italy.

it’s the kind of trip dreams are made of: a late summer rendez-vous of long-lost gal pals in a foodie’s paradise after an extended time apart. and that’s how it was when myself and some friends met up in rome to start a two and a half week trip through italy, searching for the best pizza, pasta and wine our moneys could afford us. it was a time of many an aperol spritz, of below-par italian speaking, and salty, sun-kissed swims. it was also a time of a v. stressful rental car situation of which i will not go into here. but it’s a lucky thing that the overarching theme of the trip was, overall, great (molto bene 😉 ) times.

rome to begin was a whirlwind of wandering; dopio espresso bar-drinking, gelato eating, vatican visiting and making of restaurateur best friends (hi emiliano lol). we stayed in a funky neighbourhood called Pigneto, and i will be sure to go back there, cause we found some excellent cafes (fattori) and restaurants (emiliano’s 😉 )

phase two of the trip saw us travelling south to the amalfi coast, and meeting up with more friends at a sea-view hilltop house in Vietri sul Mare. what a spot! and what a gang. we swam at sunrise, ate mega-sized watermelon, rode in a miniature van as it sped through narrow, winding lanes, and ate the most glorious food. i hope to one day return. after a glorious few days on the coast, it was time to trek to naples and pick up a new rental car* (lol *and i’m glad we/i can laugh about that now) and drive back north to be under the tuscan sun. we based ourselves in a charming town named poggibonsi, which was every bit as fun to stay in as it is to say. here, we reunited with another long-lost pal, ate, swam and explored to our hearts’ content. florence was a real highlight for me – the cathedral there blew me away with its beauty, and the city on a whole was every bit as spectacular as i’m sure others will have told you. we even got to partake in a cooking class, and the recipes of which we cooked i think will be one of the best souvenirs i brought back with me. and to finish, alora, now some snaps from my golden half 35mm film camera – the photos of which are both charming and unpredictable.