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I spent last week in Treviso, Italy with my friends Olivia, Sofia, and Benedetta at Benedetta's family home. It was such a fantastic trip and a perfect way to spend Easter vacation! All of her friends and family were so warm and welcoming. We spent a lot of the time walking around Treviso (Benedetta's hometown), Padua, and Venice, but I think we spent even more time eating and relaxing with her family and friends. Going back to my dorm food yesterday was reeeeeally depressing, haha. My favorite part was touring around the cities with Benedetta and her friends - getting the local point of view on Venice was such a valuable experience. It really was a trip I'll never forget.

We started the trip with a little vino, because hey - it was free and we're going to ITALY! WOOHOO!

Sofia being fancy on the plane.

Olivia, Benedetta, and Sofia at the Venice airport. Reunited in Italy!

We started off our visit with a walk through the town of Treviso, Benedetta's hometown. It was so beautiful and clean, like a miniature Venice!

Streets in Treviso.

Sofia and Olivia drinking from the booby fountain!

A beautiful house and canal in Treviso.

It was a rainy day, but a great walk!

Benedetta, our lovely tour guide!

More beauty in Treviso.

Sofia with her gelato in Treviso!

The lovely river in Treviso.

After the long walk and some rest, Benedetta's parents and friends took us to a Pizzeria in Treviso, where we ordered pissa BY THE METER. So tasty.

The next day, we visited Venice. It was even more beautiful than I imagined. Mile after mile of beautiful streets, alles, canals, and bridges. It was truly breathtaking and I can't wait to come back! This picture is the first bridge we crossed over to get into the city.

Gondolas and water taxis in Venice. Busy morning! It's crazy to think that people actually live here.

This is in the wrong order, but this is one of the villas we passed on our drive to Venice. So beautiful!

Overwhelmingly beautiful city!

I loved the painting on this boat!

Approaching the main city area.

The first gondolier we saw that day!

Venice's architecture was a beautiful combination of classical Italian style and Arabic influences (source: our lovely tour guide Benedetta).

Boats on the water.

All of the alleyways were so colorful!

We stopped for a cappuccino and pastry at Tonolo, which Benedeta's friends told us was the best bakery in Venice. I found it very hard to disagree with them!

A peek down a canal.

Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari.

These birds don't know how lucky they are to live in this city!

Like a storybook.

View from a bridge.

View of a gondola stand and the Grand Canal.

Wow. Just, wow.

Even without color the city is beautiful.

Me on the Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal! Happy camper.

Rialto Bridge over the Grand Canal.

The sculpture thing over the street was crooked because Venice is on stilts, and parts of it are sinking faster than others (or something like that... don't quote me.).

A lot of French people recommended this restaurant we walked by, I guess! Anyways, it made for a cool picture.

For lunch, we stopped in an Osteria, where we drank Prosecco and ate fantastic Venetian food. So delicious!

Some pretty windows and flowers.

The canals never end!

This is out of order, but it's the food we had at the Osteria. The fried potato things on the left were my favorite. This meal was the BEST!

Beautiful gelato in a store we passed.

Just a fresco. Casual.

Here it is! Piazza San Marco! So lovely.

A singing gondolier in a small canal.

Panorama of San Marco with Campanile.

Me in front of San Marco!

The quintessential San Marco pigeons.

Me and the girls in front of San Marco!

Sofia and I stop for a picture!

Beautiful mosaics outside of San Marco.

Basilica San Marco.

Piazza San Marco leading up to the Grand Canal.

Palazzo Ducale.

Panorama with Palazzo Ducale (and another building which I don't know the name of).

Palazzo Ducale and Grand Canal.

Palazzo Ducale.

Sofia and me posing with gondolas in front of the Grand Canal.

Sofia in front of the Bridge of Signs, were prisoners would get their last view of freedom before entering their cell or being executed.

Parapets...

Grand Canal with gondolas.

Another picture of the bridge of Sighs.

Harry's Bar - the haunt of Andy Warhol, Alfred Hitchcock, and Orson Welles, among others!

Sofia, Andrea, Benedetta, and Olivia in front of the grand canal.

Me and the girls!

Beautiful decoration on this church.

Tiny little canal!

Venice was such a maze!

Cute store at the end of an alleyway.

Accademia bridge. Lovers put their names on locks and lock them to the bridge - it's covered with them!

Our beautiful tour guide Benedetta!

A visit to the Peggy Guggenheim collection.

Cool neon sign in the Guggenheim collection!

Benedetta sleepy after a long day of walking.

The next day, we drove to nearby Padua for a day of shopping. This sign was in a rest stop on our way there -- I thought it was so weird!

Ready for our road trip with olive breadsticks and music!

Spritz from the osteria in Venice, a traditional Venetian beverage!

Padua was so rainy, but filled with beautiful old buildings (and great shopping!).

Pretty building in Padua.

Little hidden frescoes and sculptures in Padua!

Learning some Padua history!

Big old church in Padua. I loved the brick streets in the rain.

Big square in Padua, where we stopped for gelato at GROM, our favorite place! "Vorrei un cono piccolo con pistacchio e stracchiatella, per favore!"

Pretty street in Padua.

Could it get more Italian than this?

Walking into the biggest square in Europe.

Pretty Padua.

Lovely park with sculptures.

The next day was Easter! We spent it at Benedetta's house with some of her friends and relatives. Here's a picture of Olivia stuffing shells with a gorgonzola and walnut stuffing. Delicious!

The finished product.

Going into the oven!

Me, Sofia, and Olivia with Benedetta's mother Chiara on the porch. She was such an amazing host!

Again these are out of order, but this was after Sofia opened her chocolate egg that Benedetta's family got for each of us! Her surprise inside was... a document holder? Hahaha.

Sofia breaking open her egg with much concentration.

Unwrapping the enormous egg.

Sitting in the living room with Benedetta's friends.

Olivia's present - a sleep mask.

Sofia pretending to drink grappa - a really strong liquor that we were told only old men drank (after we had all tried it and had burning throats, haha!).

My beautiful friends!

Drinking coffee and playing burracco after the massive Easter meal.

More burracco playing!

After Easter was Pasqueta, or "little Easter," which we spent with Benedetta's friends (and I have no pictures of). But the next day we went back into Venice for some more exploring! Here are some pictures of our entrance into the city on the water bus through the Grand Canal.