Italy

Oh Italy
my first trip and still one of my favorites.

To start out: we booked our tickets about 4 months in advance (we were traveling from the US to Italy) and got an amazing deal on our tickets.
We departed at the end of May, which was perfect weather. We flew into Venice and out of Rome. You can do the opposite and just flip this itinerary around. There's so much to see and do you could honestly spend a couple weeks at each place by itself. Figure out beforehand what's important to you and what you want to see.

Here is the link to the trains that we used throughout this whole trip

Every time you pass a gelato place, get some! Look for metal containers and most natural colors for best flavors. We ended up finding our favorites and going back multiple times... When in Italy!!

Venice:

There are a few ways to get from the airport to main city Venice. We used the Alilunga boats. Be careful with private boat owners and decide on a price before you get on the boat. The Alilunga has many lines that go to different places throughout Venice so make sure to check with your hotel/hostel/Airbnb for which one would be the best to get you there. They should know. The Alilunga boats are advertised well throughout the airport and you can buy tickets at their station, on the boats (if you have cash), or online before hand here. (Scroll down towards the bottom and click "Alilunga tickets" with the picture of the big boat with yellow on the bottom). Remember to watch for your stop! We ended up staying in an Airbnb that was across from the main part of Venice. I actually loved it. We were away from the hustle and bustle and got to see more everyday life.
I was stoked because riding a gondola was on my bucket list. But I soon realized that they were very expensive, and you usually shared a ride with some love-struck couple while thousands of people stared at you. I know because I was one of the stare-ers. I decided to pass on this but found that there are canal-crossing gondolas called "traghetti" that are cheaper to ride. You still might have to share a boat though. By all means-- if you find a good deal, take it. It's Venice... YOLO.

-St. Mark's Basilica and Bell Tower

• Buy your tickets here (link above) and buy them early because the line was LONG when we went. Pay about $3.40, and you get to skip the line; pay extra to get on the roof.
• Things to know: No knees showing and no backpacks allowed

-Burano

• If you're in Venice you have to take a 20-minute detour, hop on a water bus, and go to the island of Burano. One of my most favorite places during the whole trip; just walk around and enjoy the colorful houses everywhere. We went right before the sunset and it was relatively empty compared to main city Venice. It seriously felt I was one of the only people there. Take so many pictures. You will not regret it!
• We stayed and ate dinner and had one of the most delicious meals of my entire trip.
• Keep track of the water bus schedule because we ended up having to run to catch the last one for the night. Use Google Maps-- it tells you what times all of them are leaving. Ah-mazing. Use Google Maps... I cannot stress that enough

-Bridge of Sighs

• Classic sight. Can't miss it, it's on a main road when you hop off the water bus. Look for the overcrowding on a bridge and you'll find it.

-Rialto Bridge 

• I loved the bridge here and all the shopping nearby. The views are amazing!

-GET LOST! 

• We ended up walking around with no destination in mind and found most of the major things in Venice. It was fun to go down all the alleys and canals. We just Google Mapped our way back when we were ready.

We took the water bus everywhere we went. Make sure to get passes beforehand because we had to sneak onto a boat and pay afterward. If you stay on the mainland Venice you shouldn't have that problem as they have pay stations there. We took the same water bus to the train station where we went to Verona. I bought the tickets beforehand. The train stations were pretty easy to navigate and I felt comfortable figuring out where to go. Here's the link again in case you missed it up above.

Verona:

Verona, the city of love and all I got were allergies. From the train we bought a bus ticket that was right outside the train station. There are maps next to it so you know where to go. We bought 48-hour pass since we were leaving the next day.

-Verona Arena

• This is pretty central to all other locations you may want to visit in Verona, so chances are you'll pass it at least once

-Juliet's House

• Definitely a tourist favorite and crowded but how can you resist when boob-grabbing is involved? Unfortunately they don't let you stick notes on the walls anymore, but there are some there from before. This closed relatively early so hit it up first.

-San Fermo Maggiore

• You pass this beauty on the way to Juliet's house (depending which way you are coming from) 

Castelvecchio Bridge

• This bridge is part of an old castle. You can just walk in to see it, no tickets required.

-Piazza delle Erbe

• One of my favorite places. There was live music in the square and the architecture was beautiful.
• Gardello Tower

- GAM Verona

• Honestly I was just looking for a bathroom and stumbled upon this place. No one was in the square except for a couple that started slow dancing. All my Verona dreams came true right then and there. 

