’m glad we went in the winter. There were a lot of tourists, but it wasn’t overwhelming. The weather was nice too. It was colder than the other cities, but it wasn’t too cold to enjoy.
Joey’s favorite part of Venice was when he found his doppelganger painted on a door. I have to say, it is a pretty startling resemblance.
My favorite part was when I found a door frame so short that it made me look like a giant. I am not a tall person, so this was a good ego booster.
There you have it – our trip in a nutshell.
Oh and one more thing, Italian food is just about the greatest type of cuisine that was ever invented. As a vegetarian, I sometimes have a hard time finding options when I’m traveling, but it was easy in Italy. Pizza, pasta, risotto– my mouth is watering just thinking about it.