Rebecca Meng

You are cramped inside a teensy, tiny jet—chest pressed tightly into the back of the person in front of you, someone else pressed just as close behind. Everyone is dressed in identical red and black jumpsuits, sitting on the floor in single file. To see anything ahead, you have to awkwardly peek over a stranger’s shoulder. As the engine roars to life, a timer with bright red numbers begins ticking down from ten minutes.

From the moment I was ten years old watching Audrey Hepburn wander around Rome in Roman Holiday with Gregory Peck, I knew going to Rome was non-negotiable. It had been sitting on my bucket list for years. So when I got invited to go for our first travel weekend, I was very excited.

O’ fair Verona! For anyone who wants to wander through grand, gold-studded cathedrals, take photos of glowing city lights reflected into the river, and shop until you drop, this is absolutely the place to be.