My second most loved city in Italy!! We visited for 6 days and stayed at an Airbnb that had the Duomos’s dome as the view from our terrace!! You can’t imagine the emotions that brought!!! My Italian teacher in high school was from Firenze and in my 4 years of Italian education I felt as if I knew il Duomo personally!!! Truly enjoyed your trip as much as ours. It brought back so many memories. Our driver took us to a winery which was also espectacular. There were a few boxes of wine and olive oil shipped home!!!! 😋 I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this video!!! 👏🏻
We are so thrilled to hear this, Maria! That must have been a breathtaking view every morning! We had been having wine and olive oil shipped to us since our first amazing trip to Italy, so we know how wonderful those lasting taste memories are of Italy! I am happy to hear that you have such wonderful, deep memories of your trip and all the experienced that tied into it. I took one year of Latin in high school, and that was nothing close to what it must have been to have four years of Italian from a teacher from Italy. Love it! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Oh Mrs. “M” was a force to be reckoned with!!! But I adored her and soaked up every lesson, pronunciation, and love of Italy - thanks to her. I may have been born in Cuba, but I think I’m Italian somewhere down the line!!!! 😜 Your daughter is learning about her heritage from the best teachers in the world!!!
Wow! Judy and Kevin, I really like this video! The music, the cinematography, the narration, the mood, you nailed it! I feel like I'm on vacation with you and your daughter. I see world-famous beauty and I feel frustrated and distracted by the crowds. You managed to capture the zeitgeist of these modern-day tourist hot spots. Brilliant!
Hi @token4774, Thank you SO MUCH for this lovely comment! We had such a blast showing off Italy to our daughter and we were so happy that she enjoyed it as much as we do! We appreciate you watching us try to capture a little slice of our favorite country! -Judy 🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
First hiking trip to Europe 15 years ago to Cinque Terre. Easy walk town to all 5 towns. Loved it. Stunning views, excellent food. Have returned to Europe 12 more times for hikes and bike trip. Just returned from England hiking and after watching your Italy videos we will be returning to Italy on our next vacation.
Thank you so much for watching, Trudy! What a cool area to have your first European hiking experience! Italy is such a marvelous country. We've been to 30 Italian cities so far and have barely scratched the surface! We'll be in Sardinia in May and can't wait to experience it! But we love England as well; I bet the hiking there was first rate, too! -Judy 🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
Hi Taran, It's great to hear from you again! Thank you so much for watching. There is so much to love in Italy, and we are glad we could bring you along to some of the more popular cities in Italy. Our episode airing today is from our time in Verona and Lake Como. Verona is one of our favorite, all-time cities, so we hope you'll watch! -Judy
@@itsmetaran Thanks so much. Here's a direct link when you're ready. We hope you enjoy it! -Judy 🎥 Verona and Lake Como-Two of our Favorite Places in Italy: ruclips.net/video/Vtk2GLBNhhg/видео.html
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed it. It was a little longer of a video, but we hoped that it would work out since we were covering four cities! It was a great trip! And so glad to hear you liked the music. We were thrilled especially in a few parts to be able to use the music from the local busker! -Judy
We visited Florence for part of a day from a Mediterranean cruise on our honeymoon 16 years ago. We fell in 😍 love. It has been our reason for returning twice to Italy over the years. We now retired have more time to travel. We will continue to love Italy, but now we want to expand our adventures.😊
It is a beautiful place for sure! We were surprised that we didn't love it enough to live here full time when we eventually decide to settle down because it is such a beautiful city. And we understand completely! We love Italy, too, but there are so many places in the world we want to explore, and it's especially hard when you can only be in the Schengen zone on a 90/180 basis! -Judy
This video was wonderful! We already had all these places on our day-trip plan for next year, and we were so happy to see how lovely they all are. I had a little trepidation about visiting touristy Pisa, but no more! I am so looking forward to seeing all of them! Thanks so much!
Hi Linda, We are so glad to hear this! I do feel a bit guilty for not spending more time in Pisa because it actually is very pretty. I think you will enjoy it and everything else. Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
This was such a fun video, Florence is our favorite city and Lucca is our favorite day trip. Looking forward to your Verona video, we will be there again next July, such a clean and charming little city.
