WHERE DID YOU HAVE YOUR EPIPHANIE? // ITALY
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 3:00PM 
In today's Where Did You Have Your Epiphanie? we join Melissa Shipley and her Black Lola as she journeys through Sorrento, Rome, Siena, Cinque Terre, Venice and beyond.
"Lola was perfect for the trip - especially after my Nikon blew a sensor on our first full day. Luckily, we had brought along our digital point-and-shoot as a back-up. I locked my Nikon and lenses in the hotel safe, rearranged the dividers in Lola, packed her full of guide books and water bottles, and had a great adventure!"
Melissa's five favorite highlights from her Italian adventure consisted of:
"1. Seeing ancient Rome. Maybe it is the art major in me, but finally being able to see the Colosseum, the Pantheon and the Roman Forum in person was so satisfying.
2. Stepping inside the Sistine Chapel. I don't think that there is any way to prepare yourself for the feeling you get when you step into the Sistine Chapel. It truly is amazing.
2b) I know this is sort of cheating, but standing in front of the Pieta inside of St. Peter's was equally humbling.
3. Visiting the island of Capri and the Blue Grotto. We took a day trip to Capri from Sorrento, and it was one of my favorite days of our vacation. The entire island of Capri is beautiful.
4. Hiking the Cinque Terre. We spent a full day hiking between towns on the Italian Riviera. The natural beauty there is amazing, but the towns themselves were the highlight for me. Each of the towns had their own unique vibe. Sadly, about two weeks after we left, a serious storm caused major mud slides in two of the towns. I hope that they are able to recover, and I hope to make it back there sometime in the future.
5) Getting lost in Venice. We went into Venice with no real itinerary - we just wanted to wander the streets and experience the city (and take pictures). We had the worst map ever, and I am sort of thankful for that. Just wandering the streets and discovering new canals or tiny shops made for a fabulous two days."
Thanks for your sharing your adventure with Have An Epiphanie, Melissa! To our readers - have you been to Italy? What are your favorite travel spots within that country? Comment below!
Attention all those who own Epiphanie bags! We know you've been to some fabulous places. Or live in some incredible, travel-worthy cities for that matter. We want to hear from you! Send a few shots of you with your Epiphanie bag, the travel spot + your 5 favorite things to do in that location to media@epiphaniebags.com. Include a short bio about yourself and note "Where Did You Have Your Epiphanie?" in the subject line. If we publish your submission, we'll send you an in-stock Epiphanie bag of your choice!
Reader Comments (3)
My Paris bag is going up to Brasstown Bald with me this weekend for an astro-photography meetup of the Southeastern Photography Society.
Hello, as we live in Germany we've been to Italy many times. I love the old cities as well. (Siena, Pisa, Sorento, Venice, Rome) The Amalphi-coast is beautiful too. I really like the Toskana-area for holidays though. It's so remote and you have all the wines, old villages and beautiful spots at the coast as well. Every artist should got o Italy at some point...
Two friends & I spent a week last August at a Tuscan villa for a Mediterranean cooking school. It was a phenomenal experience! There were nine other guests at the villa who all happened to be Americans and we all bonded during our weeklong adventure & hope to reunite somewhere in the States soon. While in Italy, we visited Rome & Florence but my favorite spots were the little Tuscan towns that were oozing with character & charm. I want to soon purchase an Epiphanie bag so I can take it with me whenever I'm able to return to Italy again!