TRAVEL DIARY: ITALY 2023 - ROME, VENICE, MILAN

  

I can't believe it took me a little over a month to get this up but OMG ya'll we went to Italy! Our first trip out of the country in 4 long years. It was my turn to pick as we switch off each year. Italy has always been on my bucket list so we made it happen. Italy is an incredibly big country so narrowing it down to a few places was hard but I decided on Rome, Venice and Milan. We were in Italy for a total of 7 days which I thought was perfect. 

Taking train from to each place was the most inexpensive way and scenic. The trains were very straight forward. I do recommend buying the train tickets in advance. We were in Rome for the first day/last day, Venice for two days and Milan for three day. I also recommend to have euros on you as some taxis/places don't take card. We went at the beginning of May and the weather was different in each city so bring a variety of items to mix/match, comfy shoes and an umbrella.  

Rome

                                             

  

    

There was so much to see in Rome! We couldn't get to it all but saw so much in two days. Rome is just full of history. The Vatican Museum was insane. We spent 3 hours in there and maybe saw a third of the museum because it's massive. Make sure to book tickets way in advance. The architecture all around Rome was stunning. A very walkable city and most of the historic sites were near each other. Rome had the best tiramisu we had. It was so good, we went twice!

Sites we saw:

- Colosseum

- Arch of Constantine

- Palatino

- Spanish Steps

- Trevi Fountain

- Vatican Museum 

- Piazza Venezia 

- Arch of Titus

- Foro Romano

 

Places we ate at and recommend:

- Mizzo's Street Food 

- Pizza E Mozzarella 

- Pompi Tiramisù 

- Pane e Salame 

- Peppone Ristorante 

Venice

      

  

  

  

  

Venice was our favorite! We loved that it was an island with no roads meaning no cars which was so refreshing. It only had canals and 391 bridges. It was a very walkable island but if you wanted to get around by water you could get on a water bus, water ferry, water taxi or a gondola ride. Of course we did a gondola ride because I had to check that off my bucket list. It was a great experience and our gondolier was so lovely. You can literally just wander around Venice and stumble across everything.

Sites we saw:

-Ponte di Rialto

-St. Mark’s Square

-St. Mark’s Basilica

-Doges Palace

-San Marco Campanile

-Bridge of Sighs

-Ponte della Paglia

Some places we ate at and recommend:

-Osteria al squero 
-I Tre Mercanti

-Ristorante La Piazza 

-Caffe Del Doge 

-Trattoria le Colonete

-Venchi 

-Gelato Fantasy 

Burano

    

  

  

    

Burano is literally the cutest most vibrant island I've ever seen! It's a small island that is a 40 minute water ferry ride from Venice. It's known for lacemaking. The lace pieces were gorgeous. I think the best time to visit is mid-morning as it wasn't as crowded yet. Burano is also know for bussola cookies and it was good. We grabbed lunch at Al Vecio Pipa before heading back to Venice and it was so yummy! 

Milan

Milan is for sure the city of fashion. The shops were all just to die for. I just love European style. Milan was definitely the most modern city out of all the places we visited. We didn't have much of an agenda in Milan and just walked around, browsed the shops and ate. 

Sites we saw:

-Duomo di Milano 

-Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II 

-Teatro alla Scala

-Bosco Verticale

Some places we ate at and recommend:

-Luini Pazerotii

-Osteria Conchetta 

-Viaggi Nel Gusto 

-Vanilla Gelati Italiani

-Piz 

-Lavazza

-Ciacco

Lake Como

  

  

  

      

    

Lake Como was absolutely breathtaking. The pictures just doesn't do it justice. We took the train from Milan to Varenna which was a 40 minute ride. I had booked tickets for Villa Monastero which was a stunning property along Lake Como. After we walked around the Villa we grabbed a quick bit to eat at Lake Bakery and wandered around Varenna until it was time to head back to Milan. Visiting Lake Como is definitely a must if you're in Milan.  

We literally ate our way through Italy. The pasta, seafood, pizza, sandwiches, charcuterie boards, bruschetta, cicchetti, rissotto, tiramisu and gelato was chefs kiss. Seeing and learning about the Italian culture was really cool. Honestly it was such a dream to be there. There were a few moments where I literally wanted to cry because I couldn't believe we were there. Keven and I make it a priority to travel as much as we can. We work so hard so why not enjoy the world. Nothing beats traveling- exploring, learning, eating and most importantly making memories!

We hope to visit Italy again and go to all the other beautiful places there!

Have a great week xx