I took Italian classes for one semester in college. The final exam was a conversation with our teacher about Italian cities. We got boring cheat sheets about population and statistics to memorize.
So I went another route. I told her about wanting to visit la citta Venezia, and completely fall in love with a sexy Italian man for one magical evening while we ride the gondola under the stars.
Needless to say, I aced that exam, and the class.
Fast forward 12 or so years later, and I found myself finally in this dreamy city… not remembering a single word in Italian, but never forgetting how far I’ve come since then.
And Venice, you did not disappoint!
Beyond Venice is a smaller isle of Murano where the Italians banished the glassmakers for burning down Venice for the 100th time 😀
So, in Murano, I bought my first glass art jewelry to match my sea-colored sarong.
And this started a love affair with shopping for artistic jewelry as souvenirs from the countries I visit. They’re handmade local mementos you can wear.