Day 20: Venezia, Italy

Ahh, Venezia! Gondoliers sing romantic melodies as lovers and friends alike ride under bridges and through the city. Shops are lined with colorful Murano glass jewelry and extravagant Venetian Masks. Stacked closely side by side, homes come in hues of reds, yellows, oranges, and pinks. Flowers hang from balconies and local children stare at the tourist passer-bys. In Piazza di San Marco we drop a few bread crumbs and are swarmed by a flock of pigeons as a live band plays Django Reinhardt's "Brazil,"  at a nearby restaurant. I wonder if there could be a place any more magical than the beautiful streets, bridges, canals, cathedrals, and alleyways of Venice.

Day 3: Amalfi

Amalfi is a magical place; it's buildings seem to emerge from the side of the mountain, strung along the coastline of the sea. Boats line the docks and giant rocks tower over the small, secluded pebble beach. Among the pebbles we find remnants of old glass and painted clay--reminders of part of the city that collapsed into the ocean in 1343. The Cattedrale di Sant' Andrea --a hybrid of architectural styles--stands strong, and white-washed homes loom over us as we splash and float in the Tyrrhenian sea...

Getting There: To get to Positano or Amalfi, simply take the train to Salerno, and from Salerno buy bus or boat tickets to Amalfi. The bus tickets were a couple of euros, but very packed, yet still had a lovely scenic view. I'm not quite sure how much boat tickets were, but it might be an option worth looking into. From Amalfi, you can take another bus or boat to Positano. It's about a 20-30 minute journey from Amalfi to Positano. Boats also leave from Positano and Amalfi to the island of Capri.