I LOVE SO MANY ASPECTS TO ITALY. My trip to Italy was an interesting one. I personally spent about 7 days in Italy between Florence and Milan. I can’t say I got to have the real Italian experience. I will only speak from my perspective. Milan was always a dream of mine until I got there, nothing pleasant for me, the fashion scene was insane, I found that the local Milano Italians were somewhat arrogant, not friendly and saw so many wealthy and fashionable people with tons of plastic surgery, that was very shocking to me, they walked stiffly as if on the catwalk. I thought I saw Donatella Versace walking from one side to another, the fashion capital was very busy, dirty and polluted. We stayed a few blocks away from busy Milano and that was great, the hotel itself was an architectural beauty, food was ok, nothing that defines authentic Italian cuisine. So, I was dying to leave Milano and we decided to drive to Florence instead.

FLORENCE WAS SOOOOO BEAUTIFUL! I absolutely love Firenze and can’t tell you what a world of a difference it was, two different Italian cultures, people were so kind, polite, welcoming and friendly. The Firenze locals, got it going on. The city itself is so beautiful, rivers, tons of mom and pop boutiques, tons of leather accessories factories. We passed by Salvatore Ferragamo’s headquarters and factory which is a historical castle. We bought a few leather goods there, went shopping and as expected, ahead in fashion I was by years. The local cuisine was absolutely delicious. Such a great visit. We stayed at one the top hotels in Firenze, I still have our room key, heavy brass with fine green tassel, even the hotel food was delicious, thus we did dine in some local restaurants. The shopping experience is wonderful, imagine walking around though small streets of uneven bricks, full of little shops and factories, it all felt very romantic, warm and united. People walking around, taking their time, enjoying the moment and it’s environment.

OH A FEW POINTS worth mentioning, driving through the country from Switzerland to Italy was absolutely green and beautiful, I got to see the Swiss Alps and the Italian Alps, the lake and mountains were soooo fresh and beautiful. Italian pizza is a nothing like the pizza we eat in the USA, two different worlds, authentic Italian Pizza is of a super thin crust, delicate on the cheese and sauce and fragrant and absolutely delicious. The authentic Italian gelato is out of this world delicious. Bread is not served in every restaurant, the pastries are light and delicious.

OVERALL I know there is so much more to Italy than my short trip and so much to historically see and experience. I definitely must visit again and when I do go again, I must stay for a good 4 to 8 weeks in order to grasp the real essence of Italy. Until then, this is all the experience I had.