Rome

We arrived in Rome and headed strait for the forum.

The next day we saw "everything" else.

View from the Spanish steps.

Trevi Fountain

Pantheon

Vatican City

There were citrus trees fruiting all over the city...

...and cats living in with the ruins.

On what we thought was our last day in Rome we visited Villa Borghese and gardens.

I thought this was going to be that last shot I took of Rome.

Had it not been for the Icelandic ash cloud grounding all European flights, we would not have had this beautiful day:

Then we got caught in a thunderstorm and were drenched to the bone. It was epic.

Florence

From Milan we took a train to Florence, through Tuscany: flashes of mountains and countryside and terraced olive tree orchards sprang up around us as we weaved in and out of tunnels. It started to really look like Italy, or what I dreamed Italy would look like.

It's possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been.

Walking along the river on this night, Jeffery asked me to marry him.

This was one of my favorite places in Florence. La Piazza di Santa Croce.

I can't wait to go back!