The Beautiful Italian Island You've Probably Never Heard Of

When you think of Italian islands, names that often come to mind are Capri, Sicily, or Sardinia. While there are plenty of Italian islands, one of my favorites, Elba, lies in the Tuscan Archipelago. Think the bluest water you can imagine, delicious Italian food (one of the best paninis I've ever had was at Elba), and plenty of sunshine. Elba Island was an easy choice to choose for a weekend away during my study abroad experience, after a friend suggested it and we got a group together to go. Elba is a great place for a quick getaway, and close if you happen to be in Florence, like many students, or in the Tuscan region. 

How To Get There (From Florence)
Take a train from Florence Santa Maria Novella to Pisa Centrale. From there, take a train or bus to Piombino. At Piombino, get on a ferry to Elba Island. We stayed in Cavo, which is a small beach town on the northeast tip of the island. There are only daily ferries to Cavo, but there are hourly ferries to Portoferrario, which is more of a common town for tourists.



The only English-speaking person we encountered in Cavo was an Australian man that owned a restaurant. This was refreshing because we had just spent the previous weekend on an opening tour in Rome, and while it was beyond incredible, it was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle and all the tour groups. We went up to Portoferrario during one of the days to relax on the beach, do some shopping, and grab a bite for lunch.




Oh, and did you know that Napoleon was exiled there in 1814?

Photos: My own

alla prossima, italia

Alla prossima, Italia...

I just got back to the States a couple of days ago and have been trying to recover from pulling two all-nighters, plus a 9-hour time difference. Jet lag is back once again!

While I'm very excited to be back in my hometown and get some time to catch up with some friends I haven't seen in a while, I will still miss some things about living in Italy.

There are plenty of other places in the world I have yet to explore and am just dying to see. (Thailand? South Africa? Australia? Yesssss.) I do hope to make it back to Italy at least once more in my lifetime though! 

xo-ally

winter beach outfit in viareggio, italy

Nordstrom t-shirt (similar) | Longchamp bag | Hudson jeans | Diva Shoes Florence boots (similar) | Chanel sunglasses | Michael Kors watch | Stella & Dot bracelet | Seattle boutique bracelets | similar jacket

This is my last outfit post of 2013! Last week I went to Viareggio, a small beach town on the Italian coast. It is only about an hour and a half train ride away. (Yup, those are my pink ear buds you can see peeking out of my Longchamp...didn't realize they were showing until after the photos were taken...haha). Even though it was winter, it was only a little chilly because of the sun. It was so refreshing to be on a beach and by the water and to get away from Florence for a day.

xo-ally

instagrams from europe 2013

 

It's been quite the time here in Europe...adding 11 European countries to my list of places I've been, I've gotten to live my dream right out of college. I'm so happy I was able to make traveling happen. It was something I worked so hard to do and to figure out. I only have 10 more days until my return to the States - and I'm making it count!

European countries I have been to as of December 2013: Italy, Ireland, England, Slovenia, Croatia, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Turkey

There's still so much to see in the world. Feeding my travel bug has helped sustain it for a little, but also made it worse - I have even more travel dreams, and hope to make them happen someday.

xo-ally

follow along on instagram

snowflake leggings in the boboli gardens

Red Dress Boutique leggings | Longchamp bag | Corso Como boots | H&M coat | Free People shirt | Chanel sunglasses | J. Crew bracelet (similar)

Living in Italy, it is a little difficult to shop online at my favorite US boutiques due to international shipping. Don't get me wrong, the shopping here is amazing (but can get pretty expensive), though sometimes I enjoy looking at the styles from the stores back home. I got these adorable Christmas leggings from The Red Dress Boutique and shipped them to my parents' house, and then my dad brought them with when he visited for Christmas. I can finally wear them! Yay! I love the variety of snowflake prints and the bright colors. Since they're not in the typical red and green Christmas colors, I will definitely be wearing these throughout the rest of the winter season!

xo-ally

rugby stripes; at the vatican

Florence boutique sweater (similar) | Trouve leggings (similar) | Longchamp bag | Ray-Ban sunglasses | Tory Burch flats | Henri Bendel earrings

Merry Christmas EVE! I haven't posted an outfit in a while but I was out and about in Rome yesterday and decided to take a quick couple photos of this outfit. I wore my cozy new sweater and leggings, perfect for the train ride, complete with flats for walking around the huge city, in addition to sunglasses because of the sunny (!) weather. The Vatican is gorgeous, and while I've seen it before, it never disappoints. It is honestly the most elaborate, most gorgeous church I have ever been in. Photos of Rome to come soon!

Have a great day, can you believe it is almost Christmas?!

xo-ally

christmas sweater and leggings

Subdued sweater | Trouve leggings (similar) | H&M sneakers (non-high-top version here)

Super casual outfit today. Last week I stopped in at a boutique in Florence and got this adorable baggy winter sweater! It is perfect for the Christmas season with the reindeer and tree. The hearts are cute too :) the whole design is printed on the back as well! It's super cozy and nice to wear while running errands around the city.

xo-ally