if you follow me on instagram you saw the news on Sunday…..
we booked our flights for Italy!!
Kip and I have had what we call an “Italy Box” since the very beginning of our relationship. Neither of us has ever been to Italy and we dreamed of going. We started putting cash aside when we would get home from the bars or anything like that. Over time, a good bit of money did build up
(I know what yore thinking….. you had money left when you got home from the bars? It doesn’t make sense to me either….) but we ended up having to “dip into it” for this or that while we were engaged, getting married, or buying our place, but we always tried to get back into saving when we could. blah blah blah. Long story short, we always wanted September for the trip, and after realizing it was now or never (September 2016 is an eternity away, lets be honest) we finally were able to book our tickets!
There is SO much we want to see and do, and not nearly enough time. We will be gone for two weeks (15 nights to be exact) and I realized early on that not everything can be seen or sone. (I originally was like OOO WE’LL DO ITALY AND THEN GREECE but then I discovered I am a moron or would need to take way more time off of work than possible).
All we know for now:
We will fly into Venice, quick stop there for a day and night (the consensus from friends is to see it if you can, but then no need to stay.)
Then on to Florence, Amalfi, and Rome (for a few nights each with day trips from there where needed! We are planning to stay in Positano and do day trips from there in Amalfi)
So, seeing as we are Italy clueless – I would LOVE any words of wisdom, must see places, food recommendations, and places to stay! (for now, especially places to stay because we need to book that next!) any comments on the blog or emails to taylor.oshay@gmail.com are greatly appreciated!
I have spent so much time on TripAdvisor, but recommendations from you are always the best 🙂
seriously I don’t know what I would have done without one of you amazing readers telling me about the “secret” all inclusive option at Sugar Beach in St. Lucia – it made all the difference in the world for our honeymoon and was worth every penny!! Thank you again!!
You must go to Campo Di Fiore in Rome – it's full of fresh markets in the morning and afternoon and then great bars and night life at night! xo, Biana –BlovedBoston
thanks for the tips Biana! I'll be adding them to our Rome "must see + do list!"
I haven't been back to Italy in so long! But you MUST go to Cinque Terre for a couple days! It's gorgeous and the hiking is amazing! (Not hard at all-its basically a hilly path) Bring at least one big scarf to throw over yourself when you want to go into the churches or museums as they have a modesty rule of covered shoulders and sometimes knees! Florence was probably my second favorite after Cinque Terre it's beautiful and so much history and walking around! Bring extra comfy shoes! (and room in your suitcase to bring back fabulous Italian shoes! ;))
Thanks for the tips Marisa! One of my good friends say Cinque Terre is her favorite place in the world – it looks so gorgeous online! I will definitely need to get a pair of sandals when I am over there I'm sure they are amazing !
If you're really serious about finding good places to stay and how to travel you should reach out to this mom of four. She's from the US, lives in England, but has traveled everywhere. She has the best tips for places to stay and so forth. Her blogsite is http://www.teamengelbrecht.com. You can check out all of the places she's been on the Traveling with Too Many Children tab. Even if you don't have kids…her insight I think might be valuable. If you leave her a comment…she'll email you back.
Thank you so much – I already went to her blog and can't wait to find out more!!! Amazing find – thanks for sending my way!
Positano
Eat:
La Strada in Priano was amazing. They had a lemon pasta that I was OBSESSED with. I still salivate when I think of it. If you want to get out of Positano one night, I'd suggest the patio here. Also, offers a great view of the sunset.
Le Tre Sorelle or "The Three Sisters", relatives still run it and although it's on the main beach strip, the food was AMAZING. We also got really wasted on house wine – it was just SO delicious. My husband ordered the red snapper with cherry tomatoes and potatoes and loved it.
Chez Black, a bunch of hype and always packed. Maybe for a drink and some people watching.
Buca di Bacco – get some pizza in their cafe downstairs. It's really delicious! Their gelato was also some of my favorite!
La Zagara is an outdoor garden like restaurant/bar and some nights they have live music! Try some of their desserts- specifically their canolis or anything lemon because attached to La Zagara is a limoncello store/"factory" owned by La Zagara's owners wife; everything in there is either made/grown by them or an artisan in town. We skipped this, but you can also go on the little tour of what they call a "factory" (aka a small kitchen space in the basement) where they make their limoncello.
