Rome, Italy was definitely nonstop on the go. We had so many things to see and do that we didn’t really get to relax as much. Although everything about Rome and its bustling streets full of tourists was great, we were ready for some peace and quiet for the rest of our honeymoon in Tuscany and Venice.
And the FOOD! Oh my lord, the savory food..In Rome, we had a lot of pasta and pizza. In Tuscany, we loaded ourselves with MEAT. I think we had Bistecca alla Florentina (a ginormous porterhouse steak usually weighs around 1 kilo) at least three times during our stay in Tuscany. And the rosemary seasoned oven roasted potatoes were to die for! In Florence, we went to La Prosciutteria, a meat shop for their famous charcuterie board. Because they do not have a restaurant license, there’s no wait service. You order your food and drinks, find a seat (if you can find one, super busy!) and pig out. Fortunately for us, we were able to find a big table which we shared with another couple in the back of the shop to enjoy our food and wine. I highly recommend this place when in Florence, it’s worth every penny! In seafood heaven Venice, I had everything seafood from start to finish – calamari, seafood risotto, fish, spaghetti fruitt di mare to name a few. I’ve always been a big fan of seafood, so you can imagine my excited palate in Venice! Of course, we had endless gelato even though it was freezing. Can’t forget the desserts! 😉
A big part of being in Tuscany means gorgeous views and soaking in nature. In addition to touring the city of Florence and climbing 400+ steps of the Duomo, we rented a car for a day to venture out to small towns of Tuscany. We purposely avoided highways and took local roads, which was absolutely breathtaking. Our first stop was Siena to explore the town and grab lunch, then made our way to Val d’Orcia. Val d’Ocria was the most picturesque region of Tuscany we’ve ever seen! I don’t think I can explain in words how beautiful the scenery was.. Of course, Steve did his due diligence on the region and found where some parts of the movie Gladiator was shot. Boys.. Men.. LOL. Anyway, Val d’Ocria was definitely a place to remember forever. We ended our day of road trip in San Gimignano, a famous walled medieval hill town in Tuscany, where we had a romantic dinner. Because we were up North, Tuscany was definitely colder than Rome. But we loved every second of our relaxing days! After almost a week of nonstop moving in Rome, being together without the noise and bustling of people was just what we needed! Next time we are in Italy, we are definitely staying in one of the small towns of Tuscany. We could have stayed in Tuscany forever!
After rest and relaxation in Tuscany, we headed for Venice via train. If I were to choose which city was my favorite of places we visited in Italy, I would have to say it’s Venice. Although Venice was much busier and colder than Tuscany, I loved everything about it – from getting lost in the small streets of Venice to vibrant colors of buildings, and even the fact that there are NO cars and your only mode of transportation is vaporetto, water taxi! We literally threw away our itinerary, and wandered the city. More than handful of times, we would get lost and come to a dead end of a street we’ve been on, but that was the beauty of Venice! We visited Burano, an island in Venice famous for its colored houses, and I fell in love. It was the most colorful town I’ve ever seen, and every house had its unique character. We spent our last night of Venice in Piazza San Marco ringing in the new year! It was absolutely bat shit crazy, and we loved it! There were thousands of people drinking and lighting fireworks in the square. Nothing was regulated. We were waiting for some kind of countdown, typical Americans, but there was none, just ringing of the bells from the bell tower! We popped our champagne and welcomed 2015 with open arms. It was the best new years eve spent together!
Everything about our honeymoon exceeded our expectations. Spending 2 weeks in a foreign country together was the best part of all! I think we grew closer to each other on this trip, can’t wait to explore the world together!
-m
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