My first real question for you all is..would you seriously live here? I know my answer: yeah, NO. It looks great and all, and it is really cool to visit, but for the total of 12 people who live here I would say they are out of their craniums.

In the four short months that I lived in Rome, I learned a lot, I ate a lot, and I partied well..quite a lot. It's a city that has my whole heart. Rome is every girl's European fantasy. It's the ultimate picture of Mediterranean lifestyle, from the accordions playing outside, to the lovers in the streets, to the smell of freshly rolled dough seeping from the windows, I literally, literally ate it all up.

4. Basilica di Santa Maria in Ara coeli
If you can get your butt up the 'stairway to heaven,' then you have to visit. There is so much history that dates all the way back to 574. The interior artwork is unbelievable and ranges from Michelangelo to Donatello to other famous names. For whatever reason the tiny raised floor tombs (people were quite short back then) put me in a trance. You can see the shape of the person and it is so morbid and yet beautiful that I love it. Also, the chandelier you see here are mesmerizing, me and my OCD have counted over 40.

I don't care if I'm with a French boy or not, I will get married in Capri. I've said this since I was 10 when I truly hadn't ever even seen a picture of it. I was kind of a weird kid, still am. In April of 2012 I traveled here with a company called Euroadventures, well-known for taking study abroaders on wild trips.

It rained, it poured, it thundered, it lightened, and it was the absolute best trip of my entire life. If it weren't for our tour guide Bruno (who was 70 years old at the time) I'm not sure it would have been quite the same. He's the most upbeat, athletic non-senior citizen looking man I've ever met. Our other tour guide Dave, who might be the most well-traveled 20 something I know, also made it fun taking us to all the pubs he knew and loved.
For horrible weather, I was still in awe by the town. The houses are narrow-colorful structures that reflect off the crystal blue sea. All of the colors combine just make for some great shots, even on a rainy day.
Did I mention you can see Mount Vesuvius?
What better to do in a rainstorm than dress like complete vegetables? Umbrellas weren't even up for discussion. I'm glad I have friends who are as crazy as me. We laughed every single time we looked at each other.
Bruno said "okay guys, it's raining so you know what we'll do? HIKE THE MOUNTAIN!" Look I'm pretty athletic but I was like an asthmatic child after 20 minutes of trying to get up that thing. Meanwhile Bruno kept on truckin' without a care. My friends and I were actually embarrassed.

We rightfully ate the biggest pizzas ever once we reached the top which was booming with beautiful villas and restaurants. There is of course a bus to get up there, but it's kind of rewarding to be like "I can eat this pizza because I deserve this pizza." I wish I could tell you what it was called, but it rained so hard that I couldn't even take a picture of it.
Getting to the Blue Grotto was by far the most fun. As it POURED, Bruno guided us through muddy paths, over boulders, and past beautiful homes. He helped us and held our hand whenever we needed it. The man is a legend.
So here we are, the Blue Grotto, in which you can see NOTHING. You know why? Because the waves were so high and powerful that we couldn't even go in. Instead we dangerously, and against Bruno's word stood at the fence letting the waves crash on us. It was the worst idea, and my friend Tyler almost got dragged in. Sorry Bruno!
Before getting back down the mountain we all shared some boxed wine. We were starting to be cold and miserable, shaking from the rain and the fact that we were just in bathing suits. It wasn't until the 70 year old Bruno throws some wine on the ground and said "this one's for my lost homies," that we absolutely lost it.
A great day was ended with some crepes and coffee, of course. Meredith and I had some major entertainment by the Italians at the café. They for whatever reason decided to crank up music and dance around like it was a club. We awkwardly joined in.
This is the Italian men pouring whipped cream in Meredith's mouth. She'd kill me if she saw this.
Although I didn't get all of the pictures of Capri that I dreamt about, or get to cliff dive into the Blue Grotto, I had the rare experience of adventuring Capri in a monsoon..equally as awesome.

**A special thanks to Euroadventures for making the best out of a crappy situation and for one of the most unforgettable trips of my life.

Ahhh Florence, good times. It was one of the first places I visited when I "studied" abroad in Rome. To explain it simply, Florence is a big personality in a little body. It's a fairly small place, but there is so much to do. I love it for the mere fact it's a Renaissance city. The art, the fashion, everything is so beautiful. The food helps too.

Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore

You can't see Rome in a day, but you can most definitely see Florence in a day. Everything is walking distance. The top sites are: Il Duomo, Michaelangelo, the Campanile or Bell Tower, Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, and Palazza Vecchio. If it's nice outside the Boboli Garden is absolutely necessary. I more or less wanted to see the gelato, the pizza, the pasta, and the wine. Forgive me for thinking like a fat kid 90% of the time.

Of course out of all monuments the first place we went to was Pizzeria O'Vesuvio. Normally, when people compare my town in South Jersey to The Jersey Shore tv show, I shake my head. BUT, I really wanted to see Snookie's underwear hanging in the pizza place just to say I saw Snookie's underwear hanging in the pizza place. It shockingly wasn't overrated at all. The pizza was awesome.
We burned off some pizza by walking to the top of the Duomo which is one of my top favorite monuments in Europe. You can't beat that view of the city. Plus how could I leave Europe without a Duomo picture? Blasphemy.

When the girls and guys saw the San Lorenzo market we were in a trance. There's leather everywhere and for everyone. However, I knew beforehand to be weary of what was real and what wasn't. I decided to save my money for more food.

Piazza Santa Maria Novella

The architecture here is incredible, I can't say it enough. I wish back then I didn't have such a crappy digital camera. So my suggestion for anyone visiting, not even just Florence, is to make sure you have a good camera because there's nothing worse than looking back on blurry, low-quality photos.
A great place we ate for dinner was La Grotta di Leo. LOOK AT THESE GNOCCHI. Go. Don't question it, just go. I like to call myself a furu, a food guru. But before dinner you must must must go to the top of the city before sunset. Grab your friends and a bottle of wine (or in my case boxed wine) and see how stunning Florence is from up there. It's something money can't buy.
My friends and I went to a bar called Twice. I'd say it's pretty well known by all of the students there. We also went to club Space. I'm not particularly into sweaty Italian men rubbing on me, so I much more preferred the local Irish pub, I feel safe there. However, they were both packed and still fun nonetheless.
There is just one thing here though, that I have not found anywhere else in the world. A gelato waffle sandwhich. It's like a Big Mac for Italians.