Ode to Italy

Here are some of the trips I took within Italy this semester!!

Genoa, Italy: 

On Friday, my 4 friends and I arrived at the hostel, where we got a private suite. For our first hostel/overnight we were shocked at how nice the accommodation was. We had a triple bunk bed and a loft on the outskirts of the city. On our first night, we ate amazing pesto pasta! On Saturday, we saw the coast, had breakfast, and explored the city center. We took public transportation to the beach and sunbathed on the rocks until it began to drizzle. This soon turned into a storm, so we headed indoors to have drinks & aperitivo. We got to watch a beautiful cloudy sunset before going to a nice dinner, overlooking the beach, full of seafood gnocchi, pesto pasta, and Moscato. And on Sunday we packed everything up, got breakfast, and took the train back to Milan. 

Venice, Italy:

On Friday, my lovely parents and I took the train, and then a water taxi to our hotel in Venice. We explored St. Mark’s Square and the beautiful town before getting lunch and relaxing. Later that night, we had a super nice dinner that was paired with lots of wine. On Saturday, we took a water taxi to San Pietro and got an amazing tour of the Murano glass factory. It was so cool getting to watch professional glassmakers work. My family then headed to Burano and admired all of the colorful houses. We got a tasty, and super fresh lunch before going to Venissa for a wine tasting. We toured the vineyard and tried 6 golden and red wines before having a seafood dinner. My dad’s prawns were practically the size of his face; they were amazing! On Sunday, I had a really good Caesar salad and pizza for lunch before having to say goodbye to my parents who were visiting for the week. Took a water taxi to the train station and did homework until I made it back to Milan.

Florence, Italy:

On Thursday, I headed from classes straight to the train station to meet my close friends from Skidmore. I arrived in the early evening expecting us to go out but we just stayed in catching up and eating take-out pizza. On Friday, we explored the plazas and searched the markets for bargains. It began to rain as we headed over to see Michelangelo’s David and explore the museum. Luckily, a museum is the perfect place to wait out the weather and admire the beautiful sculptures, paintings, and artwork. Afterward, we took a long restful nap and got paninis and gelato for dinner. On Saturday, we explored more of the city and got food by the canal. At sunset, we went to a rooftop bar overlooking the Duomo, which was absolutely stunning. We all drank our wine with massive smiles on our faces! Once it was dark, we went out for a traditional Italian dinner and spent an amazing last night together.