Got to live out my Lizzie McGuire dreams (again) by traveling to Italy with Alan for the past two weeks! Unfortunately, I did not become a fake international popstar while there but we did travel to Cinque Terre, Florence, Rome, and Venice.
Here are the some highlights of the trip…
Most helpful piece of advice before leaving
Alan: Pack light. Laundry mats are accessible so pack clothes that are versatile that can mix and match because the weather can change. Keep your wardrobe simple!
Shelby: Rick Steves has a ton of helpful advice in his book and his app has audiotours that we used to learn more about the places we traveled to! Great free resource.
Favorite city
A: Monterosso – the beaches were lovely. The town was outside of the bigger cities so it felt like a vacation within a vacation.
S: I also liked the Cinque Terre because it was one of the new cities that I had not been to before, but there’s something about Venice that is always so captivating.
Favorite activity
A: Hiking in Monterosso to Vernazza & people watching in the various cities.
S: My favorite activity had to be either the pizza and gelato cooking class we took or finding the island where Alan’s family originates from on a 1500 year old map at the Vatican.
My other favorite activity that Alan and I did to help pass the time was to try to guess if people were British or Australian. Sometimes it could be really tricky!
Favorite method of transportation
A: Gondola because it provided a traditional Italian experience.
S: I really enjoyed the trains we took to get to all the other cities. We were able to see a lot of the countryside. My second favorite may be the waterbus in Venice. It was really relaxing to be able to ride on a boat around Venice.
One thing that you learned from the trip
A: I learned that even though we were in Italy there were still a lot of people from different countries. It was interesting trying to navigate and experience.
S: Romans killed a BUNCH of people, but were great engineers.
City with the best food/Favorite meal
A: Florence had the best food overall, but the best meal was in Rome.
S: I have to concur – I enjoyed the food in Florence the best.
City with the best dessert
A: Florence had a Hazelwood Cannoli that was to die for!!
S: For someone who isn’t a big chocolate lover, my favorite dessert was a Tartufo from the iconic Tre Scalini in the Piazza Navona in Rome.
What were the locals like?
A: Typical Italians. With their fashion, lounging in cafes conversing with each other, the smoking…
S: All of the hoteliers and waiters were very nice and helpful! As for the everyday local, they did not move out of the way for tourists. I think they would have really run into me if I didn’t move.
One thing you wish we did that we didn’t end up doing
A: Pompeii would have been cool.
S: If I ever go back to Italy I want to spend some time in the Tuscan countryside or the Amalfi Coast.
What was the biggest challenge of the trip?
A: Picking where to eat. We just picked random places to try, and we got lucky that most of the places we ate at were good.
S: Planning logistics. There’s a lot that goes into planning an 11-day day trip with multiple cities. There was definitely some hiccups we had to navigate through.
What usual, little thing did you miss most from your normal routine?
A: Being in our own space – knowing where everything is at, having A/C at night, not having to wait to use the shower at the hostels, being able to cook our own meals
S: It took me a while to get used to not hearing English everywhere I went. In fact, by the end of the trip whenever I did hear someone speaking English it was weird.
Our Adventure Book 