Italy September 2010

Each one of my vacations holds a special place in my memory, for various reasons, but this trip was not only a dynamite vacation, but a destination wedding! Having really talented and creative people for friends made this entire trip unforgettable.

There is soooo much to share, so I'll try my best to capture the "best of" in words and pics for each part of the trip. If you reallllly want the full story- complete with details, reenactments, and Italian accents-and you have about 5 hours on your hands, I'll be glad to share in person  : )

This was our room in Rome at the Radisson. Uber-modern, I felt like I was back home in the Ikea showroom. The light fixtures were so confusing, it took me about 10 minutes to figure out the shower, and that airbag looking light on the wall was begging to popped (no, I didn't). We only spent one night here, but the design of this European hotel was clean, linear and minimalist. The faux grass carpet was interesting. Had a great time in Rome exploring the city, hanging out by Colloseum, and getting excited for the wedding!

Yay! We have arrived

The 2.5hr drive from Rome to the wedding site in Tuscany looked like a piece of cake when I researched Google maps a month before the trip.  We had our international driver's license in hand and the 4 of us crammed in a VW Polo (read: compact car) with 4 huge suitcases, a million maps, and tons of excitement for the wedding the next day!  After a few wrong turns and driving in circles, we finally arrived at Lupinari!!
www.lupinari.com

Vineyards and fig trees make pretty nice scenery

A nice (unheated) pool on the grounds- perfect for jumping in at... say... 2am the night before the wedding. Super cold, but super fun!

The kitchen

You know, just hangin in the grapevines

All 30 wedding guests stayed on the grounds of Lupinari, with each of us staying in our own villa. The unique design and rustic feel of each one screamed Italian countryside. That week I was ready to quit my job, sell my condo back home and move in here. Picking grapes, cleaning the pool- I'd do anything! That's how amazing it was.

The wedding!
See the montage video I posted for a 3min summary of the all-night party after the wedding! 30 people drank the vineyard out of wine! For real. The food was incredible, the playlist on point, and once we got hold of the microphone in the early morning hours, I'm pretty sure the grapevines were begging us to shut up and go to bed. Hands down Best.Wedding. Ever.

We took a day trip to Montepulciano, a storied town in Tuscany famous for its wine!  The town sits atop a hill with visibility for miles of the Tuscan landscape. When you think of little European towns, cobblestone streets, and clusters of old buildings, this place is it.

I'll take that little yellow house, thanks

After 3 days of food, friends, and wedding festivities, our time at Lupinari was up. We had a great brunch the last morning and took lots of group shots on the lawn in front of the castle before we all parted ways

Forget bacon and eggs.  This is how it's done in Italy

Saying goodbye

Last stop before going home was Florence. I absolutely loved this city. I mean, seriously, this is what a pizzeria looks like in Florence. I'm the last to be picky when I'm craving a greasy slice, but this is too good to be true!! People actually get to live year round in these cities while I'm settling for Wendy's drive-thru in suburban Philadelphia??

Even the graffiti matches the flowers!

7 hours of walking around the entire city AND climbing the Duomo was extremely tiring, so we had to reward ourselves with some authentic cuisine at an outdoor piazza cafe

Words can't explain the delish factor of this meal. Be jealous- it was THAT good.

I'll finish off with some pics of Florence. I wish I could have stayed longer, but this city is definitely on the list to visit when I go back. Along with Milan and Venice...

 Ah, what a fabulous trip. We crammed a lot into 1 week and have enough memories to last a lifetime. I always come home from a really great trip and just sit, thinking things like "24 hours ago, I was eating fresh figs right off the tree on a mountain in Tuscany." They I snap back to reality, looking around at the massive piles of laundry, the 100+ unread emails, and the only thought I have is...  "Where we goin next??"  : )