Last year I won 2 free airline tickets (through a United Way raffle) to fly anywhere in the world and I chose ITALY!! It was one of the best trips that I’ve ever taken in my entire life.  I left all 3 kids with their grandparents and dragged my husband (who hates travelling abroad) to spend a week touring Rome, Florence and Venice.

The food alone was worth visiting Italy but of course the historic sites and beautiful weather made it even better. Let’s just say I had a glass of wine with almost every meal at lunch time because that’s just what Italians do on a daily basis 🙂

Some of the best food I’ve ever had…  We did a 4 hour food tour with Eating Italy Food Tours in Rome and it was probably one of the best experiences during our trip because we got to see how the locals live and eat on a daily basis.  We went to restaurants that I would have never found on my own and had a variety of food, from salmon appetizers to delicious pasta dishes and from local wine to yummy gelato! So many macaroons!! Water fountain by our hotel in Rome, Italy…. brings back special memories of my younger and wilder days. The Trevi Fountain in Rome, Italy Collesseum – Rome, Italy.  We did an evening tour when the weather cooled down and the crowd disappeared.  I definitely recommend doing evening tours! Evening bike stroll by the Arno River in Florence, Italy Santa Maria del Fiore – Florence, Italy The view right outside our hotel in Venice.  We stayed at the Hotel Ai Reali and definitely recommend this hotel to anyone travelling there. Maruno Island near Venice, Italy St. Mark’s Square in Venice, Italy Taking a stroll by myself in Venice on the very last night of our trip….  I took this photo on our very last day; we woke up at 5 in the morning to get on the taxi boat to go back to the airport.  If you want to tour Italy and hate the crowd, I’d suggest you wake up really early every morning to go out.  As you can see, there were hardly any one out.