Italy
Where:
Venice, Cinque Terre, Lake Como, Rome, Tuscany, Florence, Dolomites, Milan, Amalfi Coast, Pompeii
May 2013
Venice, Cinque Terre, Lake Como
Transportation: train, vaporetto
How long: 8 days, 7 nights
May 2015
Rome, Tuscany, Florence
Transportation: rental car through Dollar Car Rental.
How long: 6 days, 5 nights
June 2017
Lake Como, Dolomites, Milan
Transportation: train and bus
How long: 7 days, 6 nights
September 2018
Tuscany, Amalfi Coast, Pompei
Transportation: rental car, buses, and ferries
How long: 7 days, 6 nights
Notes:
I've been to Italy the most out of all the international countries I have visited. There are so many areas to see! If you only have a week, as I have done each time I've been there, I would try to stick to areas that are closer to each other. All the places I've been to require at least a couple of days. Trains are very easy and convenient in most parts of the country.
For my 2013 trip, some of the details are very foggy because I did not plan it so I don't have any emails or spreadsheets to go off of.
Venice (3 nights)
Quick notes:
This was in 2013 and my memory of Venice is fairly minimal. I was going through an interesting time in life and I remember being so disoriented after getting out of the airport.
It was very weird, but kind of refreshing not to see a car for 3 days. Everyone gets around by bikes, vaporettos (water taxis), or by walking.
How I got there:
I flew from LAX, laid over in Zürich then flew into Venice at Marco Polo.
Accommodations:
B&B Le Repubbliche Marinare. This was in a pretty good location. Had a private room with a shared bathroom.
Not too far from the B&B was a daily outdoor market with fresh food and ingredients.
Activities:
Exploring all the nooks of the canals is so unique to any other place I've been. It almost feels like a maze since none of the streets are very long or wide.
Piazza San Marco - there's a lot going on in this square including some of the things I will list below. There's live music, tons of restaurants, shops, and photo ops.
San Marco Campanile- this is the tower in Piazza San Marco (St. Mark's Square). You can buy tickets in advance to go up to the top. The view was really nice! You could see for miles on a clear day.
Saint Mark's Basilica - you can also try to get advanced tickets on the website. This is in St. Mark's Square.
Ponte della Paglia & Bridge of Sighs - if you walk down to the water from the square and go to your left, you will see the Ponte della Paglia bridge. From here, you can look back and see the famous Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri)
Murano - this is a small island that you can get to via vaporetto. It's known for Murano glass. It's quaint and calm and doesn't have the hustle and bustle of Venice.
There are some glassmaking studios that you can visit and see them make some glass. Of course there are a ton of stores selling the glass.
You do not need a ton of time here. We probably stayed two hours max.
Burano - we went here from Murano via vaporetto. It's a bit further out from Venice and even more quiet than Murano and Venice. They are known for their colorful houses.
I don't remember what we did other than walk around the island. We also probably stayed no more than two hours here.
Enough time?
Three nights seemed like a good amount of time to visit Venice and the surround islands.
Cinque Terre (2 nights)
Quick notes:
Loved this place! The colors, the outdoors, the views. Definitely worth a visit.
How I got there:
We took a vaporetto to Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia and took the train down. We might've made a stop in Florence then got off, but my memory of this is not clear.
Accommodations:
We stayed in a tiny place in Vernazza, which I'm sure are many of the accommodations in Cinque Terre.
Activities:
My main desire to go to Cinque Terre was to see all the cute cities, so I can't say we did much other than hike to each one of the towns. All of them are connected by trails. Sometimes certain parts are closed due to rain/mud, but we had good luck when we went in May 2013.
Vernazza - we stayed here and it was very cute. This was the 4th town in the chain of 5.
I loved that there was a small beach you could go to through some type of small cave. We also took some stairs up from the place we are staying to get a great view of the city. The view from the trail from Monterosso al Mare to Vernazza was also amazing.
Gelateria Vernazza - on the way from the train to the water. I'd say this was my 3rd favorite gelato I've had in Italy.
Riomaggiore - the first and southernmost town. I remember getting somewhat lost, but we started really high up and worked our way down to the city.
We probably saw less than 10 people on our entire hike down to the main town part. One of those people was a guy who said he could tell I was from California. What does that mean??
