Italy Trip

Family vacations have been anticipated events in my life ever since I was little. They normally consisted of week long trips to a beach in Florida, California, or North Carolina; or a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains. This year however, my parents decided to go somewhere completely new: Italy. I’ve always dreamed of getting to go to Italy to experience all the beautiful cities that I’ve seen in movies and the ancient art that I have learned about in history classes in high school, so to say I was excited to spend two weeks of my summer there would be an understatement.

The second I got off the plane in Italy I was overwhelmed with excitement and a bit of nervousness as well – I had never been oversees before so I wasn’t sure what to expect in a new country. I quickly learned that the Italian culture had many differences compared to what I knew back home, for example: there was no speed limit or rules when driving, you had to pay for water at restaurants, and no one ate dinner until 9 o’clock or later. Despite these cultural differences I quickly adapted (and overcame the jet lag from the 10 hour flight) and found myself exploring six of the most amazing cities throughout Italy.

From the shops in Milan, to the streets of Florence, to the Colosseum in Rome, and everything else in between, I can’t even begin to pick a favorite place or moment. Everything was absolutely beautiful. We were able to experience some of the most breathtaking views from hiking the cliffs on the coast in Cinque Terre, driving Vespa’s through the Tuscany countryside, and taking a boat ride through the Alps in Lake Como. No picture could capture the beauty of all these places and sights. And no beautiful picture of the food could capture how delicious it was. The food, wow. I’ve never had better pasta, pizza, bread, or gelato in my life. Everything was so fresh and so tasty that my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I may have gained a few pounds with all the carbs I devoured but it was definitely worth it.

Everything about Italy was absolutely incredible and I feel extremely lucky to of gotten the chance to travel there this summer.  After seeing all the beautiful sights and experiencing a whole new culture, I can only hope that I will have more opportunities to travel around the world one day.  I loved every second of being in a different country with my family and I can’t wait to hopefully do it again sometime.

ZLAM,

Caroline Gutierrez PC '15