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firenze // yellows, evening light, charming, romantic, si

… there should be an instagram filter called “florence,” because the light there seems to be other-worldly. there’s a golden glow across the city at any time of day –  maybe it’s the yellows and oranges of the ponte vecchio which radiate their light up over the city? regardless of how, there’s a softness in the light of florence which covers every memory and every picture with beauty.

i absolutely fell in love with florence. it seemed quiet and calm after the bustle of venice, and in spite of the overwhelming presence of il duomo, the city seems small and charming. you can walk florence end-to-end in the time it takes to eat a gelato cone (to be fair, the cones we found were bigger than bitty’s head!), and the streets are filled with charming boutiques and amazing artists painting or drawing on every corner.

we did all of the ‘musts’ – climbed the duomo (463 steps! stella was an animal and powered up the whole way without stopping), sunset across the river at the piazzale michelangelo, uffizi gallery. while i loved all of it, my absolute favorite was our post-dinner meanders – we always seemed to end up down by the river for sunset, watching the light fade over the ponte vecchio, gelato in hand, the girls glowing in the golden hue of florence. happiness.

venezia // magic, inspired, crowded, canals, needtogoback

… the italian adventure started in venice, which in my view is the perfect way to start any story. it’s full of mystery and beauty and around every corner is something even more amazing. i read somewhere that while you go to most major cities with specific sites in mind (rome = colosseum, paris = eiffel tower, you get the idea), the major thing to see in venice is … venice. so true. it’s the perfect city to just wander and get lost. up and over the hundreds of little bridges which carry you over the hundreds of little canals. gondolas floating by, amazing canal houses with their peeling paint and centuries of stories hidden behind every door. piazza san marco filled with hundreds of perfectly aligned yellow chairs. perfection.

we stayed on the neighboring island of lido (at the same charming hotel where kellie and i stayed on our venice adventure last summer), which for me is the perfect way to experience venice. it’s just a 10 minute ferry ride away from st. marks square, but may as well be an entirely different world. there’s a beautiful calm to lido. it’s flip flops and gelato shops and charming little cafes. it’s crumbling old mansions and beaches along the adriatic sea.

in spite of the crowds and the insane prices (90 euro for dinner the first night at a little cafe near st. marks square. one pizza, one salad, one plate of spaghetti = 90 euros. total rookie move to eat near there – gah!), venice really is magical. there’s something so beautiful, intriguing about this centuries old city built upon these sinking little islands.

we had no real agenda. just wandered, ate more gelato than should be legal, ran around st. marks square, relaxed at the beaches on lido. the highlight was the gondola ride down the grand canal – super touristy, sure, but amazing nonetheless. i did pause for a moment and wonder if the girls have any sense of how blessed they are to see such things at such a young age. if nothing else, i hope all of this traveling gives them their own sense of wonder and adventure. i hope they realize the world is huge and beautiful and filled with the most amazing things.

ciao, venice. next stop … florence!