Traveling through Italy with my wife, I learned what you can truly take home in life | Rome, Florence, Venice, and back to Rome again

Good morning.
This is Tenmame.

To celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, I traveled to Italy with my wife.

The journey began in Rome, went to Florence, walked through Venice, and finally returned to Rome once more.

The Colosseum, the Uffizi Gallery, the canals of Venice, and the Pope appearing before us at the Vatican—all of these were unforgettable sights.

However, now that I am back in Japan, what remains most quietly in the depths of my heart is not just the names of famous tourist spots.

The time I spent walking on cobblestones with my wife, falling a bit silent from the heat.

The night we shared a plate of pasta and laughed, saying, "This is delicious."

The moment I thought, "We're going home now," while packing our bags in the hotel room.

The rainbow I suddenly saw from the window of Termini Station.

And, what my wife said at the end of the trip,

"I want to see the Colosseum one more time."

Her voice.

I realized that a journey is not just about going somewhere far away.

It is about stepping away from your usual self for a while, and returning to your own life once again.

It is about gently confirming the time you have walked with your loved one.

And, being able to quietly believe that you can continue walking together from here on out.

I think that, too, is a journey.

It was not a trip we could walk through on momentum alone, like when we were young.

There was the heat.

There was the fatigue.

Our feet hurt, too.

There were times when things didn't go as planned.

But even including all that, it was a trip that felt just like us.

A couple who has walked together for 25 years walks the streets of Rome, touches the art of Florence, gazes at the waters of Venice, and finally returns to Rome once more.

During that time, I thought about it over and over again.

What are the things I truly want to cherish in life?

With whom and how do I want to spend my limited time in this life?

What do I want to see, what do I want to feel, and what do I want to take home with me?

This trip to Italy with my wife is not just a record of sightseeing.

For me, it is a travelogue, a record of our time as a couple, and something like a letter to our future lives.

I have documented the scenery I saw on this trip and what remained in my heart in a four-chapter article.

For those who love to travel.

For those who long for Italy.

For those who want to spend time slowly with their loved ones once again.

And for those who want to savor their own lives a little more carefully in their daily routines.

I would be happy if you could read it at your leisure.

From here on, I will introduce the main story of this trip, divided into four parts: 'Rome Part 1,' 'Florence,' 'Venice,' and 'Rome Again'.

In each article, I have carefully documented everything one by one, including the paths we actually walked, the food we ate, and the conversations and events that left a lasting impression, all while including plenty of photos.

I think you can get a sense of the overall journey just from this page.

However, I would be happy if you could also experience the cobblestones of Rome, the beauty of Florence, the waterfronts of Venice, and the light of Rome where we returned at the end of our trip through the four main articles.

It is fine to start with whichever city interests you.

If you would like, please open each article and read through them slowly, as if you were traveling yourself.

1. Rome Edition | A journey that felt like a reward for life began

The first stage was Rome.

We arrived in Rome after a long flight.

After dropping off our luggage at a hotel near Termini Station, we headed to the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Colosseum.

From the very first day, it was a place where the entire city seemed to be made of history and beauty.

Rome is a city where, just by walking, you suddenly find yourself touching time from hundreds of years ago.

Cobblestones.

Churches.

Plazas.

Ruins.

And, the casual moments of dining.

From the beginning of our trip, we walked as if to confirm over and over again that we had truly come to Italy.

Our 25th wedding anniversary. My wife and I finally went to Italy. On the first and second days in Rome, a journey that felt like a reward for life suddenly began ~ Italy 🇮🇹 Couple's Trip Part 1: Rome Edition
*Click here for the main article ↓

2. Florence Edition | My heart unraveled in the city of beauty

The second city was Florence.

The Central Market, the Medici Chapels, the Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery, the Ponte Vecchio.

Florence felt like the entire city was an art museum.

Unlike the overwhelming scale of Rome, Florence had a beauty that quietly unraveled the heart.

When standing before a Botticelli painting.

When enveloped by the atmosphere of a church.

When walking across the Ponte Vecchio in the evening.

During the trip, I felt my heart gradually softening.

Seeing beautiful things may not be a luxury, but a time to restore one's spirit.

It was a city that made me think just that.

In the city of beauty, Florence, 25 years of our hearts as a couple were unraveled. From the Central Market, the Medici family, the Duomo, the Uffizi, to the Ponte Vecchio | Italy 🇮🇹 Couple's Trip Part 2: Florence Edition
*Click here for the main article↓

Part 3: Venice Edition | Spending two dreamlike days in the City of Water

The third city was Venice.