Hi Joe, Thank you so much for watching and for your nice comment. We were surprised that Florence didn't resonate with us when we were looking for a home base in early 2022, so we were thrilled that we connected with it again in 2024. Lucca really is a lovely little place and it's relaxing and charming. We hope you'll love our video from Verona. We were thrilled that our daughter enjoyed it as much as we do! -Judy 🎥 6 Italian Cities in 12 Days: ruclips.net/video/1_8cUSnvwiA/видео.html
Hi Deb and Mike, Thank you so much for watching! We love Florence and these day trips were so fun. It was our first time to visit Cinque Terre. We preferred Lake Como's beauty, but maybe we'd have felt differently had we been able to walk between all the five towns and also had better weather the day we visited. We have a full series from Italy if you're interested that I'll link below. I just subscribed to your channel. You do a great job narrating and Kevin and I both love bike riding. We don't like driving enough to ever live in an RV, but we appreciate the idea of it quite a bit! Best of luck on all your adventures! -Judy 🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
I used to go to the Lidl supermarket in Florence, and get a loaf of bread , and prepackaged porchetta from the deli. A great breakfast, and sneaky hangover cure😅. Thanks for the video
Hi Dan, That's always such a great plan! There was a great deli next door to us in Orvieto and we grabbed fresh cold cuts, yummy cheeses, bread and truly feasted! Mangia! -Judy
Hello Judy and Kevin, thank you so much for another great video. If you will be in Florence again I highly recommend to have a meal or two at Osteria Pastella. It’s conveniently located near Santa Maria Novella railway station. My cousin works there and I know that they are changing menu every 3-6 months leaving the most popular, like truffle cheese wheel pasta. Their chef is from Sardegna. Very good and always fresh food. Delizioso! 👌👌👌 If you will decide to go there it’s better to make a reservation. Thanks again. Cheers, Chris and Inna
Hi Chris and Inna, We don't have a trip planned for this year, but we love Florence, so I know we'll be back. Thank you so much for the recommendation! -Judy
kinda fun to watch a video on tourist places I've been to before! I just love Lucca - been there many times. 🚴 around the wall-top bike path is always a favorite! Thanks for rekindling some good memories…
Thank you so much for watching, especially a place you've already been. We've found that a lot of our viewers like to either relive their travel memories or check to see if we did the place they love justice or saw something they might want to go back and see again (or recommend something we missed). We have such a great community here, and we're glad you're part of it! -Judy
I love Florence!!! I went to Verona in April and it reminded me a lot of Prague. I went to that same sandwich shop in Verona. Huge sandwiches and always a line.🤣
We would love to get to Prague! It's been on my list of places to visit for ages. If you like to read, you might enjoy this website/podcast. The creator formerly wrote cookbooks and then moved to Prague. Following along with her journey has made me very excited to explore there for ourselves! strongsenseofplace.com/2020/01/20/15-novels-that-capture-the-magic-and-mystery-of-prague/ And yes, regarding All'Antiqua Vinaio! Yummy! Thanks for watching! -Judy 🎥 6 Italian Cities in 12 Days: ruclips.net/video/1_8cUSnvwiA/видео.html
Hi James, We ate at a place in Rome called Mizio's that also was really delicious. Also, on our first visit to Florence we visited Panini Toscani, which also is amazing. Come to think of it, I don't know if it's possible to get a bad panino in Italy! It might be against law, if not an abomination to the culture! Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
Us too! We have a full series from Italy linked below, @travelingexpats, if you're interested. Thanks so much for watching! -Judy 🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
Hi @salimahhossain8161, It's hard to make recommendations without knowing your ages, how mobile you are, your interests, and how much time you have to spend in Italy. I'll link our Italy episodes below so you can see what might resonate with you. If neither of you have visited Italy before, I'd suggest that you visit Rome, Florence, and Verona. A lot of people will choose Venice as their third stop, but I think it's a better as a day trip from Verona. You can stay into the evening and enjoy some of the pretty lights on the water without having to spend the night. I'd suggest that you work very hard not to overpack, bring comfortable shoes, don't get overwhelmed about using the train system (and if you're planning to get first-class train tickets, you might want to buy those early). Don't overplay your days. Do an activity in the morning and in the afternoon with plenty of time between them so that you aren't rushing. You may not be anxious travelers, but we think these tips are good regardless. Make sure you have Google Translate loaded on your phone for scanning menus and translating some sites that may not have English translations. Italy is a country not to be rushed. Take time to sip aperitivi and enjoy a slow after-dinner walk. We wish you a wonderful time with your daughter! -Judy 📝 How to reduce stress for anxious travelers: findingginamarie.com/articles/how-to-reduce-stress-for-anxious-travelers?rq=stress 🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
