The Jet-lagged Journalist

Last summer my boyfriend, Andrew, and I went to Italy. If you want to read about our experience in Rome and Positano, those articles have already been posted on this blog!

Florence:

We arrived in Florence ready to take on the art and culture. I wandered through the Gallery of the Academy and saw amazing pieces, such as David by Michelangelo. Sipping an Aperol Spritz at the Piazza San Giovanni was surreal; we had to take it in before heading to our next plan. I had booked us a sunset boat ride with a violinist, it was an amazing experience and one of my favorite memories from this trip. We both noticed that there weren’t as many big crowds in Florence, and the city overall seemed cleaner than other Italian cities we had seen. Andrew made a reservation for us at Osteria Pastella, in my opinion, was the best meal we had in Italy. The moment we were seated, we received complimentary champagne, bread and oil, cheese-baked bread, and after our meal, we were given complimentary whiskey neat. The dinner was more than food, it was a whole experience watching them prepare the pasta by melting the cheese and shaving the truffle right in front of us. We went to the Florence leather market and I was in absolute heaven! Andrew got the most beautiful leather journal. I bought two purses; although, I wish I could’ve purchased the whole market! 

Tuscany:

The two of us went on a group wine tour in the Tuscan Hills, where we went to two different wineries and tasted an assortment of their bestsellers. I loved seeing the process with the barrels and learning about the different nodes in wines. I felt as though I gained a new interest in wine after this tour. To me wine is an art, anything can change the taste of the liquid from how old it is, what you’re eating with it, and even as slight as if your hand has warmed the glass and changed the temperature of the wine, ultimately changing the flavor. One day I hope to make my own wine. Needless to say with not much to eat and 6 wine tastings + one full glass of Rosé; I was on the floor by the end of the tour (I’m not even being sarcastic, I literally fell on the floor and Andrew had to carry me out of there). The vibrant green rolling Tuscan Hills were a gorgeous sight I’ll never forget.

Venice:

As most of you know I am a Flight Attendant, so Andrew and I fly standby when we travel, meaning we only get on if there are available seats. Due to this, we have to make our travel plans very flexible. We had a few days to budge with flights but wanted to get home in time to rest before either of us went back to work. The day we were supposed to fly out, all of the seats ended up being full leaving Rome, but there were tons of available seats leaving from Venice the next day. We booked it up to the city and had an unexpected adventure. It was a bit vacant and we soon learned that there aren’t many locals anymore. Most Venetians live outside of the city and commute in due to high prices from tourism. Venice has a carnival for two weeks between February and March, and the majority of its stores reflect the culture and celebration of this holiday. It was such a fun surprise to make it to this sinking city and see the iconic gondolas in person!

It was our time to leave, although I didn’t want to. Getting back to the States and resting before we had to get back to work was necessary. Overall, this trip has been the best experience. I’ve always been captivated by Italian culture. It’s a dream of mine to have dual citizenship there in the future. I’ll never forget my time there, especially because I shared it with my very best friend. I am already looking forward to my next trip here, hopefully, to explore new places as well. If you have been to this beautiful country and have any recommendations, I would love to read them in my comments or in my email.