Italy

Arno River

As I spent part of the day tidying up our holiday gifts, cards, and pictures, I came across these pictures that my daughter recently took in Italy. She just returned from a four month study abroad in time for Christmas and we could not stop talking about her wonderful time there. Her courses  focused on sustainable agribusiness and the global food culture of Italy which included visiting farms throughout Tuscany. My husband and I and younger daughter were lucky enough to visit her in September, and here is a recap of our trip.

The Duomo

Rome: This past September, when we spent a couple of days there, I was truly amazed at the enormity of the Coliseum, the splendor of the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica, the awesomeness of the Forum and the captivating Tivoli Fountain. I could spend much more time talking about the Spanish Steps, The Parthenon, the food…etc but I must reiterate how awestruck we were of Rome and the feeling that you get that lifetimes were spent cultivating the events that took place there.

The Coliseum

Florence: Imagine that Florence was originally a place for Caesar’s soldiers to go when they retired in 59 B.C...of course back then it was a vastly different place. But still I have to think of the Florence I got to know, its tiny streets packed with trattorias and shops, the daily accordion players that lumber into trattorias just as you dip your Tuscan bread into the best olive oil in the world and the cool, sunny weather that never disappoints.  The fact that no matter where you look in Florence there is history…The Duomo, Uffizi Gallery, Baptistery, Accademia, the cobblestones that simply guide you along rather than trip you, to see Florence’s charm. Last word, gelato…simple yet sublime.

So I come away with the thought that travel is worth its weight in gold for the idea that it’s not to say you’ve been here and there but to feel that you’ve really experienced the culture and all its offerings.