We have arrived in Italy by train, going from Nice (French Riviera) to Verona, stopping in Ventimiglia, where we’ve gotten off and bought tickets to continue the journey. In total, we’ve spent 15 days traveling around Italy.
Verona
Verona is charming! We’ve stayed in a hotel that was a bit more expensive, but very central and comfortable, the Vista Palazzo (previous Hotel Antica Porta Leona & SPA, more details about the hotel in this link). If you don’t want to spend that much, choose another hotel nearby, you won’t regret it, the location is perfect.
Verona, indeed, is the city of love! It seems to exude romanticism! The architecture is beautiful, and the city was a very important commercial and strategic center in Roman times. You can still see many fortresses, walls and gates from past centuries in very good condition. Arena and Piazza delle Erbe are some of the places you can’t miss.
In Verona there is the House of Giulietta, her tomb, her statue (created by Nereo Costantini), and Romeo’s house. You can enter Giulietta’s House and go up to the balcony to take a classic photo, but inside the house there is nothing. And it’s no longer allowed to put letters on the wall, but rather padlocks on a gate. If you forget yours, there is a small shop in the courtyard that even sells a pen so you can write your names. But… they will be the most expensive padlock and pen you have ever bought, believe me!
Take time to walk around the city and stop for food at Piazza dei Signori. There are several restaurants (and concerts in the summer), the food is excellent, and I remember that it wasn’t expensive. In fact, Verona was one of the Italian cities in which we have ate the best. My mouth is watering just remembering it!
Tip
- If you have time, rent a car and go to Lago di Garda. It’s very famous and gorgeous.
Curiosities
- You can no longer leave letters rolled up on the wall of Giulietta’s House, but you can still write to her. Giulietta’s Club receives love letters from all over the world and answers them! You can send it by email (dearjuliet@julietclub.com), by post (Corso Santa Anastasia 29, 37121 – Verona – Italy), or in person (just leave it in one of the red boxes or deliver it to Juliet’s House or the Club from Giulietta.
- Those who respond to the letters are ordinary people, artists and scholars, fans of the history created by Shakespeare. However, the club is a non-profit cultural organization, run by volunteers who want to keep the legend of Romeo and Giulietta alive. Therefore, to keep things running, they accept donations, form partnerships and sell souvenirs.
- Would you like to read a letter and respond to it? If you schedule in advance, you may have access to the letter archives. More information on this website
Venice
After 2 days in Verona, we’ve headed to Venice by train. The hotel we’ve chosen, Hotel Universo & Nord, is close to the train station and can be easily reached by foot.
The transport we’ve used most in Venice was the vaporetto. During the validity of the ticket, you can hop on and off as many times as you want, on different lines, including the Grand Canal, with breathtaking landscapes! On the ACTV website (in this link) you can see the vaporetto lines and prices. Other transport options are the famous gondolas and boat taxis. Both are very expensive!
We’ve also walked a lot around Venice, and visited the most famous places. Piazza San Marco, the big square in Venice, is super busy day and night, full of ice cream shops and cafes all around. In fact, the oldest coffee shop in Italy, and perhaps in the world, is Café Florian, which also has higher prices than the others.
The Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri) is another famous spot that you can’t miss. Legend has it that the prisoners sighed as they passed through and saw the world for the last time. The bridge was the last view they had before arriving at the Palacio Ducale prisons. The prisoners were on the bottom floor of this Palace, and you can enter the cells if you want.
I didn’t go to Murano, known for its glassware factory, so I can’t say whether the 45-minute journey there is worth it or not. But I’ve been to the Lido (beach), where the Venice Film Festival takes place. Very beautiful!
Tips
- If you want to visit the Casino di Venezia, the headquarters of Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, on the Grand Canal, pay attention to the dress code: typical beach or gym clothes are not allowed (shirts/T-shirts, flip-flops, sandals, shorts). In slots, until 8:30 pm, you can enter in shorts above the knees, T-shirt/polo shirt and sneakers. In private salons, only with a suit or formal clothes with a blazer.
- Would you like to eat a delicious pasta and not pay that much? Go to the Picccolo Martini restaurant. It is located at Piazza San Marco, 1501.
Florence
We’ve left Venice, where we stayed for 3 days, for Florence by train. Driving in Florence is terrible! Difficult to park and full of traffic police ready to give you a fine. We stayed at the Machiavelli Palace.
The city is beautiful! There is the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, considered the Duomo of Florence, with 463 steps, no lift to help, but with a comforting view!
In Florence there is a lot to see. Piazza Della Signoria is the main one, an open-air museum, full of sculptures. There is one of the copies of the statue of Davi, and you are allowed to take photos. The real statue is in the Galleria Della Accademia, but is prohibited to take pics. Over there, you’ll always see several people sitting around making drawings of the sculpture. You can also see the different phases of La Pietà.
The Ponte Vecchio is beautiful!! It’s the only one that remains up from the Second World War, with many (very expensive) silver and gold shops. It was built so that the most important family in the region could cross the city without mixing with the rest of the people.
