Our Trip to Italy--Part 3

I wanted to share the last part of our trip, as well as some pictures of the incredible places we saw during our travels. I will tell you right now, you'll want to stick around to the end--I'm ending it with pictures of my nephew. *Warning*: you might get baby fever. I cannot be held responsible for any actions you may want to take regarding adding numbers to your family ;-)

After getting back from Austria on Monday, Isaac and I spent the rest of our trip hanging out with Kate and Matt (my sister and brother-in-law) in their home city, Vicenza. We got to experience what living in Italy is really like. We visited the fresh markets on Tuesday and Thursday, bought groceries at the Eurospar, wandered around their streets, bought gelato one night, hung out in their apartment, and learned how to make gnocchi. We got to watch Luca a few times so that Matt and Kate could go on a date or workout together on base. We really enjoyed the slower pace while still getting to experience another place and culture. One of the days we took an afternoon trip to Venice, but since it was so cold, we cut the day short. Friday morning we headed out to fly back to the US. I was SO sad to leave. Until next time....

The first night we got into town, we went for a walk in the town my sister lives. Such a cute town, that was beautiful at night with all the Christmas decorations.

A building designed by the famous architect, Palladio. The buildings in Italy just blow my mind.

This is what ALL of the streets look like there...NBD

We hiked up to the top of a hill that overlooks Vicenza. This church, Church of St. Mary of Mount Berico, was near the top.

Oh hey there, Colosseum. This is well known, right??

The arch of Constantine right by the Colosseum. Thanks Rick Steves for telling us the history behind it, and thank you whoever left your city map on the rock we were sitting while we listened to it. That map saved us!

This is the square in front of St. Peter's Basilica. So incredible. I wish this photo did it justice....

Inside St. Peter's Basilica. Did you know they have embalmed popes in glass boxes that you can see? Creepy...

The view from Ponte Vecchio, the famous bridge in Florence.

The steps up to the Piazzale Michaelangelo, a lookout spot for Florence.

We stopped for lunch at Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. So stunning...side note: I had a pizza here with smoked salmon, strawberries, and a balsamic glaze. Mmmmm

I really tried to limit my pictures. I didn't include like 15 that I originally planned on putting here. Hope you enjoyed experiencing a little bit of what we did while we were there.

And without further ado, the moment you all have been waiting for.....sweet baby LUCA!!