Hi Jeannine, We have been learning Italian for the last three years using Duolingo, but we are so far from fluent! We can read it and understand words, but not at the pace that Italians speak. We still get tongue tied when trying to speak, though! For the last three months I've been working with a tutor a few times per week. It's going slowly but steadily! -Judy
Yes, we've been able to get by nearly everyplace we've been with Google translator (great for photos and menus, too). But it is nice to practice our Italian in Italy. The challenge is that at times (1) Italians want to practice their English or (2) they're busy and don't have the patience to try to understand you. But we're making progress! 🎥 BEST TRAVEL TIPS and TRICKS for communicating outside the US: ruclips.net/video/HRyXqMV_BXs/видео.html
My second most loved city in Italy!! We visited for 6 days and stayed at an Airbnb that had the Duomos’s dome as the view from our terrace!! You can’t imagine the emotions that brought!!! My Italian teacher in high school was from Firenze and in my 4 years of Italian education I felt as if I knew il Duomo personally!!! Truly enjoyed your trip as much as ours. It brought back so many memories. Our driver took us to a winery which was also espectacular. There were a few boxes of wine and olive oil shipped home!!!! 😋 I can’t begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this video!!! 👏🏻
We are so thrilled to hear this, Maria! That must have been a breathtaking view every morning! We had been having wine and olive oil shipped to us since our first amazing trip to Italy, so we know how wonderful those lasting taste memories are of Italy! I am happy to hear that you have such wonderful, deep memories of your trip and all the experienced that tied into it. I took one year of Latin in high school, and that was nothing close to what it must have been to have four years of Italian from a teacher from Italy. Love it! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Oh Mrs. “M” was a force to be reckoned with!!! But I adored her and soaked up every lesson, pronunciation, and love of Italy - thanks to her. I may have been born in Cuba, but I think I’m Italian somewhere down the line!!!! 😜 Your daughter is learning about her heritage from the best teachers in the world!!!
We love hearing this story, Maria! We wish we had a Mrs. "M" in our lives like you did! And thank you so much for your kind words! -Judy
Wow! Judy and Kevin, I really like this video! The music, the cinematography, the narration, the mood, you nailed it! I feel like I'm on vacation with you and your daughter. I see world-famous beauty and I feel frustrated and distracted by the crowds. You managed to capture the zeitgeist of these modern-day tourist hot spots. Brilliant!
Hi @token4774, Thank you SO MUCH for this lovely comment! We had such a blast showing off Italy to our daughter and we were so happy that she enjoyed it as much as we do! We appreciate you watching us try to capture a little slice of our favorite country! -Judy
🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
First hiking trip to Europe 15 years ago to Cinque Terre. Easy walk town to all 5 towns. Loved it. Stunning views, excellent food. Have returned to Europe 12 more times for hikes and bike trip. Just returned from England hiking and after watching your Italy videos we will be returning to Italy on our next vacation.
Thank you so much for watching, Trudy! What a cool area to have your first European hiking experience! Italy is such a marvelous country. We've been to 30 Italian cities so far and have barely scratched the surface! We'll be in Sardinia in May and can't wait to experience it! But we love England as well; I bet the hiking there was first rate, too! -Judy
🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
Thanks a lot for this amazing video!
Hi Taran, It's great to hear from you again! Thank you so much for watching. There is so much to love in Italy, and we are glad we could bring you along to some of the more popular cities in Italy. Our episode airing today is from our time in Verona and Lake Como. Verona is one of our favorite, all-time cities, so we hope you'll watch! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Looking forward to it. Thanks.
