Italy In Photos
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Beauty. History. Wine. Laughter. More laughter. Pasta. Old friends. New friends. Sunsets. Olives. Breezes. More wine. More laughter. And lots and lots of walking.
Where to even begin?
So many good memories made over the last two weeks.
Here's some of my favorites:
Riding bikes on top of the wall around the city of Lucca.
Visiting the Leaning Tower in Pisa.
I want to remember the people. A seriously wonderful group of people – about 40 total (including three husbands + Jim and Paolo). Some I traveled with to Greece last year and others who are new friends that now have a very special place in my heart. And of course it’s always awesome to spend time with Paolo. We’ve been friends since high school (going on 22 years now) and he is a really great travel companion.
Walking through the narrow streets of San Gimignano.
Lots of looking up.
And lots of looking out.
And seeing things through doorways and arches.
We visited two different wineries. Both were excellent in terms of food and wine and hospitality.
I want to remember the laughter. There was so much laughing on this trip. I don’t think there was a single bus ride without a bunch of people laughing at various times. It was a combination of Jim’s entertaining skills and the silliness that ensued within the group as the trip progressed.
Riding up the hill to Montecatini Alto on a funicular.
Always lots of talk about taking photos and lots of photo-taking action.
Just awesome.
We spent one day in Sienna.
I could eat pizza everyday - I think I just about did. I'm also a really big caprese salad fan.
It was less crowded than the last time I was there. That piazza is amazing anytime.
We spent a lot of time on the bus. Good times. A majority of the laughter seemed to occur on this bus. I love these people.
Riding the funicular with the Stahl sisters.
At the second winery we had a cooking demonstration and got to learn how to make pasta.
I want to remember the simplicity of making handmade pasta. We learned such a simple process using flour and an egg. I’m excited to try it out at home.
One day was spent at one of my favorite places the Cinque Terre. We visited Manarola, Vernazza, and Monterosso.
This was one of my most favorite spots when we visited as a family last summer. It came at the end of our trip and it was so awesome to arrive there and just hang out on the beach.
This time I loved that I was able to see two other towns. Each one is so unique.
Our last day in Tuscany was spent in Florence.
I loved the contrast between the two churches above - the ornate and the simple.
I took about 90 Instax shots on this trip. Love them. Super fun to have others on the trip bring theirs along too. Lots of chatting about this fun image maker.
And then we headed off to Rome.
The Colosseum and part of the Forum in the background.
St. Paul's Outside The Walls - one of my favorite churches.
The weather was just right the whole time we were there. Very mild. Loved seeing evidence of fall.
St. Peter's.
St. Paul's.
More Instax play.
And then there was the cappuccino. Yum. To be honest I never really knew that I liked it.
I definitely know now!
Saw this advertisement in the airport in Rome and loved the design.
All in all a really fantastic trip with wonderful people who I miss after spending two weeks together. Big thanks to Jim West for being himself and for inviting me to come along.
Looking for an international adventure with other people who love memory keeping? Next fall (late September) I'll be traveling with Scrapmap and Karen Russell to Ireland for a photo and scrapbooking tour. More details to come soon.
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107 comments
swoon.... thanks as always for sharing Ali :o)
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I love Italy too. Lately I've been practising my Italian again. Maybe there's a trip to Italy coming for me also. :)
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beautiful photos ali! looks like a wonderful trip with wonderful people!!! ireland is REALLY tempting me....... :)
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Thank you for taking me on this adventure this morning. I needed a little Eat, Love, Pray!
If you like BBC mysteries. Download the three episodes of Zen. You'll love it. Set in Rome!
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Wow, what AWESOME photos! I'm so in LOVE with Italy and SO excited to go next September with our Scrapbook Retreat and the wonderful teachers! Thanks for sharing these photos and reminding me of why I wanted to do a retreat in Italy!!!! Sounds like you had an AMAZING time! http://akissonthechic.blogspot.com
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Hi Ali -
Your trip looks wonderful. I'm thinking about taking a similar one soon to celebrate my 40th, but I'm worried how hard it will be to travel & leave my 2 kids (7 & 9) behind for 2 weeks. How was it for you? I think the most I've been away from them since they've been born is 3 nights, and that was with my husband & we were still in the same time zone. So a 2 week international trip is a whole different ball game. I don't want to miss this opportunity, but I'd love to hear from another mom how it feels -- the good & the difficult. TIA for any advice & insights!
