My most exciting moment in Italy was coming down the canal in Venice for the first time! I know its cliche but I wasn't prepared for that. What is your favorite "moment" in Italy?

Spending the night at the crater of the volcano Stromboli.

That titian-haired waitress in Rome...

The Colosseum and St. Peter's were amazing, the Forum was my favorite, but I think the place that gave me the most chills was standing outside the Mamertine Prison. It wasn't open the day we were there, but we sort of stood there staring at it for the longest time.

Amanda

Renewing personally written wedding vows with my wonderful husband on a gondola in Venice at sunset.

the volcano is on my list!!!

One thing was discovering that even in St. Peters there is actually faux marble!

thornyroses....me too!!

We took an overnight train and arrived to Venice at dawn. We were traveling down the canal at sunrise and it was one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever experienced.

The second was on that same trip....we walked the Cinque Terre from Rio Maggiore to Vernazza...above the town of Vernazza is a wine canteen up on a perch overlooking the town and mediterrian. We sat there drinking local wine watching the sun go down....perfection!!

Third.....just about every other minute I spend in Europe....too many wonderful moments to list.

.........looking down into the sassi in
Matera.

Totally unique, beautiful but triste.

I have a tie, betweeen getting off the train in rome termini station and walking down a side street looking my hostel and seeing in the distance the top of the colloseum, wow. The other favorite is my first hike in cinque terra think of a hike in the moutains with incredible med. sea views along side my lovely wife, double wow.

ttt

This is easy. We arrived in Positano for the first time under a full moon. During the first night at our hotel I woke just before dawn because of jet-lag and decided to open the big green wooden doors to our balcony. As I stepped onto the balcony, I saw Positano before me, under a full moon with the hint of a pinky/orange dawn beginning to shine on the hillside. I thought I had died and gone to heaven during the night. My husband came out to join me and we watched the sun rise over Positano. It was a singular moment in my life. (We've gone back every early June since. 76 more days!)

What impressed me the most about Italy? That's easy: The Italians!

Like anywhere you visit, it's the little things. Like my previous post being inside the areana was not nearly as amazing as seeing it from a distance. Take time in italy and don't run around too much and you will be impressed! Take a seista, lounge at a steet side place, not in a croweded plaza and watch, listen, and embrace. This is what travel is about whether your in europe, DC, north dakota, wherever!!!!!

Yes, I loved the italian and their open, warm ways to invite you in.

Padraig, what is "titian-haired"?!

It's hard to choose just one thing, but I'd have to say the accessibility of art. It seems that everywhere you turn you trip over beautiful things, there is a fresco, here is a statue, over there is a freize, around the corner a fountain; all right out there in the middle of everything...not behind a fence or enclosed in glass.

Gelati!!....pistashio that is sweet but with a hint of salt....awesome.

And....Vino, fromaggio and pasta pasta pasta....and of course more vino.

Crazy4Travel,

Tell me more about this Canteen above Vernazza. How do we find it? We're making our first trip to CT in October and that experience sounds right up our alley.

Titian-haired means hair that looks like the hair in a Titian painting. Those who look at Titian paintings can confirm that it is something special.