Planes, Trains, Pizza & Pasta

For the past 5 years, there has been one country that I've REALLY wanted to take the time to go back to explore. Each city is so different and offers something special whether it be the cuisine, the people, the wine, the views, the ancient buildings - Italy has it all. This wasn't a trip for work - just purely pleasure. Eric and I had been planning this trip for over a year. Coincidentally, as we were planning our trip, our friends who live in London announced to us that they would be getting married in Tuscany. It was perfect!

We began our trip in Rome. Eric had never seen the ancient city before and we were in for a treat! We stayed at the Rome Cavilieri, which is up on top of a hill behind Vatican City. We arrived around 9am, but our room wasn't quite ready. They brought us to the "Imperial Club" executive lounge, which offered a tasty complimentary breakfast in a luxurious large room on the 7th floor. After filling our plates with fresh, hot pastries, fresh fruit and of course proscuitto, we were shown to a table on the balcony overlooking the entire city of Rome!



It was quite the way to be introduced to the city which so much history. From our breakfast table, we sipped our cappuccinos and scanned the city to find St. Peter's Basilica, The Colosseum, The Forum, Tiber River and all of the piazzas. As we finished up our breakfast, a lady came out and handed us our room key. She smiled as she said we would be upgraded to the top floor of the hotel with a city view! This photo was taken on our balcony with the entire city behind me!



Another gorgeous view from our room of Roma during the day:



And at night with a full moon:



Since we were a bit jet lagged, we decided it might be a great day to relax next to the gorgeous pool and soak in some of the Mediterranean sunshine.





Later that evening, my cousin Fabrizio and his girlfriend Florentina took us out to a very special restaurant with typical (and of course tasty) Italian cuisine. At the Restaurante St. Michelle, we had the most amazing seafood pasta and carbonara we've ever tasted.



We found that everyone in Italy has a special way of making their favorite dishes, and each chef liked to explain what made their (pastas, soup, desserts the best). After dinner, Eric tried Italian gelato for the first time and if any indication by the smile on his face, an experience he will obviously remember for years to come.





We walked around a charming part of Rome called Trastevere. We strolled around cobblestone lanes, next to ancient stone buildings where Italians were out drinking wine and eating at beautiful restaurants.



The next few days were spent waking up early and exploring the city. The highlights were of course:

The Ancient Colosseum:





The Roman Forum:



Vatican City & The Sistine Chapel:







Inside the Pantheon where Raphael is buried:



The fountain in front of St. Peter's where my grandmother used to play as a little girl:



On the fourth day, we left Rome on a train to Tuscany for Matt and Molly's wedding. When we arrived in Chianti, I thought I was in the middle of a fairy tale. We checked into the reception for the 800 year old castle in the middle of Italian wine country, and were escorted to our room. There were only 4 rooms in the castle and we were lucky to have one of them. Our room overlooked the garden and the beautiful rolling hills and Italian cypress trees in the distance. There was no cell phone service, no TV, no central heating or air conditioning, or even a courtesy phone in the room for a wake up call. This little castle was our whole world for three whole days and I was ecstatic!





I couldn't believe how gorgeous the castle grounds were. We spent that afternoon catching up with friends and sharing stories with family of the bride and groom. That evening, we sat down to a phenonenal Italian dinner which included homemade spinach and cheese ravioli, assorted cheese platters, the best chianti and homemade biscotti and dessert wine made only a few minutes from where we were staying.

The next day we enjoyed the pool on the castle grounds and prepared for the wedding.



Around 4pm, the bride and groom were married inside the castle in a lovely ceremony. Here Mrs. Morgan making her way down to the garden from inside the castle (Look at those Italian made shoes!):




The lovely couple:



First dance:


I couldn't leave out a photo of the food at the reception! FRESH PASTA!



Eric & I with a view of the Tuscan hills behind us:



Almost like your stepping back in time:



The experience of going to Rome and Tuscany was a bit overwhelming. There was so much to see - so much history, beauty, and culture that you couldn't help but be at a loss for words sometimes. To add to that, being able to be present for the marriage of two very special people in the midst of it all was what made it the most memorable. With all of our travels we get to see so much, but it was different getting the chance to actually spend some time enjoying everything, slowly for a change.

And just when we thought we had seen THE BEST of what Italy has to offer, we were in for another big surprise as we headed about 340km north to Lago di Como...