WELL HELLO THERE! Where have I been? I spent just shy of three weeks in Italy; it was a dream vacation and I will remember it forever. Of course, I am in the what are words and how do we use them phase of jet lag, and so behold, I give you a photo-heavy overview of the ten places we visited.
- Roma! We started and ended our vacation in Rome, which is my favourite city that I have ever been to. I was there on a school trip in Grade 11 and what I remember most is that I couldn’t walk five steps without being blown away by something incredible, and this was exactly my experience now, all these years later. We spent a total of six nights there, and we could have spent sixty and would still not have experienced everything. All of our touring was on foot along the cobblestone streets, dodging the tiny cars for whom things like “lanes” and “pedestrian areas” are fluid and flexible concepts.
- Vatican City. On my husband’s birthday we went to the Vatican and had a small group tour of the museum and St Peter’s Basilica; of the six people in our group, three were celebrating birthdays. We were led by a very handsome and charming guide named Massimo, who appeared to be some kind of celebrity in the tour guide world. Everywhere we went we heard calls of Ey, Massimo!, to which he’d respond with a lift of his hand and a Ciao. Ciao! Allora., like he was on the red carpet, faced with the paparazzi, and we were his entourage, following behind, rarely getting our tickets checked at the security points. He spoke of himself in the third person. Why do you not let Massimo show you? he’d say, demi-sexually, with his hand on our shoulder if one of our group was lagging or distracted by something. I was the only non-Catholic in our group, which made me the subject of many, many jokes; Massimo gestured widely to the vast number of confessionals in the Basilica. You can surely find an English speaking priest, he said, looking at his watch, And you have until 7pm, that is enough time, no? It was 11am at the time, and I didn’t think eight hours would be quite enough to confess everything, and so I remain non-Catholic.
- Civita de Bagnoregio. Rome must have been sad that we were leaving, as the beautiful weather TURNED on our departure. We had hired a driver to take us to Montepulciano with a stop at Civita de Bagnoregio, as driving in Italy – especially Rome – is pure madness. Madness, I say! Our driver, Roberto, was achieving speeds near 150 km/hour in the driving rain and fog, on winding roads, and I wondered if this would be the end, beautiful friend. Happily it wasn’t, but the weather did not let up for Civita, a tiny crumbling village on top of a mountain. On the upside, it wasn’t crowded.
- Montepulciano. After that, Roberto zoomed us over to Montepulciano, a non-crumbling village atop a mountain in Tuscany. It is famous for its wine, which I enjoyed, and we toured a cellar that dated from 1337. We stayed in the most adorable six-room hotel, that was so full of tchotchkes, it felt like staying at someone’s nonna’s house.
- Siena. We took the train to Siena, also in Tuscany, and enjoyed the food and wine there. Notably we explored the Duomo and climbed the Panorama del Facciatorre and Porto del Cielo, which gave a marvelous view of the city and the basilica. They were accessed by tiny, narrow, spiral staircases, so this is not for the claustrophobic. Fortunately I wasn’t, although the Panorama was a bit nerve wracking, being only a few feet wide with very low railings, towering above the city. We had the added pleasure of seeing longtime friends whom we hadn’t seen in twenty years. We moved on up in the world by staying in a ten-room hotel, which was gorgeous. In the incredible main piazza, I discovered a love of pigeons, channeling my inner Bert, or maybe even my inner Bobby Simone.
- Firenze! We took the train to Florence, where we were to spend five nights. That’s a lot of nights in Florence, but we had several day trips, via train, planned. The train system is so great in Italy! While in Florence we enjoyed the Renaissance art, and also a little bit of market shopping. Almost everywhere, you can buy David penis-related merchandise, from fridge magnets to key chains to postcards to the type of apron that makes you look like your head has been transposed onto David’s body. It’s all so cheap and weird, which makes the viewing of the actual David even more spectacular. I remembered our teacher chaperone, back on my school trip in 1992, purchasing a plastic replica of David, and I can just imagine it on his coffee table, lo these many years later. I refrained from purchasing any penis-related memorabilia, so anyone expecting one such postcard will be disappointed.
