I feel so European calling my vacation a “holiday.” š Several weeks ago, I was blessed to partake in the trip of a lifetime to Italy. It’s a country I’ve always wanted to visit and one I’ve always felt a draw to. I’ve often felt like I could be Italian but a recent DNA test from Ancestry.com proved otherwise– I’m just your average white girl with English roots. But hey, maybe I was Italian in a past life?
Anyhow, here are my favorite photos from the trip. Sometimes it was hard to balance being in the “now” with capturing this vacation with a camera. Plus, photos don’t always do justice to what the naked eye and heart experiences. Like seeing the glaciers of Greenland during our flight back. Sometimes that’s better, though. It’s a unique view that no one else saw like you did.
Some of my photos are the standard snapshots you’d expect, but I really dig getting unique perspectives and capturing things that aren’t as obvious. I love to drift away from the common photos you can find anywhere.
The start of our 10-day trip began in Rome. The first day we didn’t do much of anything, but I did get a pic from the balcony of our hotel. I didn’t spend much time out there but still loved it. It was great to people watch and observe.
The next day was also in Rome and in the Vatican City. We toured some of the Vatican’s museums (including the Sistine Chapel, but you can’t take any photos there), St. Peter’s Basilica, and St. Peter’s Square. I’m not a Christian so I wasn’t spiritually moved while there, but the artwork and architecture was still breathtaking. These are some I took from the Vatican Museums:
Our tour guide, Francesco, was very knowledgeable and eager to share. He reminded me of my arts/humanities professor, who was so excited to teach about the Renaissance. Way back when I was in college, I never imagined I’d be able to see this stuff up close and personal.
In some parts, there were windows open that overlooked the Vatican Gardens. Since we couldn’t tour the gardens, I had to sneak a few peeks and shots.
Next, we toured St. Peter’s Basilica and Square.
Michelangelo’s Pieta:
St. Veronica by Francesco Mochi:
After that was the Colosseum and Roman Forum, but I skipped the latter because the sun was too much. I’d been drinking less water than usual so as not to pee every hour, yet trying to stay hydrated so it was a tricky balance. I needed the rest and was grateful for it. That was a lot of walking!
Then, we went back to the hotel and had a break before another walking tour in Rome plus dinner. We hit the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, San Luigi dei Francesi (a small church that contained a fantastic Caravaggio painting), and then had dinner with unlimited wine. Mama mia!
The Pantheon:
Caravaggio’s The Inspiration of St. Matthew:
The next day, we headed out of Rome and into the Tuscan region. By that point, I was very glad to get away from the frantic energy of Rome. Stay tuned for Part 2 this coming week.
