After gulping down our “tasty” sandwiches, we headed over to the Colosseum. Did you know that the Colosseum is free on Saturdays? Well, now you do! But to avoid the LONG line, Mr. P and I decided to pay for an audio tour…then skipped out and just wandered through the Colosseum ourselves. It was surreal to be there, and when I look back at pictures, I can’t believe I actually was there! It’s an amazing place, but beware of the “gladiators” that scam you out of money to get a picture with them! We also saw a bride and groom getting their pictures taken…I was slightly green with envy! I wanted to take pictures at the Colosseum in my wedding dress!! That didn’t happen, but we did get this pic…

After we got lost roaming Rome (no pun intended) we headed back to our hotel to take a much-needed nap! Later on, we hit up the Trevi Fountain and had our final dinner in Italy. We didn’t get any pictures of ourselves at Trevi Fountain, but we did throw our coins in to make sure we would return to Italy.

Then we finally headed back to Chicago. A few tips we learned when traveling to/in/from Italy:

1. Pack light! If you’re trying to be a savvy traveler and take the trains…they don’t accommodate our gigantic luggage and you might hurt yourself trying to lift them in the tiny overhead bins.
2. Pay to have your clothes washed (see #1, Pack Light!)
3. There are no irons and the blow dryers will eat up your hair.
4. Wine is cheaper than water and diet coke so drink up and stay hydrated!
5. You will become addicted to espresso, then when you get back to the US, realize we don’t do it as well as the Italians!
6. You will gain around 10 pounds with all the pasta and olive oil you will eat. Oh and the gelato and Nutella (see #9 and 10)…just come to terms with it!
7. If you’re a spoiled city girl (like your’s truly) don’t stay in small rural towns…nothing is open late and your lucky if you get more than 1 restaurant there!
8. Take a cab from/to the airport so you don’t get lost! It doesn’t cost much more than the trains…honestly! And it saves you a lot of hassling with your bag (if you didn’t pay attention to #1!)
9. Nutella is AMAZING so take lots of the mini packs and bring them home with you! It’s usually in the bowl were butter is supposed to be.
10. Eat gelato on a daily basis…sometimes twice a day.
11. Have a blast

A few pics of the Colosseum and Trevi Fountain…

That’s it! That’s our honeymoon in a nutshell. I’m sure there are some adventures I didn’t share, but my memory is clouded since I waited so long to write this post!

I will eventually post my vendor reviews, but since it’s taken me this long to re-cap our honeymoon, they might take a while but I they will be up because I had amazing vendors that made our wedding amazing and perfect and you should consider them for your day!

And finally, I’ll leave you with a picture of my sexy hubs…

All photos courtesy of me & Mr. P

Told ya so!!

I loved this town…we walked around for what felt like hours!! Just visiting all of the shops and tasting wine. We had a few olive oil tastings too, which we bought since it was delicious! We didn’t buy any wines from where we tasted them from because there were so many stores offering a taste of their wine…so we wanted to try them all! But we ended up buying a bottle that was one of the first wines we tasted all day. You can actually find it at Binny’s if you’re interested in trying my favorite wine. It’s DEI Vino Nobile Di Montepulciano…it’s soooo tasty too! Not too sweet, not too dry, just the right balance of the two.

Then we headed to Montalcino…which is the region that makes my second favorite wine. Brunello de Montalcino…so delicious!! We did our own wine tasting here at one of the enotecas (loosely translated means wine store). What you do is get a card from the register and they have these machines that are full of wine. You put your card in and hit a button of the wine you want to taste and BAM! You have your taste. They had crackers around the shop to cleanse your palate. We also had our evening cappuccino at Cafe Fiaschetteria Italiara with one of the oldest espresso machines. I’m not sure if I mentioned this in my earlier posts, but I was officially addicted to espresso at this point of our trip! I was going on three to four shots a day! And by some miracle, I slept like a baby after having all of that caffeine!! But I will say that I haven’t found a cappuccino or shot of espresso that is as delicious as what I had in Italy.

After browsing through all of the stores, we headed back to Sienna for dinner, then headed to our home away from home. Next up, back to Roma!!!

