Italy Archives - TravelMania360

November 4, 2019January 13, 2021

Seven Things you should know before visiting Italia!

Planning on visiting Italy or any of the neighboring countries? Italy was our first country in Europe and we did a lot of research prior to going, which made our trip rather smooth. However, here are a few things I wish we looked more into before our week trip to Italia!

1 You have to pay for water at restaurants. I know… absurd, right? For a city that has free clean running water from outdoor taps, you have to pay for water inside the restaurants? Yep. It’s true! So, what do Italians do? They drink lots of wine instead!

2 Most of Europe has a sales tax per night, per person, for hotel stays. We had charges ranging from 4 Euros to 6 Euros per night. Not too bad, but it can quickly add up. Plan for it because it’s in the fine prints when you book your hotels.

3 Pick pocketing is no joke. Keep your belongings close to you and always be aware of your surroundings. While we were at the Trevi Fountain, a lady had been pick pocketed nearby us. There are so many people in these tourist spots that it’s so easy for someone to come in close proximity to you and take something right out of your pocket! We were very cautious about this and kept an eye on each other and others around us all the time.

4 Italia is known for all the delicious lasagna, baked ziti, pizzas, salami, calzones, and more! With all that pizza and pasta carbs you’ll be eating, make sure to drink a lot of water or take something to prevent you from getting too stuffed up. No one wants to be feeling bad while on vacation!

5 The roads and sidewalks in most cities are not paved. They have cobblestones, which makes it harder to walk on. Having sturdy, comfortable walking shoes is key since walking the best way to get around in Italia. I recently got a pair of these Khombu Women’s Sandals from Costco for just $10 and I love it! I wore it every single day around Spain and wish I had it during my Italy trip.

6 The lines in the tourist areas are extremely long! It will help cut that down by a little if you are able to get the ROMA pass (or passes in other cities). I highly recommend the pass because it comes with free bus rides and quick entrance to some busy attractions. The easiest way to purchase them is to get it at the airport (you will need to show passports). We bought the 48 hour (2 day) pass and it was only 28 Euros per person- definitely worth it.

7 Read restaurant reviews BEFORE you go into the restaurant! Many restaurants with bad reviews add a tent-like extension to their store, hide the name, and try to attract tourists with menus and deals. One time during the trip, we failed to check the review before sitting down. Once we sat down and realized it was a terrible restaurant, I had to fake getting sick to leave. And they were not happy! >_<

Have you been to Italia? Anything else you would add to this list that I have missed?
On the side note, I also wish I knew just how good the food in Italy was. Check out this blog post to see all the must have food before your Italia trip!

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.

October 25, 2019February 5, 2020

Why Italy tops my list on places to visit!

Italy is a great tourist destination for beginners because it’s fairly easy to get around and navigate. Most people also speak at least a little bit of English, so communication is not a problem either. My husband and I took an eight day trip to Italy earlier this year with my sister and her husband, and a friend and his wife. We visited Rome, Florence, and Venice, spending about 2-3 days in each city. With all the things to see, do, and eat, there was never a dull day for us. Each day and each city brought a different feel and we loved it all.

Check out the list below to see all the things we did while in Italy! If you like to see what our itinerary looked like for this whole trip, check out our Italy Itinerary Sample!

ROME

The Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, & St. Peter’s Basilica

Located in the Vatican City (smallest country in the world), The Vatican museum along with the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica is a must see. Because this is a part of the Church, there is a dress code one must adhere to in order to show respect (No sleeveless and low cut tops, no shorts or mini skirts, and no hats).

How to book your tickets? Get them through the official Vatican Website and have the receipts printed out and with you when you get there. Just arrive about 15-30 mins prior to your ticketed time. You won’t be able to enter until your allotted time. Once you are in, you can go to a kiosk and scan your paper copy to get the real ticket.
Tickets: Varies in price based on what you book.

The Colosseum

The Colosseum is one of the seven wonders of the world and there is no wondering why. It was much bigger than we thought it would be, towering five stories high and with a wide base. The excitement as we walked closer to it was in-explainable! We came here twice, once during the day time and again in the evening. Both views were great.

