Traveling to new places brings such fun adventures, so when I heard that I have the opportunity to go on an vacanza italiana (Italian vacation) I was beyond ecstatic. Just recently, I was told that over spring break, my parents are planning a family vacation to Florence, Italy.

Florence and Italy as a whole was the birthplace of the Renaissance. As having taken AP European History, I can spew out countless artists, paintings, churches, and sculptures that came about during the Renaissance but I will spare you the lengthy recitation. Learning about the change in art, culture, and thinking during the Renaissance during my junior year in high school has placed Italy on my list of places to see. Florence, Italy is the city where the renaissance truly blossomed from due to the influence of the Medici family. I will try to keep my AP Euro facts to a minimum, but learning about such an important city only makes me await this trip even more.

I will have the incredible chance to see the Florence Cathedral and Michelangelo’s sculpture of David. The historical importance and beauty of the ancient architecture will take me back to the Renaissance. Yet visiting Florence will  have more than just history and art, there is the Italian food, culture, and language.

I love a good Italian meal and eating fresh made pasta in Italy is one of the things I am anxiously anticipating. Pizza, rigatoni, gelato, wine, and cannolis, I wouldn’t be surprised if I gained 20lbs from the wonderful Italian cuisine. Besides the food, I await the opportunity to be immersed into the modern day culture of Italy and the language. Florence is a metropolis of a city and a hub for culture and art, which isn’t surprising because that is at the roots of this city. Furthermore, as  a love language, Italian is just a beautiful language to hear and hopefully learn to speak. My 5 years of German in high school won’t help me much here but maybe I will be able to learn some Italian.

Italy, as you know, is in Europe which mean it has a great rail system. This will allow me to take day trips to Rome, Pisa, Venice, Milan,  and possibly Naples and Pompeii. These cities are equally as historic and culturally rich as Florence with their own arts and attractions.

The only two things to top off a trip to Italy would be shopping and exploring the nature and smaller towns around Florence. Shopping at local boutiques and stores would fulfill a quintessential element of visiting Italy. I would also love to visit a picturesque small town in the beautiful  Italian country side or even get a chance to hike in the Alps.

I doubt my extensive laundry list of things to do and see while in Italy is even possible to complete just over the course of spring break, but I will attempt to experience as much as I can. So until then, I will continue to dream about visiting Italia.