Italy Seen Through My Eyes- A Guest Post by Amanda Burkhalter

The amazing Amanda Burkhalter stopped by with a travel blog today!  Enjoy reading about her trip to Italy and welcome her warmly to the blog people!

The Bilge Master

Ciao! I'm Amanda and it's my pleasure to share my Italian adventures with you all! I am a Dreamer to the core, a wife to the most amazing man, a Mamma to the sweetest, smartest little boy. I'm from the Orlando area and I'm also a photographer. I am a lover of all the things coffee, football (the real football, not that American junk), art, and travel.

Part 1- Gaeta

Growing up, I heard countless stories of my parent's ventures abroad. My Mom was a Military brat and my Dad was in the Navy. My Mom has lived all over the United States and in several different counties, my parents met in Panama and after they were married they while moved to Italy while my Dad was stationed there for 8 years. Though my parents returned to the States shortly before I was born, I joke that I grew up Italian in the States. My parents continued with many of the Italian habits and traditions they picked up while living in the beautiful country.

All my life I dreamed of making my own trip to Italy. Finally, for my 30^th birthday the dream became a reality. One of my very best friends, M, was able to accompany me on my adventure.

My main goal for our trip was to get to one of the cities my parents lived in. We decided to stay in Rome for the week and travel down to Gaeta, a beautiful and quaint seaside resort town where my parents lived for four years. We flew into Madrid from the States and then over to Rome. We got settled into our beautiful hotel, had dinner, got to sleep, and early the next morning boarded a train to Formia. From Formia we had a short bus ride to Gaeta.

In Gaeta, we could already tell that this town did not have the same touristy feel that Rome did. Which was simply amazing. This was authentic Italy. Between the both of our language abilities, we were able to find a beautiful restaurant, had the most amazing meal I have ever tasted, and then M found the beach for me! I was able to put my feet into the Mediterranean Sea! It was cold. But, because we were there in May, season had not started yet, so we have it nearly to ourselves.

That day was one that I will never forget. The way the cold water washed over my feet. The taste of the very best food I ever tasted, mozzarella di bufala. Ordering two espressos from a sea side cafe and sipping it overlooking the bay. In that city my heart found peace, it was a place where the mountains met the sea and my soul was at home.

Part 2- Rome

Rome, the Eternal City.

Rome was amazing. It is a fast passed city with an old world feel. I'm not sure there is anywhere else in the world like it. It's a strange and beautiful mix of old world and new.

My favorite things about Rome were the Colosseum and the Forum. Being surrendered by that History was amazing. Walking up from the Subway and seeing the Colosseum come into view was breath-taking. I literally started to tear up. The sheer size of it is astounding. The Colosseum is huge. It is hard to imagine that it was built in 70-80 AD. And the Forum was awesome, it's like being into another time.

I would also recommend checking out the Spanish Steps, The Bocca Della Verita, The Trevi Fountain, and the Open Air Markets, Campo de Fiori was my favorite. It was so fun to wonder around seeing all the fresh fruits and flowers. The colors were something else.

The Vatican was simply amazing. Seeing the the Sistine Chapel in person was a once in a life-time experience. If possible, I recommend getting the earliest ticket to the museum that they have, something in the 8 am or 9 am hour and rush back to the Sistine Chapel to experience it while it's not packed to the brim. Then come back and explore the rest of the museum at your leisure.

Another amazing spot in Rome is Trastevere. It's where the locals live. It's one of most traditional neighborhoods in Rome. It has charming alleyways paved with cobblestone are a perfect place to wander.

One last tip for traveling in Rome, if the gelato looks fluffy and is covered in cookies and treats, it's not the real deal. Find a Gelateria that has their gelato in massive vats. That's the real deal and the best gelato ever. I recommend the coffee flavored.

Part 3- Florence

Florence was simply lovely. So full of art and life. Art is everywhere you turn. Street artists making masterpieces right on the sidewalk and the Cathedral of Florence... the myriad of museums. The Uffizi and the Galleria dell'accademia di Firenze to name a couple. 

Florence is a great place to wander to see what you can find. We spent the day in the Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, the Uffizi Gallery, and the Pizza della Repubblica.

The Cathedral was beautiful inside and out. It's the third largest church in the world and it has so much history.

The Uffizi was my favorite! We found all the Teenage Mutent Ninja Turtles, Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael, and Leonardo! But, Botticelli was probably my favorite of the day. I studied Birth of Venus and Primavera extensively while in college. It was amazing to see both of those works in person.

Another great find in Florence was the Piazza della Repubblica and the Antique Carousel of the Picci Family. The Carousel was beautiful. Something out of a dream for sure.

While I was in Italy, I really learned about myself. It was a such an eye-opening and breath-taking experience. I would recommend for anyone to travel, if you can make your dream trip come true, do it! If you dream trip is unreachable right now, take a smaller trip... go somewhere you've never been, meet new people. Explore and wander. Do something good for your soul.

Thanks for reading about my experiences in Italy, I've really enjoyed sharing with you!
And remember... “Not all those who wander are lost.”

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