Manarola - We took a ferry boat from Riomaggiore to Manarola. This was my second favorite town after Vernazza. There was a cute place to sit and eat lunch while taking in a view of the city.
We got some delicious and cheap focaccia. I don't remember the exact name, but it was closer to the water and I'm sure there are a few places like this.
We came back later in the day for sunset and to get some night pics. It was really beautiful and cool to see it in a different setting.
Corniglia - this is the one that doesn't stick out in my mind too much. If I remember correctly, we didn't spend that much time here which is probably the reason why I don't really remember it.
Monterosso al Mare - this town had almost a completely different vibe to me. It had more of an extensive beach area that made it seem more like a resort beach town. We also didn't spend a ton of time here, but it seemed really relaxed beautiful.
Enough time?
Two nights seems like enough time to hike to all of the cities.
Lake Como (2 & 3 nights)
Quick notes:
I have been to Lake Como twice, once in May 2013 and the other in June 2017.
How I got there:
2013: We took a train from the Cinque Terre area to Como.
2017: Took a train from Lucerne, Switzerland.
Both trains arrived at Como San Giovanni. Unless you are staying in Como, you will need to look up bus times for the city you're staying in. Cernobbio was only 10-15 minutes away. Menaggio took longer and I want to say it was 35-45 minutes away.
Accommodations:
2013: Stayed at a very small place above a pizza shop in Menaggio (haha).
2017: Stayed in Cernobbio at Albergo Giardino and Hotel Engadina in Como.
Activities:
2013: We got here during the middle of the day, so we had 1.5 days to explore. We walked along the water in Menaggio and had dinner at Hotel du Lac.
Varenna - The next day was a bit rainy and overcast. We took a ferry over to Varenna from Menaggio. The rain prevented us from doing things and I remember hanging out at a cafe waiting for the rain to stop. We walked around as much as we could before deciding to head to Bellagio.
Bellagio - We took the ferry over from Varenna and it was like the weather gods were smiling down on us. As soon as we got to Bellagio, the sun came out and it was absolutely gorgeous.
I Giardini di Villa Melzi - this garden was so pretty. Everything was green and there were bright flowers. This garden is next to the water, so it was a very pretty atmosphere to be in.
Gelateria del Borgo - this is the best gelato I have EVER had. I went here in 2013 and there was just something about it. Out of all the gelato we had, this was hands down the best.
Naturally when I went back in 2017 for a wedding, I had to go back. Sometimes you hold those fond memories in your head and you're not sure if they're actually the best or if it was just the circumstance at the time that made it great. I can confirm four years later that this was still the best gelato ever. If you find yourself in Bellagio, please have some gelato for me.
Other than that, it was pleasant just to walk around the city. There are a fair amount of stairs to get to the top area, but there are shops and restaurants all around.
2017: I was going to a wedding in Lake Como, so that's what brought me back. After my trip in 2013, I knew that I would like to come back again one day so naturally it was an easy decision to make the trip.
Cernobbio - this was not too far from Como, so it was nice to be a short bus ride away from the train station.
The wedding events were taking place in Cernobbio and Moltrasio, so the location was good. We didn't spend a ton of time in Cernobbio. It didn't seem like there was a ton to see here compared to Bellagio.
Como - we didn't have a ton of time because we were going to the wedding later in the day. It was raining on a off throughout the afternoon, but we were mostly able to walk around without heavy rain. We started from near the train station and walked around the city near the water. Had lunch somewhere near Cathedral of Como while it started pouring rain. After it stopped, we walked down to the dock and looked at the Life Electric sculpture. If we had more time, I would've wanted to go up the Funicolare Como - Brunate to see a view of the lake.
Enough time?
The lake is pretty big so it would take a really long time to see a majority of the cities. Three nights was good, but if you're looking to see more around the lake and want something leisurely, you could spend more nights here.
Rome (2 nights)
Quick notes:
The first day we walked everywhere, but utilize the Metro to get to places faster because Rome is a big city. It's very easy and stops at a lot of popular attractions.
How I got there:
We flew from Dubrovnik into Rome. We took a train from the airport to Roma Termini.
Accommodations:
We stayed at a small accommodation near the train station.
Activities:
Piazza Venezia - monuments in a large square. This was a pretty busy area with lots of cars driving by.
Piazza Navona- large plaza with many shops and restaurants and Fontana del Moro fountain.
