Skinny jeans, slouch boots, and Burberry are alive and well in Italy. I also saw more than a handful of sweater/crochet boots and puffer/quilted jackets.

Flat is the way to go. Of course, if you had to walk on those streets in Italy, you'd go flat, too. I gave up my heeled mules after day 3 in trade for a pair of Skechers Mary Jane walking shoes.

Current fashion colors in the local shops: Black, jewel tones of purple and teal, some green, and gray accessorized with brown.

As a big city, I absolutely adored Rome. Organized chaos is the best way to describe it. I felt right at home.

Florence and Venice are sleepier towns despite the massive influx of tourists. Most places open around 9-10 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m., with the exception of some eateries.

The Poggio Alloro farm, in the hills of San Gimignano(fattoriapoggioalloro [dot] com), has the best food I've eaten anywhere. Their tagliatelle is to die for.

Over the coming weeks, I'll start uploading the many, many photos I took while I was there. Too much to see, so little time...

Go visit Italy.