However, we did not go inside! It was fairly hot outside and the lines were leading around the Colosseum and was barely moving. We wanted to see the rest of Rome, so we all decided we would skip out on waiting in line for 2+ hours and use that time for something else.

Its hard to get a full shot of the Colosseum because of the wide base. If you go far enough though, to the Roman Forum or to the nearby crossover, you can get some great shots!

The Palatine Hill, Roman Forum & Arch of Constantine

The Roman Forum, known as Forum Romanum in Italian, was the center of the Roman Empire back in the day. They held everything in that center, from religious activities to political events and social gatherings. The forums are made of stones. However, it fell during the time of the fall of the Roman Empire. There are several possible reasons to why and how it fell, but no one is sure of the exact cause. It is now a historical site; still so beautiful that we can’t imagine how amazing it would have been before it was destroyed.
The Arch of Constantine which is located closer to the Colosseum, often goes unnoticed.

PS. Give yourself enough time to see the whole place. There are a few water fountains in the area to refill your bottles.

St. Peter’s Basilica and Square

After seeing the Sistine Chapel and the rest of the Vatican Museum, we went around to see the St. Peter’s Square. You don’t have to pay or wait in line to enter the square, so I highly recommend it. It was a big open area with beautiful architecture. It feels like you’re entering a movie set and you actually wonder if everything is real.

We did not enter the St. Peter’s Basilica because the line wrapped all the way around the building to the other side of the square. We used that time to explore more of Rome instead!
Another option is to get a pass or tour that gives you access to the Basilica without waiting in line.

Castle of Saint Angelo & St. Angelo Bridge

View of the St. Angelo Bridge from Castle Of Saint Angelo

After viewing the Sistine Chapel, we walked to the Castel Sant’Angelo. Surrounded by beautiful bridges as pictured here, the Castle of Saint Angelo was a gem on it’s own. We explored the inside of the Castle and the view looking out on the city of Rome was amazing. The St. Angelo bridge is a beauty in itself.

Piazza Venezia; Altar of the Fatherland

We found this white marbled monument randomly, while walking from one attraction to the next. This monument is amazingly beautiful and much larger in person. It takes up a whole block and almost impossible to see the whole thing in one angle. The architecture of this building is so precise and symmetrical.

Pantheon

The Pantheon is yet another wonderful monument to visit while in Rome. We went during their closed hours and did not enter it. Instead, we enjoyed some gelato in the small area in front of it and stood there, staring at it.

Trevi Fountain

The Trevi Fountain is also another attraction which was much bigger than I had imagined. The sculpted fountain is beautiful to see both during the day and at night. We came here twice as well and spent time sitting there, while eating our gelato, of course;)

Tip: Hold on tight to all your belongings. This area is packed at all times and it is easy to get pick-pocketed here!

Piazza di Spagna

The Piazza di Spagna, located at the bottom of the Spanish Steps, is a famous square with shops and restaurants. This area is where we saw the Louis Vitton store and many other great stores! Spanish Steps is also a great place to hang out and sit around, enjoying a gelato or two! We visited the steps and the plaza a couple of times, but I wish we had more time to sit around the steps and relax.

The view looking down from the Spanish steps

Piazza Navona (Plaza)

We walked through the Piazza Navona two times; once during the day with all the hustle and bustle and a second time during the night when it was quiet and deserted. I loved the day time more from the busy street vendors trying to sell items to children playing to people feeding birds to people sitting around the fountains listening to music. There was just so much to take in. In the center of the plaza is the Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi (Four Rivers Fountain). On both ends are the Fontana del Moro and Fontana di Nettuno (Moor Fountain and Fountain of Neptune).
Another famous plaza is the Piazza del Popolo, which is a big square, with more fountains and monuments. Basically there are so many beautiful fountains and monuments in Rome to see!