La Spezia:

Our train took us to La Spezia, where our amazing Airbnb host picked us up because we had major luggage (potential Airbnb perk).

• The first night we walked down the street and ate at one of the oldest pizza places in the city (Pizzeria Capolinea). It had a cool history about the place in the menu as well as delicious and cheap pizza. Not the easiest to find but worth it! 
• We walked out to the docks and back and of course indulged in gelato

-Cinque Terre

YOU HAVE TO GO TO CINQUE TERRE. you will need a Cinque Terre Card because Cinque Terre is a national park. You can purchase that here as well as bus and train passes to hop between the cities.

Hiking distances and difficulties:

Riomaggiore to Manarola: about a mile (easy), 30 minutes

Manarola to Corniglia: about 2 miles (easy), 1 hour

Corniglia to Vernazza: about 2.5 miles (moderate), 1.5 hours

Vernazza to Monterosso: about 2 miles (moderate), 1.5 hours

NOTE: the trail between Riomaggiore and Corniglia is permanently closed until 2021 for restoration.

• We rode the train to Vernazza (town #4 of 5) and hiked to Monterosso. This is the most strenuous stretch of the Cinque Terre and stretches about 2 miles of very steep terrain--but the most beautiful hike I have been on. 

• Monterosso is the largest of the five towns. We walked around the streets and laid out on the beach and just relaxed. There are a lot of people on the beach trying to get you to buy stuff so just beware of that. 
• We hopped on a train to Riomaggiore and walked around as well
• Then train hopped to Manarola (town #2)-- this town has the best harbor. The classic Cinque Terre pictures you see are probably of Manarola. We ate a late lunch here and then hopped on a boat to Corniglia (town #3)

Staying outside the Cinque Terre limits will probably save you some money and the train ride to the first town (Riomaggiore) is 10 minutes away, not bad at all.

Pisa:

On the way to Florence, we took a half-day detour to Pisa. Because the trains that you'll be taking from the Cinque Terre/La Spezia to Florence don't require reservations, you just have to purchase tickets (or railpass), which don't have specific times associated with them. (Second class tickets range from $10-$17). You'll just need to get off the train in Pisa and then hop back on the train when you are done. Check the website for times the train is departing to and from Pisa so you can plan accordingly. 

It's a popular way to see the leaning tower and city center. There are luggage lockers at the Pisa train station so you can stow your luggage and bags if you don't want to carry them around the city (lifesaver!). If the lockers are full you can also pay slightly more money for a storage area that's operated by a couple guards. Look for the luggage picture in the stations... they're pretty easy to find.  

-Leaning Tower of Pisa

• You can just walk around the leaning tower of Pisa and the city center for free.
• If you want to purchase tickets to climb the tower you can do so here as well as purchase tickets for the surrounding cathedral.
• Honestly we just people-watched everyone taking pictures of the leaning tower because let me tell ya... if there's any place to people watch... THIS IS THE PLACE!

-Market

• When we went there was a street market right outside the train station. We ended up eating some really good food here and buying a couple of things.

Florence:

From Pisa the train ride is about an hour to Florence. I recommend getting a place to stay somewhere in the historic center since everything will be in walking distance so you don't need to get on a bus.
Check which days things are closed and their hours, because there are certain days you cannot see them. If you have limited time you might have to pick and choose what you see since there are so many museums and galleries to visit.

-Piazza del Duomo

• Beware of pick pockets in the area or people trying to get money from you
• Do the bell tower, baptistry, and Duomo museum-- make sure to do the dome!! 
• You can pay for the tickets at the museum or do some guided tours here.
• Lots of stairs with the dome and the bell tower, so wear your climbing shoes.
• The baptistry of St. John 

-Uffizi (closed Mondays) 

-Piazza della Signoria

• Any of the Piazza are beautiful squares where you can enjoy the architecture, statues, and usually some sort of live entertainment. You stumble upon most of them while out and about going to different places.

-Ponte Vecchio

• This is a bridge that you cross to see Palazzo Pitti, Fountain of Neptune, and Piazzale Michelangelo
• There are shops along the bridge like in the olden days, they sell super expensive (the poor college girl in me talking) jewelry and souvenirs.

-Rafting

• Okay, so we didn't do this, but we saw it happening and it looks like a great experience. You can literally raft the Ponte Vecchio and see it from a different point of view.
• Here is a link to check it out! I mean look how fun it would be! 

