Dear Readers, I have been getting many calls from friends and relatives asking me about my various itineraries, especially for Italy and so I am sharing the information here for everyone to benefit from.
In this itinerary, I will talk about what I did and what I wish I had done. I will also mention what’s okay to skip if you’d like. I will also include where I stayed in some places.
If possible, in most countries that I visit, I like to spend a good amount of time to experience the life and culture there and see all aspects of the country, the beach, the city, mountains and islands. This is what I tried to include in my Italian itinerary. (Note: If you want to know more details about each place I visited, watch out for the next posts).
Now let’s get right to it.
THE WEATHER: I visited Italy just after the Easter rush in April 2017 and returned home in May. April was nice and pleasant (and sometimes cold) with a very light drizzle once in a while. May started getting a bit hot, but by that time, I was in Southern Italy which is also hotter than the north. My flight was to and from Rome and I did a kind of circuit around the country. I confess that even though I spent 21 days, it was not enough to see the whole country and I missed most of the southern areas.
Day 1, ROME: I landed at Fiumicino airport, took a bus to Roma Termini station, bought a local SIM card at the station and then walked to the hostel I had booked nearby. The hostel was really a cool, hip place. I loved the decor and it’s location. It also had a bar where they served free food in the evening. You can book the hostel through hostelworld.com by clicking on this link. https://prf.hn/l/Rlywnvp
I spent the rest of the day just walking around the neighborhood, chancing upon some beautiful squares. I was taking it easy and getting over my jetlag.
Day 2, VENICE: Although I landed in Rome, I decided to start from Venice. I had all my inter-city train tickets booked in advance. So off I went, early in the morning to Roma Termini station. I sat on my luggage and had a breakfast of my mom’s theplas and hot chocolate from a kiosk. The train was on time and very comfortable. I reached Venice around 1pm and walked 20 minutes to my Airbnb while admiring the view and already taking pictures. I was staying with a wonderful Italian mother-son duo and they gave me a lot of tips on what to see and where I’d get the best pizza in Venice.
Day 3, VENICE: Let me warn you, I did not do most of the touristy things that people do. But let it suffice to say that I explored Venice to the best of my own interests. I even met up with a friend I was in touch with through Couchsurfing and had a great chat in Italian while sipping on Italian coffee at a petite outdoor cafe. Aahhh, could I ask for anything more?
Day 4, VERONA: I believe I chose to visit Verona as an off-beat place, also because it was on the way to my next destination. I took a train from Venice to Verona and stayed at a Couchsurfing host’s place in the main area by the river. Verona is a small city and has a great landscape and some unique squares. It is famous for the mansion that poses as ‘Juliet’s House’ from Shakespeare, but remember, the story is just fiction.
MILAN/LAKE COMO: Important note here, I chose to skip Milan because it seemed like just another city to me and I wasn’t interested in shopping. I’m sure that Milan has some great architecture, and you can see the famous ‘Last Supper’ painting by Michaelangelo but remember to book it way in advance. I do regret not visiting Lake Como near Milan. I hear it’s one of the most beautiful landscapes in Italy but apparently you need a car to go there and that was a difficult for me as a solo traveller. So, if you have the time and resources, I suggest that you include Lake Como.
Day 5, CINQUE TERRE: (Pronounced as Chin-quay Terre) Instead, I went straight to Cinque Terre, the place where the famous instagram-worthy pictures of the colourful villages are taken. Cinque Terre means ‘5 Lands’ or basically, ‘5 villages’ which are by the coast. The train dropped me at Monterosso, the 5th Village, where I spent some time looking around and eating gelato. Then at 7pm, my hostel hosts picked us all up and shuttled us to the hostel. I stayed at one of the best hostels there. The place was more like a community where all travellers sat together for dinner and got to know each other. Our hosts personally cooked for us, made us taste Sangria and gave us many sightseeing tips. While I was unable to find the same hostel after so many years, here are some of the best ones.
