Inspired by Italia!

Inspired by Italia!

 This summer, I was lucky enough to take my second trip to Italy with a couple of my friends. This will definitely be an experience that I remember forever! In fact, this trip is the reason I started this blog to begin with. Each day, I would write to my family and friends and talk about my day and what I experienced. It made me realize how much I missed writing about the things that inspire me... so here we are!

 

As a detour away from my normal posts about design and architecture in the home, I invite you to come on this journey with me as I reminisce on my experience in one of the most historically influential cities in the world: Rome, Italy.
 

Mass transit is a popular mode of transportation in many major cities all across the world. However... I can guarantee you that the view you have when you get off the metro at the "Colosseo" stop in Rome is like no other. 

I'm not kidding. THIS.IS.THE.VIEW.

 

The Colosseum is arguably the most iconic building in the world. It's estimated to have been able to hold between 50,000-80,000 spectators. I went to The University of Georgia and our football stadium holds just over 92,000 people. It's beyond impressive to stand in the heart of Rome and see the Colosseum. The one downside to visiting the Colosseum are the lines to get in... so here's a helpful hint: When you buy a ticket to the Colosseum, you also get tickets to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Here's the key to saving yourself quite a bit of time... buy your tickets at the Roman Forum (it's only 5 minutes away). You won't regret spending time in the Forum and I'm not kidding, the views from the top of Palatine Hill are amazing! Once you've basked in all this beauty, you'll get to walk directly into Colosseum!

 

Ever since my Art History class in college, I've been in awe of the Pantheon. It's not as well known as some other Roman architecture, but I actually got a little teary-eyed when I saw it for the first time in person (yep... I'm a girl who sheds tears over historic buildings... and I think that makes me awesome).

There are two things in particular that strike me about this building. The first is the oculus that's located at the top of the dome. An oculus is a fancy word for a "round opening". On a rainy day, there's nowhere else I'd rather be than watching the rain come through the top of this building! On to my other favorite part...

The doors.

I'm not sure what else I can say... but they are massive and amazing. I have a "thing" about cool doors. I'm pretty sure I could fill an entire photo album with the amount of pictures I made my friends take of me standing by amazing doors. The bronze doors at the entrance to the Pantheon were once covered in gold. Could you imagine alllllll that gold?!!

 

The next photo sums up one of the items I talked the most about when I got back to the states.

Say hello to my little friend, the fountains! There are hundreds of these fountains all over Rome and I'll be honest, when I was told that it was OK to drink from them, I thought it was crazy! After baking in the hot sun for a little while longer, I decided to give the fountain water a try. Holy life-changing experience! It was delicious. These fountains are fed from the ancient Roman aqueducts and provide some of the coldest, most fresh water I've ever tasted. If you take a trip there... buy one water bottle at the beginning of your trip and never buy another... just keep filling it up with this amazing H20 treat!

 

It's a good thing I discovered the fountains because water was seriously necessary on the climb to the top of St. Peter's Basilica. My friend Katie, who is a high school Latin teacher here in Atlanta, served as an incredible tour guide during this trip... but I'm not gonna lie... I totally gave her the "stink eye" about halfway up the 551 steps to the top of St. Peter's. We joked that they needed to have inspirational posters with a picture of Pope Francis saying "Only 200 steps to go" or "You're 400 steps closer to heaven"... all I'll say is that some kind of encouragement would have been appreciated on that trek!!

That "stink eye" I mentioned earlier disappeared the second I saw this view. It took my breath away (that also could have been the 551 steps to get here... but that's besides the point)! I would highly HIGHLY recommend climbing to the top. On the way down... we made a pit stop and I took one of my favorite pictures from the whole trip!

 

I mean, really. How much more picturesque can it get?

 

There are many, many things that Rome is famous for, but let's be honest... what's Italy without gelato? Nope, not ice cream... gelato. Gelato actually has less fat content than ice cream which is freaking awesome since we frequented Giolitti twice a day!!

Giolitti is the oldest gelateria in Rome and was founded in 1890. It lives up to the reputation it has created for itself. You literally can't have enough. I tried to be a polite American and order my gelato in Italian... I insisted on having a "cupola" of gelato. I suppose I should have ordered a cup instead of a dome, but hey... I tried!

 

I always say that inspiration is everywhere... you just have to be open to seeing it. A trip to the other side of the world isn't necessary. One of my favorite quotes is this:

 

"Things don't have to be extraordinary to be beautiful... even the ordinary can be beautiful."

 

I challenge you to find something in the next day or week or month that inspires you! Once you do, I'd love to see it, so send me an email, or post a comment below!

 

Until Next Time... Stay Inspired!

All photos are my own.