Last week I was on the phone to my brother, he told me he was going to be in Nice for work and was planning to take the following week off to road trip around Italy.
I can’t TELL you how long I’ve wanted to visit Italy – I’ve been to Europe a number of times since my first trip the day after Uni finished but have never made it there. When we decided to move to London the first place I wanted to visit was Italy. I told him I’d meet him there and this Saturday I fly into Rome! This location independent thing is rocking my socks.
We’ve got a simple route picked out to include Rome, Tuscany, the Coast and we’re flying out of Nice back to London. When we get back we’re going to head up north to see where our Grandmother grew up before she moved to Australia.
Knowing what a well travelled lot you are I thought I’d ask you for your tips when visiting Italy – must-see’s/do’s/eats etc! Have you been? Tell me what you loved about it in the comments below!
SHOP HERE
July 25, 2011 at 8:16 pm
Clare,
If you haven’t watch Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday before you go to refresh your memory of everything to see.
The roads in Italy are really tight. Multiply the word tight by about 100! The drivers seem quite happy to give you a little nudge along so take out dent insurance & of course remember your drivers license.
Rome is unfriggin believable. My suggestion is to get up at like 1am while the streets are dimly lit and there are no people around, and just run around the place from the Colosseum to the Trevi Fountain (you know the one).
Pompei is two hours and 30 minutes south of Rome. If you are prepared to do the trip, it is an absolute must. It was amazing the absolute vastness of the place, what they had invented such a long time ago and what remains.
Our tour guide told us Naples was sleazy so we did not go there.
Enjoy!
July 25, 2011 at 8:59 pm
Hi Clare
So glad you’re getting to Italy. Truly a beautiful place.
Rome is of course wonderful. A place to walk and soak up the history and beauty. Trevi fountain, Pantheon, st peters are all wonderful and can be done relatively quickly. I love the Vatican museum and even went by myself last time because hubby wasn’t interested, but you need at least a couple of hours, pref more plus queueing time so may not fit your schedule. The colosseum also takes a couple of hours but really interesting. (I am a massive Gladiator fan!) Dont try to squeeze too much tourist stuff in though. Sitting outside a cafe in piazza navona eating an overpriced pasta, having a glass or two of wine and people-watching is magic.
Cinque terre is lovely. My highlight was taking a ferry trip between a couple of the towns. I think it was the first and last ones. Seeing the towns clinging to the rocky hillsides from the water was gorgeous.
Florence is great because of the art. The uffizi gallery is incredible.
I haven’t been to Siena, but San Gimignano is nearby with similar architecture. Just gorgeous. You just wander around, grab a slice of pizza or a gelato, find somewhere to sit and listen to the language. Magical.
That’s all I can remember off-hand. It has been 6 years. Just try to remember that you are sure to return many times, so wander and soak it up, rather than rushing from one thing to another.
And check the weather forecast. It always seems super hot when we’ve been there and very few buildings are air-conditioned.
Enjoy!
July 26, 2011 at 1:11 am
Hi Clare,
Would you believe it? I left Nice and arrived in the Cinque Terra today.
My god, make sure you pack your togs for Nice. It has the most beautiful beach but be warned. Make sure you take shoes you can wear on the beach and into the water because the stones are a killer on the tootsies. The bars on the beach street are also fantastic for a wine and pizza after a tough day sunbaking
I am going to walk the Cinque Terre path and catch the ferry Kirralee mentioned tomorrow. Apparently you can do a pesto making class at Levanto (the next town, five minutes by train) for 10 euros.
Over the next week I will be in Pisa, Florence and Rome. I would love to catch up if it suits. Just look at number 26 on my first post ever. http://bit.ly/imm97K
Enjoy your trip!!!!
Caylie
July 26, 2011 at 7:33 am
How awesome to do a pesto making class in the Cinque Terre. FABULOUS! Enjoy.
July 27, 2011 at 11:33 pm
Hi Clare,
Ohh I love Italy! One of my favourite places has to be Rome, it just blows you away in history and there is just so much to see. Too many places to mention to see but these were some of the high lights from our Italy travels.
Take a walk through the Old City/Rome Forum, which was the city centre of the ancient rome, (from memory not far walk from the Colosseum) it’s a large area littered roman ruins. I was also blown away with St Peter’s Basilica, at St Peter’s Square. It’s just beautiful inside and is massive!
Also if you have time and good walking shoes, we also went out to the Catacomb’s which is a little further out of town (about 5km). They were amazing and located on the Appian Way (Via Appia Antica) which is one of the oldest cobblestoned roads in Rome, dating back to 312 B.C.
We also spent a nice afternoon resting our tired feet in the beautiful the huge park Villa Borghese. There is a lake where you can hire boats, a theatre and museum, they also have carts that you can buy nibbles and drinks off.
On one trip we flew into Nice and drove from there to the Cinque Terre. We eventually pulled off the main highway and drove inland to see more of the countryside. We arrived at a little town that seemed to be deserted, then we found a little cafe that was just opening up after their mid day break, siesta (the penny dropped!). The four of us were then all conversing with the shop owners trying to order lunch in very bad Italian and broken english! They were so friendly and looked after us, one of my favourite memories. In most regional towns they don’t speak an ounce of english which I think sometimes is best and funniest experience.
The coast is unbelievable, we have also done trips where we have just travelled by train throughout Italy and the train line, as with the road, just hugs the coast line amongst all of the tunnels, it’s just beautiful. We spent a couple of weeks in the Cinque Terre, staying in Monterosso and Riomaggiore. Beautiful spot. You can walk between the five towns(for a small fee)but they are all linked by train or you can catch the ferries which run regularly too.
Florence was great as well, I hear Siena is beautiful too, but haven’t gotten there yet.
Oh and there are water fountains located all over Rome, they are completely safe to fill up your water bottle with and drink out of – very handy when doing a lot of walking!
Lastly the food…oohhhh, mouth watering! We found some great little places when venturing off the main tourist strip, however you can’t beat a pasta or pizza anywhere in Italy really!
So jealous! You’ll have such an amazing time! Enjoy!
Renae
July 30, 2011 at 1:51 pm
Hi- have a great trip! I love Italy, everything is amazing you’ll have a fab time. If you get the chance go for a visit to Assisi in Umbria- beautiful medieval hill town, really is like a fairy tale! My sister lived there for a few months and we visited a couple of times, just lovely. x
July 30, 2011 at 7:28 pm
Thank you everyone for your comments! I’m packing RIGHT NOW and have printed off your tips. This week has been mad getting stuff done before I go so I haven’t had a chance to update but will tell you all how it went when I get back. I’ll also post some pics/updates to my Twitter @clarelancaster!!
September 3, 2011 at 10:28 pm
While you’re in Milan, visit the little town of Taleggio to buy some cheese – its a few hours drive, but so worth it!