During my month long backpacking journey across Europe, I really enjoyed Italy. Friendly people, sunshine, beautiful architecture, and gelato make you smile! I visited famous monuments including the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The tower stands behind the Pisa Cathedral and tilts, making for fun photographs. It's only a town of less than 100,000 residents. Who knew that unstable foundation and sinking architecture could make a small town so famous. With the travel ban to Europe during the pandemic, our family decided to find local monuments in Chicago suburbs which make us feel like we visited a different country. That's how we mapped a trip to Niles, Illinois, sister city to Pisa and home of the Leaning Tower of Nile. At 94 feet tall approximately the height 177 feet Leaning Tower of Pisa. Built in 1934 and later added a reflecting pool. The main event also consists of fun photos. Selfies with the teens was a hit. Despite the exciting architecture, the site had only a few visitors at our weekday excursion, making it easy to social distance.
The surrounding area is grassy, making it perfect for a picnic. We brought our picnic blanket and Italian beef sandwiches ordered nearby. The kids reminded me that Italian beef began in Chicago, not Italy. That later led to a special trip to Tony's Canoli's, closer to home in the Chicago suburb of Mundelien. Like gelato, you should splurge and try all the flavors such as pistachio, hazelnut, lemon, turtle, and chocolate orange. We had the extra treat to meet Tony himself. If you live in the city, you might try D'Amato's Bakery as listed in Spoon University's "Where to Find the 24 Most Mouthwatering Cannolis in America." Like Tony's Canoli's, D'Amato's Bakery is also a family owned business. Next on the wish list is a visit to Little Italy in Chicago. According to "The Best Little Italys in North America" (Escape Here, Estrella Mora-Luna), Chicago rates as the top three Little Italy: 1. San Diego, CA 2. Philadelphia, PA 3. Chicago, IL 4. Manhattan, NY 5. Boston, MA