Here are some of our pics of Montalcino and Montepulciano…

We went on the daily Chianti tour with Tom and had a great time! There was about eight other people on the tour with us and all were from the U.S. as is Tom so we felt very comfortable. The tour departed from Florence so we had to take an early train in to meet up with them. We stopped at Chef Express, one of our favorite breakfast places…this place had really good cappuccino’s and chocolate pastries!! Then made our way to the meeting point at one of the bridges.

Our guide Tom was really nice and very knowledgeable. He was from San Francisco but now lived in Florence with his wife. We had a blast on this tour and were able to taste so much wine and olive oil!

The first stop we made was to Castello Del Trebbio. ;It was breathtaking! It looked exactly like what you think Tuscany looks like with a castle, a few farm houses and miles upon miles of vineyards.

Look at this place…it’s just beautiful!

Source

We toured the castle, where the wine is made, saw all the different barrels and a bunch of dusty bottles! After the tour, we tasted the wine and the olive oil. This was what I was waiting for…my favorite part! And I wasn’t disappointed…neither was Mr. P! We ended up buying a bottle of Chianti and the olive oil from this place. It is delicious! We’re still enjoying the olive oil, but the wine is long gone. I need to look this place up to get more of it! I’m not a huge Chianti fan, but the wine we tasted here was great.

Then we stopped for a very much-needed lunch…with all of that wine, I was getting a little too drunk! The lunch was amazing! We had the basic Italian meal…cured meats and cheeses, pasta and a desert with a glass of Vin Santo. It was out of this world! I wish I knew the name of the restaurant, but I just know that it was way up in the hills. The view was spectacular…it truly looked like a picture you would see in the magazines.

The final stop was Fattoria Selvapiana. It was just as beautiful as Castello Del Trebbio, without the castle. We were taken on a similar tour of the property, but here we were able to taste the grapes right off of the vine! And at the end of the tour, more wine awaited us!! Here’s some pictures of our tour…

After that, we headed back to Florence, then made our way back to our “home” in Italy. It was a wonderful tour…one I hope to do again on my next visit to Italy. Maybe a different region or different wineries, but Tom was a great guide.

Our day  started in Sienna. We had some time to kill before the tour, so we figured we’d stop in Sienna for a few hours. I LOVED Sienna. It had so many restaurants and shops! We bought a few things there…a scarf for me, and some cheese graters for our parents. We had some pizza, walked around the Piazza del Campo and checked out the Duomo of Sienna. It was our first full day exploring Tuscany and it was so surreal. I couldn’t believe we were finally there!!

Here are a few pictures of Siena…

After a little shopping, we headed back to our car to make the trip to Volterra. Oh, here’s our car…

It was like a go-cart! But it got us to where we needed to be. Mr. P drove the whole time…I wasn’t about to drive in a foreign country especially in Tuscany which as you know is full of hills! I had to close my eyes on our way to Volterra…there were so many sharp turns and winding roads. I was slightly terrified and getting car sick from all the turning and going up and down hills! But we finally made it to Volterra, parked and had to walk up these steps to get to the town…

I think it was over 100 steps. Cars are not really allowed to park or drive within the city walls so you have to climb the steps every time you visit. No wonder Volterians are in such good shape…they have to climb these steps every day! The town itself is gorgeous and very medieval. The Piazza dei Priori is the historical city center of Volterra. It is  a spacious square, where there is the Palazzo dei Priori from 1208, the oldest town hall of Tuscany. It’s amazing to see such an old city that is still thriving!

A few more pics of Volterra…

And finally it was time for our Twilight tour! In case you didn’t know, I’m kinda a huge fan of Twilight. OK, not kinda, I am a huge fan! I was so excited to learn that Volterra was in Tuscany and now I just had to convince Mr. P that we should go there. It was actually pretty easy…see my previous post about our honeymoon planning. He was all for it. We went on the Volterra in New Moon tour and I have to say, it was a lot of fun. For all of you Twilight fans, did you know that there isn’t a fountain in Volterra and there never has been? There’s also not a fountain in Montepulciano, but more about that trip later. Our tour guide was actually from Washington, D.C. and  has family in Wilmette, which is pretty close to Chicago. I felt kind of dumb being 28 and going on a Twilight tour, but hey…you only live once and when was I going to be able to visit Volterra again? Thank god there was another couple on their honeymoon that were of a similar age to Mr. P and I…phew! All the other tourists were what you would expect…young, teenage girls. I liked this tour because, yes it was about Twilight, but our tour guide also threw in history of the town. She took us all around the town and showed us places that are mentioned in the book. She did point out that it was obvious Stephanie Meyer hadn’t visited Volterra, because some of her descriptions were off.  Once the tour was over, we were taken to where the Volturi were and saw a little performance. It was pretty cheesy, but after the performance, we had some wine and cheese.