- Lisa
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Hi Lisa - for me it was really just fine, but I've traveled quite a bit away from home so it's not really all that out of the regular routine around here. I've always said that I'm usually really ready to leave on the trip and then really ready to head home at the end. In my humble opinion I think travel is such a good way to remember who you are outside your family, your current roles, etc. Of course I miss my family while I'm away but I'm also doing something that is enriching and inspirational for me in my own personal life - there's a whole lot of good in that ;). There might be others who will chime in here who travel less that can address how it felt for them to be away from their kids for a couple weeks.
Ali - Thanks so much for your helpful response! :-)
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What wonderful photo's thanks for sharing, and I'm sure your love Ireland next year, my families from Ireland, the country and people are fantastic along with the Guinness xxx
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It looks like you had a wonderful adventure.
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Way to go team. I haven't even begun to sort through the massive amounts of photos...soon though, very soon. We've got some of Jim that are "golden".
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First I have to find the cable to get the pictures off the camera and onto the computer....so much fun looking at these photos, so many great memories. I miss you all - wonder if the Canadian ladies made it back from Venice and Rome.....? xo, mary beth
I haven't had a chance to take a look at my photos either. I'm hoping things slow down a bit next week so I can find some time. Hope your show goes well!
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Thanks for posting the photos, Ali. They brought back such wonderful memories of my two trips to Europe. I always loved Italy the most :-) Oh, how I'd love to go to Ireland, but big trips next year are out of the question for 2012.
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Stunningly beautiful pictures, thanks for sharing these with us Ali!
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Ali, thanks for sharing these breath taking images. Just Lovely! I'm curious about your next year's adventure and who knows, maybe I can join you! I'm a believer!
Warm hug,
Lya Lin
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Wow... simply stunning photos... I wish I was there... so wish!
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What gorgeous photos!!! Such an amazing place. Never traveled anywhere much. Would love to though. A trip to Ireland and with Karen Russell! I have always wanted to go to Ireland (my mother's side is mostly Irish-from County Cork), and Karen's photography is amazing! You will have a fun time!!
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Absolutely love your photos... Hope to travel to Italy some day. It's been my wish for years! How fun it must have been to go on a photography trip.
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Wow! Looks like it was lots of fun!!! I wish I was able to go with you and share this wonderful experience. Never been to Italy but love it!!! Thanks for sharing.
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awesome pictures; looks like it was an absolutely fabulous time. you must miss the kids like crazy?!
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Absolutely gorgeous pics Ali! Can't wait to see you scrapbook some of them. Stunning!
Glad you had a wonderful time. :)
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your simple words and beautiful photos told quite a story of your trip. what a fabulous adventure!
i'm currently plotting how i can budge for ireland in 2012. it's a country i've always wanted to visit, and with you AND karen teaching? sounds like something i wouldn't want to miss. i'll have to keep watching that website for the details to be announced.
welcome home :)
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May I ask, was this trip part of a pre-arranged "Photo Safari" type trip that you took with a group? Did you know the members of the group before you went on the trip, or did you meet them all once you arrived in Italy? Were they all from America, or from all over the world? And may I ask you how much a trip like this costs (if you don't feel comfortable revealing this information, I understand). This is something I've ALWAYS wanted to do, but I am a BIG FAT CHICKEN when it comes to traveling abroad by myself (because if I did an international photo-safari-type trip, hubby would probably be staying home). Thanks for letting me ask! The photos, as usual, are simply brilliant. THANK YOU so much for sharing them with us!
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Hi Melissa - this was a tour through a company called Scrapmap: http://scrapmap.com/. They do a variety of different tours that include scrapbooking/photography/journaling emphasis. On this trip I taught two classes to the group. I knew some of the people in advance through the internet and from a trip I did with them to Greece last year. The cost was around $3000+ if I remember right (included airfare, hotel, some meals, etc) for the Tuscany portion and then there was an additional cost to go on to Rome for a couple of days. About half the group was from America and the others were from Canada, South Africa, and England (I might be missing another country too). There were about 40 people on this trip. There were quite a few people who came with friends (and three husbands too) but also quite a few who came along "solo" and became part of the larger group.
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