Castel Sant'Angelo- castle and museum. We watched the sunset over here on one of the bridges.
Pantheon - historic landmark and church. You can also go inside and look at some statues and architecture.
Colosseum - obviously a huge attraction in Rome. Pretty crazy to think of all the history that has happened here. Buy your tickets online! We were able to get in pretty quickly and avoided a big line.
Arco di Tito- right outside of the Colosseum.
Villa Borghese - this is a huge park with a view from the city. One of my favorite attractions. We rented a bike which was kind of like a tandem bike golf cart.
Trevi Fountain - sooooo crowded, but it's a landmark. So if you want to go, get ready to brace the crowd.
Vatican Museums - this museum is huge and my feet hated me afterwards. Buy your tickets online so you can skip the crowd! Sistine Chapel was cool to see, but crowded and I remember them shushing everyone once they entered. We only did the museum portion and not the villas and gardens.
Piazza San Pietro - while you're at Vatican City, you can stop by St. Peter's Square right next to the museums.
Food:
Bonci Pizza - cheap and delicious pizza with so many different toppings.
Cul De Sac - stopped here for lunch. Had some delicious ravioli outside on the patio. This is near Piazza Navona.
Da Enzo - got lucky with getting seated. We tried to make reservations ahead of time, but it was full. There were people waiting there with us before the restaurant even opened. If you plan to eat here, try to make reservations weeks in advance.
I couldn't find pictures on my phone, but I remember eating pasta and being really full at the end. We sat on the patio next to a Dutch mom and daughter.
Fatamorgana Corso - small gelato shop on a side street off of Piazza Navona.
Enough time?
I was a bit overwhelmed by how big the city was and 2 nights was enough for me, BUT you probably need 3-4 nights.
Tuscany (1 night & 2 nights)
Quick notes:
Much of Tuscany is about the scenic drive and food, and both did not disappoint. I loved how simple the landscape was and you couldn't help but feel relaxed.
How I got there:
2015- We rented a car in Rome at the train station. We got a ticket somehow and that was an unpleasant surprise. Be sure to (try) to read all the signs!
The drive is beautiful and very calming. Not too many cars on the road and it was easy to get to place to place. Minus Siena though...we were unable to find parking on the way to Florence and decided to just drive through.
From Roma Termini to San Quirico d'Orcia, our first stop, was a little less than 2.5 hours. We stopped a lot for pictures though!
2018- We rented a car in Florence and drove to Greve in Chianti.
Accommodations:
2015 - We stayed in Pienza at Hotel Relais Il Chiostro Di Pienza.
2018- We stayed at a cute Airbnb in Greve in Chianti.
Activities:
San Quirico d'Orcia - we ate at Al Vecchio Forno. There was an upstairs patio and it was so cute! There were many plants and felt like we were in a little garden. Little turtles were roaming around on the rocks. Very unique experience and the food was so good. We got a cheese plate and I had gnocchi.
While we were there, we also walked through Horti Leonini, a small garden, as it started to sprinkle.
Cappella di Vitaleta - this is a little further up from the main part of San Quirico d'Orcia. Not sure how to describe this part of the day as anything other than magical. The weather was great and stopped sprinkling so we could wander around. The landscape was gorgeous and the chapel was very cute and quaint.
Pienza - small town, but seemed bigger than San Quirico d'Orcia. It had a decent amount of restaurants and shops. Not many things are open late so make sure to get food before it gets too late. We had dinner at a small restaurant called Il Rosselino. The whole vibe of the town is so relaxed and it's refreshing that everything and everyone moves at a slower pace.
When the morning arrived, we were able to go into some of the shops. I picked up some cheese and meats from La Bottega Del Naturista. That place was calling my name. It was a cheese lovers dream.
Chianti area - we stayed in Greve, but went around to a few different towns/areas. We went to Montefioralle, Castellina, Panzano, Monteriggioni, Volpaia, and Lamole. We mostly just walked around these towns, took pictures, or ate. They are all so small so they don’t take a ton of time to see.
Accademia Del Buon Gusto Sas Di Anna Sterbakova - Wow, what an experience. This wine tasting place was recommended to us by our Airbnb host. There were TWENTY wines to try and Stefano was a riot. He was so entertaining and funny. And to be completely honest, I don’t even like wine but I had a great time.
