I've purchased my ticket and now I can't turn back. This September 25th I will leave Portland for a vacation of my lifetime (well so far.)

I have dreamed of Italy for years.... and desired to travel there and experience the Italian lifestyle. Drinking wine, eating cheese, riding bicycles through the countryside, photographing beautiful landscapes, helping bottle wine and pressing olives, hiking the coastal trails (Chinque Terre) and sitting in a beautiful trattoria eating cheese and drinking wine. I'm so interested in the history and culture of the country.

I'm going to use this blog to help with planning my adventure. I will post things I read and journal ideas so I don't forget anything.

Amber, Andrea, Molly and I are all going for 2 weeks. We have decided to divide the main areas of interest to each of us to plan. The places we most want to see are Venice (Which is where we fly into), Chinque Terre, Florence, Siena, Rome and southern italy including the Amalfi Coast area and one night on Capri Island.

I've been talking to lots of people and getting amazing advice and ideas. I'll be blogging about all the ideas so that I can incorporate them into my travel itinery.

Ciao for now..