My trip to Italy was a much different experience than all my other trips, mainly because I did not have to plan a single thing. All I had to do was show up, which made things pretty easy.

Our family had committed to a trip to Italy before I knew I would be spending my semester in Europe, so it worked out perfectly. To start the trip, Mom, Soraya, and Sadie visited me in Copenhagen for a few days. This timed up perfectly with me getting food poisoning from a poorly cooked doner kebab. Nonetheless, I was still able to briefly show them the hygge way around town. It was nice to have familiar faces enter my world and have a glimpse of my day-to-day life, but that portion of the trip was just the appetizer for Italy.

On top of not having to plan anything, I was excited for Italy because I knew things would be a bit nicer than my solo travels with a college budget. Going from the Croatian bus system to having a private driver was an upgrade that I was particularly excited about.

We departed from the wonderful Copenhagen airport and landed in Rome a couple hours later. From there, we took a train to Florence, then hauled out luggage 20 minutes across the city to our hotel. We were all in awe as we took in our first impressions of the city, then even more excited as we walked into a beautiful hotel. Then a slight problem occurred. (My mom will be mortified that I included this part, but I found it hilarious and a significant part of the week, so I included it. Sorry mom.) This problem was that my mom had lost her passport, the #1 thing to not lose on an international trip. In the moment it was obviously not as funny and caused a moment of panic.

However, there was nothing that could be done at the moment other than go get a nice dinner on a patio right outside the Duomo. In Italian style the dinner didn’t start until 11 PM and included pasta, pizza, and wine.

We returned to the hotel, where we had a spectacular setup waiting for us. Our hotel room was two stories with huge shutter windows that opened up to a view directly facing the Arno River. It was a serious upgrade to the hostels I had experienced on previous trips.

Our next day included the major stops of The Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze and The Uffizi Gallery. Going into these places I felt pretty uneducated with my Renaissance art knowledge, but luckily I had Sadie to help me learn as we went along.

I was greatly impressed by both museums but highlight without a doubt was seeing David of Michelangelo. The statues and paintings are all impressive, but there is something breathtaking about seeing the popular recognizable pieces.

Our day at museums concluded with a terrific dinner at Ristorante Parione. This dinner was a storybook Italian experience. We were seated in a wine cellar that was loaded with crates of wine and bottles covering every inch of the walls. Our water was an old Italian man with long silver hair and a profound knowledge of everything on the menu. I had steak, potatoes, red wine, and chocolate cake to top it off.

The following morning, we were greeted by Franco, our driver, and Monica, our guide for the week. Franco always had on a matching corduroy suit and fedora with a waxy tobacco stick in his mouth. He was soft spoken and slow paced. Monica on the other hand was much more outspoken and loved to get her words in.

Our four-day tour of Tuscany started with stops in Siena and San Gimignano. Both towns were modern establishments etched out in the remnants of historic castles. We avoided tourist season with our trip, so we could freely roam the streets without any traffic.

After a long day of exploring the two towns, we made our way to Casa Natalia, our private villa for our stay. Upon arrival we found out the conjoining villa was unrented, and we had access to use it. With the two villas, we had four bedrooms, two kitchens, and two living rooms. This gave us plenty of room to spread out and prepare some delicious homemade meals.

We had an early morning the next day, as we were set to go on a winery tour for the day. We started at Camp Nouvi, which is a small family operation overseen by Danielle. The property included an impressive wine distillery, which looked like it could’ve been used as a lab in Breaking Bad. On top of the distillery was Danielle’s home with floor to ceiling windows that overlooked his entire vineyard. We drank his hand made wine and ate a spread of dried meats, cheese, and bread. Our meal was topped off with an intense shot of grappa.

The second winery, Corte Dei Venti, was a similar experience and took place at Silvana’s family home, which had been a family property since 1943. We ate in their living room and had another authentic tasting experience.

We had a more relaxing day the next day, with almost the entire day spent in Manciano, the town where our villas were. That evening, we headed deep into the countryside to take part in a cooking class hosted by Francesca and Moreno. The class included making pici (our favorite Italian pasta) and a few other pastas that I could not differentiate. It was a good learning experience and s new skill that I can possibly pull out one day in the future.

Our time in Tuscany wrapped up with a final day visiting the villages of Sovana, Sorano, and Pitigliano. All three had a similar feeling, but they each possessed unique character and charm.

To end the trip, we spent our last day in Rome. I was more excited for Rome than my family, probably because I love the movies Troy and Gladiator.

The morning started with my mom taking a trip to the U.S. Embassy, as a desperate attempt to get a replacement passport less than 24 hours before flying home.

Meanwhile, we wandered the streets seeing the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, and Pantheon. We got word that a new passport was secured, which was a massive relief.

We had prefect timing to make it to our Colosseum tour, where I was able to walk out of the tunnel just as Maximus had done. We continued on to the Roman Forum to see the stately ground that the emperors once roamed, as well as the burial site of Julius Caesar.

Our final hurrah was a dash to get to the top of the Castel Sant'Angelo, so we could have a perfect view of the sunset.

That week in Italy was filled with one-of-a-kind experiences, and sights that words cannot describe. I am unbelievably grateful for my mom for providing us with that trip and will remember the time we had together as a family in Italy forever.

Advice to my future self: Family trips are a wonderful investment.