Italia

La Spezia - train station

Vernaza (city in the Cinque Terre)
Our car on the streets of Tuscany


 Spanish steps (Rome)


Venice

I spent last week traveling through Italy with Kelly, Sosi, Teresa, and Finley. We rented a car, so I got to drive everywhere and Italy is beautiful in the fall – all the trees are changing colors. We started out in Pisa, and from there went to the Cinque Terre, Tuscany, Rome, Florence, Lucca, and flew out of Pisa. Rome and the Cinque Terre were my two favorite stops. We were hiking the Cinque Terre as the sun was setting, so it was incredibly beautiful with views of the Italian coast, mountains, and the little costal towns as the sun was sinking down over the ocean. In Rome, we got to experience their first storm of the fall season. It was sweet to see the sky lit up with flashes of lightning and hear thunder crashing while walking past Roman ruins and all the ancient statues surrounding us – it was like being in another world.

Another major highlight of the trip was the Italian food. Every meal that I ate there (excluding breakfasts) was incredible! I especially liked the gnocchi pasta (that was made right there in the restaurants from fresh potatoes), and I had the opportunity to try Tagliarini pasta too! Oh, and I learned that my name means “Kidney Cut:” Taglia = cut and Reni = kidney in Italian.