The Uffizi Gallery houses the largest collection of Renaissance paintings in the world! You can spend all day looking at the paintings, but if you don’t have time, at least check the classics: Primavera and Birth of Venus (Botticelli).
Lastly, Piazza Michelangelo. It’s a square at the top of the city that houses another copy of the statue of Davi. From above, you can see the whole city. We passed by there before heading to Tuscany.
Tip
- La Bussola: it’s a cheap and tasty restaurant at via Porta Rossa, 58 (5min from the Piazza Della Signoria).
Tuscany
Before leaving Florence we rented a car to go to Tuscany. We left very early and visited Lucca, Montalcino, Moteriggione, and San Giminniano.
Lucca is a walled city, very beautiful. It’s worth getting there and renting a bike to ride around the streets. The other three cities are almost mandatory stops for anyone going to Tuscany. They’re something out of a movie: small walled, small medieval towns, castles and a country atmosphere from old times! Take the opportunity to buy wines, especially Brunello di Montalcino, which costs a fortune worldwide!
Pisa
We’ve arrived in Pisa and went straight to the tower. Beautiful! But the rest of the city didn’t fascinate me. We left the hostel A Casa Doina Airport2 very early in the next morning, and headed to the Pisa International Airport (only 7 minutes walking). Next destination: Sicily!
Sicily
So beautiful!! We’ve stayed at the Hotel Gutkowski, in Syracuse (more details in this link). One of the hotel rooms I liked most: simple, rustic, comfortable, charming…
In Syracuse there are many ruins, fortresses, streets full of life, delicious food at a good price (pay attention to the lunch time, as restaurants are not open all day long, they close for the siesta), and beautiful landscapes.
In one of the days we’ve spent there, we drove up to Taormina. We were delighted, it’s gorgeous! We’ve walked around the city, took the cable car to enjoy a panoramic view of the city, had ice cream and went to Isola Bella beach, where we’ve been to a boat trip to the Grotta Azzurra in Taormina. Beautiful! Oh, if you want, you can take a trip to the Etna volcano from Taormina. We haven’t gone though.
Tips
- Taormina, although more expensive than Syracuse, has more “life”. Hotels very close to the center and the cable car that takes you to Isola Bella are good choices.
- Crazy drivers! It’s an adventure to drive in Sicily.
Rome
We’ve left Sicily and have gone by plane to our last stop in Italy, Rome! After all those days and destinations, we’ve arrived in Rome already exhausted, so we’ve bought a Hop-On Hop-Off bus pass to see the city, but if you prefer, you can take the metro. We stayed at Hotel Giorgina, very close to the train station and the metro Termini. I’ll split the attraction in bullets to make it easy to understand, as there are a lot to do in Rome!
- Colosseum and Arch of Constantine: a must-visit. The queue is long, but it goes reasonably quickly. The energy in these places is incredible…
- Palatine and Roman Forum: they form the ruins of Ancient Rome. It’s in this region that the palaces of the great Roman emperors (Palatine) and the commercial center (Roman Forum) were located. It’s beautiful! And it’s close to the Colosseum.
- Pantheon: temple dedicated to the Roman gods. Outside there is a delicious ice cream shop.
- Trevi Fountain: wonderful! It’s worth visiting day and night. If you want to take a picture without anyone, go to the first floor of one of the shops in nearby.
- Piazza di Spagna: super beautiful square, with a stunning staircase.
- Piazza Navona: place where one of the scenes from the film Da Vinci Code was recorded. Nice to visit and stop for a while to have a drink.
- Piazza del Popolo: a beautiful and highly visited green area. Beware of street vendors delivering flowers. They make it seem like it’s free, but it’s not.
- Monument to Vittorio Emanuele: gigantic and beautiful monument! It’s worth going in and visiting the gallery that talks about the battles and wars in which Italy took part.
Vatican
Vatican City is magical! To enter churches, do not wear low-cut, shoulder-baring, or short clothing, as there are some rules for entry.
• St. Peter’s Basilica: impressively beautiful!
• Vatican Treasures: you can see vestments, crowns, objects belonging to the Popes and Vatican ecclesiastics.
• Vatican Museums: an immense gallery, with art treasures from throughout the history of humanity. It’s always crowded, you need to pre-book a ticket (you can find out inside the Vatican). The big star is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. It is forbidden to sit on the floor, film and take photos (there are guards everywhere).
Tips
- In Rome, there are many restaurants with an Eastern European influence. If you really want Italian food, you’ll have to walk around for a while…
- The best restaurants in Rome I have been to were close to the Trevi Fountain (“That’s Amore” was one of them, located at via in Arcione, 115). There’s another one well hidden in the Colosseum area (I don’t remember the address, sorry!).
- Don’t forget to take some coins to play in the Trevi Fountain.
- Have lots of ice cream! Mainly Amorino (the one with a Cupid logo).