Just do it # 9: Go to Italy

I'll admit, this is by far the biggest of my "just do it" challenges. In the past, I've had smaller, fun items like "make Dan breakfast in bed", "do some good", "cook a meal for 8", "try Bikram yoga", and "go to a movie by myself", but visiting Italy has been something on my ultimate life's list, well... all my life. When I was a kid, I had a reoccurring dream of floating down a canal in Venice. I checked out a Fodor's travel books on Italy years ago, long before my husband and I had even started a fund for going there. For the past three years, I've Googled Tuscan villas and Renaissance art and even poured over copies of Travel and Leisure magazine just to check out anything about Italy. Seriously, it was my version of porn.

This past week and a half, my husband and I finally got there! It was the most wonderful, intense, frustrating, hilarious, draining, beautiful, delicious trip I've ever been on. We realized what dumb asses we can be when we are in a country where we don't know the language (I'll fill you all in on all the dirty details in a future list!), that some money saving techniques just aren't worth it (sleeping in an eight person dorm room= never again), that Italy is as romantic as people say, and that we can eat our weight in gelato.

I won't bore you all with every detail. We did all the usual tourist stuff (the Colloseum, the Renaissance art, the throwing a coin in Trevi fountain). Here are some of my top ten experiences:

10. Eating gelato. For nine straight days. 'Nuff said.

9. Happy hour in Florence. We stayed in a sweet hotel in Florence, and right outside of our room (seen below) was a huge door right out onto their breezy terrace. Dan and I bought a bottle of wine and drank it while enjoying the awesome view.


8. The meals. We took so many photos of our swoonworthy meals, it is ridicuous. Here's the fancy cannoli we had in Siena.


7. Seeing incredible works of art (with a man who makes me laugh inappropriately). We saw so many beautiful works of art: Birth of Venus, the Sistine Chapel, the Discus Thrower. They all took my breath away. Then, Dan took my breath away by making me laugh hysterically. Here he is with the discus thrower:
We got many dirty looks. Then, when we were checking out the David (which really was fantastic), Dan whispered loudly, "Let's go check out the ass". Sooo embarrassing. Just when I though he was done parodying this amazing sculpture, Dan found this apron with the David's famous appendage on it:
I don't think Florence misses us...

6. Nighttime walks in Rome.



5. The view in Florence.


4. Walking around Sienna, a small medieval town, and seeing all the amazing small details: flower boxes, quaint churches, even laundry out to dry.

3. Discovering squares. In each city we went to (especially Florence, though), we would be walking along and then, bam! We'd be in some gorgeous medieval square, perfect for picnicking or pigging out on more gelato.

2. The un-touristy part of Venice during the day (the canals didn't have any kind of horrible smell like everyone said they did, but perhaps they stink worse during the summer's heat...)
Which brings us to my final top ten experience:

1. Venice at night.
Yes, Venice was choking with tourists during the day, but by night when all the tour groups have left, it was quiet and peaceful. One of my absolutely favorite moments was when we took a gondola ride through dark, sleepy canals lit with the occasional ribbon of light, kissing under bridges, and getting an intimate peek at palatial buildings from the 15th century. Then, when I didn't think it could get any better, we walked to St. Mark's Square and were treated to music from the dueling orchestras and danced right there under the stars. Seriously, a magical moment.

Is anyone still reading? I know that hearing too many details about another person's trip can be about as exciting as listening to someone ramble on and on about a weird dream they had, so I'll wrap this up. In short, it was amazing and I feel so blessed to have experienced it, as well as to check off my "Just do it #9" from my list.

Stay tuned for the gory details about some things that didn't go as well... some very funny stories!:)

Until then, arrivederci!