- Lucca. Our first day trip via train was Lucca, and it was kind of a low point. I had been excitedly anticipating this medieval walled city but we visited it the day before their famous comic and gaming conference, the largest in Europe. We got off the trip with several costumed individuals, including a man who looked exactly like Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. The medieval wall was covered in tents from various sponsors, and their main square was filled with a tent advertising Squid Games. There was even a giant inflated anime character beside the church. Still, it was fun to stroll around.
- Cinqueterra! If Lucca was the low point, Cinqueterra was the high. Our guide, Stephano, picked us up in Florence and drove us non-insanely to Manarola, which we strolled through to catch the train to Corniglia, where we hiked through the hillside to Vernazza. We had lunch there, then took the train to Monterossa al Mare, where I was surprised to see so many people on a beach vacation. This is the Speedo capital of the world! Stephano told me, gesturing to the many men so attired. From there we took a boat back to Manarola and headed back for Florence. It was such a great day, one of the best of my entire life.
- Pisa! Like David’s penis, there are replicas of the Leaning Tower of Pisa everywhere, and so my expectations for this sight were fairly low. Was I ever wrong! We took the train to Pisa and when we came up to the historic building I absolutely gasped. It is so incredibly beautiful. It honestly took my breath away. We climbed to the top, and it was kind of unsettling to feel the slant in the floors and in the winding spiral steps. They’d slant one way, then, as you’d make your way to the other side, they’d slant the other. Also, there is a law that if you don’t take a photo pretending to hold up the tower, they make you go home, but it’s harder than you think!
- Venizia! Venice is such a chaotic, beautiful, wild, crazy place. It is a frequent stop for cruise ships, and we got there on a Saturday afternoon, which was maybe not the best timing. There was incredibly dense fog, and we wandered the streets, getting pleasantly lost, until our wandering brought us into masses of people crammed into streets lined with incredibly high-end shops. It felt all the world like being in the Venetian hotel in Vegas, except with poor air quality. We had to stop and fortify ourselves with several Aperol spritzes. The next day was much more fun; we got up very early and took the Vaporitta, the water bus, through the city while listening to an audio guide. I had fully expected to want a gondola ride, but when I saw the reality – bumper to bumper gondolas, people queued up as for a Disney ride – I didn’t want to anymore. The population of Venice is diminishing rapidly as it is very expensive to live there, doing day-to-day things like getting groceries is nearly impossible, and there are very strict government building codes that prevent changes to dwellings that are decaying, mildewed, and subject to frequent floods. I’m really glad we went to Venice, because it’s an incredible sight to behold, but I don’t want to go back.
And now I’m home, and trying to catch up on life! I’d love to catch up with all of you, as well. I missed you! Currently I have 304 unread posts in my reader, so it might take some time – help a girl out and tell me what I’ve missed! News did follow me and so I did not miss the US election results. While I’m always sending Care Bear Stares to my friends around the globe, I’m sending extra to my friends south of the border. I hope you can feel them. Tell me something good, friends, or tell me what’s happening in your life, tell me something fun, tell me something serious, just tell me anything. xo
What an incredible trip, Nicole! The photos are lovely… you look so elegante, Labella!
I’ve never been to Pisa, so hearing about the slant was unexpected…
I missed you, and could use some extra Care Bear stares right about now! XOXOX
Those stares have been coming your way! I hope you can feel them.
The slant was nuts! It was very unsettling!
Such a wonderful trip you had! I hope the next post is filled with photos of food.
I am going back to school, at 45. I am so excited and I feel that I am truly in the right place. This is what’s happening in my life currently. ❤️
Alina! This is amazing news! What are you taking at school? I love this for you!
Thank you Nicole! I started acupuncture. It’s a 3-year program. I have been in the health/nutrition field all my life. This was such a natural progression for me. I am truly in the right place and I love it so much. I have big plans and I can’t wait to practice. 🙏
Those pictures! Massimo! What an amazing experience! It’s been quite a week down here – so I’m sharing random stories as respite: My daughter has a catapult prototype competition at school today and it’s been quite a journey for her and my Mr but she sure as heck was in the top 3! (It shoots ping pong balls and definitely has some force – the poor dog as been hiding every time she tries it out, haha!)
This cracked me up so much! It reminds me of when my son had to make a Rube Goldberg machine in grade five or six, things were wild around our house for a while. The dog was not impressed either!