We went to Le Sirene, a restaurant that picks you up by boat, which is SO fun. I would skip Le Sirene and go to Alfonsos for lunch (it's right next door)! They pick you up by boat in Positano and take you to their cove.
Casa e Bottega – the cutest little breakfast/lunch spot that had smoothies, freshly baked pastries, and wonderful woman to speak to. We sat at the counter and had breakfast. It was less expensive than other options and really enjoyable!
If you can, go to One Fire Beach one day! They also arrange pick ups in Positano by boat, but they have a gorgeous beach swim spot, full bar/restaurant service, play fun music, and offer lounge chairs, towels, etc. I'm sure you could cab to the top and walk down the ~200 steps too 😉
Almalfi
de Gemma- in Almalfi, we took a bus there for the day to walk around. It's busier, but still a nice town on the coast!
Ravello
Cumpa Cosimo – in Ravello. Great price, cute place, "Mama" was there suggesting dishes she loves, gives you a great deal, and wears traditional garb. Was really pleasant!
Rome
Dar Poeta – LOVE this neighborhood (we ate there 2/3 nights in Rome) and this was our favorite pizza in the city! We had a plain marinara (since that and the margarita are the most traditional) and it was AMAZING! The sauce is just SO good. We went here before we went out to dinner, yipes! But this place could be perfect for pizza, apps, etc. It's also really reasonable.
Da Enzo One of the restaurants from the eating tours of Italy, also in the Trastevere neighborhood; was REALLY quaint, you'd need reservations, but the food was outstanding.
Della Palma 150 flavors of gelato! So fun!
We literally have lists on lists of where to eat and what to see in Rome and I'm happy to share those, but don't want to overwhelm you by sending too many!
Happy to offer up any other restaurants/ideas if you'd like! So jealous you get to go in September! You're going to have the time of your lives!
Lindsay, this was SO nice of you to list all of this out for me! Thank you so, so much. I just copy and pasted everything into a word document for safe keeping! If you stayed at any hotels/b+bs/apartments that you loved I'd love to hear about it – we are working on booking the accommodations part next 🙂 Thanks for the tips this is so helpful and gets me even more excited.
I haven't been to Italy since college (so… like a million years ago?) but Florence was wonderful and we took a day trip to Sienna, which I would highly recommend. My husband and I have been talking about Cinque Terra since our second date so we are hoping to get back there someday. We did go to Greece last year and LOVED it, so definitely think about that for a future vacation–before kids!
Thanks for the tips ! I know, I wanted to try to add Greece to the trip so badly but 3 weeks was too much time away from work for us (I'll look back on it and think SCREW it we should have taken 3!) Hopefully before baby we will be able to make it there – it's definitely on my dream bucket list! I can't wait for Florence, I'll add Sienna to the list of to-do's! Thank you so much!
Highly recommend eating at Sostanza in Florence. Their butter chicken is amazing…literally the most delicious crispy crusty chicken sitting in a pool of browned butter!!! Also if you can, take a day trip into the little town Siena. My husband and I aren't huge art or history buffs (we hate culture…just kidding…) and went as part of a Tuscany tour on our honeymoon. Super fun and interesting!
ummmm drooling over that chicken. Yes please! I'll definitely be adding Sienna to the list of must-do's. If you read regularly, I'm sure you can tell that museums every day will not be a necessity for me …. I'm all for history and education, but food wine and people watching will probably overtake everything 🙂 Thank you so much for the tips Kaylyn!
We did a very similar trip a few years ago and had an amazing time! September is a perfect month as you will avoid all the summer tourists, still have good weather and get to experience real life (which I'm sure if why you picked it)!
We stayed in Positano at Hotel Villa Franca and loved it. If money were no object, I would have chosen Le Sirenuse.. but Villa Franca was beautiful too. You definitely want a room with a balcony. The views are amazing and sitting out on our balcony with a bottle of wine was my favorite Positano experience.
I hate touristy activities, but a day trip to Pompeii is really worth the time. I was dying to experience the Blue Grotto/ Capri and I found it slightly underwhelming- very touristy- but still a fun day trip if you have time.
