Milan, Italy | Photo Diary

The moment when I realized I’d left my cell phone on the table was a moment that was full of emotion–first silently and then loud. Profanities bounced off the walls of our tiny AirBNB apartment as I paced and retraced my steps of the afternoon in my brain.

Finally after going through my mental rolodex of curses, I determined that the only place it could possibly be was at the tavern with the slightly-too-sweet tiramisu. We were all the way back across town in our apartment and for a moment I thought “I can do this trip without my phone.” Then reality swung a punch and I realized “no, you absolutely cannot you fool.”

With a pit in my stomach and eyes to the ground I saw the pavement blur by as began to run (with little to no dignity or faith and a shortage of breath) to where I hoped my phone still remained.  Back down into the metro I’d go, barreling onto the train and then back off again; speed walking under the shade of the duomo, across the piazza, down the narrow alleys and finally stumbling into the kitchen of the tavern.

I probably could’ve come across less panicked (it probably seemed like I’d left my child there) but the servers understood, even through my broken Italian, what was going on. After the longest two minutes of my life, the owner finished his phone call, reached behind the counter and handed it to me with a smile. I have never been so happy in my life. Bless you sweet, sweet Italian man. May you be forever blessed with lots of happy customers to your restaurant of checkered tablecloths and delicious lasagna. Please take care of your bee problem on the patio. Sincerely, Lauren.

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There will never come a day when Italy does not hold a special place in my heart. Since my first visit there in 2011 I’ve known that the Italian lifestyle is one I can get behind. Schedules are more relaxed, there’s always pizza (or calzones), sentences sound like songs rather than statements, being surrounded by centuries old architectures with one million stories to imagine, dinners that run late into the night, wine continually flowing and.. the men. The Italian men, ya’ll. My kryp-to-nite.

 

And next time I’m in Italy? The south. I’m aching to see the Amalfi coast, Sardinia, and the secret panini places hidden in alleys in the smallest towns. They’re always the best.

Speak to you soon!

 

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Upcoming Travels | September Euro Trip

Although we have just stepped over the threshold of July, come September I will be stepping over the threshold of Western Europe. This has been a crazy year for me as far as travel goes, and when one more opportunity for 2014 fell into my lap I couldn’t very well turn it down. My best friend, Finis, and I will be going on a three week adventure into Austria (Vienna and Salzburg), Italy (Milan and Lake Como), and France (Cannes, Monaco, Reims, Giverny and Paris). We spent days working out our itinerary, but really what does it matter because our every move will be probably be dictated by things like cake…and wine.

We opted to stay in AirBNB apartments as opposed to hotels and we’ve both got a travel style that tends to lean towards taking each day and experience as it comes. We also have a mutual love for bread so there will probably be a new Instagram hashtag starting called #thedailybaguette.

Oh also we’ve got floor seats to see Beyonce in Paris, but that’s a story for another time.

Traveling is one of the things my heart b e a t s for. This year I’ve seen more countries than I could’ve imagined and more of America than I could’ve imagined, too. We’re only halfway through 2014, but it’s one for the books.

So excited to share everything with you guys!

 

Speak to you soon!

 

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follow me on instagram at @lacunnigham 

TBT | Italy Travels (+ITALY GUIDE)

    The first time I traveled outside of the U.S. was when I was 20. The college I attended offered a class where you would jet abroad and then learn about the art, architecture and culture of a place across the globe. The destination of my trip was Italy.

We landed and immediately where chauffeured in a coach bus through the stylish city of Milan. Just from watching the aged buildings whiz by I was almost immediately entranced by the beauty and antiquity of it all. That trip took us all over the Northern half of the country: Milan, Vicenza, Verona, Venice, Tuscany, Florence, Siena, and Rome. By the end of our 14 day journey I was sure of a couple of things; one of those was that I suddenly understood the term “wanderlust,” and I had it bad; the second was that I would be returning to Italy. My heart had started to beat for the patina on the walls and the piazzas; for the silent, spiritual moments spent in ornate churches in small cities; for the way the Italian people spoke in a sing-song language I couldn’t understand but wanted desperately to. I wanted to go back, so I did.

The next summer I was moved into an apartment in Florence with my best friend. I had acquired a summer internship with a small men’s fashion label (Borgo28) and she was to teach English to children. Our landlord, Vincent, placed us in a second floor unit overlooking Via De Neri, the street right behind the world-renowned Uffizi Gallery. Our evenings were spent strolling across the Arno river to our favorite place for Apertivo, purchasing a 2 euro bottle of wine from the market across the street and people watching from our window, and dreaming of a life where we never had to leave. We spent the weekends adventuring with our newfound Italian friends (or just having dinner parties), or taking the train somewhere we hadn’t been before. It was the most exciting 3 months of my life, and the gateway to the person and dreams that I have now.

