Oh la dolce vita! The Travelistas enjoyed their September vacation in the beautiful country of Italy. Sitting in the heart of the Mediterranean, Italy continues to be one of the leading travel destinations, with its incomparable artistic and cultural heritage.

We joined the BlackGirlTravel.com Bella Italia tour, organized by the fabulous Fleace Weaver of Los Angeles. Alongside forty two other "bellas", the Travelistas saw the best of Italy, from the ruins of Pompeii, to the non-stop parties in Roma, to the beautiful waters of Sicily! The Bella Italia tour took Italy by storm, and like a Michelangelo painting, every single moment was rich in detail. It's easy to see why people make Italy their home. Italians enjoy life, and we enjoyed it with them, whether it was over a four-hour dinner; a single cone of gelato; or sipping limoncello in a villa.

We began our Italian escapade in Roma, the perfect place to explore ancient monuments, medieval palaces and fountains, and great museums. As the capital of modern Italy and has tons of cafes and restaurants, good nightlife, and lively squares.

We started our tour through the ancient city cruising on a Vespa, capturing all the city highlights with the wind in our hair. The Colosseum was on our list, as this is the medieval site of brutal gladiator fights, where slaves and lower-class citizens were pit against animals, to fight to the death. No trip to Rome is complete without visiting Vatican City, the world's smallest independent country. Home of the Pope and the Sistine Chapel, it exists as a sovereign state run by absolute rule of the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, with its own zip code and its own laws. We also walked along the Piazza Navona area, ate a gelato sitting on the Spanish Steps, and threw our coins into the infamous Trevi Fountain.

Bella Italia Founder Fleace Weaver and Travelistas Andrea Adams	Ladies of BlackGirlTravel.com's Bella Italia 2009

Roman nightlife is not to be missed. For dinner, we ate around the city, enjoying cute restaurants in such zones as Trastevere, Campo dei Fiori, and the Jewish Quarter. In Campo dei Fiori, we ate at Pierluigi, where we could see our fresh catch of the day, and feasted on sumptuous fish and fresh vegetables. At night, we partied with the who's who of Rome, hitting up such swanky spots as Sofia's, Casiana Valadier, Hotel de Russie (where celebs stay when in town), and Salotto 42.

Romans party hard, but we managed to wake up with great anticipation for the next day. La dolce vita...stay tuned for more of our Italian escapade!

Watch the Travelista TV on BET.com Travelistas: Inspired Journeys! at:
www.bet.com/OnTV/BETShows/travelistas or vist their Premier Online Travel Channel - www.travelista.tv Watch the Travelista TV hosts Andrea and Teri as they jet set around the world in search of the good life - adventure, culture, cuisine, music, parties, and star-studded events!

For information about traveling to Italy
with Bella Italia 2011 visit
www.BlackGirlTravel.com/italy