On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
lamh26
So last year for my birthday week and to celebrate our first time being able to travel internationally, me, my sister and my cousin went to Italy. We visited 4 cities in 10 days, Milan to Venice to Florence to Rome. We spent my actual birthday in Florence. I have way more than 10 pics to show, but I tried to pick the best pictures from each city. Eventually I need to post more of my pics from Italy on my personal blog.
Me and My cousin at the Duomo di Milano
We flew into Milan for one night. It was basically just a layover before our train ride to Venice. Since we were in Milan we of course could NOT miss seeing the “Last Supper” painting.
We spend 2 nights in Venice and the waterway was a fantastic time. We spent day and night in Piazza San Marcos
I had great food every day in all the cities we visited, but man…I had this 4-cheese Gnocchi at this restaurant in Venice that I STILL dream about today.
For my actual birthday weekend, we spent 3 nights in Florence. The big ticket in Florence is of course the David statue.
While in Florence we had a a real working winery and the town of Pisa. Here we are at the winery.
Leaning Tower of Pisa
We stayed in Rome 3 nights and the big draw was the Vatican, St Paul”s Square. My fav pics are from the square and the Pieta statue by Michelangelo at St Paul’s basilica and the fountain in the square
The other biggest draw in the Vatican is the Sistine Chapel. Now to be clear, you are not allowed to take photos in the Chapel. You are def not allowed to take video. This is an actual picture of the Sistine Chapel. Just don’t ask how I got it. Just know that I did ;-)
On our final full day of the trip, we visited both the Colleseum and the Trevi Fountain. The fountain was a gorgeous in person as it is in pictures. It was crowded as hell and we were barely able to find a good place to take a picture. So when we got a free space we took the picture!
Baud
That first photo could be an album cover.
Good on you for not holding up that leaning tower.
JPL
What a wonderful birthday and thank you for sharing photos of your trip with us.
AJ of the Mustard Search and Rescue Team
Great pics! Ty for sharing with us.
Meyerman
Thanks for sharing! Looks like an amazing trip! The food in northern Italy is beyond delicious.
Lapassionara
Many thanks for sharing these photos. What a great trip!
oldster
Looks like a great trip — thanks for sharing pics!
Milan is a fashion capital. Clothes mean nothing to me — John Cole and I could endorse a line of overalls — but crossing the Duomo square one day I saw a woman who was clearly a professional model for fashion shows. She was breathtaking, on a different level than the many beautiful women I’ve seen in a long life. It was a bit like when you play pickup ball with a variety of skill levels, but then one day an actual NBA player drops by, and you realize that they’re on a whole different level. Both bracing and unnerving — hardly even the same species. That’s what this girl’s level of glamor was like. And like the NBA stars, she was also just shockingly tall, without seeming misproportioned.
Maybe if you live in Milan — or Paris or NYC — you get used to these sightings. It was memorable for me.
Maxim
What a fantastic trip! I bet you wish it could have been longer. Thanks for sharing your pics.
JeanneT
Looks like you had a fantastic time. I spent two days in northern Italy a decade ago, and still have dreams of being there.
evodevo
Loved Florence when we were there…SO much history…SO much art! We only spent two days, and could have spent a week, easy…
MomSense
Love these photos! Thank you for sharing your birthday trip with us. Seeing those sights brings back happy memories of being young and galavanting in Europe.
Because we are vitriolic jackals, I have to plug Mark Twain’s musings on Florence and the river Arno. And since Lamh knows all about the mighty Mississippi it’s doubly appropriate.
2liberal
really enjoyed the pix, thanks for sharing ! looks like a good time was had by all.
Argiope
Thanks for the photos–looks like a fantastic trip, especially traveling with your sister and cousin. Taking trips together as adults can be such a good time–you have lots of history and stories together from the past, but you’re in a new environment so you learn about each other in new ways as you navigate the unfamiliar.
As for the Sistine Chapel photo, we won’t ask and you won’t tell. Without permission to use my camera, I had to use my eyes more to take it all in…and there’s a figure up there mooning us all. I suspect that is the real reason the Vatican doesn’t want us taking photos. Michelangelo had a sense of humor, apparently, and that one figure is irreverent as hell. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
delphinium
Great photos-looks like you had a lot of fun together!
eclare
Thanks for the photos! Looks like everyone had a great time.
Ceci n est pas mon nym
I love Milan! I’ve been lucky enough to get there several times. Did you have to book in advance to see the Last Supper? (which the Italians call “La Cena” or just “Dinner”) That’s how I remember it working when I saw it, I booked from the States weeks in advance, and people who showed up on the day of were being turned away.
What a great trip. Some of my favorite places in the world.
H.E.Wolf
You three are gorgeous too! Good weather, good food, good company, good sights – sounds like the perfect trip!
