Mother ~ Daughter Italian Adventure

The first ten days of my Easter break spent with my family in England and France was so incredible but also extremely exhausting! The second week of my trip was spent with my mom in Italy. Our Italian adventure was definitely more relaxing as we soaking in the sun, hiked to beautiful views, ate authentic cuisine and drank local wines. As we said our goodbyes to the family back in Paris, my dad even suggested that we go to a spa! Although we never found a spa, we made up for it with shopping. Don't worry dad we got you something too:)

Hike from Monterosso to Vernazza

Day 10 & 11: Cinque Terre
After saying goodbye to the family in Paris, my mom and I left for the train station to take a night train to Milan. Awful experience! Luckily we did get ourselves a sleeping room that locked with beds, but that did not mean we had a good nights sleep… It was hot and bumpy! We ended up having to leave our window open… Yet, we made it to Milan bright and early and were able to make it to Cinque Terre early afternoon without missing the daylight.

Upon arrival, we knew that our time here was going to be splendid! We walked out of the train station to an incredible view of the Mediterranean Ocean and the new city of Monterosso. It was then a little bit of a hike to the old city of Monterosso where we found our Bed & Breakfast. We were the only ones at the Bed & Breakfast and we had access to an incredible view on a terrace. We spent a lot of time up there reading, drinking wine, eating cheese, and just enjoying the view.

Vernazza

Once we were settled into our room and ate at a local restaurant, we hiked an hour and a half along the coast and through the mountains to the next town of Vernazza. As we walked through the vineyards on the mountain we stumbled upon a man selling his wine and limoncello. It was great to talk to him about running the vineyard while we sipped on our limoncello. After enjoying Vernazza for an hour or so, we made it back to Monterosso for a wonderful dinner along the coast.

Riomaggiore

Our full day in Cinque Terre was spent in the sun! In the morning we hiked up to a small church and cemetery that was breathtaking! There were rows and rows of family tombs, individual plots stacked into walls, and bright flowers everywhere. Throughout Italy we found very similar cemeteries to this where they were located in the most beautiful and highest places in town. After our hike we roamed the new town of Monterosso then hopped onto a boat bringing us to the first town of Riomaggiore. After getting a bite to eat, we attempted to make our way to the second town. Failing to understand the train system we ended up on the wrong train bringing us back to Monterosso. Despite our disappointment in our mistake, we enjoyed laying on the beach until the next train arrived. Manarola was beautiful as well! After a few hours, we made our way back to Monterosso to have dinner at another local restaurant. 

The Leaning Tower.. neat

Day 12: Pisa & Florence
Early the next morning we packed our belongings and made our way back to the train station to catch a train headed toward Pisa. We were told that Pisa was nothing special and we only needed a few hours there. We couldn’t agree more! We took a picture with the leaning tower, at some pizza in Pisa, and then made our way to Florence. We spent our first evening in Florence roaming the city and listening to a Rick Steve’s audio tour to gain a better understanding of the history in Florence. For dinner we were able to meet up with two friends from my home town that were studying abroad in Florence. We went to a small local family restaurant and the food was delicious. It was great to see familiar faces and learn about their experiences thus far. It was also great to get some advice for our time there. Our way back to our hotel was just one of the many times we were in the wrong place at the wrong time when it came to moving vehicles.. In the middle of a quiet plaza, we almost got run over by a speeding ambulance.. We clung to each other and survived!!

Day 13: Florence Cooking Class

Overlooking Florence on Piazza de Michelangelo

The first full day in Florence was wonderful! We woke up early to go see Michelangelo’s David along with other famous works of art. We then made our way to the Piazza de Michelangelo stopping by many shops and Florence Leather markets. All of the leather purses, jackets, wallets and belts began to look the same! Yet, we each found a few items that stood out. And what do you know, we ended up purchases the same purse in different colors! We not only look alike, but we think alike too. At the top of the Piazza we had an incredible view of the city and a fake David statue. Hiking further, we found a beautiful monastery where we had the opportunity to listen to a group of monks singing together. In the afternoon my mom and I found a cooking class to join, In Tavola Cooking Class. We were very fortunate to have been grouped up with another mother, daughter who was studying abroad in Florence, and an aunt. We all had a wonderful time together and we had many new tips and recipes to bring home. We made Egg Plant Caprese, Gnocchi with a meat sauce, Chicken, and an orange dessert cake. Once all of the meals were prepared, we were able to sit down and enjoy our creation while drinking wine. What a great way to learn to cook better!

Day 14: Chianti Region Wine Tasting Tour

Mom and I at one of the Chianti Region Vineyards

The next day, we signed up for a Chianti Region Wine Tasting Tour. I am a college student with a low budget and not yet at the legal drinking age in America. Therefore, I know nothing about wine! It amazed me how much there was to learn about different grapes, soils, regions, and other factors of the quality and taste of wine around the world! Our tour was within the Chianti Region of Italy, so we mainly learned about that area and their specialties. Along with drinking wine, we had the opportunity to taste local cheeses and a variety of other food. One of the great things about this wine tasting is that it was small. There was a couple from South Africa, including the husband who was a psychiatric specialist, and another couple from Arizona, including the wife who was the president of the Jane Austin Society, that came along with us. I was by far the youngest person, but it was so interested hearing their stories and laughing about how little we all knew about wine. I am still no wine connoisseur, but I am no longer completely clueless! After our tour, my mom and I found a very unique restaurant within a store! It was buffet style with tables set up throughout the nooks and crannies of the store.

San Gimignano

Day 15: Siena and San Gimignano Day Trip

For our last day in Florence, we booked a day trip. Unfortunately, this was not the best experience. We were on a giant coach bus with 50 other tourists, there weren’t any bathroom breaks, and everything was spoken to us in English, French, and Spanish. Despite these aspects, we saw beautiful views and met very lovely people. We visited the two highlights of Tuscany, Siena and San Gimignano. Within these areas we toured the Siena Duomo, tasted famous gelato, and found the cutest boutiques and local art galleries. At the end of the day we sampled local wine and sweets in a Tuscan Vineyard.

The Grand Canal

Day 16: Venice
Venice was a beautiful city, unlike anything I had ever seen before! Yet, it did come with many complications! Our hotel gave us a bottle of Champaign to calm us down haha. After we had a glass of Champaign and ate some lunch we were ready for the day! We took a Grand Canal Cruise down to St. Marks Square. There, we stumbled upon a doctorate graduation ceremony. Following the ceremony, graduates along with their friends and family roamed the streets of Venice performing various strange traditions. So strange, yet entertaining! Meanwhile, mom and I roamed the streets as well doing our fair share of shopping and site seeing. We finished our evening with a dinner along the canals.

Our Italian adventure will be remembered forever! The fresh fish, bread, pasta, wine, cheese, and other local cuisines will be greatly missed! So will my time with my mom! It was so wonderful to have a mother/daughter trip after being away from one another for so long! It was hard to say goodbye, but it was refreshing to realize we would be reuniting again in a month!