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Abby E. Smith

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ITALIA: Tuscany + Florence

“Occasionally she dreams of Italy. She dreams of cheese shops,
persnickety Fiats and very fine leather goods.”
– Kate Spade –


Our purpose for this leg of the trip was mainly to see Florence, but our accommodations were at an Agriturismo in Tuscany right outside of the city, so I’m incredibly glad we got to taste a little of the quiet and blissful beauty of Tuscany, and that we also got to see it with our dear friends who got to journey with us.
Our Tuscany experience was incredible, and I would highly recommend it to anyone going into the region for Florence. Our hosts were the friendliest people ever, and they served a breakfast that will probably  never compare to any I will ever have again.
So, before we jump into exploring Florence, here is a look at the little piece of heaven where we stayed for two magical nights. I loved seeing the warmth of Tuscan decorating, also their giftedness with landscaping and letting natural beauty shine through everything was so inspiring.

My love for the Italian cappuccino is undying.

Florence: Day One

 It was rainy and cloudy pretty much our whole first day in Florence, but honestly it was a nice reprieve from all the sun and totally added to the charm. We quickly bought umbrellas from a street merchant as soon as we stepped off the tram and not a moment too soon because the clouds burst and it poured.

Out of all of the destinations of our trip, Florence was the biggest for our “tourist” mistakes.
Our first stop from the tram was to find the Duomo, Florence’s impressive cathedral with the iconic Renaissance dome designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. We had been told lines were excessively long and to get there first thing to try to avoid them, so off we trudged through the puddle strewn streets.
We soon found out we were either too late, or everyone had the same idea since it was a messy day, because the lines were insane! We soon learned the admission to the main cathedral was free, but we knew you had to purchase tickets to climb the famous dome, which was definitely on our list. Before long we just joined the longest line, assuming we would follow everyone else and see where it led. About after 45min of waiting in the cold rain, we decided we probably should confirm that this was the correct line for what we were wanting to do. I stayed put in line while Luke rain ahead to ask someone… only to learn when he returned that we had to purchase passes and an entry time for the dome at the museum, which was the OTHER line across the street going in the opposite direction.
So we quickly hopped over to the other line, which wasn’t as long, but waited another 30min. only to be told that the cupola entry passes were sold out until the next week!! Bummed does not do our feelings justice. We quickly tried to decipher what our best plan of action was, after spending almost 1.5 hours in line with no sightseeing under our belt… we were discouraged, and hungry. We finally decided we would join the free admission line to at least see inside of the cathedral, we had waited this long already we didn’t want to leave completely empty handed. So back in line we went, dodging the intermittent showers and taking in the beauty of the outside of the incredible building. The design was incredible, and the colors and patterns were so tastefully done.

Finally we neared the entrance, passed through security, and then entered the blissful quiet and warmth of the incredible church. The size on the outside was deceiving, for inside you truly felt just how majestic it was.

Giorgio Vasari’s The Last Judgement. 

After touring the cathedral, we were throughly starving and chilled to the bone. We made it our mission to find the closest restaurant possible and slipped inside. It turns out, this little place was one of our favorites!
Their pizza was incredible, and the bruschetta I’ve missed every day since, something I don’t think I will ever be able to recreate.

After lunch we headed to the Piazza della Repubblica where so many of the amazing leather markets are at! Luke negotiated with a merchant and bought a little leather satchel so I didn’t have to keep stuffing my own Florentine leather backpack with all our finds. The carousel and live music were so endearing.

I only realized later, after seeing so many handcrafted Pinocchio’s, that Florence wasn’t far from the city where Pinocchio’s story originated, the the town of Collodi in the Tuscany region.

Our second biggest tourist mistake of the day. : ) We slipped into an adorable fancy gelateria again after lunch and ordered what we THOUGHT was exactly what we had been ordering with our friends the other times, the cheap 2 euro gelato cones. Turns out the waffle cones were not only bigger, but they filled them to the brim with three SPADES full of gelato… and then charged accordingly. So when we initially thought we were buying 4 euro worth of gelato, turned out to be almost 20 euro. We were shocked but pulled our composure together as we walked out, only to find it had started pouring rain again. So trying to eat huge waffle cones of expensive gelato, while holding an umbrella, in the pouring rain, under a tiny awning… was an adventure and we laughed so hard at how we were the gullible Americans in Florence.
We had taken the bait hook, line, and sinker. Incredibly yummy gelato… but we agreed not quite worth the price.


