On my way down south to visit my family, I figured I would stop in Ancona and add another region (Le Marche - #17) to my list. I didn't know what to expect. Every single person I had talked to, and there had been many, told me not to go to Ancona. I wasn't really …
Continue reading Ancona: 2,400 Years Makes for an Old City (August 12-13)
We made two mistakes right off the bat in Verona. 1. We should have planned to stay for longer than just one night. 2. I need to learn to communicate better in Italian Let me explain...I have an aunt and a cousin that live in Verona. (And when I say Aunt & cousin, I mean …
Continue reading Verona: Family, Love & Music (August 10-11)
We are taught growing up that the beginning of a story is key. Start with an attention grabber that will make people want to read what else you have written. I am officially apologizing to all my elementary and middle school english teachers: I have no exciting beginning to this blog post. However, I hope …
Continue reading Trieste: Beginnings Aren’t Everything (August 7-9)
To satisfy our constant need for adventure, Patrick and I decided to make a quick stop in Switzerland for a couple of days before continuing our Italian journey. Unfortunately, things were not as perfect as they seemed. Lugano, Switzerland is located on Lago Lugano which is partially in Italy and partially in Switzerland. It is …
Continue reading Lugano: Swing and a Miss with Swiss (August 4-5)
I have this weird goal of visiting all twenty regions in Italy. Italian regions are comparable to states in America except there are a lot fewer of them and each region is a lot more different. Before coming to Italy this summer I had visited 13 of the 20 regions. After Torino I was up …
Continue reading Valle D’Aosta: Casually Going Where No American Tourists Go (August 3)
I'm not a big HGTV fan, but I've never been above watching a couple shows here and there with my parents. However, after the past three days in Torino I'm about to apply to be on House Hunters Internationals. (Coincidentally, there is actually a Torino episode coming up on August 14. Not a plug or …
Continue reading House Hunters International Here I Come! (Torino: July 31 – Aug 2)
I have a love - hate relationship with Roma. Sometimes love, sometimes hate, but mostly somewhere between toleration and like. If I was in a facebook relationship with the city it would definitely be "it's complicated." The first time I came to Rome I loved it - the history, the beauty, the vastness. The second …
Today is the big day. No, I am not getting married. I am finally getting my own chance to search for Snowden. Yes folks, that does mean I am flying to Russia. I know, I know...it does seem like quite the backwards route flying to Russia and then to Italy. However, when I bought my …
Since arriving here in Alezio I have realized that my time spent studying in Florence was quite a bit sheltered. Although I lived with a host mom she was used to having students and changed some of her ways to suit our wants. This post is dedicated to all the interesting ways of life in …
Continue reading Italian Culture: the good, the bad and the just plain weird
During this wonderful, hot day of June 8 (Happy Birthday Baby Sis!) I have finally arrived to the train station in Lecce. From there Francesca and Tonino picked me up. Or more like they found me. I have never met or even seen a picture of either Francesca (my dad's cousin) or her husband. Francesca …
Taking Little Steps 