FLORENCE

Wineries

When in Italy, one must drink wine. I booked a half day Chianti wine tour and it was well worth the money. We went to two wineries and got to taste a wide variety of wines (and cheese!) They gave us so much information on the whole wine making process, starting from the vineyard to the wine in our glass. The guide was very informative and knowledgeable about everything and took time to explain in details. We did not feel rushed at all and the tour altogether was a great experience!

Statue of David, Accademia Gallery

On our last day in Florence, we went to see the Statue of David, which is located in the Galleria dell’Accademia or Accademia Gallery. We got there around 8 in the morning and stood in line for about 30 minutes. We got some breakfast and coffee while waiting in line, so the wait didn’t seem too long. All the statues leading up to David are amazing and David is the highlight and center of the whole museum. The statue is much taller than we expected it to be and stands high up on a stand. To see all the muscles on the statues in such great details was amazing, especially to my sister and I, who work in occupational and physical therapy.

Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore

This Cathedral of St. Mary of the Flower still stands as one of the largest Churches in Italy and the largest brick dome in the world. It’s impossible to get a picture of the whole cathedral while standing on the ground. The view we got as we walked between the streets towards the Cathedral was amazing. This Cathedral is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a major tourist attraction.

Piazas & Squares

Like Rome, Florence also has numerous plazas and squares. One of the most popular plaza was the Piazza della Signoria, which holds several statues and beautifully architectural buildings all around it. Another common one is the Piazzale Michelangelo, which is located higher up on a hill. From there, you can get a great view of Florence, both during the day and night.

VENICE

Venice was a city that we didn’t plan any excursions or day events. We used our days there to walk around the city, enjoy site seeing and eating gelato! However there are a few things I would highly recommend you would not miss while you are there!

St. Mark’s Basilica & Square

The St. Mark’s Basilica is such a beautiful church. It’s nearly impossible to get a wide angle shot of it. The area is so busy with tourists, photographers, merchants, locals and more!

St. Mark’s Square was probably one of the biggest squares we went to during this Italy trip. It was the one we spent the most time at as well. The square is surrounded by beautiful buildings with souvenir stores, restaurants, cafes and more!

Doge’s Palace

The Doge’s Palace is seen in the background in the picture above. It’s a palace built with a Venetian gothic touch and with amazing architecture. We did not go inside the palace, but we got a great view of the outside from the St. Marks square.

Rialto Bridge & Bridge of Sighs

These two bridges are just cross overs, but they have a history behind it. The Rialto bridge is one of the oldest and connects two districts in Venice. If you are on the bridge itself, you can look under and see the Grand Canal. If you want to get a view of the bridge, it is better to stand further away and see it.
The bridge of sighs is a popular bridge over the canal in Venice. How it got it’s name is very interesting. The buildings on both sides of the bridge were jails a long time ago. When people crossed the bridge, they could hear the sighs of the prisoners from their cells, hence the name, bridge of sighs.

Something we did not do while in Venice was visit Murano or Burano. Both are islands right off of Venice with colorfully painted buildings and known for glass making. If you have a day to spare in Venice, a one day trip to either of these islands is a great idea!

Did you know??

Recently all of Venice was flooded for several days. The people of Venice rely on tourism for livelihood and they are getting back to their normal lives again. If you are planning a trip to Italy, don’t forget to make a stop in Venice and support the people there!

Images in this Italy blog post are provided by: @ebabu07, @aashimaj, @mathew88 & @sneha42390

September 20, 2019January 14, 2020

Must have food in Italy!

With such a variety of delicious foods to try in Italy, we found ourselves constantly eating. We took all our meals very seriously and planned ahead for each of them! The good news is, most of the food are made fresh, with real ingredients. They are not frozen, preserved or from cans that were packaged years ago. Pizza is the first thing that came to our mind when we thought of Italian food, but we realized there are many more to add to that must-have list when we got there!

Things to know:

There is a “coperto” which is a small fee for dining in any restaurant. It ranged from 1 Euro per person to…
A typical Italian 5 course meal includes the following:
- “Aperitivo” a lighter snack or Anti-pasto, a heavier starter or appetizer
- Primo, the first course, usually heavier than the Anti-pasto, but no meat
- Secondo, which is the meat dish (meat or fish)
- Contorno, which is a side dish, usually of vegetables.
- Dolce, the dessert

I will link the restaurants to their google map search so it’s easier to locate and save!

