A week in Italy

Hi Friends!! I can’t believe it’s August!! This year and summer are flying by!! At the beginning of the summer my incredible grandparents took me on a graduation trip to Italy and Germany!! It was seriously beyond words amazing and I’m more thankful than I can express in words! I thought it would be fun to recap my time in each country and share some tips I picked up along the way. Today I’m sharing my Italy recap and the Germany one will be coming soon!! The three main places I visited in Italy were Rome, Florence, and Verona. I’m dying to get back already, Italy you are gorgeous and it’s safe to say I’m in love!!

Rome!!

Rome was the first stop on our adventure and we stayed there for about three days!! Going to be real, Rome was not how pictured it. It was loud, bustiling, and chaotic and honestly it took me a day or two to get used to it! Spent the first day feeling pretty sick from a combination of jet lag and anxiety I think, but pushed through and grew so much within myself. After that day, I can honestly say that I wasn’t anxious again! So needless to say I have a love hate relationship with Rome!! It’s an enchanting city filled with SO much history, and a deep, enriching culture. I found that I really did grow in confidence within my three days in Rome and I’m already trying to figure out a way to go back!!

Places I ate and recommend :

• Restaurant La Canonica Rome 
• Gelateria La Romana
• Rifugio Romano

Places I didn’t eat but have heard great things about :

• Mordi e vai 
• La Gatta Mangiona
• Antico Caffe greco
• Da Francesco 
• Roscioli 

 

Where I went:

Spent the first day hitting all the main Roman stops. The Trevi fountain, Pantheon, and the Colosseum!! I’d recommend doing those things in one day but you definitely don’t have to!

We dedicated a whole day to the Vatican. This place is crazy. To go in Saint Peter’s Basilica is free, but the line to get in is crazy long! We spent an hour in line and we arrived around 9 am. I would recommend getting there as soon as they open to avoid the line, as it gets longer throughout the day. You need to pre purchase a ticket to get into the Sistine Chapel, you have a certain time slot and that’s when you get let in. That was also quite a process as you have to walk through many museums to even get to the Sistine and even then it’s packed. I know there are some guided tours that might help bypass some of this but honestly I personally enjoyed not being on a schedule, but it’s definitely an option worth looking into!!

We also dedicated a day to simply being in Rome. We went to church Sunday morning at Santa Maria Maggiore and it was an amazing experience. We shopped, went to the Spanish Steps, and enjoyed a lovely dinner at a cute little place near our hotel!!

Trastevere is a Roman neighborhood we visited, not far from the Vatican. We took a cab from the Vatican to Trastevere and it wasn’t bad at all! By far my favorite part of Rome! The best restaurants and cutest shops are here! It’s like Pinterest in real life. If your heading to Rome, put Trastevere on your list!! In Trastevere we ate dinner at Restaurant La Canonica Rome and it was seriously so good!!! The building is an old church and all the old paintings and windows are still up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rome Tips:

1. Check to see what day certain places are closed. Luckily I looked into this prior to, but it would be so easy to forget to check because everywhere is a little different. Also some places have weird hours of operation so I’d check that too!!
2. Buy tickets in advance! The hardest part of the planning process for me was tickets! It’s hard to understand what to buy, and when. Plus add the fact that it’s in euros, a different language, and military time, buying tickets can be challenging. But you have to if you want to get in on a certain date because Rome is very crowded!! We bought tickets in advance for Sistine Chapel and the Borghese Gallery! If your looking to head into the Colosseum, you also need a ticket!
3. Drink lots of water!! I went through so much water on this trip, next time I’m bringing a collapsible water bottle!!
4. Plan the basics, as far as tickets, times, and what you in general want to do. It eliminates stress and helps you accomplish all your goals! But also leave time for exploring and adventure. Don’t plan away the whole trip!
5. Read the reviews of restaurants before going in. I would seriously stand out front of the restaurant and look up the reviews before I ate there. While it seems a little silly, it really did help ensure we ate at yummy and affordable places!! I just used trip advisor!

 

 

Florence!!

I LOVE FLORENCE! Really though I’m ready to pack my bags and move. It’s small enough to walk everywhere, but big enough to be full of rich Italian culture and history! It’s everything you want from a trip to Italy in one place! We only had a day in a half in Florence but we packed a lot in!