With a little bit of brain freeze from the massive amounts of gelato, we decided to cross the Arno river and see what the other side of the city had to offer.

We researched that Piazzale Michelangelo was square on a hill that gave a panoramic view of Florence. So we climbed the hundreds of steps, but the view from the top was unforgettable and so worth it. One of the highlights for me here was seeing the whole city beneath my feet, a musician providing classical ambiance and the storm clouds rolling in.

There was also a replica of the famous David here in the square, so we caught of glimpse of that since we had decided to forgo the long lines of the art museums, classical art not really being our thing.

It was one more view of city before heading back down through the streets and the long walk back to the city center.
Our feet, once again, were pretty toast at this point.

It was time for dinner and calling it a night by the time we found another amazing restaurant not far from the station. Spaghetti aglio e olio was my choice, and my favorite ever. True Italian olive oil is no joke, it makes even the simplest dishes heavenly.

Florence: Day Two


Throughly rested and recharged after a good nights sleep and a filling breakfast, we stepped off the tram again the next day ready to take on the city again, with hopefully not as many time-wasting mistakes.
We had learned from the day before, and already felt a little more sure of our footing.



Loving the high view of the city we had the day before, we decided we wanted at least to climb Giotto’s Bell Tower, since the Dome wasn’t an option. Having 414 steps to the Dome’s 463, it was a great second choice. We waited in line again for an hour, but at the end we definitely agreed it was worth every bit. The pictures I grabbed of the Dome are my favorite Florence photos, the color and texture is incredible, and it amazes me how long it’s endured.

Our bell tower pass also got us into the Baptistry, with scenes of The Last Judgement on the ceiling, scenes from Genesis on the walls, and the golden Gates of Paradise. 

We explored more of the piazzas on our way to the Galileo Museum, I love watching all the artists demonstrate their crafts for all to see.

And I should’ve packed a whole extra suitcase for all the Florentine stationery I dreamed to take home with me! It was beautiful, and I know I’ll regret not buying more. This shop was a dream.

Since we had seen most of the big touristy stuff we wanted to, the rest of the day was devoted to exploring the nooks and crannies. More cathedrals, the Jewish Synagogue and the cutest pottery shop where they created and hand-painted all the pottery right behind the store.

Pitti Palace 

Then it was back to the center of town, where we ate at a little restaurant in the shadow of the Duomo, with
the best dinner views we’ve ever had.


Though Florence was a learning curve and came with a few hiccups, it was more than a memorable experience.
And it gave me what is probably one of the most exquisite city skyline views I have ever or will ever see.

ciao,
A B B Y

/ explore

ITALIA: Verona

“There is no world without Verona walls…”
William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act III

When I travel, I’m not really the researcher type. I love booking the tickets, finding hotels and looking up generic places to visit, but I spend just a fraction of the preparation time on all of this. I guess I love the thrill of visiting the place itself with fresh eyes, not having seen much of a teaser first through my computer screen. All that to say, I didn’t even know Verona existed or that it was the likely setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet masterpiece until the night before our arrival there! It was only a short train ride from where we were staying and we loved the idea of stepping off the map for a day trip and getting lost in a less touristy city.

Our biggest sightseeing stop in this city was “Juliet’s House” a 1300’s home with an iconic stone balcony, said to have inspired Shakespeare. The crowds were unbelievable! Couples writing their names in the brick archway and grabbing pictures on the balcony and with a bronze statue of Juliet. I wish I could’ve made the scores of people vanish and just basked in the beauty of that beautiful courtyard that inspired one of England’s greatest poets.

Anxious to finish being sardines in a can, we didn’t say long at Juliet’s House but quickly wandered back onto the streets. Verona was fairly large with all the major attractions we wanted to see in different corners of the city. So we walked more than my feet would like to remember.

But by far one of my favorite stops of the whole trip was our hike up to the Giusti Palace and Gardens. The Garden is known to be one of the finest exhibitions of Italian gardening and the palace was built in the 16th century. It was peaceful and stunning, and the creativity of the design and all the beautiful choice of foliage and flowers was fascinating.


We wandered through the perfectly symmetrical hedges and “cigar” trees, slowly reaching an incline which dropped us off at an ancient stone tower with a winding spiral staircase. It was like my dreams of Secret Garden but infinitely better.

