Oh Cortona...how I love thee so. Most people know of this town because of the famous book/movie from France Mayes (who still has her famed Bramasole Villa tucked up in the hills above Cortona), it's popularity shows on any day during the summer by the throngs of tourists cruising down via Nazionale. 

When I lived in Italy during my internship, Cortona was one of the easiest towns to get to from Castiglion Fiorentino. It was a convenient bus trip away from the convent when we didn't have a lunch shift, but close enough that we could get back in time to work the dinner shift! Plus at the time, the bus picked us up at the top of our hill and dropped us off at the top of Cortona in Piazza Garibaldi! Win! 

You'll hear quite a bit of English in this town too, not just from tourists. Cortona hosts a popular study abroad program for the University of Georgia. Similar to Castiglion Fiorentino, you'll find a many expats who met their spouses while studying abroad in Italy! 

While it's a lot more crowded than it used to be, Cortona is still worth a visit for some shopping, dining and sketching!

When people think of Italy, they usually think of the food, the museums and churches, the crazy drivers and, of course, the artwork. In particular, David...the giant, towering carved marble statue by Michaelangelo. This gigantic beauty is housed in the Accademia, one of the most visited museums in its home city Florence! Also known as Firenze, Florence is a bustling city that tends to be boiling hot in the summer, crowded as hell but almost always worth the wading through the tourists to enjoy the gelato, panini, and more hidden spots away from the well trod tourist paths.

It honestly took a while before I actually spent more than half a day in this crazy gorgeous and crazy crowded city. When I studied abroad in Castiglion Fiorentino, Florence as almost a weekly destination to visit museums (hello David), cathedrals, small churches and historic sites. Even when I lived an hour south after college, we'd often only go into the city to visit our favorite sandwich shop, do some shopping and sketching and then catch the train home to be back for dinner shift.

It took a few more years before I actually had a solid 24 hours in this city. The first year I ever did a retreat in Italy was actually based in Florence for a week! Showing our guests around a city I studied so much as a student really changed my perspective of this city and gave me a chance to finally discover Florence. 

Welcome to the "A Day In..." series! Even if you can't come along on a Wanderful Retreat, I want to share some of my favorite places and spots throughout Italy and other locations around the world!

I remember the early days of my travels through Italy and the frustration I would feel over choosing a place for dinner. Back when my Italian wasn't that good and Trip Adviser or Yelp weren't as popular, this was doubly frustrating trying to find a decently priced place without the tourist crowds with a local stamp of approval. Che palle!

Luckily over the past decade my Italian has improved, and my list of favorite spots around Italy has grown! So, to kick off this first post in the "A Day In" series, let's start with one of the top destinations in Italy and my personal favorite...Rome!