Bonjour, mes amies! Currently I'm home and settled back into daily life, after a nearly month long visit to France to prepare for, teach, and host - The Academy. At the moment, I'm finding it somewhat difficult to express how I feel about my experience without using words that make me sound like a simpleton - amazing, memorable, and truly inspiring come to mind. But then, they do accurately describe the time I spent with those who attended, as well as my friends and team that help me pull off such an enormous event. Something remarkable happens when you bring a diverse group of creative women together. Friendships are born, creativity sparked, dreams and goals revealed, and authentic encouragement envelopes the group as a whole.

I'm circling back to our adventures in Italy and sharing some of the memorable places we found in Florence. Our apartment located near the San Lorenzo Leather Market was also just steps from Mercato Centrale where I had the best vegan "burger" of my life. Even my carnivorous loving husband thought it was amazing. Veg & Veg is located on the second floor where there are dozens of other scrumptious and tempting places to grab a bite. If you're traveling in a group, the Mercato is a great place to suit everyones taste.

Our stay at Valdirose happened to coincide with the monthly antique market in Lucca. And being that we both love a great flea market we were all too happy to make a day of it!

After our stay in Venice came to an end, we traveled by high speed train to Florence. I had been dreaming about visiting Valdirose for what seemed like the longest time and was thrilled we had the chance to spend a few days at the incredibly charming bed and breakfast. If you follow Irene or Paolo on Instagram, everything you see is just what to expect. Their breakfast sunroom is straight out of a movie set, evoking warm fuzzies and instant "I want to live here forever" feelings.

Scenes from a morning spent wandering the stalls at the Rialto Market. It's an incredibly vibrant and lively place; overflowing with intoxicating bounty and delightful Italians. In my mind, this is always the best part of travel - mixing in with the locals and doing your best to chat it up using your broken language skills and awkward hand gestures. I can still recall the mushroom guy yelling to anyone within ear shot - "Funghi Freschi, Funghi Freschi"!

We arrived in Venice during high tide. Approaching the city on a slow moving boat felt almost magical. As the city crept closer through the fog, I remember imagining what it must have been like for those arriving here hundreds of years before me. I knew we were going to experience something amazing. Something our eyes had never seen. I will never forget the anticipation.