-Piazzale Michelango

• Hike up a hill and see a beautiful lookout of the city.
• It's straight uphill but so worth it for the views at the top! Stay for sunset or sunrise.

-Boboli Gardens

• GO check this place out! I felt like I was taking a turn around in the gardens--Renaissance style. 
• You could seriously spend all day here so make sure you have plenty of time to see all that you want.

 

-Accademia (closed Mondays)

• David Statue

-Medici Chapels

-Piazza di Santa Croce

• Santa Croce Lots of famous artists are buried here. This link is just to pay the entrance fee. If you would like a tour you can go here.

-Piazza di Santa Maria Novella

• An old church built in the 1200's.

-Orsanmichele

• Another church to check out.

- Off-Road in Tuscany

• We did an Airbnb experience and it was one of the highlights of my trip. I still talk about it to this day. I'll create a link here so you can check it out. Pretty much... just do it. You meet at the train station where he picks everyone up. You'll off-road to castles, vineyards, and beautiful views. Jonny was knowledgeable and hilarious. He kept us laughing and having a good time while we learned the history of the area. He even sang Italian Opera while we were being thrown around inside the vehicle. 12/10 would recommend. Afterwards he took us to a small shop where his friend served us meats and drinks. We all became good friends by the end and it was neat to be able to talk to the locals.

Siena:

You can take a day trip to Siena on your way to Rome. The bus is a better way to travel if you do. We decided to opt out of this as we wanted more time in Florence. Here are a couple things I would have done if I had gone to Siena...

-Duomo di Siena 

-Piazza del Campo 

-Piccolomini Library

Rome: 

Our last stop on our Italy journey was Rome! This city is full of rich history and alive with deep historical architecture. I probably could have spent our whole 10 days just in this city.

-Colosseum and Palentine Hill/Roman Forum

• We did a guided tour for this stop. It costs less if you just do an entrance fee that can be bought at the Colosseum or online. Both let you inside the Colosseum. I loved doing the tour because you learned the history behind it all. I'm a nerd for that. Also our tour guide was name Paolo and so I was basically living the Lizzie McGuire dream. The tour is about 2.5 hours long. No reservations are needed, you can just show up at their store front and hit up the next group going out. I recommend doing any earlier time because we showed up for a later time and ended up running out of time because they were closing. It would have been nice to be able to stay longer. They don't do any tours on Sundays.

-Vatican/Sistine Chapel/St. Peter's Basilica

• We also did a guided tour for the Vatican here. You can also buy tickets at the Vatican. I wished we had just bought the entrance ticket. It was hard to listen to 3 hours' worth of history looking at the art. The Sistine Chapel was very overcrowded, but again, when in Italy. St Peter's Basilica is at the end and honestly it was beautiful. You see a lot of churches, temples, basilicas, etc., in Italy but this one was amazing.

-Pantheon

• Another beautiful structure in Rome. We didn't have time for this one because of other tours we decided to go on. At least check out the outside! 

-Spanish Stairs

• Overcrowded. But, still, one of those things you gotta see, even if it is just in passing. Especially since it's a public place. 

-Bone Church/Capuchin Crypt or Santa Maria Concezione dei Cappuccini

• ONE OF MY FAVORITE PLACES. There are no pictures allowed inside so you'll just have to trust me on this. Google it if you need convincing! The bones were terrifying but beautiful at the same time. I just walked in and bought a ticket for less than $10. You can buy guided tours as well, but I enjoyed reading everything at my own pace. Here is the link for the website and prices.

-Trevi Fountain

• Again, overcrowded when we went but a must! The architechture is amazing. No price to pay, just walk up.
• Bring some coin to make a wish! 

-Piazza Navona
-Villa Borghese
-St. Peter's Square
-Arch of Titus

-Ostia Antica

• We took a train to this ancient harbor city of Rome. It's about a 5-10 minute walk from the train station. It's not that much money to get in and read about the cool history of the Rome's harbor. You could easily spend a couple hours here. Read more about it here.

-Ostia beach
After that we got back on the train and got off at Lido Centro. From there we walked to Pontile di Ostila beach. Some of the beaches cost money to enter, so make sure to read signs and figure out if you need to pay or not. Also beware that some people do bathe nude out there. You were warned.

-Some favorite gelato places in Rome; we visited each place more than once:

• Frigidarium
• Giolitti
• Lemongrass

From the train you can get to the airport for about $12. It's a 32 minute train ride so plan accordingly. This was the best way to get to the airport for us and convenient as well.


Happy traveling!

Ciao!