An Italian Dream

I've dreamed of visiting Italy for a long time. I knew my vision was likely a bit westernized: rolling hills filled with vineyards, grandmothers making pasta by hand (who learned from their grandmas decades ago), artisans working at their trade longer than I've been alive, centuries old ruins everywhere, and--most importantly--wine flowing like streams of living water!

My vision was too small.

My journey began in Tuscany. Actually, the fun part of the journey began in Tuscany. Allow me to give you a pro-tip: If you're flying across 5 time zones and have to drive more than an hour after landing, hire a car service. The journey really began once we landed in Rome. Our first night was to be spent in Tuscany, so we only stayed in Rome long enough for my husband to make approximately 13,000 Rome jokes (not that long). I would love to tell you about the beauty of the 2-3 hour drive from Rome to the Italian countryside, but we were fast asleep (did I mention hiring a driver?).

Tuscany is the real deal. Have you ever been sold on a destination only to find that the picture in the brochure is of the only thing worth visiting? That is NOT Tuscany…it's impossible to take a bad photo. The rolling vineyards in my dreams fell short of the real thing. We went hiking, drank wine, and ate grandmas handmade pasta. Wine is not a jetlag elixir, but honestly who cares.

Views on views on views from COMO Castello del Nero

We stayed at COMO Costello del Nero, located just over the most beautiful vineyards and olive tree farm. I don't know what else to say about the view except that I could see the vineyard and orchard from laying in my bed. In addition to amazing views, the hotel has some incredible restaurants, including a Michelin star La Torre. One thing I did NOT dream about in Italy was eating delicious pigeon; but my gosh, they pulled it off!

Within reach of COMO are several small cities that are a must see. Siena is one such place. Walking the streets of Siena made me nostalgic for a time long before I was born. We were given a tour by a lovely gal who spent her whole life in Siena and absolutely gushed over her home town. This place was delightful, food delicious, and culture amazing.

The amazing town of Sienna!

I would add Montepulciano and Montalcino to the list as well. Unfortunately we experienced a little weather and couldn't spend much time in either city, but what little time we had, we loved.

Fortunately, the wine tasting rooms have roofs and heavy pours, so we were not deterred long by the weather.

Hi, yes, the glass is almost empty. Podere le Ripi did not disappoint. As evidenced by the case of wine we had sent back home.

Saying goodbye to Tuscany was difficult, until we arrived in Florence. This is hands down one of my favorite cities in the world! Food, shopping, history, art, architecture…it is an amazing place. A highlight for me in Florence was the artisinal tour, where we were able to meet craftsmen and women at work. We watched glass makers, jewelers, metal workers, and leather workers creating one masterpiece after another. You just don't see people work with their hands like this anymore.

This amazing artisan, Daniela Messeri, makes stunning gold jewelry and was even chosen by Dolce&Gabbana to design some pieces for their fashion show in Florence. And I’m now the proud owner of a beautiful gold ring made by Daniela and her company Nerdi Orafi.

Florence really has my heart - same as this guy.

Visiting Pisa and Luca from Florence is another must-do. Now, I'm sure you all know about the leaning tower of Pisa (my nerdy husband likes to point out that an image of it is even in the opening credits of the Big Bang Theory). And while it is quite impressive in person, I personally think Pisa is worth visiting only if you're on your way to Lucca. This charming little town has so much beautiful history. Lucca is surrounded by three city walls, each built during a different period in history. The last and largest wall is really wide--built to withstand the blast from a cannon. With the lack of canon attacks, the top of the wall was turned into a walking and bike path. I highly recommend cycling around the city!

This guy was in. his. element. A tour that combined something active, being outdoors and history - I had to pry him off that bike.

Let it be known, this photo makes me appear much more graceful than I actually am on a bike.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention our hotel, The Place Firenze. The service here was impeccable and the location is perfect. I recommend having a cocktail on their patio looking out over the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella!

A negroni in Florence may be basic, but ask me how much I care

The morning after stuffing ourselves with cannelloni from Buca Lapi, we hopped on a train down to Rome. The train is an exceptionally convenient way to get between these big cities. We checked in to Hotel Eden, part of the Dorchester collection, with an amazing view of Rome. I'm a sucker for all Dorchester hotels, and this one did NOT disappoint!

Pro tip--and not for the faint of heart - if you want to see as much of Rome as you can, hop on the back of a Vespa! There is a bit a lot of traffic in Rome, but the Vespas are lawless - I felt like I was in a Bourne movie. We whipped and wizzed on the back of vespas driven by very skilled Romans. And wow, after just a couple hours, we saw SO much! One of the native Romans we were chatting with described Rome as a giant outdoor museum - he was not wrong! There are beautiful ancient ruins everywhere. They are part of the landscape and you could explore here for weeks.

Can you see the sheer panic in my eyes and the elation in Matt’s smile?

Another great way to see and taste the culture is a food tour. We love a fancy dinner, but there's nothing like eating where the locals eat to fully experience the culture. Plus, it's magically delicious!

Rome was a blur of unbelievable site seeing and (our favorite thing) food. The Pantheon, the Colleseum, Pizza, the Vatican, gellato, St. Peter's Basilica, wine tasting…the grandeur of these relics can only be understood in person. We were simply blown away by the art, architecture, history, and tiramisu!

The Colosseum did not disappoint.

Rimessa Roscioli gave us one of the best wine pairing experiences we’ve ever had!

This entire experience would not have been possible without my amazing partners at Perfetto Traveler. They took care of every detail! When planning trips to Italy for my clients, there is a reason they are always my first call - they are incredibly knowledgable, quick and responsive and they have access to everything outside the ordinary.

Listen, you could spend 2 months in Italy and still not enjoy everything it has to offer - but, if you’ve got at least a week, give me a call and let’s plan something epic! Dreams do come true!