The Gardens were so worth it, but because of the long walk, we had to head back early to see everything else on our list before our train back that evening. The Verona Arena was a great sampling to prepare us for Rome. While definitely smaller in scale due to only hosting operas and plays, the brilliancy of the architecture was still incredible.

On our way back to dinner and the train station, I spotted the most darling flower shop and was instantly smitten. That was when I was heartbroken to realize fresh flowers just wouldn’t survive in my suitcase back to the States.

Verona, oh Verona. You are beautiful.

 

A B B Y

/ explore

ITALIA: Venice

Out of all the Italian cities, Venice was definitely my favorite.
Perhaps it was because it was so different than anything I had ever seen before, streets of water, the colorful but old architecture made it timeless. It was touristy of course, but somehow I didn’t mind. Because all it took was turning off your GPS, getting lost, and finding yourself on the back streets where you lost the din and bustle of the tourists and walked where the locals lived.
We had heard so many mixed reviews of Venice before we left for our trip, so it was a possibility that it had been undersold to me and my expectations were so low that also made the experience that much richer.

We spent two days in Venice which of course wasn’t enough, but we packed so much in definitely felt like we got a great taste of the city. Our first day we jumped off the train and soaked in our first view of the city. It was almost funny to see a modern train station smack in the middle of such ancient grandeur.

We worked through a few hiccups with our phone service to get our GPS settled while working our way through chattering people and narrow streets to the heart of the city and Saint Marcos Square. Even by early AM we didn’t beat the crowds, but the size was remarkable with the view of the Basilica and Doge’s Palace.

The lines for the Basilica were so long, we decided to forgo it and just take in everything outside and maybe move our tour for the next day when we could arrive earlier. I absolutely loved all the gondola docks around town, it looked like something out of a storybook.

Our next big stop was the Rialto Bridge, which wasn’t near St. Marcos so it required quite a bit of walking, a few wrong turns into water street dead ends, and lots of peeking in the most adorable shops along the way.

My favorite view in Venice.

We crossed the street at one point into this incredible arched street with a restaurant and gondoliers waiting for their next customer. I felt like I was in the old world, I love how some things just never change.

After lunch, we just got lost, took so many pictures and almost wore our shoes out. We also did an impromptu little photoshoot in a quiet courtyard.

Even though it was tempting to take pictures of just architecture, I also wanted to snap photos of daily life in Italy. The locals shopping at the markets for their fresh produce, shop owners watering their flowers to sell, they are quite possibly my favorite photos, a picture of how life is lived so differently and beautifully.

And of course, allll the gelato.

After finishing gelato we had to head across the channel to our AirB&B for an early check in, quick nap, and freshening up for our dinner and night on the town in Venice. Then it was back to walk a bit more before dinner.

The streets calmed down as the sun began to lower in the sky, and the town bell chimed. It was enchanting.

We picked our dinner spot right on the canal, and enjoyed incredible calzones and had our first experience of lemoncello which was heavenly.  We learned how Italians waiters will not bring you your bill until you ask for it so as to let you enjoy a leisurely dinner experience without feeling rushed. We sat shivering while the sun set with glorious colors not realizing this was the norm. By the time we had finished the last of our lemoncello we were throughly cold and went off in search of a jacket for Luke from the tourist shops.

Venice at night is one of those once in a lifetime experiences you have that you never want to end. If it hadn’t been for the chilly night air and my sore feet, we would’ve stayed so much later to enjoy it even more. One of my regrets is that our AirB&B wasn’t IN Venice, so we missed a lot of the experience because of the train ride back to our room.

The next day, our high expectations of getting to Venice early didn’t happen. The exhaustion from the day before was real, so we just slept in and made it back to the city when we were well rested and refreshed for another day of exploring. The most awesome candy shop we had ever stepped foot in was our first stop.

Our day two was more of a shopping day, popping into the locals shops. Each one was uniquely different and the artisans within had a style and taste all their own. Even if there were several shops that sold the same merchandise, there was hardly competition because each shop was unique in it’s own way.


Before lunch it was back to Saint Marco’s to look around more, the Basilica line was long again so we decided it wasn’t worth the wait. Walking around the square listening to the live music and getting a few treats was our pick of choice. The Florian was a 1700’s Cafe that Charles Dickens visited at one point, and had so much historical charm.


Libreria Acqua Alta was a cozy bookshop tucked far into the quiet streets of Venice, but is well known for the large gondola in it’s center carrying all types of Italian titles.

