Ciao! After 5 years of service at WestCMR, it was my turn this Spring to earn and take my Trip Of A Lifetime. I had the best time traveling all around Italy for two weeks with one of my best friend, Cat!
Our first stop was Rome, which was –spoiler alert– my personal favorite city of the whole trip. We got to visit the Vatican, Ancient Rome, the catacombs, and of course the colosseum. Between all the fun cultural tours, we indulged in delicious wine and fresh pasta — and more gelato than I care to admit! Rome really is a beautiful and historic city, which we both loved.
Next stop was Florence. Firenze (in italian) is where we were invited to attend our high school friend’s destination wedding. The venue? An ancient castle overlooking a vineyard… very casual (not!)… and absolutely unforgettable. We had the best time celebrating the married couple and dancing the night away.
Following the wedding, and while in Florence, we put back on our tourist hats and visited the Uffizi Gallery, Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore, and what seemed like endless stunning cathedrals.
The next day, we hired a driver to take us to San Gimignano and Siena where we discovered another cultural cornerstone of the italian culture: wine! We had an incredible time wine tasting; it was one of my favorite days of the trip. I am now officially hooked on Chianti wine (and may have even shipped a case back home…)
Our next stop was Venice, where we were unfortunately welcomed with rain. As it turns out, the city is still iconic in the rain. We loved taking taxi boats everywhere and got to see St. Mark’s Square, Canal Grande, Island of Murano, and Palazzo Ducale.
Finally, we wrapped up the trip in Milan where we enjoyed some shopping, and tours of the Milan Cathedral and the Sforzesco Castle — all so breathtaking!
I am so thankful to WestCMR for rewarding my tenure with extra time off and a Trip Of A Lifetime — truly. Now to go open a bottle of Chianti… Arrivederci!