{Hostaria Nonnamelia: Orvieto, Italy}

While in Italy, my absolute favorite city {other than Venice} was Orvieto. It's a very small little town that sits on top of a very large hill and the only way that you can reach it is by a funicular railway. While visiting Orvieto, we happened to stumble upon this wonderful restaurant, Hostaria Nonnamelia, and decided to grab some lunch before we headed to Sienna. Immediately, it was love at first sight and I knew this place was definitely worthy of it's own post. The decor was so eclectic, cozy, and inviting, and the food...let's just say it's was the best meal we had the entire trip. So good, that I still have the taste of the lasagna embedded in my mouth. So without further ado, take a peak at this lovely {and my now favorite} restaurant:

{One of the many nooks and crannies

{I love this cozy little area, and I especially love the wall. I took this picture to remember the design because I thought that it would be a fantastic headboard.}

{Don't you just love the eclectic atmosphere. No seating area is alike... I feel like each piece was selected on purpose, during several weekend trips to the flea market...}

{The area on the left is one of my favorites - I love the little corner in the table with that huge lamp sitting next to it....}

{The BEST pizza and lasagna we had the entire trip - it was definitely the sauce. It tasted like "grandma" was back in the kitchen whippin up her personal recipe}

 

{The wine was yummy as well...of course it was}

I beg you - if you ever go to Italy, please, please, pleeaase put Orvieto into your plans. It's about an hour from Rome, and it''s one of those places that you'll immediately love and will remember forever. I can't wait to go back...

{Journaling My Travels - Part I}

As promised - here's evidence of my fantastic Italian vacation ~ enjoy:

Meet Katirina & Marcello {our tour director & bus driver}

{I mean really - how cute is he?}

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TREVI FOUNTAIN

{Trevi Fountain - it was so much bigger than I thought it would be. We all made our 3 wishes (sorry my pic turned out awful) by throwing 3 coins over our left shoulders...I hope they come true!}

SPANISH STAIRS

{Spanish stairs - yep, climbed every stair all the way to the top. Across from the stairs is all the shopping you ever dreamed of doing - YSL, Dior, LV, Gucci..and the list goes on, and on, and on....and on...5th Ave who?}

THE VATICAN

{Growing on the outside walls of the Vatican were these bushels of greenery. We learned that they are actually capers....}

{The Vatican - one of the most amazing experiences I had. To actually go into the Sistine Chapel (so no pics were allowed) was just breathtaking. The space was so serene, and peaceful - it was amazing how everyone paid respect to the chapel by being quiet and just taking in the experience. Man...I so wish I could have taken pictures, and I wish we would have had more time to look around. So peaceful...and calm.

St. Peter's Basilica & Square - where the Pope performs Mass every Wednesday - would have so loved to witness that}

THE COLISEUM

{One of my favorite sites of Rome - my only complaint is that we didn't spend enough time there. It was exactly what I thought it would be, so beautiful. Above is our excursion director, she was great but couldn't stop hacking up all the cigarettes she'd been smoking...}

THE FORUM

{Amazing....that's all I can say. The history is just....wow}

THINGS I LEARNED IN ROME ~ AND IN GENERAL

{Unless you pay a lot of money, hotels are not great. Moving forward I will pay for great hotels in the center of all the action. I must admit I'm a hotel snob, so staying in these hotels were quite an adventure for me, lol!}

{You can buy uhhh...."protection" and even "toys" in a dispenser on most corners. Crazy huh...but maybe a good thing?

They also have the best spring water - you can simply walk up to any of these fountains and fill up your water bottle for the best tasting, freezing cold water you'll ever have...}

{There's lots of graffiti everywhere, which is sad due to all of the lovely buildings and the history Italy has to offer.

Everyone drives smart cars or Vespas.}

{Most look fabulous while driving them...while of course smoking. Speaking of which, smoking is all around you - you can't escape it. People can for the most part smoke wherever they want. It is pretty common to walk out of a store or any doorway and walk right into a cloud of smoke - dislike!}

{Gas stations are simply a pull up to the curb...love it}

{I have a love-hate relationship with cobblestone roads...}

Ok, this post is getting really long - and since I see that you are starting to nod off, I'll wait until tomorrow to complete my journal with our time in the Tuscany region, Florence, Venice and all the lovely stops in between.

Until then...have a fab day!

{I'm Baaaack...}

Buongiorno Peeps!!! I'm baaack...did you miss me? I had a wonderful time in Italy ~ so many fabulous stories and pictures to share. Unfortunately my trip ended in me getting sick and I haven't had time to upload my pictures or prepare a full post for you this morning. However, I am feeling better and will have a full trip update with tons of pictures tomorrow...promise!

Until then...have a fantastic day!

{Dolce Vita}

Well the time has come ~ in just a few hours I will be on a plane to....ITALY!!!!!! I'm super excited and it's still really hasn't settled in that I'm actually going to be leaving the country for almost 2 weeks. I've been planning, saving, and talking about this trip for over a year now, and finally I get to experience this amazing trip...

{Nesting Newbies article - pg. 183}

As a reminder I will not be blogging while I'm away - but will be posting pictures on my Facebook and updating my status on Twitter. If you're not already - follow me!

Ok Peeps - I'm off...don't miss me too much! I'll be back on October 5th with lots of stories and pictures to share. Until then....

{In the Home Stretch...}

Can you believe it - in 3 days I'll be on a plane to Italy, I can barely contain myself!!! Over the weekend I was able to get everything organized and the only thing I need to do is iron all of my clothes, roll them up, and place them in my suitcase. I'm a little worried about the weight of my luggage only because I need to leave a good 10-15 lbs for the wine, limoncello, and olive oil I plan to bring back {I know...priorities, lol} ~ I'll be cutting it close. So for a 10 day trip, other than my toiletries, jewelry, and a hat, this is everything I'm taking:

...not too bad, right?

{The Countdown Is REALLY On...}

Can you believe I only have 16 days until Italy? It seems so crazy to me because I have been planning and sacrificing for this trip for over a year now. Over the next coming days as my excitement grows, I plan to tie up all the loose ends before I head out of here - like:

~ Make copies of my passport

~ Purchase Euros

~ Purchase one more pair of shoes {Converse}

~ Purchase all the toiletries and little odds and ends I need

~ Find a comfy plane outfit

~ Find a duffel bag small enough to fit in my suitcase and big enough to bring all my goodies back in

~ Decide if I'm going to buy a suitcase with 360 wheels, or just use the one I have

~ Research and map all the restaurants, bars, and shops we want to go to

~ Call my bank to let them know I'm traveling {I don't need them denying any purchases}

~ Take a couple of items to the tailor

~ Prepare my ipod with all the music and movies I need

~ Decide which books I'm taking {man I wish I had an ipad or a Kindle}

~ Call AT&T to add the international data plan to my phone {as a reminder to all my readers, I will not be blogging from Italy but I will be posting pics and updates via my Twitter and Facebook. If you are not a follower - click here and here to keep up with all of my "goings on" while I'm away...}

{Drawings from Etsy artist Oh The Places}

Whew ~ I've got a lot to do...