Our last event of the day was finally biting the bullet of paying 80 euro for a gondola ride. It was worth every bit of it. Getting off the streets (getting to sit down for a change) and taking in the quiet water-filled canal was an experience I’ll never forget.

We tired out much quicker on our second day, so after paying our gondolier we literally wobbled on tired and blistered feet back to the train station and waved goodbye to Venezia. It made such an impression on me, and I’ll never forget the experience. If you ever have the opportunity to go, please go book your ticket.

Stay tuned, we’ll visit Verona next.

A B B Y

/ explore

ITALIA: Vicenza

What better place to begin this series of storytelling than where our exploring began.
Vicenza, a little Italian town in the Veneto region was our home base for the coming two weeks of our first European adventure.
I never knew of or had heard about Vicenza until our dear friends were stationed there for 3 years with the military. As soon as we got off the plane and drove through the region, I knew I was instantly smitten.

Because of jet lag and the excitement of our first evening of exploring, I left my big camera behind. I soon regretted it because Vicenza was STUNNING. I knew my phone camera just couldn’t attempt to capture it like I wanted to. But I was just as content to just soak everything up camera-less, though I am glad I do have a few iPhone photos to remember everything by and to rekindle the memories.

Piazza dei Signori 

April weather during our whole trip was so enjoyable during the day with the need of only a light jacket in the evening. We walked into Vicenza, while the smaller of us rode scooters all around the Piazza.
I love the history in the States, it’s alway fascinated me. But nothing prepared me for the beauty I saw here as my first taste of Italian architecture. The history here was so much older and grander than anything I had ever seen before. What stood out to me most was the attention to detail, the colors, the textures, the brilliance of every arch, column, street, and home.

In the piazza at night, Italy comes alive. As a natural born night owl, I was in the happiest place possible. Dinner is a leisurely affair, starting around 6pm with Antipasto and a Spritz Veneziano and continues on until 7 or 8pm when you order your main courses.
We made our reservation and ate our first true Italian pizza out on the piazza with glasses of wine. Even though I didn’t understand a word of it, the Italian chatter and conversation all around was music to my ears. The Italians treasure hospitality, fellowship, and just gathering around the table with good food. It’s an inspiration I carried home with me.

Our next day in Vicenza was on Easter Sunday, five busy and venturing days later. It was our “chill” day which was so needed just to do some laundry, nap, soak in more beauty and fellowship with friends. The day couldn’t have started any better than with the yummy breakfast our friend Mallory prepared for us on her set of hand-painted Polish dishes that a local Italian sells.
Easter baskets and egg hunts brought back so many memories of my own childhood, and getting to spend such a beautiful day with our friends was a highlight.

That evening after church, a fabulous lunch, and naps we headed to a little park right outside of town with snacks, fishing nets for salamanders, and scooters in tow. The smiles of Italian strollers and the simple greeting of  “Buonasera” to each other bypassed the gap of the language barrier.
We passed freshly plowed fields, streams, home entries covered in wisteria, and church steeples in the distance. Finally we arrived at a little clearing that was something out of a storybook. When exploring with three little boys, anything and everything is a grand adventure. Crossing the little creek, running the muddy paths, finding new routes, and running back to mama because “that looked like a BEAR!”. Seeing these new places was awe inspiring in itself, but getting to experience it through their seven, five, and two-year-old eyes was a treat.

Our last day in Vicenza another week later was also our final day in Italy. It was repacking day, which also meant scooting out to find some last minute souvenirs to take home in our already busting suitcases. We accidentally timed our shopping spree right during riposo, a mid-day siesta when all shops and businesses close for a few hours. But we enjoyed ourselves anyway by finding a bar (Italian coffee shop) and getting our favorite breakfast, cappuccinos and nutella brioche.

We walked a lot, absorbing everything we could. It was chilly and rainy, but it only added to the storybook charm. Shops reopened around 4pm, so we hit a few of those before being picked back up for our last pizza dinner back at the Hillis AirB&B.

I love Vicenza. We visited and toured so many big cities in Italy that are beautiful and grand and magnificent it leaves you breathless. But here, in the smaller towns on the map that are not the first to be touched by tourists, here is where you get to see and experience a culture that you may not see otherwise. I love how life is simple here, how the Italians do the essentials of food, clothing, and shelter with such excellence.
I experienced this most in Vicenza, and I hope it rubbed off enough that I brought some of that simple life beauty back with me. Who knows if I’ll walk Vicenza’s streets again, but it’s a beautiful memory that will forever live on.

