Going outside the country for the first time is the best feeling. I remember being so excited to explore such a new place as soon as I felt our plane touch down in Rome.
Italy has always been a top destination on my travel bucket list, but I never expected to be going there during my sophomore year spring break with my best friends, whom I had only met one year prior. We decided on a trip to Europe (accidentally) after some of my friends and I watched People We Meet On Vacation in early January. At first, none of us thought the idea of going to Italy on such short notice was logical, but after planning everything, we decided to book the flights and quickly realized we were going to be in Italy in just one month.
Because we arrived in Rome a little later in the day, we spent our first half-day in Italy running around the city near our VRBO. Coincidentally, the Colosseum was a quick walk, so of course we had to visit it immediately; I still can’t believe I got to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Later that night, we had to get gelato, and I can now see why everyone raves about it when they visit Italy (although the best gelato we bought was in Venice). While very hard to rate, Rome may be my overall favorite of three cities we visited. It was very touristy, but I loved all of the history and art we could see anywhere we went. Some of my favorite historical places in Rome were the Colosseum, obviously, the Trevi Fountain, and all of Vatican City. Also, if you’re ever in Rome, you need to visit Gran Cafè Marcel: the cutest souvenir shop filled with art all created by one man, Marcello Gorgone.
After Rome, we took a train ride to Florence, and even just looking out of the train windows made the two-hour trip feel like nothing. I’ve always loved spending car rides looking through the windows while listening to music, and doing that, but traveling through Italy was incredible; we even rode through Tuscany! All of the art and architecture throughout Florence is beautiful. One of my favorite parts about Florence, and Italy in general, is the fact that you can be strolling through the streets, and you’ll suddenly stumble upon a major historical monument. My friends and I were trying to get to the city center of Florence, so we were making our way through the tiny streets filled with restaurants, shops, and apartments, and all of a sudden, we saw the Duomo, A.K.A. the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore. The Duomo is huge, by the way; seeing it in person truly made me think about how small we are.
The last city we visited during spring break was Venice. I have deeply loved all three of these cities for different reasons, but I would have to say that Venice was the most beautiful; I think visiting it again in the summer would be even better. I loved how colorful Venice was. The water in the canals reflected the vibrant colors of the buildings above, and almost every other store we saw was full of incredible glass pieces. I learned that Venice is known for its glassmaking, and I could understand why. As we were leaving, I decided to buy a glass cup, and it’s one of my favorite souvenirs that I brought home. The glass was made up of so many different colors that it was almost rainbow, and it reminds me of just how fun and colorful this city is.
The food, especially pizzas and pastas from authentic Italian restaurants, made our trip ten times better. I would often order pasta, and it was honestly unlike anything I normally have in Michigan. One thing I noticed when eating in restaurants is that they truly value the time spent in restaurants. Consistently, we would have to ask the waiter for our bill, which meant that we weren’t under pressure to quickly finish our conversations and leave the restaurant: a contrast to dining in the United States.
If you’re planning to visit Italy at any time in the future, one of the best things, in my opinion, is simply walking around the cities with no itinerary, exploring whatever you see. As I mentioned, you could be roaming the streets and suddenly see the most beautiful buildings. This spring break will forever be one of my most memorable trips.