Montepulciano {Italy, Part 1}

Italy has been a trip that has been planned for a very long time. The stars aligned and it was finally time to go back and show Jason one of my very favorite places!

We caught a late flight from Houston to Rome (via Frankfurt) and rented a car for our drive north to Tuscany. I've been wanting to stay at a functioning agriturismo (a farm/winery subsidized by housing guests) since I toured one in my study-abroad days, so we booked 2 nights at one outside of Montepulciano. 

Corte del Cavalierino was wonderful! Though their English was limited, we had no real problems communicating with them. The room was huge and had an amazing view of their winery and Montepulciano. The only bad thing was the mosquitos and no mosquito nets! Holy cow, they were terrible - who knew? But combine this and the no A/C thing - we had the choice of being eaten alive or sweating all night. We chose the sweating.

Anyways, we figured the best way to beat jet lag was to head out at once into town and we wandered around for hours exploring this cute town. Jason also had his first gelato and loved it (he wasn't sure he was going to, crazy boy!).

Once we got back, we opened up a bottle of their winery's stock and took in the view. They also had a pool and hottub, so we sipped a glass under the stars. Not a bad first day in Italy!

We had heard that Montepulciano was holding a festival on our second night. The festival was called Bravio della Botti, which was essentially an uphill race to see who could push a wine barrel up to the main piazza the fastest between the 8 neighborhoods of Montepulciano. 

We claimed our spot along the route (crammed into a doorway) to watch the race. After a speedy passby, we followed the contestants and made our way up to the main piazza to watch the trophy (or banner in this case) ceremony. Of course the winning neighborhood was celebrating the most, but every neighborhood had booth of snacks and wine set up. We grabbed some fried donuts and wine - dinner of champions - and joined in the festivities!

Next up - Montalcino & Chianti

We're Off To: Italy!

We've definitely changed our minds a lot about our big trip this year. Iceland to Scotland to Greece...in the midst of it all, Jason had a brilliant idea - "Why don't we go to Italy?" And so it was settled! It wouldn't be the all-encompassing return trip I had dreamed of since my study abroad days, but it will hit the highlights and leave plenty to explore on future trips.

We'll be starting in Tuscany, sun-bathing along the Amalfi Coast and ending in Rome. We are beyond excited and we are prepared to eat our weight in pasta, pizza & gelato and drink plenty of wine and Aperol spritzes. 

Look for all of the recaps when we return - Ciao!

A Magical Weekend {Orlando, FL}

We spent one fabulous day immersed in all things Harry Potter at both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Our first stop was Diagon Alley (in Universal Studios). I loved how the entrance is a little hidden, but the wall opens up just like in the books! We made our way straight down the middle of the alley where we immediately jumped onto the "Escape from Gringotts" Ride. It was a 3D ride on a mini coaster and it was a blast.

After, we went to get a (frozen) butterbeer and we explored all of the shops like Ollivander's, Magical Menagerie, Quality Quidditch Supplies and more! My favorite part was Knockturn Alley though. In a lot of the shop windows and situated throughout the park, they have these great interactive spots to "cast spells" to make ran fall from the sky, spray water at you from the fountains, etc. It totally had me wanting a wand, but I resisted - those things were expensive!

Of course, I had to take a picture next to Sirius' house - Number 12 Grimmauld Place. We wandered over to Kings Cross station and jumped on the Hogwarts Express. Something to note: this is actually a ride and has a different theme based on which direction you are going. Just a fun surprise (and an easy way to move between the parks).

We arrived in Hogsmeade and made our way to the Three Broomsticks for some grub and a brew. They have some traditional British food here, which I loved! After, we walked up to Hogwarts castle. There is a "Forbidden Journey" ride here which I liked, but Jason didn't - it was kind of spinny! 

There are some great shops here as well, but our favorite was Honeyduke's! We were able to watch a performance of the Durmstrang and Beauxbaton kids afterwards. After we were done exploring, we made our way back to Universal Studios (via the Hogwarts Express) to hit some favorite rides from when we went years (and years) ago. I would like to point out that we played the super awesome Men In Black laser game and I somehow beat Jason. Ha. There's a first time for everything! 

I know I've said this before, but it really is the little details that made this so special. Even when you are waiting in line, there is something cool to look at or explore. They really nailed the whole experience! We had a wonderful little weekend in Orlando and when we got home, all we wanted to do was to have a Harry Potter movie marathon.

Next up for us - we'll be heading to ITALY in a week!