Keep reading to see all the must-haves on our list!

Pasta

The first day we landed in Rome, we went out for lunch with a local priest we knew there. Although we were near the Colosseum, picking a restaurant nearby was not a good idea (see why below). So, we walked about five minutes to a local street with so many more great options.
We choose to eat at La Vacca M’Briaca and had the typical Italian 5 course meal there. For the primo, we ordered different types of pastas for each of us and it filled us up. The prices were very reasonable for individual plates, however after the 5 course meal, the total was much more than we expected!
We had lasagna from many different restaurants and all of them were delicious. I would go back to Italy just for the lasagna.

Tip: Don’t eat near any major attractions. They will be much more expensive and will taste more American. If you see signs in English or menus posted on the windows, that is to attract tourists. A waiter standing outside with the menu is also not normal for local restaurants in Italy. If you want something authentic, check out the places away from the touristy spots.

One of our favorite restaurants in Florence was called Bondi, owned by a sweet old lady, Maria. We got there around 11am for a brunch, right before our train to Venice. We had all our luggage and she allowed us to place all of it to the corner. She agreed to open the wine bottle we had on us and even offered glasses for it. (This is not common, so we were very happy about this!) Each of us ordered a dish and each one was better than the next. We chatted with Maria and took some pictures with her in the restaurant.

Bondi also owns a dessert shop a block away from this restaurant, I Gelati del Bondi Firenze. So after our lunch at Bondi, we carried all our luggage down the block and got some gelato! Maria even walked with us to show us and introduced us to her family there. That brings me to the next must-have on the list, GELATO!

Gelato

When it comes to Gelato, luggage or not, we made sure we got some. We had a minimum of 2 gelatos per day in all the cities we visited and Florence was no different. My favorite was chocolate and dark chocolate.. the others were brave enough to try different ones each time. The price ranges for gelatos depending on where you are. If you are in a touristy area, it can go up to 5,6 EUR per cone. However if you are away from tourist attractions, it can be as low as 1.5-2 EUR.

Right before going to the Vatican, we stopped at Gelateria Millennium, a Gelato shop on the way from the Cipro train station to the entrance of the Vatican. We didn’t need a reason or time to eat Gelato… we bought one each chance we had, until we felt guilty. Then our guilt would pass and into another gelato store we would go!

Chocolate

There were also several chocolate shops and factories in Italy. We visited a few and had plenty of samples, mainly in Venice. We even bought a couple of different kinds to take home as souvenirs. Our favorites were the dark chocolate with pepper and pistachio flavored (hubby’s fav).

Limoncello

Limoncello is a popular drink in Italy with a lemon flavor. It’s a mixer (we found out later) and is mixed into drinks and drank after meals. They also had limoncello flavored candy at the chocolate store and it was heavenly. Once we got back to Texas, I started looking around for something similar and we found one! I use this mixer for my Iced Tea and I love it! They also have a variety of limoncello covered chocoloate and almonds, but they can be a little pricey.

Tiramisu

Besides all the gelato, we also had a good share of tiramisu cake for dessert (or sometimes, snack)!

Wine

I could not recall the number of wine bottles we had during the trip. We started ordering a whole bottle for the table for the first half of the trip. A few days into our trip, we went to a supermarket and found wine bottles that were half the price than the restaurants! Most restaurants won’t let you open your own bottle, but it doesn’t hurt to ask!

Macorons

I love macarons and can easily down a box if no one is watching. Though we did not indulge in macarons a whole lot in Italy, we still tried a few flavors. My favorites are lemon, chocolate, strawberry…heck I love all of them!

Seafood/Meat

I topped every pizza and sandwich with Salami and I loved it. It was fresh and so delicious. We went to a small, yet popular panini shop in Florence, named Osteria All’antico Vinaio. The line was ridiculously long, but it was worth it. Besides the bread being harder than we are used to in the US, the panini was tasty and filling.

