An 8-11 day trip to Italy featuring highlights such as Venice, Florence, and Rome. 
This guide includes recommendations for
📍Lodging 
📍Food  
📍Sightseeing & Tours
📍Navigation
📍Links to tickets
📍Travel tips
📍Lizzie McGuire Filming locations
📍AND MORE!

Customized itineraries available upon request!

This trip is estimated to cost $5,000 for 2 adults during shoulder seasons. The estimate includes roundtrip flights from Atlanta, lodging, transportation, and tours. You will still need to budget for food and souvenirs. 

Cinque Terre, SP, Italy

Venice, Metropolitan City of Venice, Italy

Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy

Florence, Metropolitan City of Florence, Italy

Tuscany, Italy

Italy Highlights

Venice is like no other place in the world, which makes it even more charming. If you are from Small Town USA like myself, navigating Venice will be your #1 challenge. Google Maps will be your best friend. Most likely you will take the vaporetto and then walk to wherever you’re staying. 

P.S. paper transportation tickets in Italy often require you to validate your ticket as you board. If you do not validate the paper ticket, you will likely face a fine and some embarrassment. If you bought a mobile ticket the conductor will scan the QR code from your phone. Say it with me friends, VALIDATE YOUR TICKET. 

Let me start off by saying, if pastable (get it?) MAKE DINNER RESERVATIONS. Especially if you will be visiting on the weekend! OpenTable and Yelp are great resources!

You will need to get a transfer (bus 10€ or Alilaguna 15€) from the airport to  your hotel. In Venice there are two forms of public transportation by water, Alilaguna and Vaporetto. Alilaguna takes visitors between Marco Polo Airport and Venice/ surrounding islands. Vaporetto takes you to dozens of stops around the islands. Tickets can be bought inside the airport (and many other places) or online. The vaporetto is a cheap way to explore Venice by water. You can purchase ACTV Time Limited Tickets (valid for travel on Vaporetto and bus) that could be well worth your penny depending on your plans. In my experience, we found that much of Venice was explorable by foot. A one way Vaporetto ticket can be bought for 1.50€. The Tourist Travel Card costs 25€ for 24 hours, 35€ for 48 hours or 45€ for 72 hours and can be used for an unlimited amount of travel during those time periods. Pick what fits your plans best. 

Check out Al Chianti for a Spritz or for dinner at Piazza San Marco. 

Travel to Venice during the week to avoid local tourists that visit on weekends. I prefer shoulder seasons such as March, April, September and October. But, beware, if you go after mid October you may experience Acqua Alta, a.k.a. flooding.

Small Group Venice Tour- This was booked through Italy Tour and Travel. Our tour guide took us all over Venice by foot. These types of tours are usually a really good way to see the city, especially if you are there for a short period of time. I couldn’t find the exact tour we took, but here is a very similar tour with great reviews. 

There are tons of other things to see as well. Luxury Shopping, Borges Labyrinth and Caffe Florian to name a few.

Gondola rides- Gondola rides are expensive, the rates are regulated by the government. So while it may feel like you’re getting scammed, the truth is gondola rides are pricey. The cost of a daytime 30 minute private ride is 80€. The rate at night goes even higher. The rate is non negotiable, but you can negotiate how long of a ride you take. 

The best way to travel through Italy is by train. Board a mid morning or mid day train. 

Arrive at Firenze S. M. Novella mid day or afternoon and use the rest of your day to explore the city. Florence is an easily walkable city, it can be covered by foot in about 30 minutes. You can most likely walk to your hotel. But, if you are traveling with lots of luggage you can get a taxi from the train station. You can call a taxi, or go to one of the taxi stands, but you can NOT hail a taxi. They will not stop. Free Now and Uber are not yet available in Florence. 

On your mobile ticket, be prepared to share your QR code with the conductor and have your PNR accessible. Board the train at Venezia S. Lucia. 

Florence is fine to visit on a week or weekend. It is a small city but has plenty of places to eat, play and stay. 

As always, your surroundings. Being aware of what’s going on, you can save your behind, or just your wallet. Pickpockets may bump into you in crowded areas, or on a train. 

People with light up toys, bracelets, roses or anything they insist on giving for free. It is not free, they will harass you until you give them money in return. 

Panhandlers may have a cup of change on the ground, if you walk too close, they will knock over the cup acting as it was your fault. Their hope is that you give them money as an apology for “knocking over their cup.”

People dressed up, pushing you to take photos with them. This situation is similar to show girls in Vegas. I observed one really weird guy dressed up as a (ghost?) in Florence. He grabbed at the wrists of passer byers insisting that they take photos with him and then would reach out his hand in exchange for his *hard earned* money. 