@@itsmetaran Thanks so much. Here's a direct link when you're ready. We hope you enjoy it! -Judy
🎥 Verona and Lake Como-Two of our Favorite Places in Italy: ruclips.net/video/Vtk2GLBNhhg/видео.html
Great video as usual guys. Thank you so much and keep them coming !
Thank you so much, Greg! We appreciate your support very much! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie looking forward to the Lake Como video- we plan on visiting Italy’s Lake District next summer!
@greggiacona238 Oh hurray! We really enjoyed Lake Como and have some tips to share! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie great! Looking forward! Will you be visiting lake Garda as well?
@greggiacona238 It was on our wish list, but we couldn’t fit it in. I would love to plan to visit though. -Judy
Just an excellent and informative video. Liked the music also. Thanks for valuing your viewers’ time.
We are so glad to hear you enjoyed it. It was a little longer of a video, but we hoped that it would work out since we were covering four cities! It was a great trip! And so glad to hear you liked the music. We were thrilled especially in a few parts to be able to use the music from the local busker! -Judy
We visited Florence for part of a day from a Mediterranean cruise on our honeymoon 16 years ago. We fell in 😍 love. It has been our reason for returning twice to Italy over the years. We now retired have more time to travel. We will continue to love Italy, but now we want to expand our adventures.😊
It is a beautiful place for sure! We were surprised that we didn't love it enough to live here full time when we eventually decide to settle down because it is such a beautiful city. And we understand completely! We love Italy, too, but there are so many places in the world we want to explore, and it's especially hard when you can only be in the Schengen zone on a 90/180 basis! -Judy
This video was wonderful! We already had all these places on our day-trip plan for next year, and we were so happy to see how lovely they all are. I had a little trepidation about visiting touristy Pisa, but no more! I am so looking forward to seeing all of them! Thanks so much!
Hi Linda, We are so glad to hear this! I do feel a bit guilty for not spending more time in Pisa because it actually is very pretty. I think you will enjoy it and everything else. Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
This was such a fun video, Florence is our favorite city and Lucca is our favorite day trip. Looking forward to your Verona video, we will be there again next July, such a clean and charming little city.
Hi Joe, Thank you so much for watching and for your nice comment. We were surprised that Florence didn't resonate with us when we were looking for a home base in early 2022, so we were thrilled that we connected with it again in 2024. Lucca really is a lovely little place and it's relaxing and charming. We hope you'll love our video from Verona. We were thrilled that our daughter enjoyed it as much as we do! -Judy
🎥 6 Italian Cities in 12 Days: ruclips.net/video/1_8cUSnvwiA/видео.html
Excellent
Hi Deb and Mike, Thank you so much for watching! We love Florence and these day trips were so fun. It was our first time to visit Cinque Terre. We preferred Lake Como's beauty, but maybe we'd have felt differently had we been able to walk between all the five towns and also had better weather the day we visited. We have a full series from Italy if you're interested that I'll link below.
I just subscribed to your channel. You do a great job narrating and Kevin and I both love bike riding. We don't like driving enough to ever live in an RV, but we appreciate the idea of it quite a bit! Best of luck on all your adventures! -Judy
🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
@@FindingGinaMarie thank you. We also had subscribed to yours. It is really going to help with our planning. You two are great.
