I finally made it. For the first time in 24 years (I’m 24), I have gone on holiday to a different country. In a plane. Across the sea. I have always wanted to go to Italy, specifically Tuscany and now was my chance. I must admit, I was terrified. I was uber excited but terrified. I was anxious about flying and I was anxious about being in a different country. But my husband reassured me everything would be ok. And it was. We flew out from Bristol airport to Rome and you know what? I absolutely loved flying. It was awesome. Nothing like I thought it would be.

We arrived in Rome and got a taxi to our hotel where we checked in but couldn’t go to our room yet. So we went exploring in the surrounding area. We came across a garden attached to some Roman Baths. We wandered around the gardens and took in the views before then coming across a beautiful basilica.

Our time in Rome led us to seeing the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, an incredible memorial building and guides around the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. On our first day, we decided to go to and see the Colosseum; there is nothing quite like the moment you stumble across it. Yes stumble. We took a slight detour on our way and a road we ended up walking down led us right there but we not expecting it. And oh my, was it an incredible moment when we saw it for the first time. We then took a guided tour of the Colossuem and the Roman Forum and it was fascinating to hear the history. Just some advice, if you do go to Rome, see the sights in order I’ve listed because when you’ve seen the Colosseum and the Memorial building, nothing compares to their size, their grandeur and incredibleness.

Next stop was Florence. I loved Florence. It was a slower pace than Rome, it was quieter but there was still a buzz, it was smaller and cleaner. It was beautiful. Not as many sights to see but still some wonderful buildings including the Cathedral. My favourite thing we did in Florence was crossing the river and going to the Piazzale Michaelangelo. From here you can overlook the whole of Florence, which was surrounded by the Tuscan hills.

Our next and final stop was Lucca, a walled city just north of Pisa. Lucca was a lovely place to relax. On our first day we hired bikes and cycled along the walls around the city (I definitely recommend doing this). It was my first time riding a bike in about 12 years. I wasn’t very good when I last rode a bike so this was an interesting experience. I was wobbly, I couldn’t turn corners, and was unable to negotiate cars and people (I don’t think I should be let loose on main roads yet) but I survived and cycling along the walls was wonderful. Lucca was all about the food; the food, the service and the experience was just lovely.

Being in Italy has made me want to travel so much more; see different cultures, hear different languages and experience new places. I loved it and hope to have opportunities to go abroad again in the future.