Italia

So finally...Here are some pictures and a quick recap of part two of my Spring Break: Italy!

The vacation that started off a little bumpy (especially for poor A and her transatlantic journey from hell) ended up smoothing out pretty nicely once we hit Rome. A and I arrived Friday night and were quickly joined by M on Saturday morning - only to be greeted by a dreary, rainy day in Rome. Lame! We decided to head to the Vatican and take advantage of the indoor entertainment. (Apparently, the rest of Rome decided the same thing). We managed to avoid the lines at the Vatican Museum and conducted an abridged visit (aka, straight to the papal studies and the Sistine Chapel..hehe). Afterward however, we were forced to sit in a line that wrapped halfway around St. Peter's Square in order to just make it through security before entering the Vatican. Once inside, being the young and sprightly 20 year olds that we were, we decided to climb the dome. And by climb, I mean we decided to save 2euros to bypass the elevator and climbed all 544 steps to the top. (What? Who's the loser who spent the whole climb counting stairs?? Not me...)

M hiding at the base of St. Peter's Basilica Dome - not quite sure...

Spanish Steps

Typical M and N "crush you" hug...

A and M doing...something...

Trevi Fountain!

The rest of Rome was spent enjoying the beautiful days that followed, stealthily lying and sneaking into *what?* the Borghese palace to see the Bernini sculptures (AMAZING!), and spending an entire afternoon wandering the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. An of course, we celebrated A's 20th birthday in Rome! Whoo! From there, we hopped on a train to Florence!

Florence is easily one of my favorite cities on the planet. We spend our time here wandering the medieval streets, enjoying the famous (an gigantic!) Florentine steak, and of course, climbing the Duomo. No stair counting this time around.

Lugo!

On the Ponte Vecchio

Rub for good luck!

M and I also partook in the local custom of "locking your love" on the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge). I know, I know, sounds super lame. No worries, it was my idea and M was cool enough to go along with it. Couples from all over the world come to this bridge with their lock and key, fix their lock to the ironwork of the bridge, then throw the key into the river. Awwww. Okay, end of mushy-gushy moment. :) <3

The Lock.

From Florence, we took a day tour of Tuscany where we visited Siena, St. Gimignano, and Pisa. Absolutely beautiful! Despite starting to get a cold (surprise surprise) I loved the tour and we all definitely enjoyed stuffing ourselves with food straight from an organic farm in Tuscany, our lunch stop on the tour. We also happened to be the only "young" ones on the tour, so we spent the day socializing with the group of 60 year old nurses sitting in front of us on the bus - hilarious.

A makes a friend at the torture museum in St. Gimignano

Our last stop was Venice, a city that pretty much is seen by wandering the maze like streets and canals. We continued enjoying the beautiful weather and enjoyed our last days of vacation. It was definitely a great, relaxing way to end our trip!

Realto Bridge