After that, we headed to our little Tuscan apartment to cook ourselves some dinner. We wanted to stay for dinner in Volterra, but we were pretty far from Bucine. I don’t remember how many kilometers it was, but I think it took between 1 1/2 to 2 hours. So we headed “home” and made ourselves some pasta and had some wine!

Next up is our wine tour in the Chianti region!!

Oh, and here is our Tuscan apartment!!

and the view…

Anywho, after we spent the day in Rome, we headed to Pisa by way of Cinque Terre. We had to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. And yes, I took that picture and made Mr. P do the same!!

I also had the best cappuccino of my life here!! I don’t remember the name of the place, but if you are walking from the train station, you can’t miss it. It’s a little pricey, but it was well worth it!

It was so exciting to be in Italy and to actually be going to the Leaning Tower. I’ve dreamed of visiting such a place and I couldn’t believe I was finally there. I still look at pictures and think “wow…I was there!” That’s really the only thing we did in Pisa…then we finished our journey to Cinque Terre!!

If you aren’t familiar with The Cinque Terre, pick up a book. This place is absolutely beautiful!! The Cinque Terre, “the five lands” is composed of five villages: Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National Park. Over centuries, people have carefully built terraces on the rugged, steep landscape right up to the cliffs that overlook the sea. Part of its charm is the lack of visible “modern” development. Paths, trains and boats connect the villages, and cars cannot reach it from the outside. We only saw a handful of cars actually…since the town is so small, most people walk or ride bikes.

When we arrived, it was around 80 degrees out and Mr. P and I had our 50 pound bags (not fun). If you are familiar with Cinque Terre, you’re familiar with all of the steps and hills in the towns. We stayed in Monterosso…known as the beach town. It took my breath away…literally. Our hotel, Hotel Villa Steno, was at the top of a hill…a very steep hill! By the time we made it to the top, we were drenched in sweat!! Why didn’t we take a cab you ask? Well, because there weren’t any in sight (see my note about no cars) and it’s only about a 10 to 15 minute walk to reach the other side of town, where our hotel was.

After we settled, we called our family and I started posting pictures of our trip on my Facebook page. I know, I”m addicted but I wanted our family and friends to be able to see where we were. Then we roamed around the town, picked up or Cinque Terre cards for hiking and the train, and had some gelato!

The Cinque Terre card allows you to hike the trails. There are also other options that allow you to ride the ferry and the train, unlimited for however many days your purchase it for. There are many different options, but we chose the 2 day train card. The weather was nice so far, so we wanted to spend as much time outside as we could. And throw in a beach day too.

Unfortunately, the next two days rained…I was so bummed!! We were able to do part of the hike, but not the whole thing! We bought umbrellas and visited each town, and let me tell you, Cinque Terre has the most amazing pesto I’ve ever tasted in my life! We bought some so we could take it home. Oh, and their limoncello is supposedly great too. I’m not a fan but I brought a bottle home for my mom and she LOVED it!  Anchovies are also a known specialty of the region and focaccia is a particularly common locally baked bread product. The focaccia pizza there was to die for! The seafood in Italy is delicious too. I had seafood for my first four dinners!! Sea bass three times, and I tried mussels for the first time…and I loved them! Writing about it is making my mouth salivate! It’s tough to find good seafood in Chicago.

