Milan

Duomo di Milano (2014)

/ Cate Spader / Leave a comment

It’s hard to believe that nearly six years ago, my husband and I were in the most breathtaking and historical places!

In July of 2014, we left France for Italy and Milan had to be our first stop. During our first night in the city of shopping, we explored the famous city center.

A photographer saw us walking by and wanted to grab a photo of us smooching in front of the Duomo di Milano, or Milan Cathedral. Although I’ve always cherished this moment, the history of the cathedral is sublime.

The Italian gothic, old-school architecture makes for a stand-out structure. The inside is even more stunning with some of the ‘loudest’ stained glass windows I’ve ever seen. And unfortunately, I don’t have a single photograph of the inside…

I remember learning that the Duomo di Milano is the church with the most statues! It’s also the fifth largest church in the world today, and took over 600 years to complete (some are still under the assumption that it isn’t even completed to this day!).

I can’t wait to get back out there and travel again! 😊

Three Italian Cities

/ Cate Spader / 4 Comments

Okay, Italy is one of my favorite places I’ve visited to date; HOWEVER, there is a huge difference between the three cities I visited there.

In 2014, I visited Milan and Genoa with my boyfriend. We both agreed that Milan wasn’t “all it was cracked up to be.” We enjoyed the food a LOT, and the cathedral in the city center, but that was really about it.

On the flip side, Genoa was breathtaking and the food was even better than Milan! There I ate the best ravioli I’ve ever had in my entire life, and the cappuccinos weren’t bad either 😊 Juan and I had gelato at least four times a day, went to various beaches, and had some of the best experiences with locals. Genoa was much more hospitable than Milan was, too!

In 2016, a friend and I visited Rome. Granted, I knew Rome would be touristy, but this was a little extreme! I love cities like Paris and Bangkok, but you don’t get that true authenticity that you would in Aix or in Chiang Rai; this is how I felt about Genoa as well.

As of right now, given the three cities I’ve visited in one of the most beautiful countries, Genoa is by far my favorite! Rome is second and Milan…well…didn’t live up to my expectations.

I’m not telling you not to visit Milan or Rome because both cities have a lot to offer a variety of people, but if you’re like me and want a true taste of Italy, Genoa won’t disappoint 😊