Walked around the neighborhood and found Procacci where I stopped to have a Tartufo e Pate di Foie Gras and glass of rosé!

Grocery shopping was an experience, trying to figure out what was what. I generally got the hang of it though.

After the beach I went to a local caffé and got an Aperol to cool off. The snack scene included with the drink was perfection!

After the market I went to pick up some Prosciutto di Parma at the Proscutteria! \240It was delicious as alway.

Time for Apertivo!

And of course, Gelato : )

Then I popped into Santa Maria della Spina, a tiny church that was built in 1323. It is a somewhat rare example of gothic architecture in Pisa.

Around the corner is the Palazzo Blu residence which has been turned into a museum. There were beautiful furniture pieces and some new art exhibitions from a famous Pisa artist.

After the museum, I stumbled into a Calabrian street festival and had a blast sampling the traditional Calabrian sweets and specialties.

Since it was so hot I decided I needed a gelato and went to La Bottega del Gelato, the best in Pisa. They make everything on site.

I ended my time in Pisa at the famous Caffé Federico Salza, one of the most celebrated cafés and chocolatiers in town. Of course I ended the afternoon with a drink - my new favorite the Americano! It’s Campari, sweet vermouth, and club soda.

Lucca was beautiful and at times reminded me of Paris!

The tiny streets were so charming to walk through. It was easy and fun to get lost!

After some google searching, I somewhat accidentally stumbled into a very high end and acclaimed seafood restaurant in Tuscany, Ristorante da Romano. I wasn’t really dressed the part, but they were wonderful to me and the Sea Bream I had was delicious.

Removing the marble takes a huge amount of work, you would think by the time it got to your kitchen or bathroom in the US it would cost even more!

After sunset I went next door to a wonderful beach seafood spot for Apertivo.

I walked around in search of Apertivo and found myself at the Spanish Steps with a stunning sunset.

After that I had dinner at a spot famous for fettuccine alfredo but got a classic Roman dish instead, bucatini amatriciana.

I love seeing the mountains from the highway. This area of Tuscany holds such a unique backdrop. I’m never running on empty in my BMW 2 series hatchback diesel! \240A great little car that was terrific on gas.

This is Prada headquarters, not the Outlet.

This unassuming building is the Space Outlet.

Space only houses Prada inside, as well as its sister brand, Miu Miu.

My bag was almost as big as my tire! And barely fit in the hatchback. Have to protect the goods! \240Even the hedge leaving the parking lot was gorgous.

After Prada I went north toward Florence where I was dropping of my car before my train to Rome and made one final shopping stop at The Mall. The Mall is an outlet mall, but with many high end European brands. \240I did some damage here as well!

This is only a short list of the brands at The Mall.

I then walked up to Quartiere Coppedè, Rome’s smallest neighborhood. It was charming and beautiful. Almost like a movie set!

After that I walked to the Colosseum for a guided tour.

It was breathtaking thinking about how old the Colosseum is, so at times it was hard to focus on the guide. \240The tour went on to Palantine Hill which was equally impressive.

After a long tour, it was time for Apertivo and my cocktail spritz making class at Magnebevo!

Dinner was a short walk from the hotel at La Buca Di Ripetta where I had a delicious meal.

The friend zucchini! \240