During my semester abroad in Lyon, France, we had a whopping two week vacation in the middle of October for some Catholic holiday I had never heard of before (thank you, French educational system). Two friends and I spent the break backpacking (as in, I literally only had my tiny backpack – not a smart decision) through Italy. We hit up Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples, Bologna, Milan and Turin. It was two weeks filled with Ancient Roman ruins, Renaissance-era cathedrals, crazy good gnocchi, and avoiding street vendors trying to sell us roses and these weird rubber bouncy balls (why would I want that?!).

Despite moving around almost non-stop, it was an incredibly relaxing and enjoyable trip. There were, of course, a few (2, 3, or 4…not important)  “struggulous” moments where I missed the train to the next city and had to catch up. But still, I had the time of my life and would definitely it to any and everybody else. Two thumbs for Italy!

-Ross Carrington

@TyeCarter27 on Twitter