Being a photographer, you get to travel and with that said, I got the most awesome, beautiful, fantastical, whimsical, extraordinary opportunity to photograph a destination wedding, and it so happened to be in……. (can I get a drum roll…………….) ITALY!

Yes, you read it right! I-T-A-L-Y… the land of Pizza, Michaelangelo, the jersey shore pizzeria.. (just kiddin, but seriously, they were there) Oh, and I forgot, Vineyards.. like epic..Vineyeards! 🙂

So, with that said, I was able to go to Florence, Siena, Venice (Oh Venice, be still my heart.. Venice.. was beautiful), and the Papa of all Papa’s, I mean, where the Papa of Catholics lives! ROMA!

My trip was filled with tons of new appreciation for the country I lived in, but also the appreciation of being able to go and see a different part of the world. Little can say, they have flown to the other side of the world, and have seen things that you only see in commercials or read in textbooks.  Not knowing the language was definitely I felt a disrespect by my fault. I am Hispanic and I know Spanish fluently, but Italian is different. And even though they are both Latin languages, it was not enough for me to start a conversation. I understood here and there but unfortunately I would definitely recommend brushing up on your Italian before going.

The food was quite different from our cuisine, more fresh, and less seasoned if that makes sense. Their seasoning I felt was more simple, and less intrusive. Pizza was different at every pizzeria we went to. Some pizza was more doughy in taste, some was more croissanty in taste, not one pizza tasted the same, and I was okay by it.

Gelato, and pastries were definitely on the to eat list. These were not to be missed, and did not disappoint. Just as the pizza was different, these were definitely all different to the region we were in. All different flavors to be offered, and the texture sometimes was more thick and rich in other areas.

The cityscape from region to region is extremely different. Florence is a quaint city, with historic roads, cobblestone lining, religious art hidden in the streets, and gorgeous cathedrals that line the inner most part of the city itself. Siena is a mid evil driven city, while Venice is a water taxi city. The city literally relies on bridges to connect each torso of it’s mean together. We walked Venice, because when we went, the actual festival Historic Regatta was happening! 

And this is what made it a dream. It was a freak accident, that we caught the train to get to Venice on this specified day. Us being there during this grand festival was magical, to hear the trumpets as we crossed the bridge, and watch the races start.. I felt like I was in a movie. It literally brought me to tears to think, that at that point in time, I was in a moment that few would get to do. It made me extremely grateful for my beautiful opportunity.

This feeling did not end in Venice, as we departed from our train, there so happen to be having the festival of the virgin Mary in the heart of Florence. Coincidentally enough, we literally ran into this parade on our walk back to our hotel. We were stopped by a crowd of paper lanterns being released, and chanting and singing by a huge crowd of people.

Needless to say, there was definitely alot of magical that happened during my trip to Italy. My only regret was that I wasn’t there with family, next time, the trip will be complete!

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