I’ve always wanted to travel and see the world since I was young, to experience new cultures and cuisines. I had the privilege of traveling to Italy this past spring, and I wanted to share my experience.

I traveled to Rome, Assisi, Siena, Florence, San Gimignano, and Tivoli, all of which I loved.

Rome is just what it seems: fast-paced and very tourist-oriented, but there are also quieter areas that are dominated by residents. I visited all the popular sights: The Coliseum, The Forum, The Vatican, etc., and marveled at seeing places I only ever saw in pictures.

Every day was a comfortable temperature ranging from the high 60s to the low 70s, so I had the pleasure of walking 7 miles a day in beautiful spring weather!

After three days in Rome, I traveled to Assisi. I toured the famous basilica there and traveled on foot around the small town. It’s very much tourist-oriented as there are hundreds of shops and restaurants catering to its visitors. There were several jewelry stores, leather stores, and more. I spent nights there, which were enjoyable but a little too long. A day or two there is perfect, because it’s a small town that you can just lightly shop and take a walking tour of.

Following Assisi, I traveled to Siena. I stayed outside of the town. It was honestly pretty difficult to get into town. It took about 15 minutes to get through all the twists, turns, and hills until reaching the heart.

The history of horse racing was brought out into tourist memorabilia, gifts, and art. My favorite part about Siena was the art; there were several shops selling paintings by artists across Siena. Siena also had the best panini places and gelato places I’ve tried. People in the shops barely spoke English, so I had to use all the Italian I could, which wasn’t much. Yet, I learned the most about the language in Italy in only 10 days rather than the years I’ve spent taking the class. Proving the immersion is really worth everything!

From there, I took a day trip to Florence, which was circled around retail. There was a square full of leather stands, streets lined with small jewelry stores, a plaza surrounded by artists and restaurants along with the architecture and sculptures that have been there for centuries. It was the most crowded and fast-paced city I had been to, and I loved it.

Finally, I ended my days in Siena and San Gimignano, which was another small town similar to Assisi, famous for its gelato. Which I might say was great but not world-famous; it tasted the same as most others I’ve tried. Bringing me to the food, the endless food. Every place I tried was fantastic and I’m sure I was still missing out on so much, but it was surprisingly similar to American Italian food. Recipes for pastas and pizzas were very close to the ones I’m used to. Honestly the biggest change for me was the water, which was so different from American bottled water; it had more of a mineral taste similar to Evian or Fuji.

All in all I had the greatest experience in Italy; I want to live there. From the food to the culture to the environment, and especially the low prices, I absolutely fell in love with the country and only wish to go back.