A city where a canal spreads out before your eyes the moment you step out of the station.

A city with no car noise, only the sound of water, human voices, and the movement of boats.

Venice was a truly mysterious place.

Even though it exists in reality, there was a feeling of being somewhere inside a dream.

St. Mark's Square.

The Rialto Bridge.

Gondolas.

Narrow alleys.

The light of buildings reflected on the water's surface.

Everywhere I walked, it felt like I had wandered into a story.

In travel, there are times when simply being in a place is more important than visiting efficiently.

Venice was exactly that kind of city.

Spending two dreamlike days in the City of Water | Italy 🇮🇹 Couple's Trip Part 3: Venice Edition
※Click here for the main article↓

Part 4: Revisiting Rome & Vatican Edition | The light I saw at the end of the journey

And finally, back to Rome.

The Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo, the Pantheon, Piazza Navona.

As the end of our trip drew near, we walked the streets of Rome once more.

And in the final chapter, an unexpected event occurred.

At St. Peter's Square in the Vatican, the Pope appeared right before our eyes.

Truly, right in front of us.

We had originally lined up early in the morning wanting to enter the basilica, but it happened to be a day for a general audience.

It wasn't the way we had planned it.

But travel sometimes shows you unforgettable sights in ways different from what you had planned.

We couldn't get inside the basilica.

But instead, amidst the prayers and cheers of people gathered from all over the world, we were able to witness an unforgettable moment.

And on our final evening, at my wife's suggestion, we went to see the Colosseum one more time.

To see the place that overwhelmed me at the start of the trip once more at the end.

It was a moment that felt like something had quietly come full circle.

The Pope appeared before my eyes. Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo, and finally the Colosseum | Italy 🇮🇹 Couple's Trip Part 4: The Light I Saw at the End of the Journey
※Click here for the main article↓

The trip ends. But you can take the light home with you

A trip will end someday.

No matter how fun it is, no matter how beautiful it is, the day to return will come.

But strangely, I think the journey continues even after it ends.

When I look back at the photos.

When I eat carbonara in Japan and remember the taste of Rome.

When I see a train on the platform and remember the rainbow at Termini Station.

When my heart feels a little tired in my daily life,

being able to think,

'Ah, I really went to that place.'

I believe that will surely become a quiet light in my life from now on.

We visited Italy for our 25th wedding anniversary.

It wasn't a trip where we could just walk on momentum like we did when we were young.

There was the heat.

There was the fatigue.

Our feet hurt, too.

There were times when things didn't go as planned.

But even that was a journey that felt true to who we are now.

A couple who has walked together for 25 years walks the streets of Rome, experiences the art of Florence, gazes at the waters of Venice, and finally returns to Rome once more.

Within that time, there was something that cannot be expressed in flashy words.

No matter how long a couple has been together, they are still separate individuals.

That is precisely why courtesy is necessary.

Respect is necessary.

Waiting just a little when the other person is tired.

Putting things into words properly when you are struggling yourself.

Trying to walk at the same pace while looking at the same scenery.

During this trip, I felt once again the importance of such simple, obvious things.

Life is not always perfect.

Travel, too, does not always go as planned.

But if you keep walking, you might see a rainbow in an unexpected place.

You might encounter a view you want to see one more time at the end.

There are nights when you share the same plate at the same table with someone precious to you.

Perhaps that alone is enough to make life beautiful.

To you, the reader,

Thank you so much for reading this far.

For me, this report on our couple's trip to Italy was not only a record of our journey but also a time to reflect on life once again.

Where do I want to go?

Who do I want to live with?

What do I want to cherish?

How do I want to spend the rest of my life?

Walking through the streets of Italy, I thought about these things over and over.

If, after reading these four articles,

you feel like you want to visit that country someday,

you want to take a slow trip with someone special once more,

or you want to savor your daily life just a little more carefully,

I would be very happy if such feelings were ignited somewhere in your heart.

Traveling is not just about going to far-off places.

Walking the usual path with a slightly different feeling,

gathering around the dining table with family,

telling someone special "thank you,"

and believing that there are still sights you want to see in your own life—

I think that, too, is the beginning of a journey.

Thank you, Rome.

Thank you, Florence.

Thank you, Venice.

Thank you, Italy.

And to my wife, who walked this journey with me, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

It was a good trip.

Truly, it was a good trip.

Tenmame