"Days like this: the most flawless blue you could imagine, every leaf edged with gold."
- Anthony Doerr, Four Seasons in Rome
Milan: Duomo and its Museum, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, and Castello Sforzesco. I didn't get to visit Da Vinci's The Last Supper, which is certainly a reason to come back to this magnificent city.
Verona: The home of Shakespeare's great work "Romeo and Juliet".
Venice
"Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go."
–– Truman Capote
San Marino: One of the smallest countries in the world located next to Italy's east coast. Its castles were built atop mountains and provide a great view of rural Italy.
Lucca: The hidden gem in the Tuscany region. I still believe that the photo on the top right is the greatest shot I've ever taken.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
La Spezia and Cinque Terre –– one of the most picturesque places in the world.
Florence: Piazzale Michelangelo, Palazzo Vecchio, Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Ponte Vecchio and David of Michelangelo –– the City of Renaissance...
From Florence to Rome: Siena and San Gimignano
Pompeii and Vesuvio
"And the walls kept tumbling down in the city that we love... Great clouds roll over the hills bringing darkness from above..."
–– Bastille, "Pompeii"
Tivoli : two 16th-century hillside gardens, Villa d'Este and Villa Adriana
Rome: The Eternal City
"Yes, I've finally arrived to this Capital of the World! I now see all the dreams of my youth coming to life... Only in Rome is it possible to understand Rome."
–– Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Basilica di San Pietro: The world's largest cathedral in the world's smallest country
My Footsteps in Italy
Recently, I read a book called Four Seasons in Rome by one of my favorite writers, Anthony Doerr, author of All the Light we Cannot See. As I read along Doerr's beautiful depiction of his time in the Eternal City, my mind voyaged back to the beach in Rimini, the towers of San Gimignano, and the pasta from Mamma Angela's restaurant in Rome. I could reminisce the Italian people I met sharing about their own backgrounds, showing their love for Chinese culture, and cordially correcting my pronunciation of "gracie". I realized that as my family and I journeyed through Italy, we've come to appreciate not only Italy's mesmerizing beauty but also its people and culture that were full of authenticity and geniality. My time in Italy, though short, was the perfect midsummer night's dream I could ever experience.