Tuscany is absolutely incredible, and while there is a lot to see and do in Florence, if you can spend a day getting out in to the countryside and doing a little wine tasting- the Medieval hill top walled towns are breathtaking – Montepulciano, Montalcino (great wine!!), San Gimignano or Luca.
Siena is amazing too- but less of a little village and more of a small, very walkable city. We stayed there for a couple nights and loved it more than Florence (but that's just me!). Our favorite meal of our entire trip (and there were a LOT of meals!) was at La Taverna di San Giuseppe in Siena. There was a savory chocolate pasta dish that I'm still thinking about 4 years later. It's in a beautiful cave like setting too.
In Florence you absolutely must have dinner at Ristorante La Giostra, owned by Hapsburg princes who look like Bon Jovi and can really cook.
There are some amazing restaurants in Rome and a ton of really touristy/ mediocre ones. Our favorite was Ambasciata d'Abruzzo (http://www.ambasciatadiabruzzo.com/). Theybring a killer antipasti platter to the table before you even order and I would fill up on all that deliciousness any day! It was casual and neighborhood-y, which is what I was craving after a couple Disneyland like meals near the big attractions.
Another great restaurant in Rome is Felice in the Testaccio area, which is probably 10 min by taxi from the Vatican. It's one of the historical restaurants in Rome and one of the best for traditional dishes- it was recommended to us by an Italian friend.
Don't skimp on a hotel in Rome.. It's important to stay in one of the nicer parts of the city- not just "city center." The first time I stayed in Rome I had no idea what I was doing and ended up not being able to sleep because there were prostitutes/ gypsys in the ally outside my hotel making noise all night long. The neighborhood near Villa Borghese is a good bet for location.
I could go on and on, but I should probably stop there.. If you have any questions, feel free to email me!
You will have an amazing time and I can't wait to read about it!
Laura! This was amazing! I just put all of this into a big word document so I won't miss any of it. Thank you for the Hotel rec's especially because I have been having a hard time figuring out where we should stay. I have heard a drink at La Sirenuse is a must ….. because yes, unfortunately I don't think our wallets are big enough for to stay there so a drink will have to do! I'll be looking into Villa Franca right now! All of this food sounds incredible – and with a Bon Jovi restauranteur how could I say no to that? Thank you SO MUCH for taking the time to tell me about all of this – I appreciate it more than you know!
We did airbnb in Florence and loved it! Since European hotel rooms tend to be small we loved having more room. There is an amazing market in Florence so we were even able to stay in and cook a night or two (also having a kitchen to have either breakfast or lunch was a nice option and money saver)
We did carry on luggage (backpacks) which was great with going city to city, but I was 7 months pregnant and had about 3 things that fit, and my husband carried it everywhere. SO I don't think I would be able to do that today 🙂 but great option if you can!
Have fun and drink ALL the wine for me since I couldn't while I was there (SO) heartbreaking.
Thank you so much for the tips Caelin!!! I appreciate it SO much that was so nice of you! The airbnb option sounds like it would be a great one – and nice to be able to do some laundry halfway through the trip maybe too?? My husband showers and changes his clothes at least 2x a day (its so weird) so I keep telling him I have no idea how he is going to fit a months worth of underwear and undershirts in his suitcase (TMI? anyways….) your husband is a saint! you don't have to ask me twice, I'll drink extra wine just for you! Thank you SO much for the tips!
