The first time I visited Italy, it instantly became my favorite country. I was in love with the charm, Roman history, and beauty, but didn’t know what to expect the second time around with Jacke. It was important for me to share the same experience with her, and I was hoping it would mesmerize her in the same way it did me 8 years ago. My views on life have changed since then, but my overall opinion of Italy hasn’t. It is still is one of my favorite places in the world and will always have a piece of my heart.

Our two week adventure started in Venice. Let’s just start by saying there is nothing quite like it. A beautiful and very romantic city, built over the water and comprised of a maze of tiny, colorful streets. The famous gondolas spread throughout the water passages and canals that make up the island only add to the character and charm. That being said, there’s also no other place that I get bored of quicker. Don’t get me wrong, it is stunning and has all the eye appeal you could ever dream of, but there just isn’t as much to do as there is in other Italian cities, and it is small enough of a  place that you can see it in a short period of time. It’s definitely worth the day trip or overnight, but the city lacks the sense of adventure that I constantly crave while traveling. It was still one of Jacke’s favorite places in Italy (considering she could travel the entire world and only go to restaurants and be perfectly happy), but you feel like it is 85% tourists and the remaining 15% a combination of workers/locals.

Next was a train to Milan for a half-day adventure. It was cheaper for us to give ourselves layovers in a few cities along the way, while on our way to the places we desired to spend a majority of our time. We immediately went straight to the Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral), as it is arguably one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world. The attention to detail on the exterior of the church is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. We visited the inside for more spectacular views and religious history, before heading to the roof. Wowww! To really get up close and personal to the some of the details you see from below, is well worth the added cost and line. Jacke was especially blown away by the amount of grapes engraved around the Cathedral as it was a clear indicator that wine is life in Italy.…. Next we went to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Basically a giant luxury shopping mall with clothes and jewelry worth more than our entire trip. I was probably rocking an old navy shirt that they wouldn’t even use as a cleaning rag, and sticking out like a sore thumb, but whatevs. Jacke had a great time day dreaming and looking around at some of the biggest names in fashion, in one of the fashion capitals of the world.

You know the post cards with the little Italian town overlooking the ocean at sunset you see everywhere? That is Manarola, and it was the town we were actually staying in while visiting Cinque Terre! This is the place I was most excited about while visiting Italy due to the picturesque views, hiking, and small town feel. There are five towns along the Italian coastline with similar small-town vibes, but all unique in there own way. Some we favored more than others, but you can’t go wrong staying/visiting any of them! We talked to others whose favorite spot was our least, but each person has their own desires and interpretation of paradise. I on the other hand, was more interested in the hikes, which I’ve heard people so frequently describe when visiting Cinque Terre. To my displeasure and Jacke’s excitement, two out of the four main hiking trails were closed for maintenance/repair while we were there. We woke up early and made our way from Corniglia to Vernazza, and from Vernazza to Monterosso. In between stops at each vibrant town, the trails are following towering cliffs with endless views of the sea, vineyards, and distant views of each of the colorful/paint pallet like towns. We both enjoyed the hikes and suggest that it’s a must for anyone visiting the area of Cinque Terre (yes, Jacke was rewarded with wine for her hiking again). I went and did another hike the following day from Manarola to Corniglia (red trail), which I found twice as stunning but also twice as hard. There are countless trails in the surrounding area and a must see for any avid hiking fan visiting Italy! We also enjoyed a day on the beach while visiting Monteresso, as this is the only town out of the five with a beach. This may be part of the reason it is twice the size of the next biggest town, but it was another enjoyable day hanging out by the ocean and meeting new people. We met a couple from Canada that was on their honeymoon and had great conversation over travel and their dream of doing our same trip!

After Cinque Terre, it was time for another half day adventure on our way to Florence. We were stopping in Pisa. This place is also surrounded by a sea…. a sea of tourists taking pictures of themselves holding the tower up with their hands, butt, face, etc. We even saw a picture of the girl going through a sex change as she now has a Pisa penis. Anyways, it was worth the quick layover to the see the surrounding area and beautiful buildings in central Pisa. Jacke of course had to join the fun, as she has now successfully saved the Leaning Tower of Pisa from falling over… Thank God!