We also had a fancier dinner night at La Cocotte Restaurant, in Florence. The men had steak and the ladies tried a variety of soups, pastas and sides. The restaurant had exceptional service and limoncello drinks after our meals, on the house!

Pizza

Last but not least, PIZZA! We were all able to eat a whole pizza pie because of how real and fresh it was. Now, the pie isn’t as big as the one we are used to in the US, but it also isn’t as salty and stuffing either.
If you are near Piazza de Popolo or the Spanish steps in Rome, a great place to check out is PizzaRe! We had to wait about 30 minutes to be seated, but it was well worth it. The pizza pies are reasonable priced and can be shared by two people. We also got a wine bottle to go with the pizza to celebrate our first night in Italy!
(Prices: Pizza-10EUR and up per pie, Wine- 16EUR, Coperto-1 EUR)

Another spot we enjoyed was Spontini, in Venice. The atmosphere was good and the service was great. The server didn’t even need to jot down what we all wanted; he took all our orders and got them all right. The olives on this pizza were fresh and tasted great. Their pasta and dessert were also very delicious!
(Prices: Combo of 2 slices of pizza, a drink and desert- 11.90EUR, Lasagna- 6EUR)

What else?

Before we left Italy, we bought several food related items at the supermarkets and outdoor markets. One of the favorite things we bought (and a lot of) is the Pesto sauce. We went to Nino & Friends in Venice, where they had a variety of samples of Pesto sauces, limoncello flavored candy and other chocolate bars. We loved the natural pesto taste and couldn’t resist getting some pesto jars to take back. They also have some kits that include more than one pesto jar and a cream that goes well with wine and crackers!
(Prices: Single pesto Jar: 16EUR, Chocolate bars: 65EUR/kg)

We bought some fresh olives and everyone who tried it back home loved it. My husband also bought olive oil infused with red pepper from the local market. We tried using it recently and it was much more flavorful than regular olive oil.
If it was possible, we would have brought back a big tub of gelato or even a huge slab of fresh salami 😉

Check out the itinerary for our trip to Italy HERE!

Images in this blog post are provided by: @ebabu07, @aashimaj, @mathew88 & @sneha42390

August 21, 2019December 7, 2019

Itinerary for Italy!

I’ve had several people ask how to pre-plan for a trip abroad and how to make a detailed itinerary. I make all my itineraries on google docs so that I can have access to it whenever and wherever. I used to be an Excel person, but I find that its easier to use Word document to be able to add images or side notes that anyone can look through and follow. Check out my How to make an itinerary part 1 on my in progress itinerary to Spain and Morocco. While that is still being fine tuned, here is the outline of our Italy one, without any personal information.

Italy 2019

Travel Info:
Dates: April 23rd- May 1st. (9 days total)
Travelers name: AB, CD, E & Josna (total: 6)
Departure from USA information: (Airlines & airport)
Arrival in Italy information: (Airlines & airport)
Any extra information on luggage, time zone changes, lay over, etc goes here.

Rome info:

Currency: 1 US Dollar = .88 Euros.
I’ve inserted pictures of what Euro bills and coins look like so that my fellow travelers can get an idea before we get there.
Language: Italian; learn basic phrases.
Please: Per favore, Thank you: Grazie, Yes: Si, No: No, Thief: Ladro, Help: Auito

Phone Company: Set up an international package with provider or make calls using apps or wifi calling.
Plugs & Electricity: I posted a picture of the outlets used in Europe as well as the standard voltage (which is 220-230V)

Emergency Information to know:

General emergency police number: 113
Medical emergencies: 118
Number for the American embassy in Italy; +39 06 46741
Location of embassy; Via Vittorio Veneto, 121-00187, Roma
Tourist Info number; 06-0608. Dial 2 for English.

