venice, italy

venice is one of the most unique places i've ever been. i had low expectations going into it because people had talked it down to me. i am actually glad they did, because that made me go into it with an open mind and i loved it.

you'll definitely want to see piazza san marco. you won't miss it and will probably end up there by accident. the church there has almost a russian feel to it and is so beautiful.

make sure to go inside doge's palace. there are so many things to see inside, including many ancient venetian artifacts, lots of weapons, and my personal favorite - the prison. it was so different from anything else we'd seen and i really enjoyed it! the museum is open every day but the hours vary by season. the basic entrance ticket is 16 euros but there are additional tours that can be added on. to get information about these options and the hours, visit this site.

rialto bridge is a popular spot to visit as well. the view is beautiful and there is a wonderful market!

be sure to take a gondola ride. yes, they are pricey. but i promise they are absolutely worth it. i would also recommend splurging a little more to get a musician. it adds so much to the experience and makes it so authentic. this was easily one of my favorite things i did the whole time i was in italy.

there are other museums and churches to visit, but these are the only ones i went to. i've heard great things about the guggenheim and the murano glass factory, so i would probably go to those if i went back.

happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k

pisa, italy

pisa to me is a lot like verona. a good thing to check off the bucket list, but honestly not worth the time.

getting to the leaning tower is a lot more effort than it is really worth and there is not much else to see there. the tower is a lot smaller than i expected and doesn't even stand out as much as pictures would make it seem.

however, if you decide to go, most people would recommend that you go to the top. we went at night so this was not an option for us. you will need to book a reservation about a month in advance and note that children under 8 are not allowed inside. the tower is open every day, but hours vary depending on the season. admission is 18 euros and tickets can be booked here.

the tower is located in piazza dei miracoli, along with the duomo. like most cities, the duomo is beautiful and a popular tourist attraction. this is open every day with varying hours depending on the season and admission is 5 euros. you can add additional monuments in the area at a discounted rate. these rates and hours can be found here.

as always, there are many other churches and museums to visit. we did not go to any of them, so i can't say much about them or if they are worth it.

i personally would not recommend pisa to people unless they are dying to see the leaning tower. there are some other things to do there, but i would not advise people to go out of their way to get there if that is their only reason for going.

happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k

courmayeur, italy

courmayeur is a little town in the mountains located at the base of mont blanc and on the border of france and italy.

if you love mountains, go to courmayeur. during the winter season, you can ski and i'm sure it is fabulous. we went in the fall, though, so we were only able to go up the mountain and look out at the view. there is a series of cable cars you can ride up to the top of mont blanc and the view at the top is unlike anything i've ever seen. it is absolutely worth the money to go up there. the hours and prices vary depending on the season and can be found here.

from the three different cable car stations, you can hike different paths or just get out and enjoy the view. mountain biking is also an option, however, it is not as popular.

if you happen to go in the winter, skiing is a very popular thing to do. ski season generally goes from december to may and information about tickets, rentals, lessons, etc can be found here.

other than this, courmayeur is mainly little shops and restaurants. it is the perfect mountain escape in the middle of the alps and i would recommend it to anyone who loves mountains!

happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k

verona, italy

verona was a lot different than i expected it to be. i thought it would be full of things to do, but that was not the case.

the only thing we did in verona is see the casa di giuliette. most people just look at it from the outside, which gives you the view of the balcony. there is the option to go in to the museum, but we did not do this. it is open daily, although hours vary, and costs 3 euros to get in. many people will also write letters to juliet in which they ask for help with different things in their life, generally relationship advice. there is a mailbox near juliet's house and you can drop your letter there. be sure to leave a return address because you will actually get a letter back from "juliet!"

many people go to the lamberti tower. if you climb to the top, you have a great view of the city. this attraction is only open from may to september. hours vary, but admission is 2 euros. information about the hours can be found here.

there is also a smaller colleseum here, similar to the one in rome. there are actually different performances put on inside such as concerts, shakespeare plays, and operas. tickets for these productions can be purchased here and prices vary depending on the show you choose to see.

castelvecchio is another landmark many tourists come to see. it was the most important military contruction from the middle ages and is now open as a castle for visitors to see. it is open tuesday through sunday from 9 am - 7 pm and admission is 6 euros.

