ITALY

ABOUT ITALY

Mama Mia! Italy was truly something out of a dream. Out of all the countries I have visited, Italy is one that I am dying to go back to and visit. From the mouthwatering pizzas and pasta to breathtaking archeological sites, this country absolutely took my breath away. With some friends, I had the chance to visit several cities in Italy, including Rome, Florence, Piza, Venice, Cinq Terres, and Milan. Our trip highlights included visiting the infamous Colosseum, drinking sweet white wine, and viewing the alluring Italian countryside on various train rides.

Check out some of my favorite adventures from Italy!

Travel Tips - Italy

Lodging

We absolutely loved all of our stays in Italy. In Rome, my friends and I booked with Airbnb at the Paola Residence. This lodging was in a fantastic location and was very tidy and clean. Although it was relatively difficult to find, as were most of our Airbnbs in Europe, we were right in the heart of the city and away from the bustling tourists. There were so many gelato stores, restaurants, and shops around us while still within walking distance to all major sites (e.g., the colosseum, Trevi Fountain, etc.). Our host, Marco, was exceptional as well.

In Florence, we stayed booked with Airbnb at the SMaria8 Cozy Apartment in Oltrarno. Located just outside the city center, this apartment was an absolute dream. We definitely had to do a few laps around the block to find this location. I LOVED the aesthetic of this cozy apartment and was absolutely obsessed with the built-in bookshelf! For us two couples, this stay worked really well. The only caveat is just that in one of the two bathrooms, it is an all-in-one sort of deal when you have an open shower, the toilet, and the sink all in one tiled area which was not my favorite! The main bathroom was ~beautiful~ though! Overall, I would recommend this stay.

When we were in Milan, we booked with Airbnb again at the Casa Claudia ai Frari. The location of this Airbnb was fantastic, but a major con was that the air conditioning could not keep up with the outstanding heat we found in the area in late June! The apartment was adorable and had a two bed two bath, perfect for us two traveling couples! We could walk everywhere we needed to (including the train station) and found it to be a quiet part of the city, which we greatly enjoyed.

Finally, when we stayed in Milan, luckily one of our friends had a major discount for a BEAUTIFUL hotel called Voco Milan - Fiere, an IHG Hotel. This hotel was gorgeous and felt overly luxurious after all of my stays in hostels. We greatly loved our hotel stay here, the only (and major) caveat is that this hotel was extremely far out of the way from downtown Milan. This hotel truly seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere. For those who have a little extra in the budget and don’t mind ordering Ubers or taxis to get around, this hotel is an absolute must!

Transportation

For transportation between cities in Italy, we used platforms such as Rome2Rio or Omio to book trains. The train system is truly incredible and I could not recommend it more! Aside from flying into Rome, we booked trains from Rome to Florence, Florence to Venice, and Venice to Milan. In addition to the train systems, we also occasionally used Uber and local bus routes to get around. In all of my travels, I have found Italy to be incredibly easy to navigate compared to others!

Activities

Oh, there are so so many things to do in Italy depending on what region you visit, but here are some of my absolute favorites!