The trip to Italy was different in many ways. To start with, most of the photos I took were taken while carrying my daughter in her carrier or with one hand. Usually, our vacations involved starting the day early with jam-packed activities and planning the days to the hours to ensure maximum exploration. Relaxation has not been on my dictionary while vacationing for the longest time. I know many of you may think this is exhausting and not vacationing. However, my point of view has always been to see, discover and do as much instead of spending time in spas or shops (except for souvenirs or if there’s some specialty product I want to buy from the vacation spot) which I can do over weekends in town.
Well, this time, the days were not planned to the hours because we knew, well in advance, that just wasn’t going to work. Some days, we didn’t even get out of the hotel until 11AM or later(ask me to imagine that two years ago and I would have thought you are insane!). You see, the toddler is finally teaching us how to vacation. Wake up, take your own sweet time to cuddle with mommy and daddy, spend an hour or more to enjoy breakfast and go back to the hotel room for a change before heading out for sightseeing. That’s the right way to spend a holiday, especially in Italy.
Exploring Rome, the capital of Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, in just four days is a challenge. We could spend days just to properly explore the major attractions such as the Coliseum, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Campo de Fiori, and the Vatican. Then, We could have easily spent many more days exploring the many piazzas, museums and parks around the city.
Naples, the birthplace of pizza. Need I say more. Oh, the different toppings and flavor of pizza!!
It was very exciting to get the first glimpse of Mount Vesuvius in Naples. The sun rise over the volcano was breathtaking. It appeared much smaller than other volcanoes such as Mt. Fuji, Mt. Rainier that I’ve seen. Finally, we learned that the current height is only one-third of the original height due to multiple eruptions.
Pompeii, a city frozen in time; a city where the wealthy once lived shoulder to shoulder with the poor. Walking through Pompeii provides a window into ancient Roman life – restaurants, market place, hotels, bars, bakeries, brothels, bath houses, homes and much more.
Seeing the historic sites of Rome, Naples and Pompeii involved a lot of walking. On an average, we walked 3-4 miles each day and R probably walked 25% of the times as well(we trashed her stroller on the second day because she was more interested to push it than to ride on it!!). That’s a story to be told some other times.
Great pictures
Thank you so much for your comment, li’l brother.
Lail: Amazing Italy, with gorgeous pictures that make me daydream about it…Love the gelatto and macaroons!!!
Thanks, Denise. Oh! The gelatto and macaroons.
Beautiful photos. did that same trip two years ago..
Thank you.
Oh man, these pictures remind me we’re in desperate need of a vacation. Until then, I’ll just live vicariously through your gorgeous pictures 🙂
Thanks a lot.
great photo’s love Italy and love holidays like this where you can just walk walk walk
I love to walk and explore also. Thanks for stopping by.
Breathtakingly beautiful!
Thank you, Angie.
Hi Lail, Thanx for dropping by! Loved the shots of Italy. It’s been on my list of travel destination for so long.. These pic make me wanna go now.!
Thank you, Sumee. I hope you experience Italy someday too.
I’m sure you got a great workout carrying your little one! Rome is one of my favorite cities to visit. Such great memories.
I actually lost some weight carrying her during the trip which was awesome. Somehow she wouldn’t go to dad during the trip 🙂 Thank you.
Beautiful pictures! Italy is at the top of my must visit places some day…….Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Thank you, Minnie. Italy was one of my top must visit place.
It looks like you had a lovely trip. I like the way your daughter thinks! 🙂
My daughter is teaching us a lot about life 😉
Thanks, Lilly.
I have been in love with Italy like forever, even without visiting it. Must’ve been all my Latin classes at school. My father lived in Italy for a few years and to this day he talks about his time. Looks like it is everything he said. Looks like you had a great time.
Nazneen
Thank you, Nazneen. We had a great time indeed.
Absolutely gorgeous pictures! I love how colourful and vibrant they are. You captured the beauty of Italy perfectly 🙂
Thanks a lot.
What an incredible trip to such a historical and beautiful country 😀
Thanks for sharing Italy!
Cheers
CCU
Thanks, Uru.
You make me want to jump on a plane and head straight to Rome. You certainly made the most of your four days. I love your images and hope to experience Rome for myself one day – so much incredible history xx
Thank you, Charlie. I hope you get to experience Rome one day soon 🙂
I am with Charlie Lail, you make me wish I could jump on a plane and go to Italy!
Thank you for sharing the breath taking pictures. I especially loved the one with the bridge reflection..I am at a loss for words!
Thank you so much, Sawsan. I love that bridge picture too 🙂
Lovely pictures! Italy is such a fun place to visit. Tons to see, and ore tons to eat! Great food, great history, great art – what more could one want? Thanks for sharing your vacation with us.
Totally agree. I don’t think even a month would be enough to see Italy. Thanks.
Looks like you had a great trip. Gorgeous pictures, really loved the post! Thanks for sharing with us!
Thank you so much Ambreen. The trip was indeed a great time to get away from the daily routine 🙂
My God, you take the most gorgeous photos! I’ve been to Italy twice and LOVED it. Where you see Naples… and the backdrop with mountains, isn’t that the Amalfi Coast area? That’s where I went, but I’m not sure what angle the photo is taken from. Just gorgeous.
So gorgeous photos, my friend! Your photos are a great representation of the beauty of Italy! Which I need to visit someday 🙂