Welcome back! I have enjoyed seeing your photos on IG and it is really bringing back all of the good memories I have of my travels to Italy. Tell me: what was your favorite meal? I love the food there and probably did not have one bad meal in that country ever! Your story of Massimo reminds me of the faceless man who pinched my butt on the subway in Rome. It just seems so Italian. Also, when you were in Monterossa al Mare, was it so warm that a speedo is warranted? It is November! I can’t wait to hear more about your travels.
As far as news here, it’s starting to get colder and darker and I am happy for any day that is not raining, although I am currently pet sitting so at least I am not out in the rain on the bike at the moment. If I were you, I would mark anything longer than 7 days (or one?) as read and move on, since there are a lot of people doing NaBloPoMo and there are going to be A LOT of posts to catch up on!
Kyria, it was pretty warm at Monterossa al Mare! It was in the low 20s and quite sunny, and because Italy had such a hot summer the water was apparently quite warm. But possibly the Speedo wearers were from northern Europe so were pretty hardy, who’s to say? It was startling though.
My favourite meal was pappa del pomodoro, a Tuscan bread soup with tomato. It sounds weird but was delicious. Also I had so many great pasta dishes! And wine! And Aperol spritzes!
I’ve been following your Italian escapades on IG. You saw so many famous places and took some wonderful photos. Thanks for taking us along, I’ve enjoyed it immensely. 🍷
I’m so glad you enjoyed them, Ally!
It sounds like you had an amazing trip, Nicole! What beautiful photos! And you look so gorgeous and happy – even in the rain! One good thing about jet lag is that you missed out on going back to standard time. 🤣 I’m kidding – I know that jet lag is a BIG adjustment. I’m glad you’re home and that you had such a nice time in Italy. ❤️
Michelle, it’s so weird but the time change happened in Italy too! I was surprised. But it didn’t affect me really…until I got home and now the sun sets at 4:22! Whew, I forgot how early it gets dark here!
Such great pics, bringing back memories of a lot of those places I was in at some point in the last few years. I’ve followed your trip on Insta and this post-trip version wraps it up nicely. I’m off to Portugal tomorrow where I hope to eat a lot of fresh seafood, wander, drink wine and forget about the recent news of … you know … south of us.
Oh Pearl, enjoy Portugal! I hope you have the best time! Have a glass of wine for me.
Well this post was just pure delight to read, Nicole. What a fabulous trip and I loved reading about all the highlights!
Isn’t Rome dreamy? I was shocked by how much I loved it. And the food is just so freaking good (and relatively inexpensive).
I was very surprised by how big David (and his genitals) were; somehow I was expecting a Mona Lisa of statues; smaller and less impressive than expected. It’s HUGE!
Welcome home <3
Elisabeth, I was so surprised at the amazing meals we had at a relatively low price! Like a half litre of wine for 10-12 Euro! We ate SO well there.
David IS huge! Except for his junk. But what a stunning sculpture!
SO HAPPY YOU ARE BACK! HAVEN’T EVEN READ THE POST YET BUT HAD TO SAY THIS FIRST– BRB– READING 🙂
xoxoxo
What a great trip! These photos are gorgeous, and it sounds like you had a wonderful time 🙂
It was a trip of a lifetime, Sarah!
Nicole! I’m so glad you’re back. I was following your exploits on Instagram and I was exhausted just watching. I hope your jet lag is over quickly!
Also, I cannot tell you how destroyed I am that I’m not getting a David penis postcard. This world is SO CRUEL. (Also, you know, there are real problems that I’m avoiding by faking anger at how you ignored my need for a pornographic postcard. A postcard that will, presumably, be illegal to own in the US in T-minus 73 days.)
Hahaha IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN!!! Dammit. That’s an opportunity lost. *goes back in time, buys all the David penis postcards*
What an amazing trip to remember! I’m so jelly! The photo of you with the glass of wine is magnificent! I have no idea what a Care Bear Stare is, but thank you? 🤣 I’m currently reading the latest Elizabeth Strout book, Tell Me Everything, and it does not disappoint! XO
I can’t wait to read it! It’s on my Christmas list!
Hurray, Nicole is back! Hope the jet lag dissipates quickly.