Itinerary

April 24th (Wednesday): Land in Rome at 0915
4/24 weather info: Mostly Sunny, High 73, low 55, 10% chance of rain.
Things do at the airport:
1. Exchange money at a currency exchange.
2. Get Roma 2 Day Pass (for XX Euros).
3. Get all tourist information/maps etc for Rome, Florence or Venice (free ones)
4. Find a taxi (show hotel information)
List before arriving to hotel:
1. Stop by supermarket and pick up some water, if needed.
11AM: Check into hotel if possible or drop off luggage.
12PM-2PM: Explore + Lunch
Explore: Walk 7 mins to Cornelia Metro, 7 mins → M MEA 15 mins to Termini→ transfer to MEB Laurentina 3 mins, 2 stops= Colosseum.

Side Note: Yes, this is how detailed the itinerary is. It helps!

3PM – 8PM: Roman Forum/Palatine Hill/Colosseum
Walk >> Trevi Fountain>> Spanish Steps
8PM-11PM: Dinner
Take Metro from Spagna (near Spanish steps) >> Cornelia

(There is a Louis Vuitton Store right next to Spagna. )

Side note: This was in the itinerary, yall!

11pm: Get back to hotel safely
Hotel Name: XXXX
Address: xxxxxx, Rome.
Phone Number: xxx-xxx-xxxx
Website: xxx.com
Reservation code/any other information pertaining to this hotel stay.
Train station/bus stop next to the hotel: XXX

April 25th (Thurs): Rome; Liberation Day; national holiday.
4/25 WEATHER INFO: Partly Cloudy, High 74, low 56, 20% chance of rain.
0830:Breakfast
0930: Walk 7 mins to Cornelia (Metro Station) Get on line A, MEA, going towards city (Get off at Cipro; only 3 stops away). Walk to Vatican.

Vatican City; Reservation code / Order Number: XXXXXXXXX
Tour for 6 people; at 11AM. Then proceed to St. Peter’s Basilica.
Est time 2pm: Lunch
3-8pm: 10 min walk to Castel Sant’ Angelo 19.50euro/per person.
Walk through St. Angelo Bridge → Piazza Navona (Pasquino statue & Fontana Del Moro) → Pantheon → Trevi Fountain→ Spanish Steps / And Colosseum in between

Additional info: To get back to hotel after Spanish Steps: Take Metro Spagna MEA to Cornelia, walk to Hotel
To get back to hotel After Colosseum area, take Metro Colosseo to Termini to Cornelia and walk to hotel.

This following list of places to see in which order is from the book by Rick Stevens. His book also has many tips that were very useful for this trip!

Campo de’ Fiori (Italian market)
Piazza Farnese
Via dei Baullari…
Pasquino Statue
Piazza Navona
Pantheon
Caffe Tazza d’oro
Piazza Capranica
Piazza di montecitorio
Piazza Colonna..
Trevi Fountain
Palazzo di..
Column of the immaculate conception
Spanish step aka Scalinata di Trinità dei Monti

April 26th (Fri): Rome→ Florence
4/26 WEATHER INFO in Rome: Mostly Sunny, High 74, low 56, 20% chance of rain.
0900: Eat breakfast /pack
1200: Check out at The Church Palace
Walk 7 mins to Cornelia Train Station → 15 mins to Termini Station (Roma Termini)
2pm: Take train from ROME→ Florence.

TRAIN Reservation # & Information: XXXXX Approx: 1.5 hours

————————-Florence—————————

4/26 WEATHER INFO in Florence: Showers, High 75, low 55, 10% chance of rain.
4pm: Check in at Hotel; Address: XXXXX Phone number/ details
5PM: TOUR city + Eat

Other things to do in Florence:

Uffizi ; 815-650pm.
Bargello (statues):
Medici chapels (michealangelos statues);
Santa Maria novella (masaccios 3d paintings)

April 27th (Sat): Florence
4/27 WEATHER INFO in Florence: Isolated thunderstorms, High 76, low 54, 30% chance of rain.
11:00 BRUNCH
1:15PM Chianti Half-Day Wine Tour from Florence

LINK & More information:
DEPARTURE TIME; Tour departs at 1:15pm
DEPARTURE POINT; Central Florence
DIRECTIONS; Piazzale Montelungo (Montelungo Square), in front of the yellow Street Sign of Caf Tour – Gray Line
(Take snacks/drink for tour)

7-9pm: Dinner & Get back to hotel

April 28th (Sun): Florence → Venice4/28
WEATHER INFO in Florence: Showers, High 74, low 54, 40% chance of rain.
6 AM: Wake up!

