the honeymooners: in the amalfi coast

Onto the last leg of our Italian adventure! From Florence, we took a train to Naples {and tried not to get mugged} and then a hydrofoil to Sorrento where we stayed for a few relaxing days. Again, only photos can describe the sheer beauty of the Amalfi Coast. The views were exquisite and entire cities were built into cliffs overlooking the sea!

We took a harrowing bus ride to nearby Positano {think big bus hugging narrow and curvy roads built into the cliffs} but it was so worth the view.

I loved these graphic vintage sign posts.

And below is a postcard from one of Positano's beachside restaurants, Ristorante La Cambusa. I thought the sketchy line drawings were lovely and captured the feel {and height!} of the seaside town.

Here I am in Pompeii with a cold which is why I'm a bit grumpy pants...but that is Mount Vesuvius in the background, the volcano that erupted and covered Pompeii in ash and magically preserved everything in time. It was absolutely unbelievable to walk on Pompeii's street that still had ruts from the chariots!

That is it from our Italian honeymoon...what an amazing adventure. And now that I have the travel bug again, I'm going to plan our next trip...Israel for my sister's wedding next summer with a potential stopover in Iceland!

the honeymooners: in florence

Beautiful Firenze!

The Arno River, Florence

The Duomo

Some 'street art'

Ponte Vecchio bridge at night

Beautiful town of Siena

A beautiful building in Siena

Continuing on from my last honeymooner post...we took the train from Rome to Florence, and during that train ride, I started reading Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It was such a perfect read, as the first 'eat' part of the book takes place in Italy, so I learned a lot of fun facts along the way - one of them being that the Italian language was standardized by adopting the dialect used in Florence.

'Firenze' was gorgeous! A much smaller city than Rome, but so pretty and charming. We saw Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, and Michalangelo's David {I cried}. The best food we had on our trip was in Florence, and that is also where we discovered Grom - the best gelato hands down!

Here are some photos of Florence and the beautiful nearby town of Siena...sigh...I want to go back...

the honeymooners: in rome

At this time last year, my new husband and I embarked on a honeymoon adventure. My dad had gone to Italy in January of 2007, and when he got back, he told us that we had to, HAD TO go to Italy for our honeymoon - he thought that between my art background and Pete's Italian roots {his dad was born in Italy} that it was a perfect fit. So we gave it a go...and we are so glad that we did! It was a magical honeymoon that started in Rome, moved north to Florence, and then down to Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. All the while, we filled our bellies with amazing pasta, pizza, and of course gelato {boy, did our digestive systems revolt!}, and absorbed so much history, art, and beautiful things that it is hard to put into words. So instead, I will share just some of the 1200+ photos that we took on our adventure. Here are some highlights from the first leg of our trip, in 'Roma'...Florence will soon follow...enjoy!

vintage vespa in front of a little flower shop {I loved the little flower shops}

some ruins we just happened upon while exploring Rome

the Colosseum and the Forum {view from Palatine Hill}

view from atop Castel Sant'Angleo

Piazza del Popollo

typical buildings in Rome

Roman aqueducts

The honeymooners