Can you think of anything better than hanging out by the canals of Venice, eating pasta and sipping wine? My first time in Italy was two years ago. Actually, it was my first time in Europe, a place I’ve always wanted to go but for whatever reason, I didn’t make it happen until now. In 2018, I accompanied my husband on a work trip to Offenburg, Germany, and we added on a vacation after, to visit several cities in Italy. He booked Airbnbs in Milan, Venice, Florence and Rome. From Germany, we took a scenic train ride through the Swiss Alps to Italy for my first European experience.
Arriving in Milan, we decided to take the subway as our Airbnb was only two stops away. My story begins with this takeaway: BEWARE of strangers, especially little old ladies! While we stood on the platform, a tiny grey-haired woman squeezed in between us. I was brought up to be respectful to seniors, so I didn’t think anything of her presence between us. My husband was in front of her and suddenly she would push him or hit his knapsack with her fist. I was behind her so I asked her what she was doing but she spoke only Italian, then she would hit him again. Okay. It wasn’t like she could hurt him so I let it go. As the subway train arrived, we all pushed our way through the doors. She suddenly stopped dead in her tracks in front of me and wouldn’t let me pass. The doors were closing so all the people behind me pushed in and pressed against me. I couldn’t get around her and the pole, as I was pulling a piece of luggage. My husband called to me to go to him, but I was trapped. I asked the lady to let me pass, but she ignored me. Then another woman passenger got up and started yelling at the old lady in Italian. They both started arguing in front of me. I didn’t know what to do. Finally, she stepped aside and let me go to my husband. Then I saw four school girls in uniform join her and they all exited together at the next stop. The lovely Good Samaritan pointed to my tote bag that hung over my shoulder. I was horrified to see that both my purse and the tote bag were unzipped! Luckily, nothing was taken as my tote was full of food and drinks for the train ride. Thanks to my love of food, my wallet was at the bottom of my purse and they never got to it as more snacks were piled on top of it. Gary’s knapsack was also unzipped. I don’t know how, as I was behind him the whole time and never saw anything, except for her hitting him. I realize now those stories of gypsy pick pocketers are a thing and that little old lady was trying to distract me so that the schoolgirls could go through my bags. We were so relieved that nothing was taken but this ominous start in Italy made our adventure all the more memorable. Good lesson to be learned upon arrival: to be more aware of people around us and to wear my purse in the front. That was the only negative for the whole trip. It did not ruin anything about Italy.
The next day, we went on a fabulous 3-hour Guided Walking & Tasting Tour in Brera District, a hipster area of Milan. We grazed on cream puffs, meatballs, charcuterie (meat and cheeses), Venetian sandwiches, lasagna, gelato, and drinks like fruit juice & Prosecco. It’s the best way to enjoy the culture, by having someone show you around, take you to sample food and drinks, while telling you a little history. Milan did not disappoint because it is THE fashion place to go. Versace. Vuitton. Prada. Every designer name imaginable was there. In my case, window shopping was all I could afford since outlet shopping didn’t seem to be a thing. The architecture is crazy amazing, especially the magnificent Duomo di Milano, a magnificent cathedral built in 1386! It’s pretty impressive with its size and decorated with thousands of statues and gargoyles. They sure know how to build cathedrals in Italy.
I love everything about Italy, but Venice had a special vibe that stole my heart. Fresh seafood, incredible pasta, pizza and of course, delicious gelato everywhere we went. What’s not to like? How about sitting along the canals, listening to romantic music, tasting GREAT FOOD, and watching the world go by? Although I didn’t get to ride in a gondola, it was so exciting to see all the people enjoying the most famous Venetian attraction. Did you know there are no cars in Venice? I was surprised but not really considering the city is surrounded by water and bridges.
The next day, we made our way to Pisa, of course to take a cheesy photo of us pretending to hold up the Leaning Tower. Who does that? We did. We saw Florence (Tuscany) on a bus tour with our guide, Alessandro. He took us to San Gimignano, Siena, and Chianti, where we had lunch in a vineyard. Imagine the breathtaking Tuscan views.
The last city was Rome and of course, we toured the Vatican. It’s breathtaking but the crowds were unbelievable in June! You feel like a herd of cattle being prodded along these magnificent hallways. Hard to imagine this now as this was pre-covid times so things were different then. As first-time tourists, we hit all the famous iconic spots, such as the Trevi Fountain, the Colosseum, and the Pantheon, places I had studied in university now were in front of me in all its historic glory. It was the awakening I needed, to know that there’s so much more of the world to see.
In every city, I was surprised at how clean and spacious our Airbnb was. I loved that we were always close to cafes and restaurants. The food was so fresh and delicious. I could go on and on about the food but it’s something you can’t understand until you go there yourself. I was so fortunate that I was able to go back to Europe one more time in 2019 (Paris!), before the pandemic stopped all travel. I can’t wait until we have our next normal, when it is safe to travel again. Then we can return to all the places where we left a small piece of my soul.