Here is my happy news: I had been terribly worried about one of my sons, who took a bad fall while rock-climbing (that is not the happy part). He had a comminuted calcaneus fracture, which is an injury with a tough recovery. It can be permanently disabling; it can leave people living with pain for a long time. I was so sad but also trying to put on a brave face! But! This is the happy part! He went to the podiatrist yesterday and his X-rays are looking so much better. I’m so relieved and grateful.
That’s such great news, Jamie! Thank you so much for sharing it with me!
YAY! You’re back! I don’t look at IG much, but maybe one of your pictures looks familiar so maybe I saw it? Your trip looks AMAZING, and I’m so glad you had the best day of your life on this trip. Gorgeous pictures, just gorgeous.
We went over the border into Italy when I stayed in Southern France in 2022, and we were driving a rental car, and that was harrowing enough, with all of the motorcycles and scooters zipping around at break neck speed, I was sure we were going to die, or maybe kill someone, or most likely both. And our GPS was lagging, so would tell us to turn when we had just passed a street, instead of before, and we got put on a twisty turny road up the side of a mountain in the dark with no rails over the sides, in this car that should be illegal in Europe it was so big, and the whole thing was a LOT.
Omg I would never ever drive in Italy exactly for that reason! It’s wild!
I followed along on your trip via Instagram. It looks like you had a wonderful time, deservedly so!
Thank you for sending the Care Bear stares – we really need it right about now!
Thanks for following along, Gigi! xo
Welcome back to the internets! I am disappointed that I will not be getting a “big nose little hose” postcard from you, but hey it is what it is. I did not know that the Tower of Pisa was open and able to be climbed! I always assumed that it existed only for people take pictures of themselves holding it up. Now that I know this I think I have to go to Italy to climb it!
My latest news is that I have gotten obsessed with hiking in Leap Peep Season. I’m currently on what I think will be my last “Boy Scout trip” of the year and am planning to go on a big hiking bender this weekend.
Well between you and Engie…I mean, I had no idea that I should be buying David penis memorabilia and wow, do I have regrets!!!!
A couple of months ago my husband said “hey, do you want to actually go up the tower of…” and I didn’t even let him finish before shrieking YES I DO! It’s really cool.
What a dream vacation!! I have never been to Italy but would like to get there eventually. It looks amazing. But wow that looks like some crazy rain! But you even look darling in a downpour with a rain jacket!
My big news is that I moved my blog to WordPress! (http://lisasyarns.com). I did it Wednesday morning on my day off from work. It was a good distraction from the news…
Oh Lisa I think you would love Italy! It’s so great! A lot of restaurants advertise gluten-free pasta, so you wouldn’t have to starve there either!
I just visited your site and it looks great!
What a trip of a lifetime! I love all the pictures and descriptions of places you visited. We are planning a summer trip, so I will be referring to this! I went Venice when I was 22, but didn’t stop anywhere else in Italy. We aren’t going there but to Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre and Amalfi!
Oh Anna, you will love love love it!!!! It’s such a great country filled with incredible people!
I loved watching this beautiful trip on Facebook.
I almost had to ask for clarification on the Bobby Simone/pigeon comment and then I remembered!
I loved Florence. My friend’s mom just got back from Italy and, among many other fat-shaming comments, said she lost weight because she didn’t like the pasta. Didn’t. Like. The Pasta. I would so much rather be overweight than whatever that is.
Welcome home! Do you have a wine-tapering plan so you don’t send yourself into shock going cold turkey?
DIDN’T LIKE THE PASTA. Who even is this woman. Is she real? Because the pasta is SO good. Omg the food is so good, everywhere it’s delicious!
I did have a glass of wine last night! But it’s a far cry from wine-every-day!
I was just wondering where you were as you haven’t posted for a while! What an epic trip! I’ve been some places in italy but not as many as you did. Really would love to visit again.
It was such a great trip, Coco!
These pictures, Nicole! I felt like I was right there with you! I absolutely love them, especially the one of you holding the wine glass. I love that you said it was the best day of your life—I can truly feel it through these photos.
Thank you for sharing that love. We could all use a bit of it down here. 😘❤️
It sounds like a lovely trip.