Traveling through Italy, especially the touristy parts, is not anymore dangerous than your local metropolitan area. Don’t be scared. Just be aware. 

Walking is the best way to see Florence. They also have metros, but you probably won’t need to ride them. If needed, you can call a taxi, or go to one of the taxi stands. 

Florence is famous for their steak. It is cut from a Chianina cattle and served rare. If you like cows that are still mooing when served, you have to try it. If not, pass on this, upcooking a thick steak like this will result in the most expensive piece of beef jerky you have ever tasted.  

Happy Hour at Chat Qui Rit or stay for dinner. 

Any restaurant that has over friendly people outside telling you to come in and eat. If the food is good, the restaurant will be busy and they will not need these hosts. 

If a gelato place has scoops piled high for display, skip it. For authentic, rich gelato look for a place that has their gelato hidden away in tins. 

Trattoria Marione for an authentic Florentine steak.

Lo Scudo for some unusual but delicious pasta.

 Venice Sightseeing Walking Tour with a Local Guide

Ciro and Sons for a modern feel and more pasta! 

Rome is also fine to visit on a week or weekend. It is a huge city, so big that it has another country in it!

All roads lead to Rome. As I said earlier, public transportation, FreeNow and Uber are options here. Rome is very walkable, but is a much larger city than Florence. If you chose use public transportation be aware that the machines at the metro centers do not take cards, and they do not dispense more than 6€ in change. Avoid putting any large bills in the machine, as you will be buying tickets until the machine can reciprocate 6€ for change. If you enter the metro, the turnstiles will validate your ticket for you. The metro also accepts contactless payment at the turnstiles, no ticket is given.  You can purchase bus or tram tickets at the Newsagents, Newspaper kiosks, ticket machines near bus stops and atac booths at metro stations. If you board a bus or tram, you MUST VALIDATE your ticket yourself at the machine located at the front or back of the vehicle. Another option is to use the “MyCicero” app to purchase tickets, but it’s not super user friendly. My recommendation is to buy a few of the 100 minute passes for 1.50€ each. They do not activate until validated and do not have an expiration date.

Board an early or mid morning train at Firenze S M Novella. On your mobile ticket, be prepared to share your QR code with the conductor and have your PNR accessible. 

Arrive at Rome Termini mid morning/ midday and use the rest of your day to explore the city. Rome is a lot bigger than Florence, FreeNow and Uber are options here. So is public transportation. Determine what will work best for you. 

The boarding platform information will become available a mere 15 anxiety inducing minutes prior to arrival. Also, you have a very short period of time to board and exit the trains here. Be where you need to be early. 

Venice

Florence

Rome

 Cinque Terre Day Trip from Florence with Optional Hiking

Cinque Terre

Baglioni Hotel Luna

Hotel Papadopoli Venezia - MGallery

Ruzzini Palace Hotel

Il Calice

Al Chianti

Chat Qui Rit | Ristorante Venezia Gourmet

Skip-the-Line: Doge's Palace & St. Mark's Basilica Fully Guided Tour

St. Mark's Square

Murano Glass Factory 

Vetreria Artistica Colleoni - Murano Glass Factory

IL Tornabuoni Hotel - In the Unbound Collection by Hyatt

B&B Hotel Firenze Laurus al Duomo

Trattoria Marione

Lo Scudo Ristorante Firenze

Ciro and Sons - Restaurant Pizzeria Firenze

Gelateria Edoardo il gelato biologico

Tuscany Day Trip from Florence: Siena, San Gimignano, Pisa and Lunch at a Winery

Tuscany

Hotel Cosimo de 'Medici

THE ONE Boutique Hotel Wellness & SPA Roma

The Tribune Hotel, part of JdV by Hyatt

La Panetteria Ristorante

That's Amore Restaurant

Bono Bottega Nostrana - Piazza Di Spagna

Le catacombe di Roma sono antiche aree cimiteriali sotterranee, costruite nella maggior parte, dalle comunità cristiane dei primi quattro secoli.

Catacombs of St. Callixtus Guided tour

Catacombs of St. Callixtus

Entire Vatican & Vatacombs: Treasures of the Sistine Chapel 

Vatican City

Visits – Vicus Caprarius

Trevi Fountain

Spanish Steps

Tivoli Turismo, il sito ufficiale del turismo a Tivoli. Scopri le terme, le ville,  i monumenti e gli itinerari consigliati. Chiedi la tua cartoguida!

Italy Highlights

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