Places I ate and Recommend:

• Fontana Gelateria – I could walk here from our hotel and I went at least three times in the day and a half I was there- It’s that good!
• Caffe Concerto Paszkowski – lunch
• Trattoria al trebbio – Can’t recommend this place enough

Places I didn’t eat but have heard great things about :

• Sud 
• Osteria santo spirito ( need reservation)
• Pinos
• All’antico Vinaio

 

Where I went:

Florence has a couple main attractions that you’re going to want to get to! If you want access to Giotto’s Bell Tower, Santa Maria del Fiore, Baptistry of San Giovanni,Brunelleschi’s Dome, and/or Opera Duomo Museum you will only purchase one ticket that can get you into all of those attractions once! This is another one you need ahead of time because dates fill up! This is the official website ( https://www.museumflorence.com ) Once you first scan in you have 36 hours before the ticket expires so you can really use this ticket throughout your whole trip! We did all of these except the climbing Duomo because we missed our time slot. Instead I climbed the Bell Tower in a dress and sandals and it was quite the experience. It was a steep climb but I’d do it over again any day for the views!

 

 

 

 

We also visited The Galleria dell’ Accademia to see the famous statue of David by Michelangelo. You’ll also need a ticket in advance for this one. We also went to Ponte Vecchio, an arch bridge over the Arno River. A center point of Florence with so many fun jewelry shops. We found the cutest affordable jewelry shop called “Lo Spillo”. We loved it so much we brought a bracelet back for everyone in my family!! 

 

 

 

Verona: 

Verona is straight out of a fairytale, or my favorite movie Letters to Juliet!! I had so much fun visiting places where they filmed the movie and crying inside. We were only there for half a day and I’m already dying to go back. It’s such a magical Italian city. There’s so much to do and see that feels more local and authentic than in some of the bigger cities!

Places I ate and Recommend:

• Trattoria Caprese
• Amorino Gelato – they make the gelato into roses here and it’s just as magical as it sounds!

Places I didn’t eat but have heard great things about :

 

• I TIGIL – pizza

 

Where I went:

Verona was a day of exploration. We made a stop at the famous Juliet’s House/balcony and Letters to Juliet wall. This is where part of the movie Letters to Juliet was filmed and where many tourists come to stand on Juliet’s balcony. The wall used in the movie was a set but was shot in the same courtyard! While this place is mainly just a tourist attraction I loved being able to recognize scenes from the movie and the whole atmosphere is pretty exciting. The Arena di Verona is another exciting and underrated attraction. It was built in 30 AD and is still fully used today for concerts and other performances! It sits in the city center so casually, I couldn’t get over it! The rest of the day we shopped, explored, and of course ate Gelato ( twice). I found the cutest handmade leather bag store for such good prices! The store is called Filufilu and the sweetest ladies helped me pick out a wallet. They make everything in store and it’s all stunning!

 

 

Italy you are so magical. I can’t wait to go back someday and explore more cities!! I wrote this summary for my grandparents but I feel like it sums up all my feelings in one little blurb so I’m gonna share it here too! Thank you SO much for reading this! I hope it was fun and helpful if you’re planning a trip ( which I’m so jealous of ). Anyway here’s the blurb and really thank you so much again for reading!

 

 

I wish I could put into words exactly how I felt about the two weeks I spent in Europe. But I can try to put into words all that I took away from our grand adventure. I learned that life is unpredictable. Sometimes you just have to get on the train and hope that it’s headed where you need it to, but either way knowing you’ll figure it out. I learned that Italian gelato is the best food in the world and I’m not really sure how I’ve survived without it. Also, you should have at least one Margarita pizza a day in order to be happy. Sometimes people are rude and sometimes they’re nice. You can learn from both of them. When life hands you a chance to get out of your comfort zone, take it. Sometimes you’ll fall down, quite literally ( me at the Colosseum steps ), it’s important to remember that you can get back up and keep going. Life is short and the days go by too fast, but the world is big and beautiful and deserves to be explored. Thank you Mamama and Papa for the adventure of a lifetime. I’ll cherish the memories we made for the rest of my life. 

 

All the love, Annie