See ya later Italy! I honestly am still shocked that I am leaving today, though I've been traveling for 12 days it feels like I just got off the plane. I've just started getting used to the pace, the train stations, the eating gelato every day... So I say goodbye to pizza and wine and hello to bratwurst and beer (oh yeah... there's good beer! totally didn't plan that!) Venice certainly is just as beautiful the second day as it is the first. I took an easy morni...

Arrived today in my final Italian city, Venice! I am staying about ten minutes outside of Venice to save some money (only 14 euro/night!), and it's easy enough to get there. All I can really say is, Venice just made me smile. It's such a surreal place, without seeing it, you can hardly believe its as beautiful as it is. I went at the day with the intention of getting completely lost, and luckily, it's something that you WILL do in Venice, whether you choose to o...

What an incredible day! Started off the morning on the train from Florence to my next hostel in Pisa. I was in the city for about 30 minutes to drop off my big bag and head out to Cinque Terre via La Spezia. I got to La Spezia around noon, bought my pass to Cinque Terre for the day, and headed first to the furthest town, Monterosso al Mare. I decided to spend the whole time I had there on the beach, the beautiful blue water shadowed by the mountains above. Usua...

After some drinks at an Irish Pub in Florence.. go figure, it was back to work today exploring Florence. I started the day by making the trek up to the top of the dome in Santa Maria del Fiore.. a spot I've been excited about for quite some time, (you should read Ross King's book- Brunelleschi's Dome!) a windy but thankfully dry time at the top was fantastic. The views incredible. I decided to hop on the bus and head up to the small village of Fiesole, a 20 or ...

Today was definitely full of adventure.. I'm finding that the regional trains are very easy to use, the stations easy to understand.. the city public transportation, generally a bit more difficult. It's hard to figure it out when you don't really speak the language! In short, finally got onto the right bus to take me to Siena.. such a beautiful city. I paid more money to walk up MORE stairs to the top of the bell tower in Piazza del Campo... the reason I keep s...