Taormina
Our first stop in Italy was the island of Sicily, located just off the southern coast of the mainland. This charming place was a perfect starting point for our trip. We stayed near the city center, which made it easy to walk everywhere and explore during the couple of days we were there.
On our first day, we visited the public gardens, which offered a beautiful view of the beach and the city. Afterward, we made our way to the city center, took some pictures, and then headed to the ancient theater, which provided a panoramic view of the entire city and the ocean. It was breathtaking.
Since the town is relatively small, we spent the next day relaxing at the beach and enjoying the sun before heading off to Naples!
Naples and Capri
We really wanted to visit Capri but the cost to stay there was over budget so we decided to just stay in Naples and take a ferry over to Capri for a day trip. When we arrived in Naples, we immediately noticed that it wasn’t the best city, it seemed very dirty and a little run-down. Not to mention there were two men fist fighting outside or our hotel when we got there. For this reason, we decided to stay in our hotel room until we went to Capri the next morning. We took a ferry over where we were met with a beautiful city. Full of people and shops. We decided to walk to the other side of the island to the garden of Agusto and that included so many stairs we thought we were going to pass out lol. Once we were there we saw amazing views of the coast then we headed to lunch. After that we explored the town some and got souvenirs before heading back down the stairs and back to Naples.
Pompeii and Positano
Pompeii is one of the oldest cities destroyed by a volcano, and we decided to stay here to see the ruins for ourselves. It was amazing walking up and down the streets, imagining what life was like for the people at the time. We saw how they decorated their homes, the size of each house, how they arranged the buildings, and even the grooves in the roads made by carriages. The whole city is enormous and would take days to fully explore, so we focused on the most important and well-preserved parts, including the amphitheater.
We decided to take a day trip to Positano, as it was a quick train and ferry ride away. This city was absolutely gorgeous from the water, with houses and buildings of all different colors dotting the hillside. The ocean water was incredibly blue. We wandered around, found some of the best views, and took lots of pictures. After walking along the beach, we grabbed lunch and did some souvenir shopping. The day was very hot, so after a few hours, we headed back to Pompeii.
Rome
After all the day trips and moving around, we needed a break, and there was no better place for that than Rome, where we stayed for four nights. When we arrived, we realized just how large the city actually is. It’s filled with everything, from ancient to modern. We stayed a bit outside the main city, which was fine. Each day we took an Uber into town and then walked everywhere else.
On our first day, we started at the Trevi Fountain, which was already super crowded, but we got all the pictures we needed and enjoyed the beautiful fountain. Next, we headed to the Pantheon, just a short walk away, and took some pictures there. We didn’t go inside because the line was way too long, and we had more to see. Afterward, we visited the monument to Victor Emmanuel, which was huge and incredibly impressive. The views of the city from there were amazing. Then, we made our way to the Colosseum, took some pictures from the outside, but didn’t go in since we had a tour scheduled later in the week. We finished the day with lunch and some shopping.
The next day, we visited the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese, both of which were beautiful in person. Since Rome was supposed to be a bit of a break for us, we also went to the movie theater to watch Deadpool, which was super funny—even though we had to watch it with Italian subtitles.
The following day was packed with tours. We woke up super early, had breakfast at a local café, and headed to the Roman Forum with a tour guide who shared so much history—it was a lot to take in, but really interesting. The day wasn’t too hot, so it was nice to walk around slowly and enjoy the history. After the Forum, we went inside the Colosseum, and it was incredible to stand on the floor where gladiators once battled and see the stands where thousands of people watched. We explored the whole structure and took in the views before heading to another tour, which took us to Vatican City.
Vatican City is its own city-state, separate from Rome, and it’s also the smallest city-state in the world, which is really cool. It consists of the largest church in the world, along with a few museums and residential areas. We toured one of the most famous museums and got to see the work of Michelangelo. WOW, it was absolutely incredible and almost unbelievable to witness the artwork he created.
We also visited the world’s largest church and even had the chance to watch a mass in progress. The church was so detailed, and the paintings and statues were mesmerizing. This was the final stop on our long list of things we did in Rome.
Florence and Pisa
In Florence, we stayed near the city center in a hostel that was actually really nice. It had a rooftop, pool, bar, pool table, and even a sauna! However, we didn’t spend much time there since we spent our days exploring the city.
We visited the beautiful Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, located in the center of the city. It is huge! After that, we made our way to the Ponte Vecchio, a famous bridge lined with shops. We continued exploring the streets before heading back for the night.
The following days were filled with more sightseeing. We visited the Statue of David, which was incredible. However, I must admit that the rest of the museum was a bit of a letdown. It wasn’t very large and had the smallest collection of art I’ve seen in a museum. Despite that, it was still worth visiting. We also did some shopping, explored the streets, and saw the Fountain of Neptune.
That night, we met up with some friends, enjoyed a few drinks, and prepared for our day trip the next day.
We decided to take a day trip to Pisa since the city isn’t very big, and the train ride from Florence was only about an hour. When we arrived in Pisa, we could almost immediately see the Leaning Tower. It was so cool to see in person, and it seemed much more tilted than I had imagined from pictures! We took some classic tourist photos with the tower before sitting down for lunch and coffee. After that, we headed back to Florence.
On our last day, we went to the highest point in Florence to get an amazing view of the city. The walk wasn’t the most pleasant, but the view made up for it! We spent the rest of the day relaxing at our hostel and enjoyed some Chinese food.
Venice
Known as the city that is sinking—and for good reason—Venice was built on a swamp, so it’s expected that the city is slowly going under. Despite this, it is an incredibly beautiful place, where gondolas are a popular mode of transportation due to the many canals. We did a lot of walking here because of the lack of cars, but it honestly wasn’t too bad.
On our first day, we took a quick gondola ride, and it was so nice to see the city from the water. We also walked through the streets and visited the city square in front of St. Mark’s Basilica. During high tide, the water began to flood in, and we had to take our shoes off because it reached up to our calves! It was actually pretty fun, not going to lie.
The next day, we visited the Da Vinci Museum, where we got to test out many of his inventions. It was fascinating to see how brilliant he was back in the 1400s. Afterward, we roamed around the city some more and did a bit of shopping before we left this small, swampy island!
Milan and Lake Como
Milan is the fashion capital of the world, so we had to stop by and see it, but our main goal was to visit Lake Como. On our first day, we took a train to Lake Como and stopped in one of the small towns before taking a ferry across the lake to another charming town, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch with a breathtaking view of the water.
Next, we made our way to another small town, where we had a boat tour planned. This was a surprise that Mark had revealed to me just a couple of days earlier. The boat was a small, private, vintage wooden one that was absolutely adorable. We sailed around the lake while the captain shared the history of the area. At one point, Mark got down on one knee and popped the question! It was such a magical moment that I will never forget, especially since it happened in my favorite part of Italy.
I am still in awe of Lake Como, and we had so much fun exploring it by boat and on foot. After the boat ride, we visited the famous villa featured in Star Wars and James Bond. It was absolutely beautiful! After that, we made our way back across the lake and caught the train back, but not before stopping in one more town to take a few more pictures of the stunning lake.
The next day in Milan, we spent our time exploring parks, visiting beautiful churches and basilicas, and enjoying some delicious food while taking plenty of photos. This was the last stop on our long journey through Italy, so we really soaked it all in before leaving. I hope to come back to Italy again; it was definitely one of my favorite countries.
