Trevor Huxham

View this post on Instagram Pizza margherita alla romana: tomato sauce, fior di latte cheese, basil leaves, and anchovies. Eaten at one of Naples' classic pizzerias, Trianon. Modern pizza originated here in the city of Naples (Napoli). // #pizza #food #naples #napoli #campania #italy #travel #vsco #vscocam #whitagram A post shared by Trevor Huxham (@trevorhuxham) on Dec 26, 2013 at 12:18pm PST While traveling around Italy last December, I dipped out of Rome after Christmas Day and took the train south to Naples to do three things, and three things only: Explore the ruins of the Roman city of Pompeii , sealed for ages under volcanic ash Eat pizza in the city where it was invented Check in to the archaeological museum, where all of the treasures and wonders of Pompeii were taken for safe keeping. I hadn’t heard great things about Napoli proper, so I (perhaps ignorantly) decided to crash in a hostel for t...

I’m a big supporter of Doing What You Want when traveling: of seeing and doing things that you like rather than feeling obligated to mark things off your guidebook’s Top 10 Must-See list. You end up enjoying your travels the most when you focus on the things that interest you —even if that means skipping an “unmissable” sight somewhere else. Roman road I say all this to say… I went to the ruined Roman city of Pompeii in December because I am the biggest nerd ever. Pompeii may not be an obscure or unique place to visit when compared with others that Italy has to offer, but when I made my “Grand Tour” of Italy over Christmas Break, I passed over Venice (which is typically considered an essential stop, and which I had zero  desire to visit) in favor of Pompeii, a place I’ve dreamed for years of seeing one day in person. Studying Latin and learning about Pompeii Wave mosaics I’ve had this urge to go on a pilgrimage to this well-preserved Roman town ever since middle ...

When I was back home in Texas last summer, I decided to educate myself on all the architectural styles that have left their mark across the centuries in western Europe. I had a vague idea of what Romanesque , Gothic , or Classical Revival  buildings looked like, but I would have been stumped had you asked me to explain what exactly made each time period stand out from the others. So I embarked on  History of Architecture I ,  a free iTunes U course taught by Ohio State University professor Jacqueline Gargus. Although I have no background in architecture, engineering, or design, I found it super easy to jump right to Prof. Gargus’s lively discussion of western architecture. Ceiling of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore Watching these lectures really helped me to grow in my knowledge of the major styles, and I now feel comfortable explaining the differences and revolutionary ideas of each era. I also enjoyed being introduced to some of the most significant exam...

After leaving Florence in December, I was really looking forward to making a pitstop in nearby Siena before continuing on to Rome. I had seen many photos of Siena that were just dripping with drama—like this one of the Piazza del Campo from high above. One photo in particular of the cathedral’s interior was so awe-inspiring it actually made me change my original travel plans from Orvieto to Siena. Naturally, as an amateur photographer, I couldn’t wait to get “my” shots of the city and reproduce some views I had seen online or in books. However, on the bus between Florence and Siena, the fog grew thicker and thicker until I could barely see even a few dozen yards in front of me. I panicked. Siena Cathedral I was so excited to take “amazing” pictures of Siena, but those plans appeared to have been shot down by the reigning fog. I paid the big €€€ to hike up the Palazzo Pubblico’s Mangia Tower in the hopes that the fog hadn’t hidden away the entire city…yet when I arrived at th...

The first stop on the 10-day tour of central Italy I took over Christmas break was Florence, the capital of the Tuscany region. I’m not naïve enough to think I can write something original about one of the most heavily visited and touristed places in the world, so I’m not going to attempt to put a new spin on this city, especially after only being in town a mere three days! Florence, seen from the Palazzo Vecchio So instead of trying to write with a unique angle, I’m just going to come out and be honest with y’all: I saw and did the touristy, surface-level things…and really loved it…and I’m okay with that! Here are five tidbits that I personally enjoyed the most about (touristy) Florence. 1) The whole Duomo complex Florence Cathedral in the morning Before I began researching Florence, I knew that the city’s Duomo  or domed cathedral was a pretty important monument, but I had no idea it had so much going on! Of course, you’ve got the cathedral building itself, a...

Earlier this week, I came back to Spain after spending ten days in its southern European counterpart to the east, the Republic of Italy. I am so grateful to have had both the means and the opportunity to travel around the central part of a country I have dreamed about visiting ever since first studying Latin in 5th grade. I flew into beautiful  Florence  and spent three nights there, making a pitstop in nearby Siena on my way down to Rome. In my four nights in the capital, I hit up  Vatican City,  many ruins, a dozen famous churches, and ancient alleyways. Heading south to Naples, I browsed this city’s significant archaeological museum, ate pizza, and daytripped to Mt. Vesuvius and the Roman ruins of Pompeii. View this post on Instagram Firenze A post shared by Trevor Huxham (@trevorhuxham) on Dec 20, 2013 at 6:23am PST The trip was expensive and exhausting, but experiencing some of the ar...