I'd only been to Cinque Terre once with my family when I was about 14, and I have been dying to go back since I left. Something about each charming little seaside town left me in awe, although I'd only visited Riomaggiore and Vernazza. This time, I set out to make it to all five of them.
I went to Rome just 3 months ago to visit one of my best friends, Ty, who was studying abroad there at the time. It quickly became one of my favorite cities in a blur of monuments I'd only heard of in books and movies while growing up, amidst pale orange, mustard yellow, and deep green hues. However, I wasn't able to take many pictures since we were riding through narrow Roman roads on bicycles (over cobblestones and alongside insane Italian drivers). I decided to return so I could take a few snapshots of the grandeur and humbling beauty of the buildings around me, as well as experience different parts of the city with my coinquilline (flatmates) and some friends!
Traveling seems easy when Condé Nast's Travel + Leisure boasts picturesque pieces of paradise and when your Insta feed is filled with visits to bucket list destinations from around the world. The advertising world does not detract from these images, ensuring "stress-free travel" services ranging from airlines to all-inclusive tour packages. However, planning the adventure of a lifetime isn't always as short and simple as it seems.
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