Italy

Last week I got to return to one of my favorite countries in the world: Italy! Not only did I ate copious amounts of pasta, but I also walked the historic Via Amerina to Rome.

I finally visited the north of Italy, a part of the country I neglected during almost all of my 12 visits to the country. Now I wish I would’ve come earlier…

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: