So, I had decided to go get myself a tattoo as my souvenir for this trip. This trip meant so much to me and I wanted the tattoo as a reminder of all I had experienced in Italy. Unfortunately, finding a tattoo shop was harder than I had expected it to be. I had gotten the idea when we were in Florence. I proceeded to look up some shops online to see how close they were. I also looked at the reviews to see if the shop was clean and professional. I found a shop that was about a twenty minute walk from our apartment. The reviews on it were all very good and the pictures of tattoos they have done looked really impressive. I walked to the address and found the shop, but it seemed to be closed. I went back to the apartment and messaged the owners and unluckily for me, they were out of town currently.When we had arrived in Bologna, I decided to climb the towers. When I had made it to the top, I had an indescribable feeling. The view was so amazing and I just wanted to remember it forever. For this reason, I decided to give the tattoo another shot. This time I looked up some shops and found two that were fairly close and had really good reviews. They seemed like my best options. I ventured to the first one and it started to look promising. The lady spoke English and proceeded to see if they had any spots available for that day. They did not have any time for me that day and the lady was actually pretty rude, so I’m glad I didn’t get one there. I decided to try and find the other shop. I figured that if the next one didn’t work out then maybe it was a sign not to get one. Casey and I walked down a street and saw a tattoo shop with a family walking out of it. It didn’t seem to be the one I was looking for, so I decided to look down a different street. There was nothing on that street, so we decided to go back to the tattoo shop we had just seen and check it out. When we had gotten closer, we realized it was the one I was looking for. It was about 6:30 and they closed at 7:00. We suddenly realized that the family who was leaving were probably the owners closing up early. It was very disappointing. Bologna made me realize that maybe I’m just not meant to get tatted right now and I need to find something else to remind me of how this trip has impacted me.

Poppi was way more than I had expected! The first sight of the countryside just made me fall in love. I am definitely a nature loving girl. The landscape was absolutely breathtaking. The numerous hills and villages down below looked as if they came right out of a storybook. And that was just the beginning. Who would have thought that we were going to be staying right beside a real medieval castle? That was a dream come true for me for two reasons. First, I have always loved fairytales and little kid stories about a knight saving a princess that was trapped inside a castle, guarded by a dragon. Castles, dragons, and dungeons; what kind of story could possibly be better? Second, I have always had a weird interest in all of the things from medieval times. It is something that just seems to capture my attention. Touring the castles is what made the experience even more real and exciting. One of my favorite parts of the castles were the drawbridges. When I was a kid, it seemed like something to just dream up, but seeing it in person makes it so real. People actually needed to have a moat surrounding their castle in order to protect themselves from enemies. I find that so cool! The dungeons were very intriguing as well. Seeing real human remains in the dark, cold room was thrilling. I would absolutely have loved to stay in Poppi longer! Maybe one day I’ll have to go back and buy that castle so that I can truly live out my fairytale.

Many think that making wine is a simple and easy process, but that is certainly not the case. Growing up in an Italian family that enjoys to make their own wine has given me an appreciation for the art. As a little kid, I enjoyed going down into the cellar with my dad and pap, watching them create their masterpieces. They even made special labels specifically for their homemade bottles of wine. It has always been something that was intriguing to me. As I have gotten older, I have become even more interested in Italian cooking, especially the concept of wine. Recently, I have asked my pap and father if they would teach me how to make wine because I believe it is a great skill to have. And I also was thinking about possibly opening my own vineyard one day. Visiting the vineyard has opened my eyes even wider to the art of wine making. Anyone who has said it is quick and simple is extremely wrong. Making a good wine takes patience and research. You not only have to pay attention to the types of grapes being used, but more importantly the types of barrels being used, how long the wine is being aged, and much more. This experience opened up my eyes to how even the littlest detail can make a huge difference in how the wine tastes. To me, this process is truly an art and I hope to one day make it a part of my lifestyle.

The Trevi Fountain was the one thing I was really looking forward to seeing in Rome. My sister and I have always been big Hilary Duff fans and we loved the movie, The Lizzie McGuire Movie. In this movie, Hilary Duff (Lizzie) went on a school trip to Rome. While in Rome, she went and threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain and ever since then, my sister and I have been obsessed with the Trevi Fountain. I have always wanted to go see it and throw a coin in, just like Hilary did in the movie. When I found out we were flying into Rome, I could not wait to go see the fountain and send a video to my sister of me tossing a coin in. It was something really cool for me to experience, mainly because it was something special to me and my sister. At the end of the movie, Hilary Duff (Lizzie) sang the song called Hey Now. My sister was begging me to have someone videotape me signing that song and dancing in front of the fountain but ultimately, I was way too shy and it was too crowded to do that. But I must admit, it would have been a really funny memory to look back on. Either way, just seeing the Trevi Fountain was overwhelming. It was something I have dreamt of as a kid, and finally getting to toss in a coin was a dream come true. This may not be a big deal to some other people but for me, it was an experience I will never forget.