Italy

Italy will always hold such a special place in my heart.

It was the first country I ever visited outside the U.S. and forever one of my favorites!

Florence and Cinque Terre

The first time I went to Italy I went to stay with a friend who was studying abroad in Florence. It was my first time ever leaving the country and overall it was quite a shit show to be honest. I experienced a lot of travel anxiety, and broke my phone when I was alone in Rome. Which is why you see no photos from Rome.

But it’s also the trip where I fell in love with international travel, and met my dear friend Antonia. She showed me the best of Florence and we had a great day exploring Cinque Terre. Until we accidentally started taking the wrong train home.

Foreshadowing: this ends up being the first of many times I take a wrong train in Italy.

During my solo nomadic trip to Europe in 2019, I spent a weekend in Milan and then spent a few days getting very lost around small towns in Lake Como, just 45 minutes north.

Nonetheless, Lake Como was one of the most stunning and quaint places I’d visited thus far in my life. I loved the romance, the beautiful mountain scenery, the quaint little gardens, and charming downtown areas.

I even stumbled upon a small medieval town where I got to chat with some locals for hours-drinking wine and learning all their life in Italy. We had so much fun I even ended up getting on the wrong bus home, which turned into quite an eventful evening.