Of everywhere we went in Italy, Positano was my least favorite. Don't get me wrong: just because it was my least favorite doesn't mean I didn't think it was amazing... it's remarkable in the way it's built, and absolutely, jaw-droppingly beautiful, but at the end of the day, it felt to me like any other tourist town, with the requisite overpriced restaurants and shops, and a culture that's more vacation than Italian.  Then again, who can argue with allocating a couple of days to soaking in (and photographing) views like this? (Thank you to Erin for reminding me to get on the other side of the camera a few times on our trip!)

Next stop: Rome. Rome was the first city I ever really got to know, and it was probably the largest single factor influencing my decision to move to NYC after college. Living there for a month when I was 19 gave me a taste for the incredible richness of big city living: the beautiful architecture, the incredible food, the never-ending list of things to do and see, and the wide, colorful range of people... it appealed to every fiber of my young adult self. So it was with some trepidation that I returned, 16 years later, wondering how it could possibly live up to its pedastaled place in my mind.

But it did.

I no longer feel the desire to live full-time in a big city, but I understand now - perhaps better than ever - how this particular city won my heart, and in many ways changed the course of my life that summer.

So that's it... it was a pretty incredible two weeks. If you haven't seen them yet, check out parts 1 and 2 from Venice and Tuscany... I know I'll be visiting all three of these posts myself when I need a quick mental vacation from my desk!

xox,

annemie