Thinking About Italy

Our trip to Italy last fall really was amazing and I'm thinking about it now as I sit in gloomy Chicago. September/October is the perfect time to travel there.  And we went everywhere!  We started out south in Naples and went to the pizza place from Eat, Pray, Love.  It lives up to its reputation and worth a trip to Naples just to try the pizza.  My husband is obsessed with trying to recreate it at home and I don’t mind!  

Delicious!

We made a stop to Pompeii on our way to the Amalfi Coast and it was really cool to see how people lived almost 2000 years ago.  They even had fast food restaurants.  The Amafli Coast is just breathtaking - cliffs, blue sea and lemons everywhere.  We did a lot of hiking up and down the endless steps that lead down to the sea and up to the hill towns.  On our way to Rome we decided to take a really scenic route that involved a boat ride and a stop in beautiful Capri where we did some more hiking.  With all the hiking we did, I worked up an appetite and the food did not disappoint. It was all so fresh!  

Amalfi

The next leg of our trip was in Rome where we spent a long weekend and saw all of the major sites.  It's such a vibrant city with amazing restaurants, architecture and shopping.  We stayed at a convent and, while convenient and affordable, the 10:00 curfew put a dent in our evenings.  It was like we were in high school trying to get home on time before our parents (aka nuns) locked the door. 

I made it to Rome!

Tom's brother (who lives in Belgium) met us for the next leg of our trip, which was driving around Tuscany. We made it to 7 hill towns in 2 1/2 days.  Quick trip, but we'll definitely be back.  I love the medieval feel of the towns and I'm kicking myself for not getting any of the pottery.  

Tuscan Countryside

Our next stop was Cinque Terre which is on the east coast and we hiked between the 5 fishing villages.  We stayed in Vernazza and they don't have any hotels, so you have to rent a room from a local.  We did it when we got there and outside our window was the drying rack where we hung our cloths out to dry.  I must have done it wrong, because the woman we rented the room from rehung everything for me.  We also had THE BEST focaccia bread and pesto there.  I'm still dreaming about it.

Vernazza

After that we went to Lake Como for a few days and just relaxed and took the ferry to the different towns. There are so many gorgeous villas and gardens there. Finally our last stop was Milan were we saw "The Last Supper" and had the best happy hours.  They serve tons of snacks for free with your beer or wine.  

I can’t wait to go back to Italy, but until we do, I have a lot of wonderful memories stored away.

Lake Como