Thank you so much; we appreciate your support! -Judy
I used to go to the Lidl supermarket in Florence, and get a loaf of bread , and prepackaged porchetta from the deli. A great breakfast, and sneaky hangover cure😅. Thanks for the video
Hi Dan, That's always such a great plan! There was a great deli next door to us in Orvieto and we grabbed fresh cold cuts, yummy cheeses, bread and truly feasted! Mangia! -Judy
Hello Judy and Kevin, thank you so much for another great video. If you will be in Florence again I highly recommend to have a meal or two at Osteria Pastella. It’s conveniently located near Santa Maria Novella railway station. My cousin works there and I know that they are changing menu every 3-6 months leaving the most popular, like truffle cheese wheel pasta. Their chef is from Sardegna. Very good and always fresh food. Delizioso! 👌👌👌
If you will decide to go there it’s better to make a reservation. Thanks again. Cheers, Chris and Inna
Hi Chris and Inna, We don't have a trip planned for this year, but we love Florence, so I know we'll be back. Thank you so much for the recommendation! -Judy
kinda fun to watch a video on tourist places I've been to before! I just love Lucca - been there many times. 🚴 around the wall-top bike path is always a favorite! Thanks for rekindling some good memories…
Thank you so much for watching, especially a place you've already been. We've found that a lot of our viewers like to either relive their travel memories or check to see if we did the place they love justice or saw something they might want to go back and see again (or recommend something we missed). We have such a great community here, and we're glad you're part of it! -Judy
I love Florence!!! I went to Verona in April and it reminded me a lot of Prague. I went to that same sandwich shop in Verona. Huge sandwiches and always a line.🤣
We would love to get to Prague! It's been on my list of places to visit for ages. If you like to read, you might enjoy this website/podcast. The creator formerly wrote cookbooks and then moved to Prague. Following along with her journey has made me very excited to explore there for ourselves! strongsenseofplace.com/2020/01/20/15-novels-that-capture-the-magic-and-mystery-of-prague/
And yes, regarding All'Antiqua Vinaio! Yummy! Thanks for watching! -Judy
🎥 6 Italian Cities in 12 Days: ruclips.net/video/1_8cUSnvwiA/видео.html
In Rome, we found a panini place called panino davino that was amazing! Usually a line, no place to sit, affordable and delicious!
Hi James, We ate at a place in Rome called Mizio's that also was really delicious. Also, on our first visit to Florence we visited Panini Toscani, which also is amazing. Come to think of it, I don't know if it's possible to get a bad panino in Italy! It might be against law, if not an abomination to the culture! Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
Great video! Looks like a great trip. We love traveling in Italy.
Us too! We have a full series from Italy linked below, @travelingexpats, if you're interested. Thanks so much for watching! -Judy
🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
I need help with planning a trip to Italy in spring 2025: any help would help as I have never travelled alone with my daughter
Hi @salimahhossain8161, It's hard to make recommendations without knowing your ages, how mobile you are, your interests, and how much time you have to spend in Italy. I'll link our Italy episodes below so you can see what might resonate with you. If neither of you have visited Italy before, I'd suggest that you visit Rome, Florence, and Verona. A lot of people will choose Venice as their third stop, but I think it's a better as a day trip from Verona. You can stay into the evening and enjoy some of the pretty lights on the water without having to spend the night.
I'd suggest that you work very hard not to overpack, bring comfortable shoes, don't get overwhelmed about using the train system (and if you're planning to get first-class train tickets, you might want to buy those early). Don't overplay your days. Do an activity in the morning and in the afternoon with plenty of time between them so that you aren't rushing. You may not be anxious travelers, but we think these tips are good regardless. Make sure you have Google Translate loaded on your phone for scanning menus and translating some sites that may not have English translations.
Italy is a country not to be rushed. Take time to sip aperitivi and enjoy a slow after-dinner walk. We wish you a wonderful time with your daughter! -Judy
📝 How to reduce stress for anxious travelers: findingginamarie.com/articles/how-to-reduce-stress-for-anxious-travelers?rq=stress
🎥 Italy video series: ruclips.net/p/PLNT98lWfwdF1Tj_VCjUNQTJBMtKpkz5Sk
Do you speak Italian?
Hi Jeannine, We have been learning Italian for the last three years using Duolingo, but we are so far from fluent! We can read it and understand words, but not at the pace that Italians speak. We still get tongue tied when trying to speak, though! For the last three months I've been working with a tutor a few times per week. It's going slowly but steadily! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie it sounds like you’d be a natural! So I’m guessing you’re able to get by with English then?
Yes, we've been able to get by nearly everyplace we've been with Google translator (great for photos and menus, too). But it is nice to practice our Italian in Italy. The challenge is that at times (1) Italians want to practice their English or (2) they're busy and don't have the patience to try to understand you. But we're making progress!
🎥 BEST TRAVEL TIPS and TRICKS for communicating outside the US: ruclips.net/video/HRyXqMV_BXs/видео.html