How amazing!!! We are going to Italy for spring break (end of March). My husband and I were there in 2017, and then we took the boys to just Rome in 2022 for 3 nights (tacked onto our Ireland trip). They LOVED Rome so much, they have been begging to go back to Italy. So even though my husband and I have been, we agreed to go back for spring break! We won’t have nearly as much time as you, but fortunately we already took them to Rome, so just focusing on northern part this time. We’re doing Milan, Florence (with day trips to Cinque Terre and Pisa) and Venice. My husband and I haven’t been to Milan nor the Cinque Terre, so this feels like a nice compromise- a couple new things, a couple classics that we’ve seen before. I’m excited to go back to Florence and Venice with the boys and see their reaction to it all anyway. When we were there last, the boys were pretty young (7 years ago?) and they both LOVED the pics we shared from Venice. They’ve been asking to go there ever since. 🙂 I agree it’s kind of like a theme park or something, but yet, it’s so beautiful and unique that it’s so worth visiting.
Oh how fun! I will look forward to hearing about your trip as well. I agree, Venice is so interesting to visit, but I’m one and done on it.
What a fabulous trip! And beautiful pics! We were in Italy a few years ago and 3 weeks wasn’t enough. I agree with you on Rome. I think it’s my favourite city. We spent 5-6 days there and it just wasn’t enough. We did drive on the trip but used the trains around Florence. It’s such a good system. We hiked tho Cinque Terre over 3-4 days I think. It is spectacular, but it was also quite rainy and a lot of sections were closed. I’m typing this in the car travelling from Charleston to Savannah, then on to Hilton Head for some golf. Charleston is so beautiful! What a great cut with so much history (but it’s not Rome!). I look forward to more pictures so I can reminisce about Italian food. Sigh
Oh, too bad about rain in the Cinque Terre, although I understand them closing the trails – they would be awful in the rain! I’ve heard wonderful things about Charleston and Savannah! Enjoy your trip, Pat!
OMG! what a fab trip of a life time. LOVED all the photos.
Thanks so much, Hanna!
Well, I’m a little disappointed that we’re not all getting David penis postcards, but I’m glad you had such a great trip! It looks incredible, and I love that the trip to Cinqueterra was one of the best days of your life. And, I’m glad you’re back! We missed you.
Gosh had I known so many of my friends wanted David penis postcards, I would have cleaned out the whole store! Sigh. Well, live and learn!
Love, love, love your photos. It sounds like an amazing trip. I love Italy and would love to go back sometime. I think I’ve wanted to go to Cinquterra since I was in my twenties but we couldn’t fit it in, now I’m even more keen to make sure we get there next time.
Salivating all over this post! Sorry Lucca was a low point- sometimes you just never know, right? But over all, what a wonderful, fun trip. happy belated to your husband! I also love the rainy and foggy photos- something extra about them.
Us. Welp, we had the election, we had pneumonia, we went to Dutch county, PA to live on the farm and eat fresh food :))
You just never know! But I am glad we went, even if it was a bit of a bust!
I AM SO HAPPY YOU’RE BACK!!!!!!!!! I’m glad you had such a great time in Italy – these photos are beautiful. Italy is my #1 travel dream, and I hope to get there someday.
Oh I hope you do too, it is an amazing country!
I’m telling you that I am so disappointed that you didn’t send me a Penis Postcard.
Your trip looks amazing; like you did it all and lived to tell about it.
I had no idea you can GO INTO THE LEANING tower, although I knew about the law regarding photographing it.
Your tour guide Massimo sounds like the one we had in Spain; he was so darn charismatic and Mr. Popular.
I died laughing at your not having enough time in the confessional. Same girl, same.
WELL NOW I KNOW. If ever I see any kind of penis postcard, I have a running list of the people who want them. Suz is now on that list!
Well I’m commenting out of order but wanted to say again what a fantastic trip you had! Were you able to see the frescos in Pisa at the Camposanto by any chance? I thought they were amazing (and the tower was too!)
I did, Tamara! I was blown away by Pisa in general, I had low expectations and it was so great!
I completely agree, Pisa was a pleasant surprise!
What an incredible trip, Nicole. You saw so much in three weeks and I can only imagine the mental jetlag that you’re experiencing of absorbing everything you did and saw.
I’ve only been to Venice and I definitely want to go back and see some of these famous places!
Mental jetlag! I never thought of that but yes – my husband and I were just talking about how it’s good I wrote a journal and took photos, because it’s hard to remember any details already.