8AM: Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze (Academy Of Florence Art Gallery)
Address: Via Ricasoli, 58/60, 50122 Florence, Italy Tel. +39 055 0987100
Full ticket: € 12.00; Opens at 815 AM
(Need to book online; time slots. Cannot have large bags on us. No luggage.)
More information: 10 minute walk from Hotel to Art Gallery., 12 min walk from Gallery to Train Station, 12 min walk from Hotel to Train Station.

10 AM: Check out from Hotel
12PM: Lunch (close to train station)

Train from Florence→ Venice TRAIN # and more information:

———————-Venice———————-

4/28 WEATHER INFO in Venice: AM showers, High 66, low 54, 40% chance of rain.
3:30PM; Walk to hotel XX and check in. More hotel details here.

5PM: Evening out and Explore!
9PM; Dinner & Back to hotel

April 29th (Mon): Venice4/29
WEATHER INFO in Venice: AM showers, High 67, low 54, 40% chance of rain.

Activity for this day: Pick between these options.

Rialto Bridge; (Ponti De Rialto)
Bridge of sighs
Doge’s Palace (83am-9pm);; 14 Euros
Saint Mark’s Basilica
St. Mark’s Square

Side Note: In Venice, we were a little more flexible and did not plan exactly. We walked around and did as much as we can.

April 30th (Tues): Venice → Rome
4/30 WEATHER INFO in Venice: Partly Cloudy, High 69, low 54, 20% chance of rain.
9 AM; Breakfast/ Activity
10:30 AM – Check Out from Hotel XX

Train from Venice → Rome Train # and information:

Side note: All train tickets were printed out and emailed to each person in the group.

————————-Rome—————————

3:30PM: Get to hotel
Hotel check in at XX:XX Address/Phone number, etc..

Take metro from Roma Termini (RV” Pisa Centrale – 10 min ride.). Runs every 15 mins. Get off at Roma Ostiense and transfer to next train; REG Fiumicino Aeroporto, 13 mins ; Get off at Muratella. From here; either call taxi (only 2 mins) OR take train Crocco 128; to Magliana/Muratella (FL1). Get off at Crocco/Mercanti (4 stops; only 1 min). (walking will take 25+ mins!)

Check at hotel for bus service to airport/ book it.
6PM: Head out for Last night in Rome!

May 1st (Wed): Rome
6AM: XX go to airport
9AM: XXXX Check out and go to airport.
Flight details back to Dallas: XXXXXX

Notice a few things: 1. We didn’t specify any time for souvenir shopping. We did that throughout the whole trip, even to the last night in Rome. 2. We didn’t waste time in between one check out and another check in; we used that time to travel from one city to another. 3. We checked the weather in each city before packing.

Does it always go according to the itinerary?

Nope! No matter how detailed you have your itinerary, things are bound to go wrong or at least differently. A week prior to our trip, our driver who had agreed to pick us up from the airport backed out. Two days before our trip, we got a notice that the first hotel we booked was closed due to some legal issues and we were being transferred to another hotel. The day before our trip, our flight out to Rome got cancelled! We were able to switch our flight to one that got us to Rome on time (thanks Delta!).

When all this happened, we didn’t let that stop or ruin our trip. We worked around it and made a few tweaks. The drive from the airport worked out because we were able to get taxis from the airport for the same price. The hotel we got switched over to gave us delicious complimentary breakfast. The flight we switched over to was very similar to the old one (and we got free luggage check ins… thanks again, Delta!)

Images in this blog post are provided by: @ebabu07, @sneha42390, @aashimaj & @mathew88.

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