Italia: Land of Art, History, Culture & Self-Love

After months of saving and penny-pinching, I wanted to indulge myself while finding inspiration and passion again. What better way to do that than spend a few weeks in the land of art, history, culture, and beauty? I set up a few "home-bases" throughout the countryside and was able to do quite a few day trips in the surrounding area so I could take in as much as I could of the country. I started in Venice, traveled to Florence, to Rome, then Naples & Sorrento, followed by back north to Genoa/Italian Riviera, then north to Milan. As someone who studied so much of the art that came from the renaissance, Florence to me was like a candy store for a toddler.

Every corner was covered with the most amazing artwork in the world, I couldn't help but give myself whiplash from turning my head too quickly to see it all! But, it wasn't until I visited the Eternal City I caught myself crying for the first time because the work was just so breathtaking. While standing underneath Michelangelo’s incredible depiction of the nine central stories from the book of Genesis, I completely lost it and couldn't stop staring at the masterpiece. In that moment, I was reminded of how much beauty there was in the world to be discovered and I just had to have to clarity, conviction, and tenacity to go out and explore it for myself.