Italy | No Fuss

After being cooped up in the city for far too long than I am used to, as the travel restrictions started being eased my confidence in travel picked up. Just as a heatwave started engulfing the entire continent, a friend and I decided to make a break for the mountains.

As our plan to drive towards Denmark fell apart due to travel restrictions, on a streak of inspiration, we changed destinations towards the Chamonix and the French alps via Switzerland. In the same spirit of spontaneity, we ended up making another impromptu detour towards Lake Como in Italy before heading back.

The Bob Ross-esque view of the mountains with happy little trees blew me away after being stuck in the flat country for what seemed to be forever.

The trip also ticked off an item from my bucket list – to see the milky way with the naked eye and shoot it. At first, I had thought it was cloud formation; however, a quick reference proved otherwise. I suppose I have been living in cities for far too long.

As we neared our destination, the views just kept getting better and better. We were forced to make a stop and walk along-side the cold glacial melt and admire the hard work of driving 12 hours straight payoff.

The Chamonix Valley was just as beautiful as I had seen it 5 years ago

Making a detour into Italy was an expensive affair, as crossing Mont-Blanc Tunnel cost us more than twice the toll we paid for entire Switzerland and all its innumerable tunnels.

The change in landscape and the weather was nothing short of dramatic. Looking back towards the mountains we were leaving behind, the views just seemed so Ansel Adam-esque.

The mountains slowly receded to appear no more majestic than cardboard cutouts.

The sky was no longer studded with stars, but the wine and panoramic views were nothing we could complain about.

We got down our perch and moved towards Lake Como in hunt of a beach.

Coffee was in order before we could jump in. One of my regrets was forgetting to get some of that deliciousness back.

I was looking forward for my first ever open water swim.

After debating exploring more places, we decided to save on some time and money and just drive through the night, stopping only for fuel and restroom breaks.

After an adventure trip that began up with me not being allowed onto the flight on account of forgetting my passport, I spent 2 days in Venice and then headed to Rome, a city full of gorgeous alleyways, cool drinking water fountains, rich history hiding in plain sight in every nook and corner and the incredibly delicious Ice-Creams (of which I had more in 3 days than I had an entire year)

The Colosseum was my first stop in the city, one I have been meaning to visit for very long time.

Altair of the Fatherland was visible as an imposing structure right from the Colosseo, so I took a walk there

After taking some pictures I started wandering around the city basking in the gorgeous golden evening sun

And ended my day by accidentally stumbling across a cozy Pizzeria in a narrow roman alleyway with an amazing pizza, where I had the 2nd best pizza of my entire life; the 1st being a pizza I had on the Burano Island in Venice. Further attempts to rediscover the same pizzeria in Rome over the next few days ended in failure.

Day 2 started with me checking off an item in my bucket list with a visit to The Roman Pantheon. The very thought of standing in front of an imposing and intact two millennia old structure, gave me goosebumps.