VICENZA.

Vicenza is a small town in the north east of Italy. Honestly we only booked to stay here because everywhere was booked in Verona (where we originally planned to stay) and there was a youth hostel right in the middle of town. Once we arrived we discovered that Vicenza was mostly designed by Andrea Palladio and a hot spot for architects who travel to appreciate his work. 

I'm so glad we stumbled upon this place. We spent two days sitting in parks, having coffee in side streets, appreciating the incredible buildings and taking it easy.

I NEVER SAW JULIET'S BALCONY IN VERONA BUT THIS WAS GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME.

I LOVE HOW OLD AND NEW COEXIST ALL OVER ITALY.

MORE MARKETS.

BEAUTIFUL BUILDINGS.

VIEW FROM THE HOSTEL'S ROOF TERRACE.

I LOVE THE SKY.

NEON SIGN!

MILAN.

Milan was the third stop on our trip. It felt a lot more like a city where people live and work than anywhere else we went. This history and culture is less in your face and doesn't just appear around the corner like it seemed to in the other places we visited, the streets are a lot wider and buildings seem bigger. Seeing the variety in what Italy has to offer was a fun aspect of exploring new places.

CUTEST LITTLE CAR.

INTRICATE CARVINGS.

BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED CHURCH CEILING.

SOME OF THE GRAND BUILDINGS ALL OVER MILAN.

MILAN'S DUOMO, SO DIFFERENT TO THE ONE IN FLORENCE.

AUTUMN ARRIVED! THE FACT THAT BOOTS AND JUMPERS WERE NOT NEEDED CONFUSED ME, HAPPY TO KEEP THE ENGLISH AUTUMN AND COLD AIR THANK YOU.

MILAN FASHION WEEK WAS JUST STARTING OUT WHILE WE WERE VISITING.

THE CEILING OF GALLERIA VITTORIO EMANUELE II, SAFE TO SAY WE DID NOT SPEND ANY MONEY HERE, JUST ADMIRED FROM AFAR...

ON OUR FREE WALKING TOUR OF MILAN IN THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS OF BRERA.

GORGEOUS FLOWERS.

LEONARDO DA VINCI MONUMENT.

ONE OF THE HUNDREDS OF PIECES IN THE MUSEO DEL NOVECENTO, FULL OF 20TH CENTURY ART.  THOROUGHLY ENJOYED AN AFTERNOON SPENT HERE AND IT WAS FREE FOR UNDER 25'S, BONUS.

THE BEST VIEW OF MILAN CITY CENTRE FROM THE MUSEO DEL NOVECENTO, WITH A BEAUTIFUL LIGHT INSTALLATION.

FLORENCE.

Florence was kind of perfect. When I pictured Italy, this was what I imagined. On our first night we sat in the Piazza del Duomo, listened to a group of old Italian men playing accordions as the sun set and we ate ice cream. Who could ask for more? 

Florence was a lot more slow paced then Rome with no less culture or atmosphere. I mean Michelangelo's David is here! We enjoyed grabbing amazing coffee and pastries every morning, exploring the markets, people watching in squares, getting as many incredible views of the city that we could and checking out museums and galleries. I also had the most amazing ice cream here, so good and so cheap! Not that I've tried every gelateria in Italy but this place was super delicious and really generous with portion sizes, I highly recommend it.

Florence, I love you. 

THE DUOMO, FLORENCE'S ICONIC CHURCH. WE CLIMBED TO THE TOP OF THE DOME AND TOWER, A LOT OF STAIRS BUT WORTH IT!

ON THE CLIMB UP THE DOME, A PEEK OF FLORENCE.

WE MADE IT TO THE TOP!

RED ROOFS.

ARCHES ON TOP OF THE DUOMO.

GOLDEN MOSAICS.

CHEESE IN THE MARKET.

ANOTHER VIEW OF THE DOME FROM THE TOWER.

ITALIAN SKIES.

SO MANY INCREDIBLE SCULPTURES AND FOUNTAINS ARE SCATTERED AROUND THE CITY.

GORGEOUS VINTAGE CAROUSEL.

PADLOCKS COVER THE BRIDGES, JUST LIKE IN PARIS.

VIEW FROM PONTE VECCHIO.

MY ITALIAN ADVENTURE. ROME.

I'm bbaaaccckkk!
The last two weeks have been spent in Italy (as mentioned here) which is why posts have been non existent recently BUT be prepared for a lot of photos coming your way partly to make up for silence and partly because I got snap-happy... 
I did share some photos over on Instagram while I was away if you fancy checking them out.

I travelled with one of my friends who has also just finished university and is about to start the world of work. It was kind of perfect timing and so good to fit in a bit of travelling before exciting things like booking annual leave and commitments of being an adult get in the way, hmm.

We made it to five cities in  fourteen days which meant a lot of trains and youth hostels but it was a really good way to see the country on a budget. It was also pretty exhausting (especially as our accommodation fell through on the last night so by the time I got home I'd been up for thirty five hours!). Last night I managed to sleep for nearly twelve hours straight for the first time in years so I'm pretty much recovered. Anyway, enough of unnecessary information and onto Rome.

The first time I visited Rome I went with my Mum when I was sixteen. This time we stayed in a different part of town, a little bit further away from the centre. Away from the winding streets and old squares, Rome felt a lot bigger and busier and despite going at the end of the summer, there were a lot of people. However Rome is just so impressive with a huge amount of ancient architecture and history that just appears round the corner, it's hard not to be in awe of this place. 

 THE TREVI FOUNTAIN. THIS THING IS AMAZING AND BASICALLY SQUISHED INTO A TINY SQUARE. WOW.

 INSIDE THE PANTHEON. THIS BUILDING HAS A HUGE UNSUPPORTED DOME WITH A HOLE IN THE MIDDLE SO WHEN IT RAINS A COLUMN OF WATER FALLS INTO THE ROOM! I DIDN'T WITNESS THIS BUT IT WAS SUPER IMPRESSIVE ANYWAY.

 PIAZZA NAVONA.

 ONE OF THE MANY FOUNTAINS IN ROME, FONTANA DEI QUATTRO FIUMI.

 PART OF THE SPANISH STEPS.

 CAPTURED DURING DINNER ON EVENING.

 BASILICA DI SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE, A BEAUTIFUL CHURCH ROUND THE CORNER FROM OUR HOSTEL.

 INSIDE THE VATICAN CITY MUSEUMS... SCULPTURES...

 ...FRESCOES...

 ... AND EVERY INCH OF CEILINGS DECORATED!

PONTE SANT'ANGELO.

 SOME MORE INCREDIBLE BUILDINGS.

  INSIDE ANOTHER CHURCH. THERE IS A DANGER OF BECOMING UNIMPRESSED AS ROME IS SATURATED WITH ENDLESS BUILDINGS AND DESIGN EVERYWHERE YOU TURN. HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT. I TRIED TO TAKE IT ALL IN A FULLY APPRECIATE THE SKILL INVOLVED.

  THE FORUM, ANCIENT ROME. HOW IS SOME OF THIS STILL STANDING!?

 

IN TRASTEVERE, A SLIGHTLY MORE CHILLED SIDE OF ROME OVER THE RIVER.

THE COLOSEUM.

Just a snippet of a few days exploring this place. I'll be back soon with more. 
Ciao!
x