HTC U11 snapshots in Italy, May 2019.
I once bought a Canon 500D DSLR that stayed with me for many years. It took more than 100,000 photos, so I suppose it served its purpose well.
After I took it to Austria in 2014, I never expected that would be the last time I brought it overseas. That memory was recorded in the post about a day in Hallstatt.
After that, I started challenging myself to record trips with a phone, and the results were actually not bad. Maybe for scenery, buildings, flowers, and small travel moments, I did not need to bring out the heavy gear after all... ha.
This time, I boldly handed the responsibility of recording the trip to my two-year-old HTC U11.
Enough talking. Please enjoy the photos.
Rome: Queues and Ruins
In major European cities now, armed soldiers are everywhere, and many important landmarks require security checks.
Seeing the long line outside the Colosseum, I decided not to go in. After all, it is just a ruin.
Ha, that does sound a bit like sour grapes. Actually, I had been there a long time ago.
Trevi Fountain is the famous wishing fountain from Roman Holiday. The Spanish Steps are another classic Rome landmark that is hard to miss.
The Victor Emmanuel II Monument is something like Italy's national father memorial. Completed in 1935, it is not that old by Italian standards.
And then there is the Pantheon. In Rome, you keep running into things that are far older than expected.
Assisi: Hill Town and Basilica
The trip shifted from Rome's large landmarks to a quieter hill town of stone lanes, slopes, and churches.
This basilica anchors the town visually; once the photo is there, it does not need much explanation.
The original post was closer to a set of snapshots than a complete guide. This rewrite keeps that rhythm: let the photos speak, and only add the points I still remember.
Fermo: Moonrise and Theatre
Leaving Assisi, we arrived in Fermo, a city on Italy's eastern side.
The moon rose over the Adriatic Sea.
The theatre had the quiet weight of a small European city.
The main mission of this trip was to bring my daughter to a violin competition, with some travel on the side.
But judging by the result, it was more like we mainly came to travel and joined the competition on the side... ha.
Tuscany: Farm Stay and the Cypress Road
The scenery opened up after we crossed back to the west side of Italy.
The farm stay sat in Val d'Orcia, with beautiful surroundings and a pool. At 80 euros a night, it really was not expensive.
After adjusting the contrast, this photo looked exactly like a Windows 98 wallpaper.
And yes, this was just taken at the farm entrance.
This road was only a few minutes from the farm, with the kind of lines people imagine when they think of Tuscany.
Unfortunately, in such a beautiful place, Lisa's comment was: "Nice mountains, nice water, very boring." >.<
Next time, just stay home and watch travel shows.
Across from the farm was Pienza, another UNESCO World Heritage town and said to be a birthplace of the Renaissance.
The City in the Sky: Bagnoregio
Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy's city in the sky.
Bagnoregio is in Viterbo, Lazio. Its history goes back about 2,500 years to an Etruscan village.
Because the village is isolated on a hilltop, cut off from the outside world, it is also known as the city in the sky.
Honestly, I discovered this place because I was shocked by a random Windows 10 login photo.
This was the main destination of the trip. Everything else was a bonus... ha.
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It has been a long time since I updated the blog.
I will find time to finish the missing posts from the Austria family trip XD
Original publication date: 2019-05-29
Revised date: 2026-06-18
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