Day 6, CINQUE TERRE: The next day, the hosts shuttled us down to La Spezia, the lowest of the 5 villages of Cinque terre. Generally, people start at La Spezia and hike their way up through the national park (which is along the entire 5 villages) till they come back up to Monterosso. There is also an option to take trains between the villages if you don’t want to hike, but it’s a lot of chaos and the trains can be super late. I chose to do something different, based on the advise of my hostel host. I took a bus from La Spezia and went to Portovenere. It too has a beautiful landscape which I admired while eating authentic bruschetta at an outdoor cafe. I also visited most of the Cinque Terre villages and then headed back to the hostel.
AMALFI COAST: Another point to note. Since I chose to do Cinque Terre, I avoided the Amalfi coast due to lack of time. But if you prefer beaches to hiking on cliffs, you can include Amalfi. I can’t say if it’s more or less beautiful, since I haven’t seen it but being Italy, I’m sure everything has it’s own charm. But be warned that both Cinque Terre and Amalfi are super crowded with tourists unless you go in off-season.
Can you skip Cinque Terre? Yes, if you’re not that into hiking and are going to see a lot of scenery in Italy anyway, you can skip it. After all it’s just colorfully painted villages, in my opinion. It’s a beautiful sight but maybe a bit of an anti-climax based on what instagram might show you.
Day 7, PISA & FLORENCE: Pisa literally needs just a couple of hours. Unless you’re planning to drive around Tuscany and can stop and stay here, you can do what I did. I took a train from La Spezia to Pisa, walked 20 minutes to the Leaning Tower of Pisa, took all the pictures I wanted to, had lunch at McDonalds nearby (since it had vegetarian food) and then walked back to the station to catch a train to Florence.
Florence is a small city. You could probably walk the length of it in 30-45 minutes. I loved the charm of the place and highly recommend it. I stayed at a hostel with was literally only 2 blocks away from the Duomo. There was a McDonalds and Subway 1 block away and I even discovered an amazing Indian restaurant in a lane nearby. The hostel even provided free unlimited snacks after 4pm. While I was unable to find the same hostel that I stayed in, you’ll find many more listed here. Just click below to see the list.
Day 8, FLORENCE: The next day I spent exploring the city and took an all-access pass for all the museums and monuments, including the duomo and tower. However, if you’re not much into art and history, you can just take single tickets to see the duomo, the tower and the museum visit to see the statue of David by Michaelangelo.
Day 9, SIENNA: From Florence, you can go on a day trip around Tuscany to see some unique cities like the walled cities of Monteriggioni, San Gimignano (pronounced Gimin-nyano) and Sienna. If you don’t have a car, the best thing to do is take guided bus tours. They will share all the interesting tales of the places and culture and it will be worth it. In fact, a friend of mine loved Sienna so much, that she wouldn’t have minded staying there a night or two. So do your research and see if you’d like that too.
Day 10, FLORENCE: The next day, I continued to explore Florence and visited the Medici mansion. If you haven’t yet, I highly recommend watching the series ‘Medici’ on Netflix before you visit it (while it is quite a dramatized version, it is based on the actual lives of the Medici family). It will change your entire viewpoint of the place. I hadn’t watched it back then, so I looked at it as another rich family house and gardens turned into a museum. But it was beautiful, nonetheless.
Day 11, FLORENCE: I spent so many days in Florence because there were so many sights to see. It was museum overload for me here, as this was the hub of art in Italy, thanks to the Medici family. I did some souvenir shopping here and hung out with my new friends from the hostel.
I recommend taking a car and driving to some Tuscan vineyards nearby if possible.
Day 12, ASSISI: Next day I took a train to Assisi. This was also an off-beat choice. Assisi is on a small hill and is extremely charming. While there isn’t much to see here, it is famous for the Roman Catholic Church built as a shrine of the famous St. Francis of Assisi. I found it very fascinating and what made my visit here even more fun was my Couchsurfing host who made me try all the local delicacies and took me to meet her friends at dinner. We had a wonderful night playing the guitar and singing Italian songs.
Day 13, NAPLES: I was sad to leave my new friends in Assisi but also excited to visit the notorious Southern part of Italy. Many tourists and even Italians in the north warn that Naples is not safe. But I think that counts for all tourist places. I found the vibe in Naples to be very energetic and different from the north and I loved it. I settled in a small BnB and went for a guided tour of the Naples underground.