This is Part One of a series of Italy I’m narrating. Don’t go far, Venice is next. : ) 

A B B Y

/ explore, heart writing

One Year Reflections // Birmingham, AL

There are so many words out there on the web from young, newly married wives. I guess I’m contributing to that medium here as I type. So many parts of my mind feel like I shouldn’t at all be the one writing here. Mostly because of lack of experience, the fear of coming across as know-it-all, or maybe because my thoughts on this topic are mostly very simple, probably have been heard so many times before + seem cliché and so it seems odd to share.
But this post is merely what the title boasts, reflections. A whole year of watching the Lord at work in our marriage, teaching two very different people more about what true love really means and remaining ever so faithful all the while. Definitely it hasn’t been pretty every minute, but watching the reflections of our former selves gradually change and conform to our Lord’s image, it’s definitely worth taking note of.

So here are 3 reflections from this first year of marriage that the Lord has caused me to glimpse + take to heart. I’m flipping back through my journal as I share each one trying to remember every detail and moment leading up to this lesson. I haven’t “learned” them, but am “learning” them, for some of these lessons aren’t ones to be learnt in a moment, but a lifetime.


  1.  LOVE GROWS THROUGH DIFFICULTY

This alone is probably the biggest cliché statement of them all, but it couldn’t be more true and practical. As a newly dating or engaged couple, it seems impossible to think that fights, disagreements, or vastly different opinions would ever make life difficult in marriage. But as married to each other becomes more “normal” the differences come up, and not all of them will be easily solved 500-piece puzzles.
Even in our first year we’ve had those 2,000 piece puzzles to solve, and I’ve noticed that either growth or disease in the relationship are two outcomes that can happen in these situations.
Disagreements can destroy and tear down, leading to resentment, bitterness and estrangement. Or disagreements, though extremely rocky and thorny to get through, can also sharpen, strengthen, give food for thought, and ultimately lead to reconciling and coming out on the other side having more love for the other person.
The outcome is entirely dependent on where our heart is rooted, in ourselves and our coming out on top, or in the Lord and our love + commitment to our spouse.
But when our desire is the latter, the love you have for the other person only flourishes as the clouds fade. I’ve loved watching this unfold over the past year… even when my heart has most often been rooted in the selfish soil and needs lots of tending + weeding. This is what makes the growth so amazing though, is watching it blossom even through thorns, hail storms, and rocky soil.

“Love endures all things.”

 

2.   THE ART OF LISTENING WELL

This is probably the biggest monster that I’ve had in my closet, especially in the moments when disagreements take place. Loving someone with all your being is obviously a very emotional thing, and those wonderful emotional ties sadly cloud our vision so many times, and most of the time muffles our hearing too it would seem. This art of listening well is golden to learn in any relationship, not just marriage. The definition of it is genuinely hearing every word someone is saying, and striving to understand what it is they are trying to communicate, without our own assumptions of what they mean by something. It’s also placing our own millions of responses on the back burner for a second, while theirs simmer.
This takes extreme patience, and is something I’ve probably failed at the most. Even as an introvert who may seem quick to listen and slow to speak,  I’ve noticed a whole new side to myself in marriage I never really observed before.

3.  ACTIONS + ATTITUDES AFFECT

This is something you would think I would’ve learned more living at home, but it is a stubbornly selfish beast that is hard to get rid of.
We get so entangled in our own feelings, battles with the mind and wrestling with circumstances that we can honestly not think about how our reactions + actions will affect others. “I just need to vent” is a familiar comment in my head, selfishly thinking I am the only human being who has feelings in the situation.
Not only do my bad attitudes, hasty actions, and hurtful words affect my husband in many ways, so do my bad habits and stubbornness of a way I’m used to doing things + living life.
I know this is part of two single people, with very individualistic ways of living life, coming together and dying daily to themselves and holding things loosely out of love for the other. But, I know it’s also a heart attitude that is painful to let go of, because it means climbing out of myself.

There are so many more reflections I could dwell on and share, but these three are definitely the biggest that have been huge eye openers for me this year.
I’m amazed at the mercifulness of my God, and the patient love of my husband through the amazing ups and trying downs of this first year of marriage.

But, it’s been everything I ever dreamed it would be and oh so much more.

Marriage is a beautiful thing, and there is incredible peace + confidence that anchors you through the rockiness of each struggle when your hope is firm in your God, and your commitment strong to each other.
Any storm can be weathered.