if seeing juliet's house is on your bucket list, then by all means stop by and see it. but i don't think verona is a place i ever need to go again, nor would i recommend people go out of their way to get there.

happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k

cinque terre, italy

cinque terre is one of the most breathtaking places i have ever been in my life. i'm sure most of you have probably seen pictures of it on pinterest - it is the city on the water with the brightly colored buildings. let me be the first to tell you that it definitely lived up to the pictures and was even more beautiful than i ever could have imagined.

cinque terre translates directly to "five towns." it would make sense that it is made up of, you guessed it, five towns: monterosso, vernazza, cornelia, manarola, and riomaggiore.

generally, people come here to hike between each town. the hike is right on a cliff along the water and from the first town to the fifth is about 11 miles.

we went in off-season so not much was open and there had been a mudslide that closed the main trail, so we ended up having to hike 26 miles. i would recommend going in the summer so you avoid the weather issues and have more to do in each town.

if you don't want to hike between each town but still want to go see them all, the train runs through each town and costs 1 euro each time you take it. tickets can be purchased at any of the train stations or in advance here.

i would absolutely do this again. i am not much of a hiker myself, and by no means was it easy, but the views were beautiful and i would do it again in a heartbeat. the towns were so quaint and were each so different from each other so it was interesting to see what each town had to offer.

go see cinque terre if you ever have the chance and i promise you will not be disappointed!

happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k

florence, italy

florence is one of my absolute favorite places in all of italy. the city has so much to offer and is full of so much history.

florence is home to the famous michelangelo "david" sculpture. i've always seen pictures of it, but in person it is spectacular and much bigger than i ever imagined. it is located at the accademia museum which is open tuesday through sunday from 8:15 am to 6:50 pm. entrance is 10 euros.

florence also has many other famous museums that are worth seeing if you have time to wait in long lines. the uffizi museum is home to many famous paintings and sculptures and is open tuesday through sunday from 8:30 am to 7 pm. admission is 10 euros.

the san lorenzo market is one of my favorite shopping places in europe. there is every possible leather and silk product you could imagine at such a good price. everything is amazing quality and you can find things for very reasonable prices. i purchased a lot of things at this market and they have held up fabulously.

there is a lot of additional shopping that is amazing, but it is more expensive than the market. they have all the big designers but also have a lot of smaller stores only found in italy, as well as boutiques that are only the one store.

the duomo here is one of the most incredible i've ever seen. it is one of the biggest in all of europe and so detailed and beautiful! the cathedral is free, but entrance to the rest of the church is 10 euros and includes each additional aspect. the hike to the top is hard, long, and steep, but the view from the top is absolutely worth it and i would very highly recommend it. it was one of the most rewarding things i did the whole time i was in europe.

the food here was all delicious and i'd love to give recommendations if anyone wants them! i'd also be more than happy to give advice on anything else you have questions about.

happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k

milan, italy

i loved milan. i was there during fashion week so it seemed like we always had things to do. even if it hadn't been fashion week, though, there were still plenty of things to do and see.

the duomo is breathtaking. the architecture on the outside is gorgeous, but the inside is just as beautiful. this is one of the main things in milan so it is not to be missed!

right next to the duomo is the world's oldest shopping mall. while most of the stores are extremely high end, it was still gorgeous and i loved walking through it. in the middle of this mall is a mosaic bull that people spin on for good luck.

one very popular and noteworthy thing to do is to see the last supper. this is the famous painting by leonardo da vinci, which depicts jesus' last supper. this is a very popular attraction and it is required that you make a reservation to see it, but keep in mind that these reservations will sometimes fill up weeks or months in advance. tickets to see this fabulous painting cost 27 euros and can be purchased here.

aside from these things, there are plenty of museums, incredible shopping, and a great night scene. to me, milan is similar to siena where you may not want to spend a lot of time there, but it is definitely worth seeing because it is so beautiful.

happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k

siena, italy

siena is where my study abroad was based out of and i've never been more in love with a city.

i'm not going to lie and tell you that siena is the most exciting of cities. truly, i'm not entirely sure what you could do there if you didn't live there. but it is a place i very highly recommend stopping at for half a day if you are in tuscany.

