Amore in Italia

I don't want to write this post. It means our time in Italy is now really, truly over and just a memory. But what a wonderful memory. I honestly don't think our trip could have been any smoother or the weather any better. What a blessing. We packed light because we did so much traveling--just a day pack and a backpacking bag. That was definitely the way to go.

So here's our trip in a nutshell:

April 3: Arrive in Milan and catch the first train to Varenna on Lake Como (up by the Swiss border)

April 4-5: Vernazza in the Cinque Terre (five towns connected by hiking trails on the NW coast; takes about 4 hours to hike from the first to the last town)

The path connecting two of the towns was called Via dell'Amore (the Pathway of Love)

April 6: Catch a morning train to Pisa to see the sights there, then another train to Siena

Siena's city tower

April 7: Took a bus to Florence for the day

Justin regrets letting me take this picture

April 8-9: Rome/Vatican City

April 10-12: Left Rome the afternoon of the 10th and caught a train to Sulmona (about 100 miles east of Rome). Justin's aunt and uncle (Taffy and Phil) picked us up and took us to their home in Introdacqua, just a few miles away. Introdacqua is on the other side of the mountain from L'Aquila, where the earthquake hit--about 40 miles away. There were aftershocks there for a few days before we arrived, but no damage.

The house next door (what Taffy and Phil's looked like before renovations)

Sulmona is known for its coated candies and for its flowers made from these candies

April 13: Taffy and Phil drove us to Pescara (an hour away and on the coast), where we caught a train to Padova, which is just outside of Venice

Basilica of St. Anthony

April 14: Day trip to Venice

Rialto Bridge

Island of Burano near Venice

April 15: Took the train to Milan with a quick stop in Verona

Piazza Bra

Pretty park with Verona's colosseum in the background

April 16: A LONG day of travel back to the US (We flew in and out of Atlanta, where Justin's mom and dad live. Eddie stayed with Justin's dad and stepmom and lived like a king.

You can see why we wanted to pack light! Justin had been to Italy twice before, but since this was my first trip, we decided to see as much as we could in two weeks. What we saw ended up being a really great mix of gorgeous, sleepy little towns and the "biggies." It was all different, so don't ask me what my favorite was! I can tell you my favorite gelato place, but that's about it. And my two favorite meals. On Easter Sunday, Taffy and Phil took us to a nearby skiing town called Pescocostanza. We spontaneously decided to grab lunch there. There was no menu at the place we chose. The owner gave us a choice of three dishes, and we all chose ravioli. He said his wife was in the kitchen right then making the ravioli, the ricotta had been made from sheep's milk just that morning, and the wild mushrooms had also been picked fresh. It was a heavenly meal.

The most important lesson I learned: Never sit down on a curb, especially in Rome, without looking first. You might just find yourself picking off not one but two wads of gum and a cigarette butt from your pants.

But mostly, it was awesome.