Day 14: POMPEII & ERCOLANO: The next day I took a train to Pompeii, the city which was destroyed by the eruption of the volcano Vesuvio. I recommend going early if you want a bus tour up to the volcano itself. I reached a bit late and the last bus left at 4pm. I had to choose between seeing the volcano and the city. I did not regret choosing the city. Pompeii is absolutely fascinating. Take an audio tour for sure, to hear the stories. You can still see so many remnants of the city there.
Ercolano is a city similar to Pompeii. It was destroyed by the volcano too. You seems much larger than Pompeii and I enjoyed roaming around listening to the audio. However, since it’s similar, you can skip Ercolano if you don’t have time.
Day 15: NAPLES/CAPRI?: I had saved one more day in Naples for a day trip to the island of Capri, another famous tourist destination. It’s so touristy that it can be expensive to stay in and so I had planned to visit it just for the day and not stay overnight. However, I happened to skip it as I just wanted to rest. Some of my relatives have been there and loved it. It’s worth doing even if it’s just for a day. Meanwhile, I walked around Naples and had the delicious Napolitana Pizza. Do not miss it!!
Looking for a place to stay in Naples? I would recommend staying near the historical centre. Click below to see the list.
Day 16: ISCHIA: Probably no one outside of Italy and maybe it’s immediate neighbours must have heard of Ischia (pronounced as Isk-iya). This is why I chose to stay there instead of Capri. Ischia is quite a large island off the coast of Naples. You can get there by a ferry from Naples. It’s a volcanic island with hot springs, so make sure you carry your swimsuit. It has wonderfully blue waters and landscapes. There were only a handful of tourists everywhere I went, and my Airbnb host happened to be free and gave me an authentic experience of the island on his Vespa, thus completing the whole ‘Italian-ness’ of the trip.
DAY 17, ISCHIA: Ischia was cheap enough for me to afford my own Airbnb apartment there. So, I stayed for another day to explore the island. Note, you will need transportation! The island has so many upward and downward slopes and is so big that you cannot possibly walk everywhere. So you might have to hire a bike or a car. Luckily, the hot springs were close to my lodgings. We had to climb down a long long long stairwell along the cliff to get into this little pool of water literally connecting to the vast sea. The water is warm and has healing minerals as it comes from the volcano.
Day 18, ROME: My trip was on its last leg. I headed back by ferry to Naples and took a train to my final destination, Rome. I would suggest staying close to Roma Termini station as it will save a lot of travel time around the city. I roamed around in Rome, seeing all the usual places like the Roman Forum, Palantine Hill, Colosseum, Trastevere, Trevi Fountain, etc.
Day 19, VATICAN: Today, I visited the Vatican city. To be clear, the Vatican is not just that huge building and square that you see the Pope in on television. It’s a huge city. What you see on TV is the ‘Vatican Museum’. Important tip: visit it in the early mornings before the crazy swarm of tourists arrive. Trust me, it’s so crowded, you can’t even make your way forward in the vast Vatican Museum halls. But it’s worth a visit, especially St. Peter’s Basilica and the famous Sistine Chapel. There are also some crypts in some of the churches in the Vatican, if you’re interested in that sort of thing.
Day 20, ROME: They say Rome wasn’t built in a day. So obviously you can’t see everything in a day. So on day 20, I tried to see everything that I had missed. There is a lot to do if you like history and architecture. Still there were a few things I missed, like the Panthenon and the Roman crypts (my friend loved it). Please check the closing time of each place you want to visit and plan your day accordingly.
Day 21, HOME: After saying ‘Ciao’ to Rome for the last time, I took the flight home. It took some time to get the Italian language out of my head and get back to normal. If you ask me, “What was the most memorable place?” I would say Florence and Pompeii. Both these places had a vibe to them that resonated with me.
Would I visit Italy again? Definitely! There are places in Italy I haven’t yet seen. Things I missed that I wish I had done and maybe you can include in your itinerary are: the Dolomites, Capri, Sicily and some more of Southern Italy. I had a ‘perfetto’ time in Italy and I hope you do too. Until next time. Ciao!