^{Trevi Fountain}

For our two-year anniversary, my wife and I spent nine days celebrating with a spectacular tour of Venice, Florence, and Rome, Italy. It was my wife’s first international trip and only my second, after Germany. We loaded Rick Steves’ guided tour podcasts onto our phones and took his virtually guided walking tours through some of Italy’s most popular, revered attractions and historical neighborhoods.

We sought out the local cuisine whenever possible, enjoying gelato, European chocolate, local white wines, pizza, pasta, and did we mention the gelato?

We started in Venice, approaching the island by a small speed boat from the Marco Polo airport—quite the unique experience to kick off our romantic vacation. We rode the city boat for a splendid tour of the Grand Canal, watched the gondolas pass by, and fell in love with an art work from one of the many artists painting on canvas around the bustling St. Mark’s Square. That evening, we discovered the nightlife around St. Margarita square after wandering the canal-lined streets that shown our reflections cast by gas lamps.

We traded a day in Venice to go on an outdoor adventure through the Italian Alps in Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park – the alps were a bucket list item for me, and so worth it! We stopped at a local market to pick up a fresh loaf of Italian bread, cheese, and prosciutto so we could stop to enjoy a picnic in a quaint town that that offered a stunning view surrounded by mountains on three sides. 

Leaving the train station in Florence, our taxi driver told us this was the most beautiful city in the world. Later, from a rewarding vista atop the Duomo, or Florence Cathedral, that offered breathtaking 360-views overlooking the city’s red tile roofs and cobblestone streets, we were convinced. My wife surprised me that evening with a romantic dinner to celebrate my birthday with a bottle of wine, seafood pasta, and a decadent chocolate mousse dessert.

^{Food in Rome}

Rounding out our trip with four days in the Eternal City, we were surrounded by the impressive remains of Roman civilization at every turn. We tossed coins and got our photo kissing at the Trevi Fountain, imagined the Gladiators fighting for their lives long ago on a guided tour of the Colosseum, and were delighted by a spontaneous, stringed instrument, street performance of Aerosmith’s "Dream On" in front of the Pantheon one evening.

The immensity of the space, beauty, and historical significance of St. Peter’s Cathedral, as well as Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, was the highlight of our visit to the Vatican City, topped off with some gelato nearby. If our luck from Trevi fountain holds up, we’ll be back in a few years!

- Matt, Richmond VA

Photos used with permission.