Italian Vacation! Part Three: Pisa Pit-Stop and Last Day in Rome!

On our "way back" to Rome, we took a detour and trained to Pisa. We dropped our bags for a few hours and walked to see the leaning tower! It is definitely a fun sight to see, although my family agreed with me - the most amazing sight in Pisa is actually the incredible baptistry. If not for the leaning tower, I'm convinced this is what Pisa would be known for - it is the most beautiful baptistry I've seen in Italy! Often they are attached or hidden behind the Duomo, but all three always appear together - the Duomo (main church), the campanielle (bell tower) and baptistry. I also did some research ahead of time for an authentic lunch spot so we wouldn't be sucked into a tourist trap - we enjoyed an amazing lunch and classic white bean soup - famous in this area - and stuffed boiled potatoes!

Our last day in Rome was relaxed and fun. My parents went to San Pietro, while Nate and I slept in and took it easy! We all met for lunch at a fantastic pizzeria, Cantina e Cucina. From there, we did a little shopping and gift buying before heading to a WFP work party - yes I did see work colleagues while I was in Rome! We had a great time, I was reunited with coworkers and friends for the afternoon!  Finally our final dinner in Rome was at my all-time favorite Roman restaurant - Renato e Luisa. It is a classic trattoria with incredible dishes and my favorite dessert I've ever had. We feasted on zucchini flowers, bresaola, and prosciutto for appetizers, I enjoyed the pici pasta with mushrooms and truffle for my main course, and then shared the chocolate "fondante" - a flourless chocolate cake with a melted center - with Nate. It was the perfect way to end a magical week in Rome!

Stay tuned for more updates on adventures in NYC and future summer plans!

Italian Vacation! Part Two: Tuscan Adventure

After four amazing days in Rome, we bussed up to Siena for a few days in Tuscany! The first day was all about Siena - we stayed at the most beautiful bed and breakfast, Campo Regio Relais, that has an amazing terrace overlooking the Siena skyline - duomo and campanielle. We took the recommendation of hotel staff and went around the corner to a little Trattoria specializing in pici pasta and rabbit - we were not disappointed! Lunch was amazing - my parents think it was the best meal of the trip! After lunch we visited the Duomo, San Dominico which features the preserved head of Saint Catherine, and finally walked the Fortezza, which has contrasting views of the Siena skyline and surrounding Tuscany countryside.

 That evening we started with a happy hour on our hotel terrace, followed by dinner at one of the best restaurants in Tuscany - La Taverna di San Giuseppe. There we feasted on the most amazing gnocchi I have EVER had (and those who know me know that is really saying something!). Nate and I split it - a gnocchi with truffle, lovely melt in your mouth truffle. Truthfully, I could have written an entire blog post about this gnocchi.

Our second day in Tuscany was an all-day (and I mean all day - 12 hours!) wine and sightseeing tour of the Chianti region of Tuscany. We had an amazing tour guide who just finished training to be a sommelier and he knew everything. We started in San Gimingnano, a town famous for all its towers. While we were there I got my favorite magnet of the trip - a tiny bag of actual pasta. Really, it's the small things that make me happy! From there, we stopped in a lovely spot for a wine tasting and lunch. The wine featured there was a white wine called Vernaccia di San Gimignano.

  

In the afternoon we stopped in two really cool medieval towns - Monteriggioni and Castellina di Chianti. We enjoyed gelatto and seeing the medieval walls in Monteriggioni and paved tunnels in Castellina di Chianti. We also drove past some famous vineyards, including the family winery Cecchi where Nate and I stopped for a picture! (I told you we had the best tour guide!).

 Our final stop was Montalcino, famous for the Brunello di Montalcino wine that is only produced in a few select vineyards and is incredibly expensive if you buy it in the United States. From the town, we went slightly outside of town to one of the vineyards where we had a wine tasting. It is an incredible red wine, we all loved it! The views from the winery were amazing. The owner of the winery loved mom - he even posed for a picture with her! I told him in Italian that Nate was my boyfriend and he replied in Italian, well hey may be your boyfriend, but he doesn't get a hug! And gave me a hug. It was too funny!

 On our trip back into Siena, we stopped for a view of a monastery. We also caught the sun setting from the car window. It was a magical day!

Up next: Pisa pit-stop and last day in Rome!

Italian Vacation! Part One: Roman Days

What an AMAZING eight day trip to Italy we had! Of course it flew by - it felt like we were only there for a second - but it was an incredible trip. I went with my parents and Nate, and my dad was the only one of the four of us who had never been to Italy. We visited both classic tourist spots and off-the-beaten path favorites of mine. Our first day we got into the city like clockwork - no issues with bags, driver picked us up, and walked into the apartment we rented and instantly felt at home. I'm a big believer in renting a flat in Rome rather than stay at a hotel - you get such a better feel for the city! We settled in and then had dinner with friends, complete with a limoncello toast at the end. The perfect first half day in the city!

 Our second day, no one got any rest! We were up early and to the market at Campo de Fiore to buy our lunch for the day. Salumi, prosciutto, pecorino, strawberries, cherries, fresh bread, and olive oil crackers (my favorite) and we were off to Villa Borghese. The weather was perfect - we enjoyed a relaxing lunch on a blanket, listening to live jazz in the distance. We walked the park for an hour and then meandered to Prati, a neighborhood near the Vatican. There we got some of my favorite gelato, and then took off for the metro and our Fregene adventure.

 Nate and I attempted this last year and so we had experience with the hiccups of trying to buy these random bus tickets, get off at the right stop in Fregene, and then walk to this bar on the beach called Singita. It is so worth it though - you rent a bed on the beach and buy drinks - the food is included, it's called an aperitivo. We split Singita sangria and bottles of wine, and watched the sun set. It was the perfect day - and probably my favorite of the whole trip.

Our third day in the city was a sightseeing day - we took in the Vatican Museum, which took the entire morning, followed by a long lunch! The Sistene Chapel, my dad said, is worth the price of the flight to Rome and he wasn't kidding! It is still one of the most beautiful things you will ever see! We had a relaxing afternoon (a few of us napped) and then we had a fantastic dinner at Cul de Sac, definitely a new favorite of mine (I'd never been there). We then walked Piazza Navona at night, my dad loved the Fountain of the Four Rivers :)

Our fourth day in Rome, the day before our trip was the day to see ancient Rome - we started out at the Colosseum, which never disappoints. We also walked the ruins before heading to my favorite lunch spot in Rome, La Bottega del Cafe with the amazing four cheese gnocchi. Yum!

 The afternoon we spent at the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, of course making time for some gelatto! That night we had dinner in Trastevere, and walked the Ponte Sisto bridge at sunset.

Up next: our Tuscany adventure!