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A Tour of Our Italian Home
The time has come for us to say goodbye to our little home in (Costabissara) Vicenza, Italy after 1.5 years. Although our home will never be featured in a Southern Italian Living Magazine, I found peace and comfort inside these walls and we made some of our best memories here. From reunions and parties to new puppies and newlywed memories, we’ll always remember this place in Italy and our first home together. While the rooms in our home never had a “theme”, they somehow turned into a hodgepodge of souvenirs from our travels mixed with IKEA and government rental furniture. A unique style of decorating! We knew we wouldn’t be…
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Business Guide to Vicenza, Italy
Moving to a new place with unfamiliar faces, and especially to a new country, is overwhelming. Not knowing where to find certain goods and services can cause a lot of anxiety and frustration at first. The language barrier, transportation, opening hours – a lot of things are probably different from your previous location, at least they were for me. Luckily, as an army wife, there are a million and one Facebook groups where people can ask these questions – but for the rest of the American community living in our area, the method to find these products and/or services is basically a translated google search or trial and errors. My…
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Bikepark Lavarone: Downhill Mountain Biking in Italy
Downhill mountain biking is one of those things that I sit around and daydream about. It gives me such a thrill and adrenaline rush, unlike any other hobby of ours. The adrenaline that flows through my veins each time I accomplish a downhill track at full speed in the woods is unspeakable. I didn’t expect to have a chance to hit any trails before we moved away from Italy, because the season usually starts so late in June. But when I saw that Bikepark Lavarone was having its season opener at the beginning of June, I knew it was the perfect time for us to go! Bikepark Lavarone is awesome…
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Whitewater Kayaking in Italy
When I think of kayaking, I think of a nice, slow ride down the river. It brings back great memories with my family and friends in North Carolina. But since living in Italy, we’ve had a hard time finding any information on where to go river kayaking (also known to some as whitewater kayaking). When I first googled kayaking in Italy, all that turned up was information about kayaking through the canals of Venice, along the Amalfi coast, around the island of Sardinia (which we did and you can read about here), or on lakes like Garda. But, I wanted more information on where to go to put my kayak…
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A Review of Italy’s Recently Opened “Bike Path” on Lake Garda
When an article appeared online about a bike path opening up along Lake Garda (Lago di Garda), I was all for taking the following Sunday to head up there and enjoy a nice day by the lake. The article, which I won’t name specifically for obvious reasons, considers this bike path one of the most spectacular in Europe. It goes on to say that it’s a 2 km stretch (although I wasn’t sure that could be correct), took 2 years and 7 million € to complete. That’s a lot of time and a lot of money. It’s gotta be worth it, right?! Well, let’s find out! On Sunday, we loaded…
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Naples, Italy: First Impressions
Let me preface this post by providing you with a little background knowledge of my travels that I have to compare to Naples, Italy. Within the United States, I have been to too many places to name, so for now, I’ll name the relevant ones – Chicago, New York City, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Washington DC. In Europe, however, our experiences have been with mainly eco-friendly countries – Norway, Switzerland, Austria, just to name a few. When we visit a new country we seek out the mountains, lakes, and smaller villages. But, I’m a Paris fanatic, a lover of Rome, and I find Venice fascinating. Basically, I tell you all of…
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A Life-Altering Climb
FYI: writing this post has not been easy. I have written about it. Deleted it. Written it. Deleted it. Too many times to count. I struggle between sharing it and keeping it to myself. We have told no one about this, yet. Nothing but good and supportive comments have ever come out of my writing and truthfulness, so here it goes. At dinner that night, I sat across from my husband with tears in my eyes, and I asked him, “how do I ever explain this to someone? How do I put into words this experience in a way that anyone could ever understand? How do we tell our friends…
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Lessons From a First Time Mountain Climber | Via Ferrata Style
Full disclosure: I am not an expert. As the title says, it was my FIRST time on a via ferrata in the Dolomites. All things I recommend below come with this caution and warning. Please consult your physician prior to performing any of these activities (or whatever the correct wording is here). I am able to write about these events and recommend them to others because I survived… so there you have it! I’ve never had a fear of heights. I grew up loving to go fast, ride every roller coaster, and go as high up as possible thanks to my dad. That was the one thing we loved to…
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Florence, Italy: All the Must See’s from The Duomo to the Statue of David
Florence, Italy is ranked among the world’s most beautiful cities, and is well known for its history, art, culture, fashion, and wealth. Spend just one day strolling the cobblestone streets flanked by the many beautiful churches, synagogues, and temples, and you’ll agree! Between the famous statue of David by Michelangelo and the domed cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, often referred to as The Duomo, these two sights alone in the heart of Firenze are enough to take your breath away. If you’re headed to Italy, Florence is one of those places you’ll want to add to your list! It is conveniently located between Venice and Rome, making it a…
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A Tuscan Winery Experience – Castello di Verrazzano
Tuscany is the type of place you see in love stories, like Under the Tuscan Sun, and then dream about going to one day. It is undeniably a region full of postcard material. Famous in Italy for its rolling hills, food, and most significantly wine, there is so much to see and do in Tuscany. Choosing A Tuscan Winery For Valentine’s Day weekend, we traveled to the Chianti region of Tuscany. We stayed in Monteriggioni and decided to do our first winery tour and tasting just a few towns over in Greve in Chianti. Recommended by a friend who had been there recently, we chose Castello di Verrazzano as our…