Ahhh I'm so jealous!!!! We went right after college and actually got engaged on our trip to Italy!! You guys will have a Blast!!!! I'm sure you're doing amazing research and ppl will give you awesome reccomendations! The one thing that I tell ppl is be prepared for your travel days to take longer than you anticipated.. Italians sense of time is different than we're used to. Bring wine for long train rides! And the best thing we did in Rome was a Night Walk from good ole Rick Steve's book! We got to Rome in the afternoon and after getting settled we decided to do the Night Walk and ended up doing it every night b/c it was a great way to see different parts of the city and you hit like 5 major "must-sees" in one walk! (can take as little as 45 minutes to do if you don't dilly dally, but you're on vacay so I suggest you stop and soak in the people watching!) Totally makes you feel better about all the gluttonous wine and gelato consumption! Here's a link to the walk here – if you buy his travel book it has more detail about what you'll see at each "stop" http://www.theculturebite.com/2010/06/21/rick-steves-rome-2010-night-walk-across-rome/ And if that wasn't enough of a seller – it was definitely the best people watching at night AND it ends at the Spanish Steps where you can ALWAYS find the guys selling the fake bags and wallets! get yourself a new Prada from Italy! 😉
Thank you SO MUCH for these tips Christine!!! So amazing that you got engaged on your trip! Wine for the train rides is possibly the best tip yet 🙂 I love the idea of the night walk and will definitely want us to do that! Ooooo I had totally forgotten about fake bags…. so much to look forward to! Thank you so much for these tips I'm adding them to my running word document right now!
You are going to have the time of your life. We went in May 2014 for our second wedding anniversary. Paris, Switzerland (Bern), Florence, Rome, Sorrento/Amalfi Coast. Like Caelin said above, we also did backpacks only. I thought my husband was a straight up lunatic when he suggested that (I'm of the overpacking, overaccessorizing, high maintenance variety) but it truly did end up being genius for all of the hopping around we did. Not having to drag wheeled suitcases everywhere. We did have some amazing meals, but we are more casual diners and prefer to spend our money on experiences. So we had three big, amazing experiences: 1) a professional photos in Paris with Stacy Reeves, 2) rented a scooter for the day to explore the entire Amalfi coast, and 3) hired a semi-private boat to take us on a day trip to Capri. I have blogged about all of this – shoot me an email (alizadventures@ymail.com) if you want to chat more! PS, would HIGHLY recommend the place we stayed in Sorrento!
http://alizadventures.blogspot.com/2013/08/final-europe-recap-sorrento-amalfi-coast.html
*May 2013
April thank you so much for all of this advice! All of it is so helpful!! I have been thinking about the bag situation and I know you are right about the backpack …. I know the wheels are going to get annoying and I can already picture my husband being annoyed with me when he has to carry both of our bags 🙂 It makes me feel SO much better that you are an overpacked and high maintenance type because with packing that is exactly how I am – so if you can do it, I can do it (hopefully!) I stalked your blog post – your trip looks absolutely perfect. So much fun. The semi private boat tour in Capri sounds like something we definitely need to splurge and treat ourselves to! I'll be annoying you in the future with more questions 🙂 Thank you SO much !!!!
oh, and do you remember the name of the boat company you used? is it something you need to book in advance or book when you get there? thank you!!!
You are going to love Italy!!! My fiancé and I went two years ago for 14 days and had the best time!!
We did Rome for four days, Positano for three, Florence for five and Venice for two.
We stayed in hotels in Positano and Venice and apartments in Rome and Florence. https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/351439 If this airbnb is available when you are in Florence, I highly highly recommend it. The lady who owns it is super nice, the apartment is a great size (huge by European standards) and had a bath tub and laundry machines!!! Plus a nespresso and the location was great. The places in Positano and Venice we found from Rick Steves – his books are great. he has local recommendations for food and places to stay.
When we were in Tuscany we stayed in Florence the whole time and took a day trip to Siena one day and Lucca/Pisa another day.
Positano is amazing!! I want to retire there!!! We went to the Sirenuse for a drink and it had the best view! And eat at Bruno. We did a boat tour to Capri one day and loved it. You can take a ferry but the nice thing about a boat tour is the captain stopped at different spots to swim around. We didn't do the blue grotto but we did get to swim in a few other grottos that was amazing!
I'll think of more ideas, but you will have the time of your life!!
Lara, thank you SO much for all of these tips!! The airbnb place looks incredible – so beautiful! Do you mind letting me know where you stayed in Positano and Venice ? I've been trying to get our hotels booked and am having a hard time picking somewhere. For Venice we don't care as much, but we definitely do Positano! I need to order a Rick Steves book on Amazon ASAP – I have heard great things! Adding all of these amazing tips to our list of must-do's. Thank you SO much!!!
Sorrento and Capri!!!
thanks Jodi!!!
try a Rome walking tour guide to save line ups and avoid language barriers. We used gregorydipippo@hotmail.com