Florence, Italy

 

Hello, friends! Oh, Florence. This city is epic. It’s the home of the Renaissance, chock-full of art, history, and oh so much Italian culture. One of my favorite things about this city is that when you’re walking the streets or eating in restaurants, you’re in the same spots where the Renaissance masters once were. The door handle you just used may have been around in Michelangelo’s time. A morning stroll by the Arno River may have been experienced by Dante Aligheri. Florence is swimming in culture and there’s so much to do here.

Some of my favorite attractions in Florence include the Medici Chapel, for the gorgeous Michelangelo statues; the Uffizi, for Botticelli’s Primavera; and the leather market, just for funzies. I will warn you though-because of all of the attractions in Florence, it draws a lot of tourists, so be prepared for crowds. When wetraveled in Florence, we hit all of our favorite restaurants, as well as visiting La Academia (The David, anyone?), Santa Croce (The church where the Renaissance masters are buried), and the leather market.

If you’re looking for a good place to shop in Italy, Florence is the place! It has a huge leather industry that consumes the markets along the streets. My favorite bags and purses have all come from Florence, but not without being bartered for a good deal! If leather isn’t your thing, there’s plenty of shopping by the Ponte Vecchio. Just follow the signs and the mass groups of people.

Ponte Vecchio

As for restaurant recommendations, our study abroad group always does a group lunch at Pennello’s, which is just around the corner from Dante Aligheri’s house. The people there are friendly and the food is to die for. My absolutely favorite dish that I get every time I’m at Pennello’s is Scallopine al Crema Tartufo, which is veal with a truffle cream sauce. It’s to die for. I also love this restaurant called “Za-Za’s”, located close to the Medici Chapel and the leather market. Za-Za’s is super trendy and delivers a wide variety of Italian dishes. This is also one of my favorite places to get an after meal cappuccino, as theirs are beautifully decorated and delicious.

Our students at Pennello’s

 

Scallopine al Crema Tartufo

Florence is definitely a big tourist site, but for good reason. Just being there makes you feel like you’re going back in time to the Renaissance. However, it’s such a fun city that really makes you appreciate history, art, and how it affects us now.

-Love Ling

Orvieto

Hello, friends!  I think that Orvieto is one of my favorite towns in Italy. It’s beautiful, not too touristy, and has an element of weirdness that makes it beautifully unique. I found myself taking so many pictures of the sweetest little streets, even a street called “Viccolo Dolci” or “Sweet Street”. It’s one of those places that is fun for just wandering, whether that be exploring the charming side streets or browsing the various ceramic shops. Sharing this beautiful town below… 

-Love Ling

Rome

Hello, friends! Today I am going to be sharing with you our adventures in Rome. Rome is one of my favorite cities in Italy. It’s beautiful, the people are friendly, and there’s so much stuff to do here! Sharing our travels below…

Day 1: 

Day 1 of Rome basically consisted of arriving in Rome. We took a scenic train ride from Milan to the Roma Termini train station, then got settled in to our usual hotel, the Hotel Kennedy. We later got pizza for lunch, took care of buying our metro passes, and relaxed until dinner.

Ding, ding, ding! Restaurant recommendation in Rome! The restaurant we ate at was called Trattoria Cecio, and is located right around the corner from the Roma Termini train station. This is a very popular site, with it’s delicious food and friendly staff-make sure to make a reservation ahead of time!

Not much happened on our first day of Rome, but just you wait. It gets busy real quick.

Day 2: 

The day started off with a subway ride down to the Vatican City for a trip to St. Peter’s Cathedral. It was super hot that day, and waiting in line to get through security took a while, but it was totally worth it. The church is beautiful and a must see if you’re ever in the Vatican City. When we visited, we got super lucky, because this is the year of the Jubilee doors. Apparently, they only have these doors on the Cathedral every twenty years.

After visiting the Vatican, we took a subway down to Piazza del Popolo and walked around a bit, eventually finding the Spanish steps. We did a bit of shopping, even visiting the Longchamp store, which I was very excited about. Eventually, we settled down for lunch and gelato.

Later in the evening, we had dinner at what I have dubbed the”Feed you ’til you die” restaurant. This is one of our favorite restaurants in Rome. The owner, Paola, greets all customers like family when dining there, even scolding people when they don’t eat all of their food. This restaurant has a set menu, where the waiters bring out a four course meal for a flat rate or 25 Euro a person.

We left dinner with our tummies full and wandered down to my favorite spot in Rome, Piazza Navona. This a gigantic square in the middle of the city, with restaurants, artists, musicians, and the fountain where that one priest was drowned in in the movie Angels and Demons. I always love walking around the beautiful Piazza Navona, but make sure to go at night! It’s less crowded and ten times cooler.

Day 3:

We continued our adventures in Rome with hitting some of the main tourist spots, including the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum, which never cease to impress. I was pleasantly surprised that the Trevi Fountain wasn’t under scaffolding this year! It was, however, being cleaned, so it was  bit awkward trying to throw a coin in without hitting the blockades.

For lunch, my dad and I took a trip over to the Eataly in Rome. It was even bigger than the one in Milan, with five floors chock-full of food, wine, the works.

Later that evening, we met up with the students in the program for the first time! My sister and I were put in charge of checking everyone in and buying their train tickets. It’s always exciting to meet the people we’re going to be spending the rest of the summer with. We were able to further bond with the students in the cooking class we took with them later that evening.

My family and I have been taking cooking classes with Cooking Classes In Rome for a few years and have recently started doing group classes with the students. Chef Andrea Consoli lead us through a three-hour class, where we worked together to prepare a three course meal that we later ate together. I absolutely love these classes and Chef Andrea is absolutely wonderful. If you are ever in Rome and want something fun to do with your friends or family, I definitely recommend Cooking Classes In Rome! Check them out from the link below. We had a wonderful time cooking delicious food and getting to know the group better!

Cooking Classes in Rome

I hope you enjoyed our travels in Rome! See you in Orvieto!

-Love Ling