Animated gesturing and tiny cars…

Ahh…Italy. Generally on everyone’s European travel itinerary. Who wouldn’t want to eat great food, drink luscious wines and immerse oneself in la dolce vita? We spent a few days in Milano, where our buddy Vincenzo schooled us in the Italian aperitivo. Basically, it’s a happy hour where you buy one drink for around 8 euro and gorge yourself on the bar’s delicious smorgasboard. We spent a couple nights there checking out the sites and boozing it up.

Before moving on to Florence, I had heard that the city is extremely popular with tourists worldwide. Still, I wasn’t prepared for the crushing mass of humanity that awaited us. It was like Disneyland for every elder traveler,  art student studying abroad and Americans on their first international trip. After getting away from the crowds, we discovered some chilled out locales which made us see what all the hype was about.

Our favorite Italian moments so far:

• Aperitivos and a birthday party with Vincenzo
• Climbing the 463 steps to the top of Brunelleschi’s dome, which dominates Florence’s skyline
• Having a café in super chill Piazza Santo Espiritu
• The gorgeous (and less touristed) view from San Minato church
• A gelato every day, no exceptions
• Walking along the medieval hilltop town of San Gimignano

Here’s hoping that there is no train strike tomorrow for our trip to Siena and surrounding countryside for the next few days!