I spent two weeks in Italy with a couple of friends. We started from the north of the country to the south, covering most of the iconic landmarks. It was a trip of a lifetime and if I had an infinite amount of time and money, I would do it all over again.
Lake Como
We landed in Milan airport and from there, we took a shuttle bus to a car rental place. It was a long wait and once we got to the rental office, we paid an additional fee to get full insurance cover, which as it turns out was very necessary.
Once we got the car, we went off on our merry way to our hotel just outside of Lake Como. We took turns to drive. Driving on the right side of the road was nerve-wracking and I found myself wanting to rest my right arm on the absent right-hand window frame and use my left hand to change gear. I never realised how driving on the left side of the road had already become so instinctual for me.
On our very first day, we had a car mishap. We were driving on narrow mountainous roads with a metal barrier on one edge. Very likely at one point, I hit the metal frame, leading to a tear in on of the car tyres. We felt and heard the air coming out and just kept calm(ish) and drove to a location in Argegno. One of the girls had spotted a phone number on the keyring. We called them up; the number was for the car repair garage that the rental company was affiliated with and not the actual rental agency. This caused more drama and chaos to an already stressful and perplexing situation.
After spending some time in Argegno, we decided to head home using public transport. We went into a bike and vespa rental store and asked for directions. A simple question became a conversation and the man not only helped with directions to the bus stop, but he also provided us with some free Italian to English interpretation to help solve the issues we were having with the car rental people, and then he dropped us home. To him, we were three clueless unprepared Brits who just had a thirst for adventure and had no idea how to get moving. To us, he was our hero.
The car mishap did not stop us from enjoying or exploring a bit of Lake Como. We came back to the place the next day and rented out a boat and explored the waters where I am proud to say that I was able to rescue a hat that the wind managed to blow it into the waters. It was quite the feat though. Unfortunately this was not captured on camera.
We had full control of the boat; we ended up going slightly further afield and we saw the shores of Menaggio and Bellagio. We were told to be back no later than an hour. We were back about an hour and half later with our tails between our legs. Ah well.....
Milan
Our next stop in Italy was Milan; we stayed overnight in a hotel quite near to the city centre. Whilst in Milan, we ventured out to explore Piazza del Duomo which is essentially a square open to the public. There is a cathedral here to marvel at. We also meandered along the shops at Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.
Venice
Our shortest stay in the whole of Italy was in Venice; we were only there for a few hours. In that time, we wandered along all the canals- trust me when I say there is a lot of canals in Venice and seemingly are all joined together by bridges.
One of the main things to do in Venice is to go on a gondola ride. This usually costs around €80 but you can be very clever and find a Traghetto instead. This is a smaller and a more economical version of a gondola. It costs around €2 for a short ride (usually about a 2 min ride). You share the boat with other people so you may not get the romantic experience of a gondola you had envisioned with this; think of it as gondola sampling.
Florence
Florence was the next city we ventured out to. Our home in Florence was unlike any other place I ever or possibly will ever stay in. It was an old, disused vineyard, tucked in amongst woodlands and very much immersed into nature. This seemed to be a place more for the locals to use as a luxury retreat than for tourists to use as a holiday spot. Also another thing we noticed about Italians (particularly those in the north) is that they vacate during the month of August. Apparently, it is a thing.
The accommodation was home to several houses across several acres of woodland. This gives you the added bonus of being able to socialise with your neighbours in the communal spaces such as at the pool and at breakfast time. And in the evenings, you could dine at their on-site outdoor swanky restaurant.
While in Florence, we went to Centro Storico which is a part of town full of some iconic buildings, namely the Baptistery of St. John.
And of course we stood in line at the Gallery of the Academy to see the statue of David by Michelangelo. This was the longest queue I've ever stood in while on holiday and at that in scorching hot weather. We did get to see the 17ft. statue and while it was very impressive, I don't think waiting in a queue that long.
If there was one thing that I would change about the trip it would be to include Pisa. It is just an hour outside of Florence and makes for a good day trip and you get to see another Italian monument. However, I was outvoted on this one. But it does leave me with another reason to revisit Italy again in the future.
Rome
We spent more time in Rome than we did in any other city in Italy. Rome is home to a lot of the famous Italian landmarks including the Colosseum, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps to name a few.
The Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps are great cause they are free to enjoy and as they are outdoors, there is no time restrictions on when you can enjoy these venues. I personally think that they are best kept for the night time; there's less people, you can enjoy the view and there's something magical about being out at night in a hot country and just having conversations with your people.
The Colosseum can be enjoyed both in the day time and at night. At night, you get to enjoy the lights that are lit up in the different arcs of the monument. And in the day time, you can go inside and step into history and you imagine the gladiators taking centre stage and being watched on by thousands of people in the audience.
Vatican City
The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world and it lies in the heart of Rome. So when going to Rome, definitely make a pitstop to the Vatican City. The Vatican City is best known for being the home to the Pope; it is a religious state that practises a curfew.
Naples
By the time we got to Naples, we were all feeling a bit worn out. We stayed in a hotel in Positano. Where we were located overlooked the ocean and there was a gorgeous view of the mountains in the distance.
Admittedly, I did not go out while we were here. There was a big storm and I used that as an excuse; it was partially true. But another reason that I chose to stay in was that I was intimidated by the amount of hills and mountains were needed to walk just to get in and out of the place we were staying at. I hate heights; it makes me very nervous ad not great for my anxiety. And truth be told, I did not feel like I missed out.
The others did go out. They went to a bar. They did not feel it added to their experience of Italy. Had the weather been good, we were planning on getting a boat and exploring the waters of Naples.
Sicily
We ended our trip in Sicily; this is the ball to the boot of Italy. If that sentence meant nothing to you, check out the map of Italy and you will know what I mean.
In Sicily, we stayed in a place called Cinisi which we later found out is in quite a remote and quiet part of Sicily. There does not seem to be much to do in this part of the island other than Magaggiari Beach.
As it was our last spot in Italy, we decided to make the most of it and we rented another car do some exploring and went to Palermo. We went to Fontana Della Vergogna and Palermo Catherdal (Cattedrale di Palermo). We spotted a horse and carriage and decided we would see the rest of the town on horseback; we could stop off at any point briefly; we chose to stop at Giardino Garibaldi which is a park.
We ended the day at Caliari Beach. We did a bit of lounging and a bit of jet-boating and of course took some much needed instagram worthy pictures.
The next day would be our final day in Italy. We went to the shopping centre, Centro Commerciale Poseidon, stopped over for some lunch and then headed off towards the airport.
Italy, you've been great. I look forward to seeing you again some time in the future :)
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