Hope you all are doing well! I've adjusted well to the time change and am writing this from a beautiful villa in Montevarchi, Tuscany. The weather hasn't been great and they are calling for more storms, but it's fantastic to be away and experiencing a new adventure nonetheless!

Yesterday, I spent the entire day wandering through Rome, eating amazing food and viewing all of the beautiful historical sites. I found the winding streets dizzying, but managed to enjoy the day and appreciate a new city. I shared some of my Instagram photos as collages on my Facebook page (like to follow my adventures!), but here are some of the photos I took with my Pentax SLR. 

One of the most frustrating things about Rome is that there are so many archaeological sites and they are not well marked! I learned that you can import images into google and for the most part, figure out what things are. Have you been to Rome? What was your most memorable moment?

 Moi! 

Trusty Ann Taylor jacket

Vintage belt

H and M skinnies

Toms!

MEC Backpack 

Didn't bring shampoo and the water is different here.

Going to have wild hair in Italy - I've come to terms with it :)

Fountains and people everywhere!

Excavated archaeological sites seem to be everywhere!

The Altare della Patria Monument also known as Monumento Nazionale a Vitorio Emanuele II

Built in honor of Victor Emmanuel, first king of unified Italy

Mixed buildings everywhere!

Winding alleys with mysterious shops and cafes

I always find myself wondering how many people have walked these streets

 Santa Maria della Pace

Built on the foundations of the pre-existing church of Sant'Andrea de Aquarizriis in 1482

Commissioned by Pope Sixtus IV

Reminded me of Japan 

 Mysterious cafes

 Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi - Fountain of the Four Rivers

Located in Piazza Pamphili

The highlight of my day - The Pantheon

Commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus as a temple

to all the gods of ancient Rome.

Later rebuilt by Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD

 Pantheon ceiling

 More Pantheon

Trevi Fountain

Located in the Trevi district in Rome

26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide 

It is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the

most famous fountains in the world!

Supreme Court of Cassation

Happy long weekend to those of you reading this in Canada! I'm off today on my latest travel adventure to Italy for two weeks. I haven't had a big adventure like this since France and I have to say I'm really excited it's finally here! My parents have been visiting over the last few days and helping me get ready for the trip. Thanks to my amazing parents! Photos below are from our weekend adventures :)

What I learned about packing light:

• I probably pack double the amount of items I actually need - I'm learning to edit
• If you forget it, you can most likely buy it!
• Try to mix and match outfits - when you are adding items ask yourself "what does this go with?"
• Bring things that can be worn multiple times - ie BLACK!
• Roll, fold and tuck things in as tightly as possible
• Shoes should go in plastic bags and intimates should have their own bag as well
• I packed: three or four dresses, my Kaliyana suit for photos at the Colosseum, three pairs of jeans, one pair of black capris, one dressy pair of heels, two pairs of sandals, one pair of Toms, one light jacket for the evenings, one jean jacket, five or six shirts/tanks/tops, two pairs of shorts, a few pairs of socks, two bathing suits and that is pretty much it!
• If I hadn't had help - I would probably have packed double the items above. No idea why!
• Packing for a beach vacation? Marta of withlovegabrielle wrote a great post this morning on how to pack for a beach vacation - be sure to check it out!
• Will be attempting to post while in Italy so follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr for updates as well. 

At the AGO

Impromptu back alley photo

The Magical Cabaret Vintage hat

 Toronto Island adventures

Toronto from afar

Last breakfast in Toronto

Vitamin C

Never leave without my Canada pins <3 i="">

Treasure Seeker Colleen is in Toronto for the long weekend! My amazing parents are helping me get ready for my big trip! I didn't realize how little time I have had lately and how much I still had to get. Nevertheless we still made some time to hit up one of my favorite stores as of late - Smart Set! As you saw yesterday, we decided to take a trip there and see what's in store.

While the fall collections aren't in yet, the Spring/Summer lines are and they are affordable and fabulous! This store is great for women of all ages and we both managed to find a few things we loved. Of course, the focus of the shopping trip was for Treasure Seeker Colleen, but I found the perfect accessory for the beautiful dress I bought for the wedding I am attending in Tuscany. (See dress here) More on our amazing day soon!

Smart Set

Smart Set is making changes! You may have seen their pull out ads in Canadian magazines and their bright, colorful and stylish clothes in store windows. I have bought quite a few pieces there in the last year and always receive compliments on them. Their latest collection includes more bright colors, mixed media pieces, unique details and clean lines.  I couldn't get enough of this collection. Thanks to the lovely Eugenia Dourakis for showing me this amazing collection that will be out in the fall!

Love the zipper details

Unique lines and details

More color

Addition Elle 

I have also been attending Addition Elle events recently and love their collaborations and fantastic clothes. They are now working with brands like William Rast to bring new designs to plus sized women. Their FW'13 collection consists of ready-to-wear intimates, sportswear and career apparel. Some of the highlights were: footwear, prints, mixed media and some outstanding jackets.  Thanks for having me!

Addition Elle Vice President of Marketing and Visual Display (right) and colleague

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a great week. Hard to believe it's already over. As you can see from the Instagrams, it was busy! I'll be spending the weekend visiting family and preparing for my big trip - I leave on Monday :)  I'll also be meeting some amazing fashion bloggers in Rome and will be trying to document my trip adventures as much as possible. Stay tuned and please feel free to comment/send requests on posts you would like to see from Italy!

Question of the day: I tend to wear Converse on trips, but someone suggested Toms. What do you prefer? Toms or Converse?

                                 Aldo forest green dress and black and white Smartset blazer

Toronto from the Sheraton

Celebrating Mum on Mother's Day

Skinny Girl Time with Bethenny Frankel

Blue skies, nothing but blue skies

Anthropologie dress

Accessories for Italy

Kaliyana green top, Ann Taylor Jacket

Yes, there is a Prada outlet near where I am staying in Tuscany!

Wish my suitcase looked like this - Thanks Park and Cube