For the past few years of college, my spring breaks have been quite uneventful due to COVID-19, but this year my older sister Allie and I went to Italy! My younger sisters Ava and Audrey are studying in Florence for the semester, so we organized a trip to visit them. It was so beautiful there, I wish I could have canceled my flight home and stayed living in Florence forever. I was there for a week; we exploredFlorence for five days and were in Rome for two days. The weather was amazing, too; it was in the high 50’s and early 60’s, which was perfect for walking all over the cities. I could have not asked for a better time there; if you happen to visit either place any time soon, come follow me through my adventure!
Florence
- Day 1: Thursday/Friday
When we first got there, it was a lot, because we departed Thursday night, arrived Friday around 9 in Rome, and then took a connecting flight to Florence. We met my sisters around 10:30 in their apartment where we ate croissants that they bought! Our Airbnb ended up being in their apartment building which was funny, and it was nice to be close by, so we brought our luggage up to see the place after eating breakfast. Once we settled our stuff in, the four of us headed out to grab some coffee at a cafe down the street called Ditta Artigianale & Hario Cafe. I had a great cappuccino; the caffeine was definitely needed after the 7 hour flight. Once done there, we walked around the city to the Duomo, along the river, and to the Ponte Vecchio, which is a famous bridge where the Medici family had secret passageways above it when they ruled Florence. It was all very stunning and mesmerizing with the architecture. Later that night we went to dinner at II Pizzaiuolo where we ate neapolitan pizza paired with glasses of white wine and got dessert at Gelateria dei Neri. That night I got dark chocolate and pistachio, and it was amazing!
- Day 2: Saturday
This morning we went to Finisterrae, a cafe where we bought croissants and cappuccinos; my pastry had Nutella in it. After, we walked around doing some shopping at the Florence School of Leather, walked along the river again, and went to this cute bakery where I got a Sfogliatella filled with cream, which was amazing! Lunch was at this delicious sandwich shop called Pino’s! I got the springtime sandwich, which was filled with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, tomatoes and a basil pesto spread, accompanied by an Aperol Spritz. The products were so fresh and the bread was nice and crispy, I highly recommend it. We then relaxed a little bit back at our place and went out to dinner at Osteria da Canterina; I got carbonara and tiramisu, and it was all super good! We went to Gelateria dei Neri again where I got nocciola and salted caramel.
- Day 3: Sunday
On the first Sunday of every month in Italy, all museums are free. As it was the first Sunday of March, we went to the Uffizi Gallery, where I saw many beautiful pieces of art. Michelangelo and DaVinci have many pieces of work there along with other artists. I saw the Birth of Venus and DaVinci’s famous unfinished painting. All of the artwork was stunning, and it is definitely a place I would want to visit again. Afterwards, we were hungry and went to this place called Shake Cafe, where I got a cappuccino and these very good pancakes with fresh fruit on the side. We took another break after being out so early and then later went to a few shops, a stationary store, and dinner. I do not remember the name, but I got risotto in a red wine sauce, white wine, and tiramisu again that we all split. We then took a stop for gelato as the dei Neri, and I got arachidi caramellate and crimino alla nocciola.
- Day 4: Monday
On Monday, we went to this cute jewelry store with local artists, and got coffee later at the library cafe. We walked around and did some shopping; later we got dinner at Osteria Antica Casa Torre. There we got fresh bruschetta, and I got raviolis filled with ricotta in a fresh beef sauce for my meal. We ordered a bottle of red wine which was very good, and dessert was one of their famous sweeter wines paired with almond biscottis.
- Day 5: Tuesday
Our last day in Florence consisted of lots of shopping and going to all of the places we wanted to hit before leaving the next day. La Ménagère was an amazing place where I got a cappuccino again and a very tasty cinnamon roll; the place is super pretty and has a great aesthetic. We walked around most of the day and took a lot of pictures together, and it was so much fun. We went out to dinner at this place called Trattoria Zà Zà where I got pesto pasta, rosé and more tiramisu! It was such an amazing time in Florence, I loved it so much there. It is definitely a place I could see myself living in; it’s just so beautiful and I love the culture.
Rome
- Day 6: Wednesday
Wednesday morning Allie and I said goodbye to the twins and took an early train to Rome. We had to leave by 6 am to get to the station for our 7 am train. When we arrived in Rome, we checked into our hotel and walked around the city. We saw the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps, and got coffee and pastries at Tre Caffe. Lunch was at this delicious restaurant called Cipassos where I got some great cacio e pepe! For dinner we explored Trastevere, where we got some amazing Roman pizza at Birre! At Marave we had some gelato where I again got pistachio and nocciola.
- Day 7: Thursday
On our last day here we did a walking tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. After the tour we got breakfast at the Illy Cafe which was great; I got a cappuccino and a jam croissant! Later we relaxed and went to this Forno Bakery where I got fresh pizza and an amazing cream puff! We then walked around, went to some cute shops and bought some souvenirs. Afterwards, we had dinner at this popular restaurant called Osteria Da Fortunata where I got carbonara and tiramisu again! The food in Rome was out of this world, I miss it so much! We took our flight back here Friday morning at 7; it was very long but so worth the trip. I hope to return to Italy someday; it is one of my favorite places now!