The man in front of me had been standing in the Vatican Museums line for an hour and forty minutes. I know this because we’d been chatting — him, his partner, and me — shuffling forward in 35°C Roman heat while the cobblestones radiated warmth back up through the soles of our shoes. His partner … Read more
I have planned entire vacations around a single meal. I have rerouted road trips for a cheese counter. I once missed a train because I was deep in conversation with a salumiere about the proper fat-to-lean ratio in culatello. So when I tell you that October in Italy is the most delicious month on the … Read more
Understanding Vatican Dress Code Basics My father worked for 38 years saying he’d travel when he retired. He retired and then kept finding reasons not to go. I watched that happen and promised myself I wouldn’t do the same thing — which is how I found myself standing outside St. Peter’s Basilica on a Tuesday … Read more
I found a fare alert on a Thursday afternoon that made absolutely no sense to ignore. By Friday morning I had a ticket and no real plan — which turned out to be the best way to approach the whole thing. What unfolded over the next ten days was equal parts ancient history and golden-hour … Read more
We’d been saying “we should all go somewhere together” for six years. After the fourth postponed trip and two weddings that got in the way, we stopped talking and just bought tickets — and somehow, Rome was the answer everyone agreed on without argument. There’s something about the Eternal City that makes sense for a … Read more
I’d never traveled alone before this trip. The thought honestly terrified me — no one to split decisions with, no one to blame if something went sideways. That was also exactly the point. So I booked three days in Rome, told myself the city had survived millennia of chaos, and figured it could survive me … Read more
We eloped on a Tuesday with three friends and a bottle of champagne, telling ourselves the real trip would come later. “Later” arrived 18 months after our wedding when we finally stopped waiting for the perfect time and booked two weeks in Rome. What we found there had nothing to do with the glossy images … Read more
