I was lucky enough to spend my spring break traveling in Italy with my parents! We started in Rome and toured the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. It’s hard to describe visiting a place that holds such renowned artwork and museums showcasing items that span a longer period of time than Christianity itself.
The next morning we boarded a train to Venice where we spent a few days exploring the Floating City. There’s nothing quite like this city of stone bridges standing over countless canals that carve narrow watery alleys between the bordering buildings.
Today, tourism is a primary contributor toward keeping this city afloat. While we toured Doge’s Palace and St. Mark’s Basilica, both incredible and definitely worth seeing, I had the most fun getting lost winding through narrow alleys and finding the locals’ Venice. Once you step beyond St. Mark’s Square or the main Rialto bridge area, you can find a different side to Venice’s enchanting charm.
From Venice we traveled to Florence, a city known for its Renaissance art and architecture. We went to the Uffizi Gallery, home to Raphael’s Self-Portrait, Caravaggio’s Bacchus, Botticelli’s Venus, work by Michelangelo, Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, etc.
We spent some time in the Duomo, climbing the bell tower, and seeing the baptistry, I even climbed to the top of the dome! And, of course we also saw Michelangelo’s David in the Accademia.
The rest of my parents’ time in Italy was spent in Rome. I was able to show them where I live in Prati, what I see on my walk to school, and play tour guide at some of my favorite places. From Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, to the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman forum, we saw a lot of Rome together.
It was really nice to be able to spend time with my parents here in Italy. We saw so many beautiful sights, ate a ton of pasta, and tried a lot of different gelato flavors. It made spring break that much more special to be able to share it with people I love. And hopefully they had just as much fun exploring Italy with me and getting to see what my life here in Rome this semester is like.
Thanks for reading,
Erin
We enjoyed reading your blog and looking at all the photo’s you took, brought back memories of our visit a few years ago. So happy you were able to share this with your parents.
Thanks, Aunt Linda & Uncle Rick <3