Three flights, three trains, two metro, six buses, and a taxi ride later we made it to Italy. It was late, we had no idea where we were, no cell service, and nobody spoke English. At that point we’d been traveling for over 30 hours, and we were in desperate need of a shower, but we had each other. At last, we found a teenage girl on one of our last buses who told us we missed our last stop (great) and called our hotel to get us a cab. We were barely lucid and would basically go anywhere she told us as long as it meant a warm bed.

We finally arrived at Palazzo Catalani and slept for 15 hours straight, until the next day’s evening. We woke up for long enough to scarf down some yummy Italian pizza (holy wow) and went back to bed until the next morning.

The next day we finally got to explore Soriano, Italy. It was a beautiful authentic Italian city, not like the tourist areas. Everyone spoke Italian, there were Italian food markets, Italian stores, and our favorite- the pizza. We had pizza every night, even if we’d eaten dinner before. We knew we wouldn’t have anything like it in the states.

After two days of exploring Soriano we bought train tickets to Rome. I was beyond excited, especially because it held my Lizzy McGuire fantasy of  throwing a coin in the Trevi Fountain. Checked that off ✓.

We explored the whole city of Rome on a hop-on tour bus. At the end of the day while the sun was setting, we caught a glimpse of the Colosseum. The golden sun shown off the limestone walls and created a glimpse of life during the Roman empire’s rule. They had blocked off the remains of the city near the Colosseum, but you could still visualize what a bustling town it was.

Pompeii was next on our list. From limoncello to the “pompeii reds” lining the walls of the ruins, we experienced a day in the life of the desolate city. We stood in the arenas, and saw the volcano overlooking the ruins. I have to say, it looked like a place I would want to live, but the more we walked through, the sadder the lost city became. One quote in particular painted a picture more vivid than those on the walls of the homes:

“In the darkness you could hear the crying of women, the wailing of infants, and the shouting of men. Some prayed for help. Others wished for death.

But still more imagined that there were no Gods left, and that the universe was plunged into eternal darkness.”

― Pliny the Younger, The Letters of Pliny, the Younger: With Observations on Each Letter

The statues of the boy, the dog, and the woman all embodied this idea that there was no hope, that they had to succumb to the heat of the volcano that meant certain death for them. The city of Napoli was filled with life, but visiting Pompeii showed that life can change in the blink of an eye.

Our trip ended before we were ready, and although we greatly desired to explore Italy deeper, home called. Rome, Soriano, and Napoli will forever be in our hearts, and the few images will keep the memories vivid in my mind, but our Italian honeymoon carries on to my every day life as I get to explore life with my forever travel partner.