“Wherever you go becomes a part of you.”-Anita Desia. Growing up in auburn, there are only a certain number of things you can taste, see, smell, touch, and hear. Getting out of auburn can be hard for me due to the amount of sports and school work, so going on vacations are very special for me. I had already traveled to a few other states and saw new things, but taking a trip to a different continent is on a completely different level.

I was told about two months early on Christmas Eve that our family would be taking a trip to Italy for February break. The excitement I felt soon after being told is indescribable; I was finally going to be able to see another part of the world that is so well known for its delicious food, high fashion, timeless artwork, and gorgeous sights. Fast forward two months later as my family and I step onto the plane at Pearson International airport in Toronto. The highlight of the flight was flying over the colossal, alluring frost covered Swiss Alps. There are so many things in Italy that amazed me, but a few stood out to me more than some of the others.

It only took one day in Italy to find to my favorite food place. The bright yellow sign that reads “Pinos sandwiches” is very well known in Florence by many because of the great quality and low cost. It has fresh cut meats mixed with any cheese of your choice with a flatbread style bread for only four euros! The store was so simple but yet exactly what I imagined an Italian sandwich shop would look like. It's welcoming feel and delicious food brought me back four times during my trip. Another amazing food place we visited in Florence was La Giostra, which is a highly acclaimed restaurant having been visited by Brad Pitt, Lebron James, and some other big industry names. La Giostra has the highest quality and variety of foods, but was also the most expensive. The bottles of wine ranged from 100-30,000 and everything on the menu was 30 Euros or more for a pretty small portion. I wanted to try something different, so I ordered ravioli with a type of peach sauce in it. It was one of the craziest yet most amazing thing I had ever tasted.

My favorite sight in Florence was the piazza de michelangelo; it provides you with a beautiful view of the entire city of Florence. You see all the churches and the magnificent duomo that sits in the center of the city. We caught the view when it was at sunset, and it felt as if I was almost watching a movie. Another one of my favorite sights was actually the view from the old palace we were staying in. Napoleon Bonaparte’s sister had lived there when he invaded Italy, so It was very well known. The balcony provided a view of the duomo, and the beautiful red roofs of the Italian houses/villas. Those two views will be implemented in my memory forever just because of how gorgeous they were. I'm not a big fan of artwork, but my favorite piece of art was definitely the famous statue of David and ceilings in the Uffizi museum.

The trip to Italy changed me as person because it made me realize how much more there is to see out there. It made me realize how much I loved to travel and how soon I couldn't wait to get out of Auburn.