Our Journey Together

"The use of traveling is to regulate imagination by reality, and instead of thinking how things may be, to see them as they are"  - Samuel Johnson.

After staying in Rome for 2 days we packed our suitcases and began heading north along the sunny tuscan route.  We originally reserved an Alfa Romeo Giulietta but when the Hertz representative asked us if we wanted a Mini Cooper instead we were like Yeee of course we do!  This is the first time that we've done a road trip together and I think everything went really smooth.  J, the safe but fast driver and me, the navigator adjusting the garmin gps or looking at google map. heh heh High five!

One thing we love about driving in Italy has to be the Autogrill stops along the A1 highway or other rest areas along the way. There's no fastfood or burger joints but you can be certain to find a nice coffee bar serving pastries, paninis & other great eats.

hehe J in his serious driving mode. Must have snacks: spicy sausages, haribo bears, chewing gum and some Italian summer hit music.

Arriving in time for lunch at Piazza del Campo, Siena.

My favorite gelateria <3 hehe Ordered a stracciatella with bits of chocolate while J maintained his chocolate ritual. As promised on their ingredients list, they don't use emulsifiers, preservatives, colorants or flavorings..100% natural goodness. :D Back in HK, every time I see iScream or xtc I just want to get nice scoop of gelato. Happy memories. 

Back on the road. En route from Siena to Florence.

We arrived in Florence roughly at 6pm after experiencing some confusing ZTL zones and road blocks due to the cycling competition.  After checking into our hotel near the Duomo (free room upgrade, sweet!) we squeezed in a quick visit at the Gucci museum before heading to Aqua al 2 for dinner as recommended by J. My gosh.. I know the picture below doesn't look impressive but do try their meat sampler. L-O-V-E-D their blueberry steak and filet mignon with balsamic reduction. It's got that perfect balance of tangy, sweet, sticky goodness that makes you wish you weren't full so that you could continue eating.  Beside us was the most talkative and amusing Canadian couple sharing similar travel itineraries as us. Fun night.

muheehee

Breakfast for champions :D

 Day 7 - time to explore Florence!

   

At the Uffizi ~

 Has to be the most comprehensive vending machine that we've ever seen. If you're living nearby and feeling hungry why not stop here to buy your ingredients for dinner & dessert.

Giardino di Boboli. 

Walking up to the Piazzale Michelangelo for this view. :)

And of course, got to have the snapshot at Ponte Vecchio where we bought our beautiful picture frame. :)

On our last night in Florence we tried La Giostra. They have some amazing osso bucco and the owner himself looks like Saruman the white :P Great atmosphere and tiramisu.

La Dolce Vita - Roman Holiday

Snippets part 2 :)

En route from Venice to Rome and grabbing breakfast at the airport. This Italian croissant, (cornetti or brioche depending on which area you're in) was quite a surprise. After taking my first bite, my expression was omgosh this is sweet.. A bit odd at first but enjoyed it immediately with my strong cup of coffee. There's a light sprinkle of icing sugar on top, and it has more sugar and egg in the pastry so it was denser compared to the French croissant. Mine had no filling but a a few customers ordered ones with custard inside. Lovin' my breakfast..

After arriving at our hotel we started looking out for lunch. We walked past the Foro Romano before grabbing lunch beside the Colosseo.When we thought we had to walk alot in Venice..wow we probably walked 3 times as much here. 

And when you walk an average of 20,000+steps everyday, you know what you need? Carbs! Hehe..

I used to think the new Fiat cars look funny but I've changed my mind. They're so cool especially the way they park the smart cars. :)

Roundabouts by the Pantheon. 

Having some gelato at the Trevi Fountain ;)  Did you know that an estimated 3000 Euros are thrown into this fountain everyday?

Chilling out at the Spanish Steps.

Having my first cannoli at Antico Caffe Greco with sweetened ricotta and citrus peel. 

Yay finally arrived in Vatican City.

Climbing up the St. Peters Basilica Cupola for some breathtaking views..

Love traveling with you. With our powers combined nothing cannot be accomplished. =)

Happily enjoying my tiramisu despite knowing that we'll be leaving Rome the next day. 

Before heading back we strolled one last time through the quaint & lively streets near Trevi.

Romantic V e n e z i a

* happy sigh.. Our Italy honeymoon trip was such a memorable experience.  After booking our plane tickets and hotel back in March, we've been eagerly waiting for our vacation to take shape and we kept reminding ourselves to keep our expectations in check, to just relax and savor each and every day we had there. And I believe that good things come to those who wait. ;) We had 12 days in total and we sure made the best out of it with the perfect balance of sightseeing, eating and relaxing with a cup of cappuccino or sparkling.  Our itinerary comprised of: Venice, flying to Rome, driving from Rome > Siena > Florence > Pisa > Cinque Terre and leaving from Milan.  This entry is devoted to some highlights in Venice  :)

Arriving on a clear Friday morning with blues and whites reflecting on the top of our wooden lacquered boat.  Quite chilly, around 13-14 degrees so it's wise to bring a light jacket around late September.

Gelatoooo.. Every time (*ahem everyday) we had gelato, J tried chocolate so he could compare the taste but for me I tried a different flavor each time. I have to admit my favorite was GROM with 100% organic ingredients. Yummay

At the Peggy Guggenheim Collection

 


Love prosecco. I never really knew the difference between prosecco and champagne. Apparently it's quite simple.. Champagne is produced in the Champagne region in France called Champagne and everything else is sparkling wine.  Prosecco on the other hand is named after the grape and the region.  In order to be considered a true Prosecco the wine must be made with Prosecco grapes and produced in the Veneto region of Italy.  The French have Champagne and the Italians have Prosecco but why the huge price difference? Superior grapes? Different marketing methods?

It's easy to get lost or sort of get confused while walking through the streets of Venice. We walked past this quaint lil Osteria maybe 2-3 times before deciding to just pick a place to rest our feet. I love people watching and this place allowed us to do that without people staring down at us. If I could come here again (Osteria Ae Sconte)  I would like to try their pasta.. :)

 Checking out some Murano glass workshops..

 Trying out Hotel Cipriani's rossini & bellini. mmm mm perfect on a gorgeously warm autumn's day. Watching people sunbathe on the pool was really quite interesting. Is it just me or do Italians really love their tan?

Scampi with rice and some amazing light lemon-butter sauce. 

Checking out the Gallerie dell'Accademia where they were showcasing the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition.  Numerous prestigious pieces were on loan from various museums and will still be available until December 1, 2013.

On the Realto bridge en route to dinner.  Walking up an appetite for every meal. 

Stumbled on this Neapolitan restaurant called Aquapazza and I swear every plate coming out from the kitchen was huge portions and very drool worthy. We shared a crispy thin crust pizza with a bit of chili olive oil. So simple. So good. Rubbing our tummy happily as we boarded the vaporetto back to our Hotel. Until next time... :)