Italy

Venice was the last stop on my little tour of northern Italy, and it is safe to say that I picked the perfect place for a truly grand finale.

We have come across quite a few market oddities during our travels in Central America – a basket of live iguanas tied-up and ready to be cooked in Leon; fried grasshoppers and the last squeal of a pig’s life in Oaxaca – but never anything like what we saw in the Tuscan town of Lucca this week.

It had been years since I last strolled down the narrow streets of Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood.. and I was happy to discover that it hadn’t lost any of its charm!

Attention cat lovers: The towns and villages in Tuscany are filled with cats. Italian mamas and grandmas love these four-legged cuddly animals as do we! Check out this cutie pie sunning himself under the Tuscan sun.

You might call me cheesy, but I absolutely adore Venice! Despite many people seeing the city as an overpriced tourist trap, I can still see the gorgeous city beyond the touts. Today I’m sharing 15 facts about Venice with you that you might not know yet:

The Via Amerina is an ancient Roman road that brings you from Assisi to Rome, passing through the rolling hills of Umbria and walking through small Italian towns…

The second part of my walk along the ancient Via Amerina to Rome. We’re now in Latium, getting closer to the papal audience in Rome, our final destination.