Going to the Vatican Museums can easily be considered a form of self-flagellation. For certain, it is not for the faint of heart. Having failed to make it to the Vatican Museums on our first visit…

Just 90 minutes away by bus, Toledo is a fascinating day trip from Madrid. It’s hard to think of Toledo without thinking of the famous exclamation, Holy Toledo! The most plausible story of its origin dates…

The French equivalent of Rome, Nîmes is home to impressive ancient sites rivaling those in neighboring Italy. On our quick afternoon stop-over en route to Nice, we did a whirlwind tour of Nîmes. We were surprised…

Set in the Alpilles mountains, Les Baux is named one of the most beautiful medieval villages in France. We made a day trip to this quaint, fortified town during our stay in Arles. Ironically, a place Rachel had visited 15…

Encircled by a 2-mile border, Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. The independent city-state mints its own euros, prints its own stamps, and even has its own flag and anthem. The next smallest…

After the tranquil small towns of Tuscany, we headed where all roads lead to: Rome. Leaving sweet Volterra behind, we took a local bus to Saline. From there, we caught a tiny two-car only train to…

By far, the question we’re asked the most is how we can afford to travel so much. We didn’t inherit a trust fund and haven’t won the lottery (though not for a lack of trying.) Instead,…

Under a Tuscan rain cloud. That’s how we spent most of our time during our stay in Tuscany. But a rainy day in Italy’s wine country is still better than a sunny day in most places.…

The Tuscan city’s unique aesthetic offers a gorgeous backdrop to exploring and even inspired Crayola’s iconic crayon. During the Renaissance, Siena produced an iron oxide earth pigment that when heated, turned a distinctive reddish brown color.…