I think it’s only fitting that my first post on travel be about our Honeymoon to Italy!

Ahhhh…the trip of a lifetime. My husband and I are both Italian & neither one of us

had ever been there…and always wanted to go. So…he surprised me & planned the

whole thing. We flew into Rome and rented a car…which is what I suggest if you are

visiting other cities & want to feel free to stop & explore the countryside. My

husband had booked us at the most magical place in Rome with views of the whole

city from our balcony & the beds were like clouds. Rome Cavalieri – A Waldorf

Astoria Hotel http://www.romecavalieri.com/

Of course we saw all the must see sites like…

• The Colosseum
• The Pantheon
• The Spanish Steps
• The Sistine Chapel
• Vatican City

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…to name a few…whewww. We were total tourists tossing coins into the

Trevi Fountain & eating & drinking wine & cheese in Piazza Navona!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rome made me feel very proud of my heritage.

 

Our next stop was Florence…stopping along the way to take pictures and

have gelato. Touring through Tuscany is breathtaking.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We want to go back & stay a week at a rustic Tuscan farmhouse &

take Italian cooking classes & drink wine & eat until we need to be wheel barreled away 😉

 

Just outside Florence in Pisa, Italy…we swung by the Leaning Tower of Pisa for some

unforgettable architecture, pictures & pizza of course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally…Florence. The best food in all of Italy was in Firenze…that’s Florence

in Italian. Italy is definitely home to one of the most celebrated culinary

cuisines & one of the most influential food cultures in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Florence lived up to its reputation ten fold. We dined at Buca Mario

http://www.bucamario.com/ and it was perfection. From the authentic

Italian ambiance of brick walls, & cobblestone floors, Italian music playing in

the background, homemade pasta, melt in your mouth flavors to the apron

they give you as a unique & sentimental parting gift…it was a romantic

memory. I recommend this place all day long.

And don’t even get me started on the incredible architechture & churches.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Farewell Florence.

 

Next stop was Venice where our minds were officially blown.

Venice was a majestic dream…on water.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We took the ferry and pulled right up to our

hotel…The Londra Palace http://www.londrapalace.com/ …where

champagne & the most beautiful view from our balcony of the canal were

waiting for us. The hotel room key was even spectacular haha. We of course

went on a gondola ride through the canal and my advice is find someone who

looks the part, will take your picture & sing you sweet Italian love songs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a memory you won’t ever forget & you want it to be everything you’ve ever

imagined. Don’t forget to kiss under the kissing bridge “Ponte dei Sospiri”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We chased pigeons in St. Mark’s Square & saw all the beautiful history.

The restaurant we ate at the first night reminded me of growing up with my

Italian family & the “7 fishes” for the holidays. Venice is known for their

seafood. Ristorante Do Forni http://www.doforni.it/ has just that…amazing

“pesce”. But this place was a bit pricey for the portion. The next night was our

favorite. A family owned hidden treasure named Osteria Oliva Nera

http://www.olivanera.com/en/restaurant-in-venice/

where the owner knew everyone & came out of the kitchen

from cooking to talk & eat with the customers.

The homemade pasta with shaved black truffle was

exquisite. Our favorite part was when we asked for the

dessert menu and the owner brought over a brown paper

place mat & starting drawing a flower and in each petal

she drew the  name of a different dessert special.

 

 

 

We chose the homemade tiramisu & brulee.

And we saved & framed the placemat to preserve the special memory.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrivederci Venice…

 

On the way to Lake Como, our Italian adventure took us through Verona,

Italy…where we visited Casa di Giulietta “Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliette’s

castle”. Probably one of the most romantic things we did. People come from

all over the world to write love notes, leave love lockets & chewing gum

shaped into hearts. We left our names on the wall & a beautiful love note in

honor of the sweet tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The adventure continues…Lake Como took our breath away.

The stunning snow capped mountains & beautiful villas left us in awe.

You should take a boat to the Bellagio Peninsula to take it all in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We flew out of Milan & wish we had more time… 10 days is not enough.

Italy was incredible and unforgettable. We can’t wait to go back!

#benedetto e ossessionato