Lilly Pulitzer Backgrounds

After seeing more than a handful impeccably well dressed men in Italy, my mother informed me that she would like me to marry an Italian.  She even picked out the palazzo in Venice in which she'd like to spend her winters so she can visit the grandkids.  Yeah, keep dreaming mom.... I've had little luck with Canadian men, so I don't think any of the stylish Italian gentlemen will come knocking on my door anytime soon... Anyhoo, I may have played paparazzo and snapped a few picks of the stylish gents (and some ladies) I saw during my trip. I waited too long for this picture, but I have no idea how he's managed to keep his suit still looking so flawless while biking! I don't know why, but I just thought there was just something so visually appealing about the group of gondaliers.  Of course they sold those hats and striped shirts everywhere as souvenirs.  I was VERY tempted to buy them...  I didn't always have my camera out in the streets, so I missed so many fashio...

I was already mesmerized by Rome and was slightly reluctant to leave, but my mom and I took a train to Florence. We spent our last day in Rome running around the city, trying to see the last bit of monuments we hadn't seen yet, so I was pretty exhausted for the train ride.  In between mini power naps and reading a few pages of the Italian Vogue I picked up in the train station, I caught the most beautiful glimpses of Tuscan countryside, making me more excited for our next destination. Our first day we wandered the city, entering any of the cathedrals or churches that caught our eye.  We saw the Duomo, whose dome was designed by famed architect Brunelleschi,  and whose Gates of Paradise (doors to the baptistry) by Ghiberti are considered by some to have spearheaded the Renaissance.  These ones are actually a reproduction.  The real ones are housed in a museum. Santa Croce The fresco of the life of St Francis painted by Giotto. Although definitely painted by Giott...

The day after I finished my last exam my mom and I flew to Rome.  The flight was awful (the woman sitting next to me kept invading my personal bubble and I couldn't sleep), but we landed in Rome at 8am and had a full day to roam the city before we checked into the hotel.   Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, just around the corner from our hotel - Apparently many Romans consider it an over-the-top eyesore, but it offers great views of the city if you climb to the top Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi, by Bernini - representing the four major rivers of the four continents through which papal authority spread Please note the Lilly scarf I used as a headband to cover my less-than-perfect hair after 12 hours of travel One of the many obelisks in Rome, by Bernini.  I particularly liked the elephant base.  Sunday we went to Vatican City for the Beatification of Pope John Paul II, who was originally from Poland.  The Polish invaded Rome!  I heard more Polish while in Rome t...