I have never been more excited in my life. While this year, for better or worse, has taken many twists and turns and ups and downs, I finally feel at peace and am so excited for the future that lies ahead in these next few months for me.
Not only does my dream of becoming of dental student at UNC School of Dentistry come to fruition in August, but I was also able to save enough money this year to hop on a plane and head overseas to the country I have wanted to visit the most since middle school: Italia! I will be leaving America for a full month to travel the lands and explore the sights of this beautiful and historical country. For the first ten days, I will be traveling with my sister/best friend, Jenn, and the last ten days will be spent with another dear friend, Jamie. The middle, I’m on my own…
I’m so blessed to be able to share this adventure with two of my friends, but I am also grateful to have time alone in a foreign country to help me grow stronger as a person. I’ve never gone on vacation by myself, let alone halfway across the world to a country whose official language is not my own. I’m not too worried though because I believe the tourist locations will be well versed in English and I have been brushing up on some Italian myself just in case.
I’m excited to explore big cities with ancient sights and quaint villages to learn their time-tested cheese aging or wine making methods. I look at this vacation as an opportunity to diversify my knowledge in culture, history, and of course, my favorite, food.
I can only imagine the different types of food that I will be able to try and taste, one definitely being gelato. Someone once told me that I need to have at least one serving of gelato every day while I’m there. I’m not sure that’s a challenge I can rightfully accept and hope to conquer, but I won’t be too shy when it comes to dieting over there. The Mediterranean diet is one of the most healthy in the entire world, and I can’t wait to see why. While Italy is also filled with pizza and pasta and bread, these goods are baked fresh, are way less processed, and contain way less preservatives than many of these same items that we find here in the U.S. Depending on the region, I hope to try their fish, pesto sauce, and even boar, which I was recently told was a must-try. Overall, I anticipate a wonderful culinary experience in addition to everything else I will be able to see and do.
Here is a list of the cities I will definitely be visiting in my time there. Trains and AirBNB’s booked and everything:
- Flying into Milan
- Living in Florence as my “home base”
- Siena for Il Palio my second day in the country
- Cinque Terre/La Spezia/Levanto for 3 days
- Rome/Vatican City for 3 days
- Venice for 1 day
- Back to Milan to fly home
All of the time spent between these trips will be in Florence: the birthplace of the Renaissance. I would also like to make a day trip into Pisa and other hilltop villages throughout Tuscany. Any suggestions? Please private message me or leave me comments below!
I am so excited to share the details of this trip with you as I go. Stay tuned for more, as I leave on Tuesday!
Bake Me Healthier 