ITALY – Part 1 (September 3rd-13th) – In Review 

One thing to mention first … FOOD … it is so amazing – everywhere, even the grocery store. It is real. It is fresh. It is so delicious. I am Gluten Free in America and I have been eating cornettos, pasta, pizza, and bread. I take some digestive enzymes and I am feeling great. This is a miracle – I love the food in Italy!

Italy highlights of the following areas:

• Firenze (Florence) – it is a hot valley (go when it is cooler); very easy to use public transportation; great history lessons (get a guide for a couple of hours); walk a lot; find the real gelato in the stainless steel covered canisters; watch sunsets from cool places [3 nights felt about right for us – we were ready to escape the hot city]
• Montemerano (in Tuscany, south toward Rome) – our farm stay was a couple miles from this fortress small town; excellent proximity for country stuff to do like olive oil tasting, wineries, small towns to visit, and you need a car to get places. [3 nights felt about right here too – so far we had not had a washing machine and we were starting to need it]
• Civitavecchia (along the drive to Rome) – this is a great lunch stop – you see the Tyrrhenian Sea (and touch it – and could easily take a swim); you see palm trees, a boardwalk, a ferris wheel, and lots of colorful buildings and places to eat
• Roma (Rome) – we arrived to a hot afternoon, had the pouring rain today in the late afternoon, and hope it’s a little milder all around tomorrow. I could spend some time in and around Rome – it definitely has a New York City vibe – but much older, cleaner, and more layered. For us, staying in Prati is a perfect location (more chill overall) – it is near Vatican City and a 20 min walk or bus (we like the Big Bus Tour – it’s a hop on / hop off bus) to start exploring Rome. Our apartment had a washer and dryer – quite a treat. We will have a night tour on the big bus tonight – excited to see everything lit up. And then, dinner at 10pm, of course. We went to the Central Market inside the Roma Termini and found a good selection for our post-bus snack – it’s a typical food hall but the quality is not as good as the local restaurants. [I could easily stay more than 3 nights – there are so many fascinating things to see]