Food:
La Bottega Ristorante Di Carla Barucci (Volpaia) - had a nice lunch in Volpaia. They have some good pasta and sandwich options. Was not impressed by their tiramisu though.
Gelateria di Castellina (Castellina) - pretty good gelato. Lots of flavors to choose from.
Il Vescovino Ristorante (Panzano) - we enjoyed a beautiful sunset while sitting outside. We ordered a steak and wow. It was massive. It was my friend, Caitlin’s birthday, and they were nice enough to bring out a birthday treat.
La Castellana (Montefioralle) - a great first meal here. If you love truffles, go here. I don’t actually like them, but I was able to find things I liked. The food was really good and our server was great.
La Taverna dell'Etrusco (Orvieto) - we stopped in this town for lunch on our long journey to the Amalfi Coast. It was pretty good, but seemed less traditional Italian.
Enough time?
Now that I have been there twice, I can say Tuscany is very large. The landscape I saw in 2015 coming from Rome seemed a lot different than the northern part of it when I was driving from Florence.
by Tuscany is beautiful and it’s a great break from the cities. It’s very slow so I would say you don’t need a whole week, but if you want to see multiple regions of it, maybe two days in one place, then stay in another place for another couple of days.
I would definitely go back a third time to see other cities too.
Florence (2 nights)
Quick notes:
This was a nice change of pace after Tuscany, but not as overwhelming as Rome. In general I liked it better than Rome and Venice.
How I got there:
We drove from Pienza to Florence and dropped the car off at a rental location in the city.
Accommodations:
We stayed in this cute Airbnb with a shared bathroom.
Activities:
Uffizi Gallery - see if you can get tickets online to beat the line! This museum was huge. Lots of artwork to take a gander at.
Palazzo Pitti (Pitti Palace) - I can't remember if we went to the museum portion or just walked around. Even if you don't want to go inside, you can just walk around on the outside.
Giardino di Boboli - nestled in some side streets. The gardens were pretty and also offered a really nice view of the city. The garden is pretty huge, especially when you're looking at it on the map.
Piazzale Michelangelo - you will have to earn this view. There are a bunch of stairs, but you will get a great view of the city from here. This is a good place to watch the sunset. There were a good amount of people and live music while we took in the view.
Ponte Vecchio - cool bridge with some buildings on it. Lots of people on it too when we were there at night. It's also a nice bridge to take pictures of from afar.
Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore - cathedral is very unique looking. It was also nice just to walk around in the area since it had a bunch of shops and restaurants.
Food:
Tip - if there are specific restaurants you want to try (like we did), make reservations! A lot of places were full and didn't take walk ins.
Gelateria de' Medici - second best gelato I've had in Italy! The inside looked very old almost like a saloon. They had many interesting, delicious flavors. This was down the street from our Airbnb.
Gelateria La Carraia - another good gelato place. I'd say this was my 3rd favorite. There are some unique flavors, it was cheap, and you can eat it outside overlooking the river
Enough time?
I thought it was a good amount of time for me, but I was also dealing with shin splints so I was ready to give my legs a break. If we had more time, I would've wanted to go to Mercato Centrale and Eataly Firenze.
Dolomites (3 nights)
Quick notes:
I loved this area and had been wanting to go for some time. It's really beautiful and a great getaway. I went in early June and that was considered before the main season so some things were still closed. Also, pretty much everything in this area has an Italian and German name for the same place.
How I got there:
I took trains from Como. It was a bit of a journey, but the bus system once I got to a certain part of the Dolomites was pretty easy to use. I used this website to calculate all the bus times and locations. I remember one bus or train being late and that kind of messed everything up and caused me to get to my destination much later than expected.
I didn't opt for the rental car route cause I was alone, but that would be a good way to see more of the area.
Accommodations:
I stayed in 3 different cities:
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Hotel Europa - this was an old European style room with a gorgeous balcony view of the mountains. It had a cute downstairs buffet area for breakfast. It was a short walk from the bus station (uphill on the way back)
Braies
Steinwandterhof - so cute! This bed and breakfast was on a little farm out in the middle of nowhere. There is only a curtain for a bathroom door and the shower is wide open. I was alone so it didn't matter. Short walk from the bus station and last stop before Lago di Braies.
Bolzano
Rosengarten Rooms - room with a shared bath. Close to the main part of the city and it was clean. A 5 minute walk from the train station.