YOU SHOULD GO:

•Make your way to Cinque Terre, It’s my favorite place in Italy so far. Find a bed and breakfast (they’re a little cheaper outside of the town centers and often offer a shuttle service), and make sure to spend some time in each city because they are all super special (there is a train that links them all). Start in la Spezia and adventure your way across to Monterosso al Mare. Hike the trail,  if it’s a nice day, to Riomaggiore where you’ll get your first glimpse of the Mediterranean color scheme that paints the cities of the region;   fall in love with the charming, colorful hillside buildings of Manarola (my favorite); stroll the Via dell’Amore near Vernazza; find a restaurant overlooking the sea and order some risotto con funghi in Corniglia, and don’t forget to block out some time to spend on the beautiful, hill secluded beach in Monterosso.

•Visit a winery in Chianti. Go on a tour of the grounds, and treat yourself to a tasting. If they produce olive oil, make sure you try some because it there is nothing quite like fresh, authentic Italian Olive oil. Not only will you learn a lot, but the views of the Tuscan country side from the hilltops are unreal.

•Siena is the most quintessentially Italian town I’ve ever gone to. The Siena Cathedral is one of the most beautiful that I’ve seen during my travels there (Also on that list are the Milan Cathedral and the Duomo in Florence).

•If you have to choose between Rome and Florence, I’d choose Florence. Though it is tourist heavy, there is more of a small town feel than the over-saturated tourist hub of Rome (but also go to Rome because it has some of the most beautiful architecture I’ve ever seen).

•Renaissance monuments. Examples: The David, the masterpieces in the Uffizi Gallery (they have SO MANY Botticelli paintings. And I love Botticelli), the Duomo (and all of Brunelleschi’s other works in Florence), the Palace of the Medici’s (and the Boboli Gardens), etc. Also, if in Rome the Vatican is breath taking and the Colosseum and the Forum ARE worth seeing. Strolling the streets in most of the towns will give you a glimpse of the renaissance architecture; it is what makes up the building blocks of the country.

YOU SHOULD EAT:

•Spaghetti alla Scoglio – Spaghetti with clams is my all time favorite Italian Dish.
•Apertivo – An Italian pre-dinner ritual that is similar to Spanish tapas. You order a minimum of one drink (traditionally you order a Spritz) and are given a small plate to fill with the smorgasbord of food on display in the restaurant. Apertivo outings were one of my favorite parts of living in Italy. (If you’re in Florence there is an apertivo restaurant called Moyo and it is GOOD.)
•Gelato (I hope this is a given).
•Also try: Prosciutto con Melone, Authentic pizza/calzones, A panini with melanzane (GO TO PINO’S), and crostini. All of the crostini.

YOU SHOULD DRINK:
•Limoncello – Lemon flavored liquor that is often served as a dessert.
• Grappa – a brandy-esque Italian grape based beverage. Another after dinner drink that I would highly reccommend. Prepare your palette, because it’s different than anything I’ve ever tasted.
• A bottle of Chianti. In Chianti.

& I’VE YET TO SEE (BUT WANT TO ):
• Lake Como
•The Amalfi Coast (Capri, Positano, Sorrento, etc)
•Sardinia
•Milan (I did vist, but only for an afternoon)
•More of the country side, because what better way to see the true beauty of a country than that.

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Speak to you all soon!

 

 

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Market Mornings.

 

I am a firm believer that travel is 100% more enjoyable when you get to experience your destination as the locals do.

While living in Florence, Italy a couple of years ago, I didn’t spend my weekends in the Piazzas swarming with tourists and rambunctious umbrella salesmen. No, I spent my weekends cruising in backseat of my friend Mattia’s navy blue mini cooper. From camping trips in the country side, to nights out in Fiesole, to taking a special trip to a nearly invisible restaurant in a tiny town solely because I must try the gnocchi–it’s safe to say that a few simple google searches would not have yielded such memorable adventures. While I did take time to see and appreciate the sites of beautiful Firenze, I did it through the eyes of the people who truly knew the history and value of them because they’ve been surrounded by the culture their whole lives.

This past weekend, we went to London and stayed with my friend’s stepsister in Borough. We were banking on her showing us around so we could see a different side of London than we were expecting, and she did not let us down.

On Saturdays, there is a market filled to the brim with every tasty thing you could imagine: macarons, fresh meats, ice cream, home grown produce, curry cooked right in front of you, sweets for DAYS, and (my personal favorite) chai tea straight from Darjeeling. I was in heaven, and most of that can probably be attributed to the amount of free cheese samples I consumed throughout our time there. Just kidding. (But really, what’s better than fresh Comté? Nothing is the answer).

Markets are a great way to get a feel for a place and it’s people, but also to support it’s local industries. If you’re ever in London, I highly recommend checking it out. Take the tube, grab a mulled wine, and see what all the buzz is about.

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To keep up in real time with my travels follow me on Instagram at @lacunningham

Up next on the blog: Winter Wonderland–the land of amusement park rides, cider, christmas lights, and a lot of spiced sausage.

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