Italy: Asiago

Travis's family drove us up to Asiago (yeah like the cheese) the other day, and I was definitely not prepared for how amazing the drive would be. I'm talking tear-jerkingly beautiful, the hills are alive sort of stuff. I wanted to live there, it was like my perfect biome.

To be honest, we didn't really do much in the actual town other than getting some damn good gelato. But the scenery was amazing both there and back, so I didn't care! It doesn't have any real claim to fame other than being a ski spot in the winter, but if you're ever in Italy, I highly recommend giving Asiago a visit! Here are a bunch of photos that I mostly took from the car on my phone.

I had chocolate and blood orange ice cream! So good.

Italy: Bolzano

I took a day to head north to Bolzano, a small alpine town on the Austrian border of Italy, because I really wanted to see the Alps! So there are plenty of pictures of mountains ahead.

We really only spent like 3 and a half hours in the town, but I ate a yummy pizza, bought a dress, and had a beautiful train ride through the mountains, so I think it was worth it! Bolzano is a really pretty town nestled in the Alps, just after the Dolemites, I think.

We ate outside at a really cute cafe with little plates all over the walls.

PS check my cute socks!

Someday I want to live in the mountains, I seriously love them. They're beautiful and make me feel safe.

Italy: Verona

Travis and I took a day trip to Verona!

Verona is not far from Vicenza, where Travis's family lives. Only 30 minutes or so by train. It's pretty small (which I liked) and famous as the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet! It was a very pretty town, and I enjoyed a pizza topped with curly fries and some (not enough) retail therapy.

I really wanted to do some vintage shopping in Verona, since Milan didn't go so well, but guess what? All the vintage stores here were closed TOO! This time there was no good reason. It was Tuesday, and it wasn't during reposo. In Italy stores close for about three hours in the early afternoon for god knows why... naps/long lunches maybe? Either way, they should have been open because it was after 3:30. But I did end up buying some cool stuff in this store called Tiger and I got some socks at the Italian equivalent of Forever 21, OVS.

In the Romeo-and-Juliet part of the city, there was a wall covered in "Messages to Juliet." I wrote Travis's and my initials on it, in a tiny space that wasn't already covered with writing. You were only supposed to write on the white part of the wall that was designated for that purpose, but the rest of the wall was also all grafittied up. I was about to write way down at the bottom of the wall when some police guy stopped me! I was like, sir, is my writing really going to make a difference here? But whatever.

There was also a gate covered in locks that lovers had attached to it, which I'm standing in front of here. And a few walls covered with gum (?) I must have missed that part of Romeo and Juliet.

Verona is kind of an under-rated city, and definitely worth a visit as a nice break from the crowds of Rome or Florence!

Italy: Milan

I went with Travis and his Mom to Milan for the weekend!

I wish I could say it was a wonderful whirlwind of a trip, but it was actually kind of disappointing. Mostly as bad luck and bad planning. However, it was still a beautiful city! The Cathedral was the best part, because OMG. The most ornate, beautiful church with all these spires and sculptures and stained glass. We went inside and it seemed even bigger in there. They were having mass and this choir was singing, and it felt magical and sacred.

After the Cathedral we walked around to a few shops. I only found one I liked, and planned to come back to it for this pretty handmade dress. By the time we swung back around the shop was closed. If we had been able to read the sign on the door, we would have known that it said "Be right back!" But unfortunately I missed out on it.

The next day was supposed to be full of vintage and second-hand shopping! I started the day so pumped, but it was Sunday, and literally all the shops on my list were closed. All I could do was look through the bars at dark rooms full of pretty clothes. It was a major disappointment to say the least, and I left the shopping capitol of Italy with all my money still in my pocket.

We did get to walk around the city and enjoy the beautiful weather and pretty sights, though! It's a pretty place, and I'll know to plan my shopping excursions on weekdays in the future.

This mosaic bull is missing it's family jewels because it's a tradition to spin around on them with your right heel for good luck! I did.

Milan was the last of the big cities I visited!

Italy: Florence

Here's Florence!

Florence is a nice city, much more compact than Rome, with some of the old-town style of Venice. After getting off the train it was a pretty quick walk to the star of the city, Santa Maria del Fiore! It's pretty famous among anyone who's ever taken an art history class for it's dome, designed by Brunelleschi, because it was an architectural innovation. But personally, I was just awestruck by the fancy facade! It's a gorgeous building, all marble and colors and patterns.

Another thing you might remember from Art History 101 are these doors to the Baptistery of Santa Maria del Fiore. Brunellschi and Ghiberti were two of the artists competing for the right to design all the gold squares on these doors, and Ghiberti won. After that, Brunelleschi beat Ghiberti out in a competition to design said dome.

This isn't the real David, they keep that one in a room in one of the museums. But this one still looked really cool!

Unfortunately, we had a pretty lame ending to our Florence trip. After Axton and Lesley left to go back to England, we took a pretty long bus ride to our hostel. We found it after a little while (it had a different name than the one listed online), and it was LOCKED. The gate was shut, and the door was blocked with a table and had a sign on it that said "No Entry..." or no entrada or something. We tried to go around the back but it was all gated off, and I was starting to freak out. It wasn't in a super nice neighborhood, and it was past 8. We went back to the front of the building and saw this sign (that I couldn't even read from that distance) that said reception was closed from 8-9. Okay, okay, that's fine.Oh wait, if you check in after 9 you have to pay an extra 10 euro! That's like, the cost of the room. 

We were so fed up after that ordeal that we just caught a train back to Travis's house. That meant we had to miss out on the museums, which I was really sad about. I cried.

Even though we had to cut the trip short, Florence was a beautiful city, and I had a good time! There was this one beautiful boutique, but the only thing I could afford was a ring, it was all so expensive!