Ciao! Many of you know we made it back safely from Italy! That is why I have been missing in action for the past couple of weeks. We were traveling through Italy, exploring: Milan, hiking through the Cinque Terra, exploring Florence, biking through Tuscany and visiting a vineyard, then exploring Venice and hiking around Lake Como. It’s hard to put into words how amazing this trip was. We steered clear of the tourist traps and trying to see every single church and museum that so many go to see. Our goal was to experience the culture and explore the off-beaten path as much as we could. We walked around the tourist traps , (I mean most of the time you would just end up there), and were able to see the magnificent structures, the detail, and the blood and sweat that went into creating these masterpieces and they were truly jaw dropping to see in person. I had been into a few of them about 5 or 6 years ago when I visited Florence with my Mom. So, personally I did not need to see those again, and Missy was more interested in the culture as I was. So back on track… um where was I…
The food was amazing, I don’t think we were disappointed by one meal. Not One!!! Half the time we didn’t even know what we were ordering because it was all written in Italian. So at a couple of restaurants we would just say give us the sampler (which meant the chef would choose what you are getting) So we would get three different types of salads, 5 different types of pasta, and 3 different types of meats. All very small portions and we split all of them, but still that’s a lot of food! That was definitely one of my favorite meals. We would also go to the markets in the morning after breakfast and grab fresh fruits, a baguette, some cheese, some pesto and that would be our lunch & snacks for the day while we hiked around. It was cheap and delicious! We loved that they had fresh markets everywhere!!!! Ooo and the caffe! Another one of my favorite things. You all know I love my coffee… and since we never wanted to miss anything, we drank a lot of it to keep going. Espresso, cappuccino, caffe latte’s … it sounds terrible doesn’t it. Haha..
And then there was wine…. oh the vino….. makes you kind of want to tear up a little. We ordered the house wine at all of the restaurants, (at least I think we did, we would also order a bottle here and there), not only because it was the cheapest on the menu, but it was also delicious! When we visited the vineyard in Tuscany, they told us that the house wines in Italy and still some of their best wine. I can’t remember exactly what they said, but I know they said that you can’t go wrong with a house wine in Italy. It’s not like ordering a house wine in America. So if you go to Italy and don’t want to break your wallet more than you already have, go for the house!
I tried as many Italian beers as I could. I was a little nervous about the whole beer situation, because when reading up on Italy before we left, so many books said well if your a beer snob, good luck in Italy because the selection is slim to none. Ummm… I disagree. I had great experiences with their beers. Obviously most of us know Peroni and Birra Moretti, and yes I had these, well not Peroni, not really a fan, but I had so many others that I felt were better. My favorite was Theresianer by far. I could only find it at one restaurant that I went to in the Cinque Terra. Was light, very flavorful and yummy.
Sheesh we sound like a bunch of caffeine addicted alcoholics after that. There was lots of bottled water drank throughout this trip, don’t you worry! The no gas, or no bubbles, no sparkle type of water. FLAT…no the flat water! Oh, and we just loved having to pay for it all the time and get it taken away from us at the airport. Ok ok I’m jumping way ahead. That’s a hilarious long story of it’s own. Maybe we should have a drink to talk about it. Haha 
I hope you know this story will most likely take place… not in order of our actual trip. For example… the photo of the week is from the vineyard in Tuscany. We did a day biking trip through the hills of tuscany. Toured a vineyard and had lunch there. Was beautiful! One of my favorite parts of the vineyard, was the recording system that the prince used for his wines. He has a whole wall dedicated to his wine records. When they make wines, they keep 3 bottles for themselves, giving one to friends or family, drinking one with friends and family, and keeping one for the record. Was very cool. I hope you enjoy the photo and I would love to hear what you think!
As for the stories.. we will carry on till next time!
