Italy in 10 days

Italy!

10 days isn’t much but I managed to squeeze in these places!

• Venice
• Florence
• Cinque Terre
• Pisa
• Rome
• Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano, Capri

We took public transit everywhere! Italy is super easy to get around on trains and buses – and it wasn’t crazy expensive!

Venice

We landed in Venice direct from Canada (so we were MAJOR jet lagged) and went straight into the main city! We got right onto the water taxi and headed to the St. Marc’s Square! It felt like a dream being on the water and seeing all the gondolas that you see on TV!

When we got off the water taxi it was a different story – Venice is CRAZY BUSY! Tourists everywhere. If you don’t like crowds you won’t like Venice.. the beauty of the city definitely isn’t on the streets- so stay on the water to get away from the people!

The streets are super narrow and confusing, so make sure to pay attention to where you’re going LOL. We got lost at least 10 times. The shopping here isn’t that great – it’s basically just tourist shops and restaurants. When eating a restaurant be mindful that they will either charge you more for sitting along the water or require that you get two entrees and two drinks to sit there! We went for drinks mid afternoon with nobody in the restaurant and got forced to buy two entrees for sitting at the best table! (Completely ruined our experience to say the least).

Can you tell I’m not a huge fan of Venice? It does have a unique beauty and I would say it’s nice to visit once if you’re life but that’s it for me!

Florence

This city was a little bit more my vibe! It’s more laid back, less touristy, and feels more authentic! We walked along the cobblestone streets, shopped a little, ate loooooots of gelato, and sat along the water taking in the beautiful views of Ponte Vecchio!

My favourite thing to do in Florence is walking up to Piazalle Michelangelo! It’s quite a hike to get up there, but you get amazing views of Florence from above! At the top there’s some stores where you can buy beer and snacks and sit on the stairs and listen to local musicians play!

Cinque Terre

We took a train from Florence to Cinque Terre for a quick taste of the little villages! We only went to Manarola (the most picturesque one of the 5) and walked around for a bit until it started pouring on us! It’s super cute but VERY touristy. It probably would be best to go here during off season.

I definitely want to come back here and explore the villages more! It was so unfortunate that the weather didn’t hold off for us – but hey.. that’s backpacking for ya.

Pisa

Since it was pouring in Cinque Terre, we decided to take a train to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa! The town isn’t much to see – but it was definitely worth it for the pictures! 😛 The town is super touristy as well – just grab a gelato and walk around for an hour or two and you’ll get enough of a taste of Pisa! (for me anyways)

FYI EVERYONE is taking pictures around the tower – it’s hilarious. It’s almost impossible not to get someone else in the picture so good luck!

Rome

Rome was my favourite city in Italy! It honestly felt like I was in a movie – it didn’t feel real! There are so many famous sites to see – but prepare yourself there’s tourists EVERYWHERE!

We spent 3 days here – we stayed a little outside of the main city in an airBnb in a district called San Lorenzo. It was much quieter, close to the university, had tons of delicious restaurants, and it was an easy tram ride into the city center! I would definitely recommend staying here!

If you go here – go to the Pink Panther and order the Tortellini! (ate it 3 days in a row it’s soooo good)

The first day we went to the Colosseum (MY FAVOURITE!!). The lineup to get inside was 2 hours – but there’s tons of people outside the entrance selling group tickets which cost maybe an extra 10 euros. We did that which ended up being great! It included LINE BYPASS and a guided tour through the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum! Definitely worth the extra money!

The next day we went to the Vatican! We didn’t go inside because it’s pretty pricey and I wasn’t that interested, but if you are I hear it’s worth the money! Walking outside was beautiful enough for me! We sat on a bench for a bit, ordered a beer, and people watched! (It’s so odd to me that you can walk around drinking alcohol by such a religious building).

The final day we had in Rome we went back into the main city visited the Trevi Fountain. It was crazy busy here so I’d suggest going early in the morning for pictures if you want them! The remaining time in Rome we just walked around, shopped a little, people watched, and ate tons of pasta!

Amalfi Coast

After Rome we took a train to Naples where we connected to the Circumvesuviana Train (THE WORST TRAIN I’VE EVER). The train was PACKED – i literally couldn’t move with my backpack on without pushing 5 people over. This train took about an hour and took us all the way to Sorrento where we stayed in our Air BnB for the next few days!

The first day in the area we explored Sorrento itself. There’s lots of restaurants that overlook the water and Mt. Vesuvius! We ordered some drinks and sat for hours taking in the beautiful view!

The next day we took a ferry from Sorrento to Positano. This place is a dream………..but so touristy!! When we went it was a little too cold to go for a swim in the water..so we just walked around, did some tourist shopping, and took TONS of pictures!

The beach is my favourite spot! Head to the far side to get this breathtaking view!

The following day we went to Capri with a private boat tour company! We took a small boat that held ~10 people and the tour guide talked about the island! They took us to AnaCapri and let us out for 5 hours and picked us back up and took us for a boat tour around the whole island!

Overall, Italy is super touristy…. but it’s beautiful! It’s definitely a must visit at least once in your life.

 

Thanks for reading,

xo steens