Hey everyone! Today I wanted to talk about my family trip to Italy. In 2015, we packed our bags and traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to Italy. This trip was so memorable because it was my first time in Europe and although I was only 15, I remember almost everything about this vacation. (All of the photos that I am sharing with you were either taken by me or by one of my family members.)
When my family surprised us and told us that we would be going to Italy in June of 2015, we freaked out to say the least. We were so excited for many reasons, one of which was the fact that we had dreamed of going, and since half of my family is Italian, it was exciting to imagine that we would be going to the country that my ancestors were from. The plane ride was probably the longest I had ever been on. It took about nine hours for us to get to Italy, not including the two plane rides we had to take before the one to Italy.
Our plane landed in Rome, and we quickly got on a train to Venice (we were saving Rome for last). I remember we were exhausted when we arrived, but I felt wide awake due to the excitement and the view as soon as we stepped out of the train station. I will never forget what I saw and how I felt in that moment. I felt like I had traveled back in time, and that I wasn’t even on the same planet. The view was stunning, and I couldn’t believe what was in front of me.
We first had to find our hotel, which we had a bit of trouble with. In Venice, there are no cars, so we walked everywhere we went in the city. It took some time walking through narrow alleys, and crossing cute little bridges with all of our luggage. We finally found the hotel and it reminded us of a dollhouse. We had two separate rooms since my family is rather large. We had beautiful weather in Venice, and I believe that it was cooler here because we were by the water. I truly did feel like I was living in a movie or another world that I was just not at all familiar with.
We did some exploring, and one thing that stood out to me was the fact that there were so many giant cathedrals and they would come out of absolutely no where. We would turn a street corner and all of a sudden there was an incredibly beautiful cathedral right in front of us. I couldn’t believe the detail of these cathedrals, and I questioned how on earth anyone could have built this. It also made me compare the architecture to that of America.
In Venice, we walked through Piazza San Marco, and at night it was lit up with bright yellow lights. I found myself getting pictures of every little thing that I saw in every city. I remember taking a photo with my older sister at Piazza San Marco, and I laughed because it looked like we photoshopped ourselves into the picture! My family decided to go on a gondola ride which was one of the highlights of the trip. That is something that many people dream of doing if they were to travel to Italy, so it was really incredible to experience it.
Of course, we had to try pizza, pasta, and gelato (we ate gelato most nights and I was in heaven). I remember feeling nervous about having to communicate with the locals, but I believe many of them spoke English, at least in the cities that we traveled to. One of my favorite things about traveling is being around different people from all over the world. Hearing new languages and seeing how other people live their lives always fascinates me.
Our next stop was Pisa, where we were able to see The Leaning Tower of Pisa in the Campo dei Miracoli (or The Square/Field of Miracles). Once again, we turned a corner and there was the leaning tower, along with the three other buildings in the complex. We got a family photo in front of the tower, and we ate lunch at a small pizza place close by. The pizza in Pisa was probably the best pizza that I tried while in Italy (it’s always the small corner restaurants that do it best)!
Pisa, Italy
Next up was Florence. We got to see the Florence Cathedral which is one of Italy’s largest, and yet again, the detail amazed me. After seeing Florence, we traveled to the coast and spent some time in Sorrento, and it was beautiful. Right across the water, we could see Naples, which is where my Grandma’s family is from. We then took a train to Pompeii and we were able to walk through the ruins of Pompeii and see some of the old artifacts. We also walked up Mount Vesuvius which erupted in 79 AD, ultimately causing the destruction of Pompeii.
Our next stop was Amalfi, which was one of my favorite cities that we went to. Our hotel in the Amalfi Coast was gorgeous. Both of our rooms had a balcony; one with a view of the water, and one with a view of a cathedral. When I woke in the mornings, the sun was shining through the windows of the balcony, music was playing, and I could hear the crowd of people walking around below me. We also spent some time swimming in the Mediterranean Sea, and when we would turn around, we would see all of the colorful buildings sitting on the cliffs.
Amalfi, Italy
Our final stop on this trip was of course Rome. I was so excited to be in this city because I had dreamed about it for so long. It was incredibly hot when we arrived, but I didn’t let the heat ruin my time. We waited in a very long line in front of the Vatican in Vatican City to walk through the cathedral. The Pope was there the same day, and he spoke to the crowd. When we walked in, I just could not believe everything I saw. There was so much detail, even on the ceilings. This had to be one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever seen to date.
We went to see the Trevi Fountain, and although it was under construction at the time, I still tossed a euro and made a wish! On our last day, we got to see the Colosseum. We walked up a long road full of vendors and we stopped to eat some fresh fruit on the way. The entire time we were walking, the Colosseum was in sight. There were crowds of people waiting to get in, and we somehow got lucky, and we were able to skip most of the line! As we walked around, we saw old artifacts and I thought about the history of the Colosseum. We took a family photo, and this concluded our amazing trip.
Rome, Italy
Whenever I travel somewhere new, I am always fascinated by what I see (especially when traveling outside of America). I always think to myself how amazing it would be to live in a place like Italy. The fact that people may walk by the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Leaning Tower of Pisa every day, amazes me. The people who live in Paris may walk by the Eiffel Tower every day. The people who live in London may walk by Big Ben every day. Tourists may stop to take photos and get in the local’s way. I think that sometimes we forget to appreciate what surrounds us. I do not live anywhere glamorous, but when I travel I get to leave my home and explore and appreciate new places. Italy stole my heart the second I walked out of that train station, and if I could go back every year, I would. I know I’ll go back one day.
Thank you for reading. Italy will always have a special place in my heart. I will never forget this trip. Leave me a comment below and tell me about your favorite vacation, or your favorite place in the world, whether it is in your city, or all the way across the world.
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