About Hotel Villa Steno…it’s a great hotel to stay at. We received the Rick Steves’ Italy book for Christmas, and he recommended this hotel. It isn’t on the beach, but it only takes a few minutes to get there. It’s very clean and the owners are so nice. The only thing I didn’t like was that only CNN and BBC came in on our TV. Not that I needed to be watching TV on my honeymoon, but when it’s raining there’s only so much you can do. You also get a continental breakfast and with the Rick Steves’ book, we got a little bit of a discount. The breakfast was pretty simple…Italians don’t do breakfast like Americans do. I mostly had nutella and toast, a cappuccino and sometimes eggs. Or I’d switch it up and have a pastry instead of my toast and nutella…but that was rare. I love me some nutella!! And as I stated earlier, our dinners and lunches were delicious and the ingredients were so fresh.

My favorite town was Monterosso. Maybe because that’s where we stayed and we became familiar with it, but it is the largest of the villages. I do wish we could’ve taken a ferry to Vernazza and eaten dinner there. But with the choppy sea, the ferry’s weren’t running. Plus there were so many restaurants in Monterosso, we decided to explore the crap out of it!

Our honeymoon was off to a great start…I couldn’t wait to make are next stop in Tuscany!

Here are some of my favorite pictures we took in Cinque Terre…these are mainly in Vernazza and Monterosso…

After we eventually found our way to our hotel, yes I took us on the wrong train and have no idea where we ended up. Luckily Mr. P had bought Tom Tom Italia so we had maps and could figure out how to get where we were going. We were headed to the Intercontinental at the Spanish Steps. Now I’m used to taking the Subway, but I’ve never seen so much graffiti in my life!! At first we thought it looked really cool how all the trains had all this art on them…then we realized not all trains do! We bought our Rome card and were finally on the right way to our hotel. (Sorry Mr. P…my bad!!)

When we got there…after climbing a steep, cobblestone road with 50 pound luggage each (yeah…we didn’t pack to light. Mistake number 3!) we were greeted and congratulated by the staff. Our room was ready (thank god!) cause I need to freshen up in a bad way! We found a bottle of champagne in our room (thanks Intercontinental!!) and popped that baby right away! We freshened up, drank our champagne, grabbed some lunch and were on our way to the Vatican Museum. Looking back, I’m not sure how I didn’t just fall asleep right then and there…I guess it was all the adrenaline and excitement about being in a new country. The Vatican Museum was beautiful. The only art we really wanted to see there was the Sistine Chapel…and it took FOREVER to get there!! Mr. P and I aren’t really art buffs, so we weren’t that interested in most of the other art. We took the time to look at some of it, but we really just wanted to see the Sistine Chapel. When we finally got there, it was breathtaking! And it was also crowded! We spend some time looking up then headed out to the courtyard to get something to drink, something with caffeine preferably! And that’s when it all finally hit me…I almost fell asleep in the courtyard at the Vatican Museum!

So we left and headed over to St. Peter’s…but the line was ridiculously long so we never went inside. Instead, we went on the hunt for gelato and I had the best gelato ever in Rome! We sat around and took in all the people then headed back to our hotel to get ready for our first Italian dinner. I don’t remember the name of the restaurant we went to but it was in our old trusty Rick Steve’s book and it was phenomenal! We had a great bottle of wine, a delicious antipasto with prosciutto, salami, and some other stuff that I don’t know the name of, but it was amazing! For our second plate, I had ravioli and Mr. P had seafood risotto…they were both soooooo good!! And for our final plate I had the sea bass and Mr. P had the veal. So let me tell you something about fish in Italy…they give you the whole thing! Head with the eyes and teeth, tail, scales…the whole thing. I didn’t realize this so when my sea bass came out I was like “um, can you get rid of the head and tale for me?!” The waiter just laughed and asked if I wanted it filleted…and yes, yes, yes I wanted it filleted! I can’t eat something that’s looking back at me!! So the nice man had it filleted for me and for dessert we had profiteroles! I was stuffed and so ready for bed after that. I’m surprised I didn’t pass out right there on the dinner table!

We walked back to the hotel, and decided to check out the Spanish Steps. Everyone was out on the Spanish Steps and it was a Monday evening! Then we headed for that blissful bed calling my name at the hotel!

The city of Rome is beautiful and I wish I could have spent a little more time there. We had another day in Rome, but it was the last day of our trip, so I wouldn’t be back there for 2 weeks!!