Activities:
Cortina d'Ampezzo
Man, this place is beautiful. It drizzled a little bit the day I got there, but the weather mostly held up. The downtown area is small, but everything you need will be there (shops, restaurants, tourist center, train and bus station).
La Cooperativa di Cortina - there is a market, cafe, food, and some good gift options.
Lago Pianoze - I took a quick 10 minute bus ride here. I was the only person here. I think I saw one person running, but I was the only person around this area for awhile and I started to question if I should be there. Haha.
This lake is really small and you can walk around it in 5 minutes.
Cappella di S. Candido - this is a church, but it's not really what I wanted to share. It's the only thing on the map that I could pinpoint for this road/path that had an amazing view.
If you go past the church and up the path, you get greeted by this wonderful scenery. I saw people walking their dogs here, but not many people were around. I wasn't able to go all the way down the path cause I wanted to make sure I knew which bus to get on.
I didn't have time, but I wanted to go to Lago Sorapis and up some of the cablecars in the area.
Braies
I took an hour bus ride from Cortina d'Ampezzo with one stop in Dobbiaco.
I went to Braies for one thing and that was to see Lago di Braies. I had seen this on Instagram so many times and knew I had to go.
The lake was beautiful and it was a lot smaller than I thought, but I still really liked it. I have one regret, which is I thought the boat rental place would be open the next morning, but it didn't open until after I had to leave. So make sure you find out their hours! I remember it being an affordable price.
You can hike around the whole lake in about 30 minutes. Looks like you can go off the beaten path too, but I didn't have a ton of daylight left so I wasn't about to risk it.
There was not much food near my lodging so I had to eat at the hotel at the lake. It was fine, but I wasn't about to complain :)
Bolzano
I took a bus to Villabassa then a train to Fortezza, then Bolzano. I wasn't as impressed with Bolzano, but that's maybe because I had just stayed in two beautiful areas.
I really only had half a day here since I got in in the afternoon, so naturally I just walked around until I found cool stuff. I got a city pass from the place I was staying at which gave me access to some of the museums.
Rittner Seilbahn - I believe this was free with my pass. I went up and down maybe an hour before it closed. It closes fairly early (before the sunset), so plan accordingly. The view was gorgeous though.
Waltherplatz - the main plaza in the city. It was the weekend so there were a decent amount of people out and there was also some type of live event happening.
Museion - free with my city pass. This museum was weird. I didn't spend too much time here as it wasn't really my cup of tea. It was more modern and eclectic.
Parco Petrarca - large park that was nice to stroll around in.
Mareccio Castle - I didn't go inside cause I wasn't sure if I was allowed to. Kind of cool to see a castle in the middle of the city.
Enough time?
Three nights was definitely not enough for the Dolomites. I would love to come back one day, and if I get the chance to come back, I'd love to stay at least 4 days and rent a car.
Milan (1 night)
Quick notes:
I liked Milan more than I thought I would. It was kind of just a 'throw in' because I was flying out from there.
I took the Malpensa Shuttle from the train station to the airport. I believe it was a 40 minute ride.
How I got there:
I took a train from Bolzano in less than 3 hours.
Accommodations:
Canova Hotel - This was a short 5 minute walk from the train station, Milano Centrale. I walked to the main part of the city in 20-30 minutes.
Activities:
I didn't have a full day here, so I walked around and saw what I could.
Museum of the Milan Cathedral - I bought a ticket that was a combo of the museum and the Duomo.
Duomo di Milano - popular attraction in Milan. I enjoyed being able to go on top of it and look at the city. View wasn't the best since it wasn't that high up, but you can see some stuff.
Sforzesco Castle - large castle leading to a big park area. Didn't have too much time to spend here, but would've liked to.
Food:
Cioccolatitaliani - a fancy gelato place. I got one of the specials and I think it was too chocolatey for me if that's possible. I was also taking a picture of it and some guy was bugging me.
You might encounter some men from foreign countries wanting to put bracelets on you. I was too nice and said yes and of course they wanted a donation for it. Oddly enough, I still have that bracelet on. Ha.
Luini - Um, I loved this place. Everything looked really delicious. I got some panzerotti and it was so good. I got this as lunch and on my way home, I picked up something for dinner too!
Enough time?
I could've used another day here, but 2 days seems like it would've been good.
Amalfi Coast (4 nights)
See my separate post on the Amalfi Coast here.
