Courtney Dellafiora » xocourtney.com

I spent my last day in Italy in Verona. There was still so much more to see in this amazing little city, so I set out to discover more. I truly loved all the little treasures I found in Verona. I said this in my previous Verona post, but it was by far my favorite of the three places I visited while there (Rome, Venice and Verona). There is just something so special about it and I was sad to say bye such a quaint and lovely place.

I walked and walked until I came across Juliet’s Tomb. I LOVED this little spot. There were only like 3 other people there, so apparently it’s not extremely attractive to the tourists. (Nothing like Juliet’s home, where the balcony is.. it swarms with people.) I felt like I had come across a secret little hidden treasure. This place was so intriguing and beautiful.

Yours truly sitting behind the tomb.

While in Italy in England I came across several weddings… I decided to have my very own “uncle bob” moment for this one. Heh heh…

I decided to visit Juliet’s Casa again because it was definitely worth another look.

The beautiful city of Verona.

Next up… England!!

Ah, Venice. There are no words!! But I am going to try and come up with some. : ) Venice is only an hour away from Verona by train. So I decided to take the train to this romantic city on water for a day. I knew I would like Venice, but I had no idea how much I would love it. Let me just say, photos will never do this city justice. You have to be there… you have to experience it and you have to feel the love and romance in the air. This city is truly STUNNING. If you go to Italy, visit it. It’s definitely a beautiful sight to see and feel. There is just something so magical about the entire city being on water. It’s incredible. Having to travel everywhere by boat is just cool. I’m really happy I included it as part of my trip and cannot wait to go back. The only bad side is it’s extreeeemely expensive. Oh yes, they know they have a beautiful city and it’s going to cost ya if you want to enjoy it. $14 for a glass bottle of Sprite that was as tall as my hand. NO JOKE. Ridiiiiic. Besides that, Venice was amazing. Truly romantic, stunning and magical.

Venice is home to St. Mark’s Basilica, which is soo soo breathtaking.

But of COURSE I had to take a gondola ride while there… Venice wouldn’t be complete without one.

As my day in Venice came to an end, I hopped onto a train back to Verona and said goodbye to this beautiful city of love. And said, “I’ll be back Venezia!”

So when I planned my trip to Italy, I knew Verona was a must. The hopeless romantic I am… I definitely had to experience the romantic city of Romeo and Juliet. I had a feeling Verona would be very quaint and boy was I right. Let me just tell you something about me… I love huge cities just like anyone… but I ADORE ADORE small quaint towns. There is always just something so so special about them. I hopped on a train in Rome and made my way to this amazing town called VERONA… which ended up being my favorite town I visited on my trip to Italy.

As soon as I arrived and dropped off my bags at the hotel, I went straight to the Casa Di Gulietta. Juliet’s House. I knew it would be one of my favorite things I saw in Verona and I was right. It was everything I imagined and more.

Locks of love.

The Piazza Del Erbe is right around the corner from Juliet’s home and I was immediately in love with it’s quaintness galore.

It it filled with outdoor restaurants, a fountain, markets and so much more.

After dinner in the Piazza, I strolled around a little longer to see what I could find.

The next day I walked around the entire town and loved every minute of it. Enjoy the next series of photos…

I came across this street called “Viale Della Fiera” which means “Avenue of the Fair” and just about died. It’s SO close to my last name (which means “of the flower”. I thought that was neat.

Beautiful Verona.

Next up… Venice! And by the way, there is a part two of Verona… coming up after Venice. It includes Juliet’s Tomb and more!

This past summer I had the opportunity to travel all over the world. I have so many photos, videos and stories to share with you (including our trip to Peru — which ps, I am actually blogging from Peru right now… oh yes, more on that soon). Many of the trips were for work, but some were for play. One of the trips I took was completely for myself. I went to Italy and England. I decided to take the trip alone because I needed to have some ME time and I knew there was no better place to do so than in Europe. Yes, going to a country alone, where I do not know any of the language or am not familiar with the surroundings is… scary and a little nerve-wracking, yes. But I didn’t care. I am determined to not live a life where I base my decisions off of fear. I only have ONE life and it will be over in the blink of an eye. I cannot let life pass me by because I am scared. So I went. : )  This trip is something I will truly cherish in the deepest part of my heart because I did it alone. I lived a dream, without anyone’s help. I planned the entire thing myself and I will never ever forget this incredible adventure I took as a young, 28 year old woman.

I have never been to Italy but have always heard such wonderful things about it. I knew I had to find out for myself. Thus why I chose it to be a part of my adventure. Everyone was RIGHT. Italy is amazing. Beautiful. The people are so so nice there and the country is extremely clean. It was SO easy to enter Italy too. Customs was a dream. It’s never been easier to enter a foreign country in my life. They were definitely scoring points all over with me. I flew into Rome first to begin my trip in what I knew would be an incredible city. Italians are an amazing and passionate people. They know how to say Dellafiora perfectly which I just loved. When I travel, I always try my best to blend in with the city and not look “touristy”. I think of all the places I have been Italy was the easiest for me to blend in with. Everyone assumed I was Italian and I loved it. The food was good, the gelato even better. Italians definitely make the best ice cream in the whole world.

Enjoy part one of my adventure in Europe. Many more photos to come! And at the end of all the posts, I will have a video of the whole trip!

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My trip was started with one one of my favorite things I saw while in Italy. The incredibly magical Fontana De Trevi. The very first feeling I had when I first came across this amazing fountain was this—> Siiiiiiiiiigh. Photos could never do it justice. It’s simply breathtaking. It’s located right in the middle of Rome and was in walking distance of my hotel. So naturally after I landed and took a quick nap (hello jet lag!), I walked my self to the fountain. I had a feeling I would catch it at the perfect time of day as I knew the sun was starting to go down which would only add to the magic. I was right! It was absolute perfection and the most incredible way to start my adventure. I honestly didn’t want to leave it. If I had flown all the way to other side of the world just to see the Fontana, it would have been worth it.

One of the seven wonders of world is the Colosseum which is located in Rome as well. It was several blocks away from the Fontana, so I trekked my way to it while I knew I still had some light. See the thing about going to cities in Europe, is you definitely want to walk to and from your destinations as much as you can. Not only do you save money that way, but you actually experience it.

It along with the Arc de Constantin were both incredible as well. It’s truly such a privilege to have seen such a historical wonder.

As the sun continued to go down I walked back to my hotel which happened to be located in the most amazing spot. Right in front of the famous Spanish Steps. I absolutely LOVED this area. Not only for the beauty of the steps, but it’s right in the middle of where all the shopping takes place. By the time I got back to my hotel it was night as you can see. But that didn’t stop me from taking in the magic.

The next morning I walked out my hotel and went straight across the street to see the steps in the daylight.

Then I headed to check out Vatican City. Which was absolutely stunning of course.

Then I walked to see this hidden little treasure that wasn’t very popular with the tourists. (I always ADORE those spots and cherish them so much.) The San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane was absolutely beautiful.

I could NOT stay away from the Fontana De Trevi. It was by far my favorite thing about Rome and I found myself taking the long way home to see it 3 or 4 times.

Photo on the right is from an iPhone, thus the not-so-awesome quality.

Then as I made my way back to my hotel… I passed the Spanish Steps again where a jillion people love to just simply sit and rest every single day.

The day in Rome ended with a beautiful and peaceful sunset with not a cloud in the sky. As I took it all in, I couldn’t help but be incredibly grateful that I was in the amazing on the other side of the world, in Italy. My heart was full.

Next up… Verona!