Next up…Pisa and Cinque Terre!

The next morning was the hangover brunch that Mr. P’s mom hosted. Unfortunately I don’t have any pictures…we were all hung over and barely made it. But the breakfast was delicious! It was at Swissotel and I think we were on the top floor, so the views were amazing! I brought the photobooth book so everyone could see how it turned out, and I ate some eggs, toast and a pastry. Oh, and coffee…coffee saved my life that morning!! I wasn’t hungover, just extremely exhausted! It was nice to see most of our family and out-of-town guests and say goodbye to them. After all, we were off to Italy on the following Monday!

I wish I was able to spend more time with family, but it’s impossible when there’s so many people there! After that, we checked out of the hotel and went home. As soon as we got home, we had to start packing for Italy…and by we, I mean Mr. P! He hadn’t even started!! I was nearly done, but we did have some cleaning, laundry and last-minute errands to run. Then we had dinner with my grandparents from Puerto Rico Monday night…our final goodbye before Italy.

It was such an amazing weekend! I had so much fun and there was little drama. I pretty much ignored any drama…it was my day after all!! That’s what my maid of  honor was for…my sister was great and my coordinator was also. I’m not sure what I would’ve done without those two. The weekend ran so smooth…I wasn’t really aware of any issues. They kept everything to themselves, and let me enjoy myself. I owe both of them one!! xoxo to my sis and J…you two are amazing!

Let me back up…when we arrived to the reception, this was the first time I was able to see how all my planning had paid off. I was so excited to see the room…and when I did I just had to take a second to take it all in. It was exactly as I pictured it. Everything looked beautiful and I was ecstatic! Then I was rushed to the balcony for some appetizers. My DOC, J, had asked our caterer to set up a table with some apps so Mr. P and I could eat. Who knows if we would have another chance! It was so sweet and delicious! The gave us each one of every app we were having served. I was starving so this definitely helped tie me over until dinner!!

Then we headed outside to the loggia where we were having cocktail hour. The view was absolutely beautiful…I mean, look at this?!

The bar was outside and the line was long…the line for the bar was longer than the line to greet Mr. P and I! And everything was going by so fast! I couldn’t believe we were there already. I ordered my martini, a lemon drop so just in case I spilled or someone bumped into me my dress would be safe! It was good to see everyone…I love weddings because everyone looks so happy and excited. It looked like all our guests were really enjoying themselves.

After cocktail hour, there were the announcements. Some of our attendants were a little out-of-order, but that’s OK. I didn’t really notice since I wasn’t in the room waiting…I was at the back of the line chatting to Mr. P and a few of our attendants.

After our entrance, we had our cake cutting and first dance right away. I am still in love with my cake. It’s exactly what I thought it was going to look like…here’s a picture of what I gave them.

and here’s a picture of our cake!

Pretty good if you ask me! And they didn’t use fondant…that’s buttercream frosting! (cake provided by Bittersweet)

Our cake toppers were a huge hit too…I still have people asking me where I got them and my sister-in-law asked me to buy them for her when she gets married!!

Then it was on to dinner. Everything was as delicious as it was when we had our tasting. And our caterer made sure we were able to eat a plate from every station…we actually had our own server!! It was great!

It seems like this post is going over everything so fast, but that’s actually what it felt like that day. I blinked and the day was over!!

Then it was on to speeches…and right before the speeches, my bustle had ripped!! Luckily I didn’t have that long of a train so it wasn’t a huge deal, but it was a little difficult to dance and not trip over my dress or slip on it. Again, not a huge deal though. The speeches were great…there were tears, laughs and everything in-between. Two of them stand out to me and it was my mom’s speech. She called Mr. P “hot”! Hahaha!! She said “I told Yvette ‘what are you thinking…he’s hot!’” Got to love my mom though…she’s a nut and always makes me laugh!! The best man’s speech was awesome too. I think that was the one that made me laugh the most. And Mr. P’s mom, dad and my sister had me all almost in tears! Our father daughter dance and mother son dance was in there somewhere. Mr. P’s mom was in tears the whole time!! She was so sweet, and my dad told me not to say anything because he didn’t want to lose it either!!