Florence is another city that will take your breath away with the views and history. The Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore is another Italian church with a unique design only found in the area. Instead of your typical building style and material, it is covered in a combination of white, green, and red colored marble over an elaborate cathedral in the center of the city. No matter where you are in the city, it’s appeal and beauty draw you in and it’s almost impossible not to visit it daily while you are there. We visited multiple times along with other monuments and historic locations throughout the city of Florence. There was just one last stop we had to make while in town.

After watching the colts get annihilated and Jacke passed out because it was past 9 pm… I decided to surprise her with a Tuscany wine tour. This was to be on our final full day while in Florence, and was expected to take up most of our day visiting two wineries. I’m not a big wine-o like Jacke, and probably couldn’t tell you the difference between white and red wine if my eyes were closed. Jacke on the other hand, could probably name every type and brand of boxed wine in the United States just by smelling it. So we each have our own expectations, but both of them were far exceeded! We started out at a winery (actually considered a “wine school”) on the Tuscan hills that taught us the appropriate way to taste, smell, hold, and enjoy wine like a pro. This was very educational, but also just as enjoyable! We were even brought to the front for a cheers since we were the newly engaged couple. We then headed to the next winery at the foot of San Gimignano. This medieval town with staggering towers throughout was maybe a slight influence on which tour we did 🙂 (Thanks, Chris!). This winery tour was more about viewing the actual vineyards, seeing the process in which grapes are converted to wine, and enjoying the views while tasting more varieties of their own family brand of wine. At this point, everyone is starting to feel great and we are off to the town of San Gimignano. We’ve come particularly close to 4 other couples in our group and decide to continue to our wine tasting and exploring of the town together. We were quite the variety of cultures, as the other couples were from Hong Kong, Scotland, and Australia. We had so much fun together that we even went to dinner together for everyones last night in Florence. We continued our own version of the wine tour here as they had 25% off everything at the restaurant, and it got to the to the point where Jacke was actually turning down wine (It’s officially documented). I’m the one who paid the price for this as the couples continued to split bottles at dinner before making our way out. Let’s just say the next day we missed our train, had to spend an extra night in Florence, and I’m never drinking wine again.

Rome was the last stop of our Italy vacation. After recovering from Florence, we made our way to the historic city of Rome. This was the place I was most excited to show Jacke as I’m always so fascinated by how much more advanced they were than just about any other culture during that era some two thousand plus years ago. It just blows my mind that they built a stadium (The Colosseum) that could hold roughly about as many people as your average NFL stadium…. without researching anything. How is it we go almost 2,000 years before another venue is built with that capacity?! Not to mention the plumbing, running water, and other advancements they made that are still not present everywhere else in this world to this day. We visited the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Pantheon, and other historic areas scattered throughout the city in the upcoming days with the same mind numbness as when we visited our first site. Just be prepared to stiff arm/Hiesman 100 street vendors asking you “Selfie Stick?” or “Fast pass?” every time you are near a new monument. After exploring Rome for a few days, we had the privilege of visiting the Vatican City. The lines are plentiful and security is high, but its worth every second of the wait. We also witnessed a lovely old lady confused as why she couldn’t bring her giant kitchen knife she had in her purse that was the size of a machete… We started off with seeing St. Peter’s Basilica, where the Cathedral is possibly the biggest one we’ve seen yet. It’s hard not to get the chills down your spine walking into such a powerful and religious building that has influenced so many people over the centuries. Next, we went inside the Vatican Museum on our way to see the Sistine Chapel. We are by no means huge art fans, but you cant help but become one when walking into this building. The Sistine chapel is filled with what feels like miles of painted ceilings and famous artwork everywhere. Jacke put our lives on the line by snapping a picture in the forbidden area, as I was sure she was going to spend the rest of her life in jail for Instagram (outcome TBD).

Another long post, but that pretty much summarizes our two weeks in Italy. I guess some of you may be wanting to hear some type of Jacke moment, so I’ll just stick with the Vatican. The night before as we are getting ready for bed and I’m about to set an alarm, “what time would you like to get up tomorrow to visit the Pope?” as she replied, “Did you know that your nipples are the same distance apart as your ear lobes?” Nothing that I’ve ever thought about until now, but I guess she had a point. I wonder what else is going on in her head on a daily basis…

Takeaways from Italy:

1. ^ Did you know your nipples were the same distance apart as your ear lobes?!
2. Always give yourself an extra day in the same city after doing a wine tour.
3. Don’t be afraid to talk to strangers, as you never know where the conversation may take you.