Espresso, Gelato, Vino...

 

The chill of Rome felt like a breath of fresh air after the unceasing heat of Sri Lanka. It was an abrupt change of climate, culture, language and above all, history. Powered by fresh pastries and espresso, we found something new and fascinating around every corner. After 18 days rambling through Italy, we all agree that it is one of our favourite countries ever.

The pictures and captions tell the story, but here's where we hung our hats: a small apartment near the Vatican in Rome, a hilltop campground cabin in Fiesole overlooking Florence, a slightly larger but less central apartment in Verona, and a tiny spot in Trieste. Our Eurail passes have worked wonders and we're becoming savvy train travelers. Our feet, by far, have been our trustiest mode of transport.

Seeing some of the world's great churches, statues, paintings, and Roman-era buildings through the girls' eyes has been a gift. We're not sure what they'll remember, but we know their perspectives on the world will never be the same. We hope you dig some of our favourite shots of Italy.

Ciao!

Love from the Shaws

1. St. Peter's Square 

"I'm standing right at the entrance to St. Peter's Square with the Basilica behind me. We were staying only two blocks to the right and thus ended up walking through it multiple times a day. (This is the busiest we saw it.) It is said that the pillars that encircle the square are shaped in a curve to represent two arms coming out in an embrace. It is one of the most remarkable and stunning places I've been." - Genny

2. First Café 

"This is the first café we went to in Italy. Hazel and I got chocolate croissants. They were warm and gooey. Sooooo good!" - Rosalie

3. St. Peter's Basilica 

"We were all awestruck when we walked inside St. Peter's Basilica. It's the biggest church in the world and everything about it is staggering, from the gold mosaics to the marble statues to the giant frescoes. We spent an hour just looking up and whispering about how impressive it was." - Ryan

4. The Roman Colosseum 

"This picture shows how it looked under the gladiator ring. They kept animals here and brought them up through trap doors to surprise the fighters. I can't believe how this building has survived for 2000 years." - Hazel

5. Vatican Security 

"Ok fine, I'll admit it, I really enjoyed our tour of the Vatican. I usually dodge tours but Genny was right on this one. Without our awesome tour guide, we would've missed so much." - Ryan

 

6. Roman Forum 

"We couldn't have had a better day to tour the Roman Forum. It was the first 'sweatshirt' warm day we had and it felt magical. You can think of the Roman Forum as the economical/market and political heart of Ancient Rome." - Genny

 

7. Historic Brawl 

"Sometimes you just have to wrestle, especially when you're under a Macchiavelli statue." - Ryan

8. Duomo, Close Up

"One minute you're walking around tight cobblestone streets, dark tunnels of medieval charm that make you feel like you're lost in a beautiful maze. Then the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore jumps out at you and you freeze in your shoes. This green and white monster is the jewel of Florence and we spent a long time just staring at it." - Ryan

9. Our Town On The Hill 

"Fiesole blew me away. It truly has all the charm you could imagine the perfect Italian village would have. Views of Florence AND Tuscany. Small side streets AND local markets. Enchanted woods AND amazing pastries!" - Genny

10. Spot the Duomo! 

"This is the view of Florence from our cabin on the hilltop in Fiesole. We would always try to spot the Duomo, the biggest church around. Can you see it?" - Hazel

11. Cabin Nights 

"This is our little cabin in Fiesole. We're having pasta we made. Our cabin was so small that we had to rearrange the table every time we had supper. It was so cozy!" - Rosalie

12. Leaning Into It 

"Here I am holding up the leaning tower of Pisa. Fun fact: the tower has a 4 degree lean." - Rosalie

13. Climbing the Tower of Pisa 

"We had fun climbing the Tower of Pisa. You could really feel the lean as you climbed the stairs. The view was great." - Hazel

14. Chianti Classico 

"This futuristic Antinori winery is in the Chianti region of Tuscany. After a day cruising around the twisting roads, we stopped in here to sample some local reds. The vines you see are actually planted on the roof of the building. An interesting juxtaposition with the more traditional wineries nearby." - Ryan

15. The Rivers of Italy

"I could stroll the streets for hours with this guy!" - Genny 

16. Gelato Stops! 

"Gelato is the best. Italy has gelato everywhere. My favourite flavours are lemon, strawberry and mint chocolate chip." - Rosalie

17. Vergemoli

"This was my favourite stop in Italy. It's a sleepy hilltop town with a church and a monastery. We got lost in the tight alleyways for a bit, enjoying the spring flowers and the incredible view. We stumbled on it after a morning of crazy hairpin turns on cliffside roads. A real gem." - Ryan

18. Joyce in Trieste

"Thanks to James Joyce we ventured to Trieste. Ryan, being a bit of a Joyce fan found out that Joyce wrote pieces of Ulysses while here and well…. concocted a plan that required we come, retrace his steps and pay homage to Joyce." - Genny 

19. Cioccolata Calda 

"This was in Trieste. Dad thought he ordered croissants for us, but instead we got these. They were delicious. There were also a bunch of purple jellyfish in the canal behind us. We had fun watching them swim." - Hazel

20. The Caves of Garfagnana 

"These are called stalactites. They were all over the part of this cave we explored. It was kind of creepy down there but it was also super cool." - Hazel

21. Espresso Living 

"Genny and I felt most Italian when we were having quick shots of espresso in the early afternoon. We came for the emergency bathroom breaks but stayed (briefly) for the strong coffee." - Ryan

 

22. On The Move Again

"Every few days we repeat this ritual: Genny books the train, we strategize logistics, throw heavy stuff away to make room for new stuff, pack our bags and go. Sometimes we get lost, but we always leave enough time to make the station. We part ways with one home and get ready to greet another. Our goal is always to keep the journey mellow and take the unpredictable in stride." - Ryan