And finally it was on to the bouquet toss, garter toss, then dancing!! Desserts were also served, but we didn’t announce them…and I didn’t get to eat any at the reception. I was too busy having fun dancing with all my friends and family. I had one of the best nights of my life…it was an amazing night and everything ran so smooth! I couldn’t believe it was over!!

Since the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup this summer, and all of our parents are Blackhawks fans, I thought it would be fitting to have them all walk in to the team’s theme song…Chelsea Dagger.

Our usher’s walked out to Black Eyed Peas, Boom Boom Pow…we wanted to set the tone for the evening, and we thought this song was so much fun!

Our attendants walked out to Usher’s OMG…they loved it and all danced on their way out to it!! I could hear all the hooting and hollering outside!

And Mr. P and I walked out to Black Eyed Peas, Meet Me Halfway…I love that song and sometimes in relationships, you have to meet halfway. I think Mr. P and I are pretty good with that.

We cut our cake to Ingrid Michaelson’s The Way I Am…I love this song. It’s so short and Mr. P loves me the way I am (and vice versa of course!)…cause this girl isn’t going to change! He loves all my quirks and I love his.

We decided our first dance should Adele’s Make You Feel My Love. It’s such a romantic song and I love the lyrics. Plus Adele has this amazing, sultry voice…it’s almost soothing and it calmed me down a little to hear that song and be dancing with my new husband.

Our father/daughter, mother/son was to Fleetwood Mac’s Landslide, the live version. I chose this because I LOVE when Stevie Nicks says “This is for you daddy” at the beginning. I made sure the DJ played that part so my dad could here…poor guy almost started crying! He said to me “Stop it kid…I’ve got a knot in my throat and can’t lose it out here!” Ha!! I love my dad!

I know it’s cliché, but I chose Beyonce’s Single Ladies for my bouquet toss…it’s just too perfect of a song!

My coordinator came up with the garter toss son…it was The Donna’s Take it Off! Although Mr. P didn’t take off the garter (I felt really uncomfortable with that) we thought it was a funny song for the toss anyways.

And to get the party really started, we thought Justin Timeberlake’s Sexy Back was a good way to invite our bridal party on the dance floor.

And to get everyone on the dance floor, our DJ chose Black Eyed Pea’s I Gotta Feeling…

The last song will always remind me of our wedding. It was amazing to see everyone at the wedding, young and old, on the dance floor dancing and having a blast with us! It was more than a good night. I was the best night of my life so far!

At Michigan Avenue, all the cars driving by were honking at us, everyone was waving and saying congratulations. People were even taking pictures! I guess this is what it feels like to be a celebrity and be stalked by the paparazzi! Ha!! It was just Mr. P and I taking pictures…since it’s a small space, we thought it would be easier that way. And the party bus didn’t mind either!!

The next stop was the lily pond. If you’ve never been to the lily pond, I highly recommend taking a visit in the summer or fall. It’s beautiful! It’s this small hidden treasure. It’s covered by trees…I can’t believe I’m actually in Chicago whenever I’m there. The only problem the day of the wedding…well it had rained earlier so not only was it a little muddy, but the bugs were out in full force! The bridesmaids heels were sinking into the ground and the bottom of my dress…well, that’s another issue! It was black by the time we left! I guess that’s what happens when you go through mud! We did get some really good pictures there. And since our accent color was green…well it was just a perfect background for a bunch of pictures!

Our final stop was Lake Michigan. We didn’t go to the beach, instead we went to the rocks and I’m so glad we did! The beaches always seem to be crowded…especially North Ave. beach on a Saturday afternoon, and I didn’t want to deal with more crowds. Plus everyone had to go to the bathroom, and there was a bathroom  right by where we were taking pictures so it worked out well and everyone was happy. The only problem…the goose poop on the ground!! I had to make sure none was stuck underneath my dress! I didn’t need to be dragging it around with me everywhere! But I’m glad we picked the rocks instead of the beach…why? Not only because of the crowds, but I think we got better pictures. It was more unexpected in my opinion. Most couples choose the beach…we chose the rocks!

Then it was off to the reception!!

Here’s a few of my favorite shots from our picture time…all photos are courtesy of Pamela Luedeke.