the piazza del campo is the main area of the city and is home to the bi-annual palio. the palio is a horse race between the different "contradas" of siena. contradas are basically just different areas of the city that were mapped out and given names. i have never seen anywhere have such pride for their home as they did during the palio. the winning contrada parades around for weeks after the victory, celebrating their win. the palio happens once in july and again in august.

town hall is located in the piazza del campo and there is a museum inside that is small, but very pretty! it is called palazzo pubblico and is open every day from 10 am - 6 pm. the entrance fee is 8 euros.

the duomo is another beautiful place to visit. the floors tell a story and are stunning. the hours and prices vary depending on which areas you want to visit and the time of year you go. to get more information on visiting the cathedral, go to this site.

there are other museums to visit, as well as great shopping. there is a weekly market every wednesday in piazza gramsci that lasts all morning. there is lots of delicious food and gelato to be tried as well! i'd be happy to give more recommendations if people want them.


happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k

rome, italy

since i am coming up on the one year mark of when i left for my study abroad, i thought it seemed fitting that my first post was about rome!

rome is a city full of history and adventure. i have been to rome twice and i still feel like i could spend more time there. the first time i went was in december and it was really cold and rainy. the second time was in august and it was extremely hot and humid. i would recommend going in the fall or spring to find a good balance between the two.

there is so much to see in rome, in order to fully experience the wonderful city, i would set aside at least 4 or 5 days.

here are the things i would recommend seeing:

-colosseum: probably one of the first things you think of when you think of rome. the coliseum is an amphitheater where ancient romans would go for entertainment. here, gladiatorial battles would take place, as well as animal hunts and executions. the hours vary depending on the time of year, but most days, it opens at 8:30 am. tickets are 12 euros and are good for two days, as well as for entrance to the forum and palantine hill. there are tours of the colosseum levels not open to the public that just require an advanced reservation and an additional fee. for more information or to book your tour, visit this website.

-trevi fountain: this doesn't take much time to see, just stop by and throw in a coin and make a wish! forewarning: trying to get a picture of this is not as easy as it looks.

-spanish steps: same here as far as time, just walk up to the top and enjoy the view. there is also great shopping in this area!

-vatican: a must see, but it will take time to walk through the whole thing. the vatican is like a mecca for catholics. the museum is full of history and beautiful artifacts. my favorite part of all is the sistine chapel. the museum is open monday through saturday from 9 am to 4 pm and costs 16 euros for a one time entrance.

-st peter's basilica: st peter's is one of the most beautiful churches i have ever seen. all the bodies of the previous popes are actually buried here, which i find fascinating. the church is free to enter, but if you want to go to the top of the duomo, it is a 6 euro fee. keep in mind that to visit the basilica and vatican, you must follow clothing guidelines of modesty. no sandals may be worn and knees and shoulders must be covered.

-st paul outside the walls: this was my favorite church we visited. the grounds were all so pretty, but the chapel itself was breathtaking. there are artifacts dating back to the beginning of christianity, including bones of apostles. the chapel is open every day from 7 am to 6:30 pm and is free to visit.

-national gallery of modern art: the museum features such incredible modern art and also a few traditional pieces. i'm not personally a huge museum lover, but i genuinely enjoyed this one. it is open tuesday through sunday from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm and is 8 euros to get in.

-borghese galleries: this museum is not necessarily something exciting, per say, but it is a must see. there is beautiful artwork that is unlike anything else. the museum costs 11 euros to get in and is open tuesday through sunday from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm. reservations are required and generally fill up about a week in advance. to reserve a time, visit this website.

-catacombs: the catacombs were used as an underground cemetery and at one point housed 16 popes in addition to many christians. hours are tuesday through thursday from 9 am - 12 pm and 2 pm - 5 pm and entrance is 8 euros with a tour included.

-villa d'este: villa d'este is actually about an hour outside of rome in a town called tivoli. it is a garden that is supposed to represent a modern day garden of eve. the garden is absolutely beautiful and includes numerous fountains and is definitely worth the commute out there. it is open tuesday through sunday from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm and entrance is 12 euros.

there are plenty of other museum options, but these were my favorite things i saw. there are also many delicious food options, so if people are interested in hearing about my recommendations for that, let me know and i would be more than happy to post an update with that information!

happy reading and happy travels! xoxo -k