At only 16 years old I was so blessed to have the opportunity to spend two weeks exploring Italy. This trip was nothing short of eye opening with the amazing history with breathtaking architecture and views. Being able to explore the cities of Rome, Aci Aci and Florence was beyond fun and such a great experience.
My trip started off with a long 12 hour flight from San Francisco, California to Rome, Italy. After touching down in Rome my dad and I got our rental car and headed straight to our nearby hotel. We were so lucky to be able to stay right in the center of Rome in a beautiful hotel. After a little time resting in our rooms, we decided to head out and walk the streets. Since we had a long day we only spent about two hours walking around and getting dinner at a small restaurant. Walking these streets for the first time was so cool and very different from what I’m used to. For the next couple of days we spent our time checking out all of the major historical sites and eating lots of food. I was able to see the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica and so much more. Even though all these places were amazing, my favorite place I saw in Rome would have to be the Colosseum. After a long day of walking around and touring the amazing sistine Chapel we ended up walking and seeing the Colosseum. Just walking around the building seeing how huge it is with the beautiful sunset behind it was extraordinary.
Along with all these amazing sites we were also able to experience the amazing homemade Italian food. Italians make sure their food is all homemade and very filling. When going to my first nicer restaurant for lunch I was shocked to realize that everyone will take out about two hours of their day to go and sit down for lunch. They will have multi course lunch that consists of appetizers, a first course which would usually be a pasta or a pizza and then a sound course that would be your bigger meal that would be a steak or whatever choice of meat you decided to have. I would only get one course since they were so good and filling. It is also very common there to finish your lunch with a shot of espresso which I also wouldn’t take part in since I just wasn’t the biggest fan of it.
After spending that first amazing week in Rome I had the opportunity to go spend another week in Aci Aci. Just a quick two hour drive South from Rome we ended up in Aci Aci. Being here was very chill and fun as my dad works there and has multiple business patterns who are like family. We were able to spend a lot of time with them and their families. One day while my dad was at work I left my hotel and took a walk around the small town at the bottom of the hill of Aci Aci. It was so fun for me to be on my own and just figure out how to get around. The best part about walking around was being able to see a bunch of small children playing on a playground during what seemed to be their recess. I also loved having the freedom to just walk around and check out what the day to day life is like.
Towards the end of my trip my Dad was telling me how he had never seen Florence and has always wanted to check it out. So we took half a day and drove two hours up to Florence. This was definitely my favorite city. It was beyond beautiful and had such a calm vibe. There was still so much to do and so much history but wast as crazy busy as Rome was. After eating lunch there and walking around we came across this huge door with a bunch of doorbells. We rang one of them and an old man and his wife came to open it. They took us back to this little courtyard where they had a small room full of things to make charm necklaces and bracelets. The couple spoke no English but were the sweetest ever. I was able to get a handmade charm necklace that I love so much and cherish very deeply. That night we headed back to Aci Aci ready to go to sleep and spend our last day there tomorrow. We woke up the next day and took a trip to the top of the hill where Aci Aci is located and walked around the town. There is a huge church where St Francis is known to be buried at and we were able to get rosaries for our family and friends back home. At the end of that day we drove back up to Rome and stayed in a hotel right near the airport so we were ready to fly out in the morning. With just a quick 13 hour flight back that morning we arrived back home in San Francisco.
This trip was one of the best experiences of my life and opened up so many opportunities for me. I was able to see so much history and learn so many new things about Italian culture. I will never forget the memories I made and the people I got to meet. I will forever be so grateful for being blessed with the trip of a lifetime!