And thank you from another Michelangelo fan for the beautiful photos of his work, especially the two sculptures.
WaterGirl
So nice to see Lamh again, and have photos from the Italy trip!
Another Scott
Great shots and looks like a wonderful time. A few decades ago, I went to a conference in Sicily and was able to spend a few days or in Rome. Not enough!
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
Madeleine
The three of you appearing in the pics gives them a point of view that I appreciate. And the glistening veil of water in the fountain in St. Paul’s Square is just so beautiful. Thanks.
oldster
@MomSense:
Thanks for the reference to Twain — I had never read that! It’s very funny and caustic. Catty Twain is the best Twain.
http://www.literaturepage.com/read/twain-innocents-abroad-173.html
OzarkHillbilly
As a carpenter, I’m not at all sure I’d be brave enough to climb to the top of the Leaning Tower. I know it’s been stabilized but I also know that the most likely time for it to give up the ghost and fall is when I am at the top.
Brachiator
Tremendous photos. Looks like a wonderful vacation.
The food looks tasty,too.
TaMara
It looks like you had a great time! Thanks for sharing it with us…but now I’m hungry.
Anyway
Nice pictures! What a fun trip – glad you all had a good time.
MelissaM
These are great (the light on the leaning tower is lovely!) I love the broad smiles – you are all clearly having a wonderful time.
I was recently in N. Italy and the food… Oh, man!
Torrey
Amazing photos. Thank you! I can practically taste the gnocchi. Re the Sistine Chapel, I have to wonder whether the pope goes in there sometimes, lies down, and just studies the ceiling. It’s what I’d do. It looks like you were all having a wonderful time.
UncleEbeneezer
Welcome back. Great pix. Looks like that was an amazing trip :)
cain
Lovely pics! Thank you for sharing ! That 4 cheese gnocchi does look yummy! :D
neldob
I’ve never been there so thanks for the vicarious loveliness and tasty food!
stinger
Dream vacation! I’m terribly envious!
In that second Pisa photo, you look so… so upright.
Origuy
I have to get more of my pictures up. I didn’t make it north of Rome. The Trevi Fountain was always crowded, even late at night. Supposedly there is a store on one side of the piazza with a great view of the fountain from the third floor. You got a better picture of the Pietà than I could. Glad you had a great time. I have to get to Venice one of these days.
Miss Bianca
lol, you did the Western Civ Art 101 tour, too! Great photos, made me nostalgic. Great to see you in them, too!
ETA: Ah, Venice and food. I had a chocolate pasta with some sharp cheese sauce that I remember 35 years later. Oh, yeah…good times.
Paul in KY
Glad y’all had such a great time! Really nice pics too!
Matt McIrvin
Wonderful!
My mother-in-law and several of her family just went on a trip to Italy with a similar itinerary, but ranging further south to Naples and vicinity. It sounds like they had a wonderful time until the very end, trying to get home and bedeviled by multiple flight cancellations, missed connections and delays. But they’re back now.
way2blue
lamh. Your photos of the David & Pieta sculptures reminded me of how astonishing they are. I can’t grasp how they even came to be… Thanks for sharing snapshots of your travels.
Noskilz
Neat!
BigJimSlade
Ah, Italy…
The gnocchi look fantastic. And I hope you visited every gelato place possible! (I recall there being a good one a few blocks away from the Trevi fountain.)
Albatrossity
Sounds like a great trip! And great food!!!
lamh36
I forgot my OTR pics were going up today so I’m sorry I didn’t respond to any comments. I have tons of pics and eventually I’ll put them on my personal blog as well.
I’m working on the Japan post sometime this week to submit to Watergirl for OTR. You’ll love those I think
Mel
@lamh36: Thank you so much for sharing these gorgeous photos, and stories from your trip! I hope you had a wonderful birthday!!
Would love to see photos from your trip to Japan.
rikyrah
The pictures are great, lamh 🤗
Thanks for sharing 😊
Ronno2018
Cute photos and super cute people!!! Thanks
Elizabelle
Wonderful pics. Somehow, you look the most relaxed at the winery. And Pisa and the light. Beautiful.
currawong
Great pictures. Looks like you had a wonderful time.
For anyone else, lucky enough to visit, while we were in Florence, we spent a day in Fiesole, up in the hills above Florence. There’s a magnificent ruin of a Roman amphitheatre and baths and from the top of the hill, fantastic views of the city.
Also, it this is your type of thing, there’s a craft brewery just around the corner from the Trevi Fountain. It’s called Doppio Malto, well worth a visit.
Yutsano
VIVA ITALIA !!!🇮🇹
I’m sitting here drooling over that gnocchi picture. And did I mention I’m eating dinner right now?
WaterGirl
@Origuy: Yes!