Allison

So, Italy is just an absolutely special place to me, and to get to return to a country I love so much, 7 years after my first visit, just proved that I waited too long in between. This country was my first ever European visit and it changed my life and sparked my genuine love for travel and exploring new places in the world. I love the people, the language, the old buildings, the colors, the food, the culture, the coffee. I love it all. I’m like a kid in a candy store in Italy. I get a lot of people asking for recommendations when they start planning a trip to somewhere I’ve visited before, so I wanted to put together a little list of helpful tips and some of my favorite locations!

Let me start by saying, the first ten or so days of my trip were pure chaos and it started off with a huge delay in getting here (I’m literally still in Italy as I write this), I lost a whole day in Bologna, and honestly, I cut it way too close to missing the Harry Styles concert that I LITERALLY planned this trip around. So my first advice? Make sure you’re staying at your first location for at least 3 days so you don’t have to miss an entire town in case of delays! Another fun issue I experienced was the loss of my luggage for the first time. I existed without it for like… 4 days? And honestly, it’s going to change the way I pack for trips forever. I learned I can absolutely exist with less clothing than I usually bring, a carry on and a back pack will work just fine, and it will fit safely with me on the plane. And even in my attempt at under packing, I still could’ve done less. Just bring detergent and commit to doing laundry a few times, it never took away from my trip and TRUST ME when I say you will thank me later when you’re carrying all your luggage up and down flights of stairs in crowded train stations, boarding trains with chaotic amounts of people behind you waiting for you to stash your bag somewhere, and climbing up 4 flights to your Airbnb. That, is Europe, in a nutshell.

Keeping my phone connected on my trip without paying Verizon’s $10/day plan, I used Airalo for my phone plan! It’s an app you download and it creates a digital SIM card for your phone, and you can go in and choose the country you’re traveling to and book a MUCH CHEAPER phone plan for your trip. I can’t recommend it enough. You can try it for yourself HERE!

Bologna, Italy

I started my trip (so late) in Bologna, I met a group of friends there who had very much beat me there. I didn’t arrive to our Airbnb until 3:30 am the first night, when everyone was sleeping, and got all of like 3 hours of sleep after a 30 something hour travel experience that was supposed to only take around 16 hours originally (I also got to witness a lady get tackled and detained at an airport! I’m telling you it was eventful!) and without my luggage. I woke up the next morning and instead of being brought to life by the joy of my first morning in another country, I was busy having to find basic essentials like a pair of shoes other than the tennis shoes I was wearing on the flight, and things like that, and this was the day of the Harry Styles concert, so time was limited. I missed breakfast, ate the tiniest lunch because of stress, and then we were late getting to the show so I also skipped dinner, was running on exhaustion fumes and pure adrenaline, cried my eyes out at the Harry show, and immediately wished we had chosen to stay an extra day in Bologna. I basically saw nothing there and it was so charming I wish that wasn’t the case. Another night of less than 5 hours of sleep and it was our first day traveling via train to the next town. Now let me just begin by saying that once you have it mastered, train travel in Italy is AWESOME. It’s super efficient, super affordable, and actually really easy AFTER you figure it all out. I learned the hard way that I didn’t have it mastered yet after almost losing my friends on a platform and nearly missing a train, and then later not realizing there were multiple stations in Rome and I got off at the wrong one. But anyway, just download the Trenitalia app, it’s the easiest way. Then everything is in your phone digitally (you need data though) and you don’t have to worry about misplacing a physical ticket or getting your ticket validated before entering the train. If you have a physical ticket and you don’t validate it, you will get fined when they come around to check tickets! And yes, just about every single train, they did come around and check. A lot of people try and skip out on the costs and just hop on and pray they don’t get in trouble, but in the summer they absolutely check. Sometimes they checked even as we were exiting the train outside on a platform.

Cinque Terre, Italy

We arrived in the stunning northern coastal towns of Cinque Terre, which is known for its iconic colorful buildings spread out over 5 little tiny fishing villages along the Gulf. They are little, they are packed, and they are REALLY that cute in real life. We chose to stay in Riomaggiore for two nights. Again, I think at minimum when you’re traveling without a tour bus or anything, you should stay everywhere at least 3 nights. We were so tired and so hot from moving so constantly and I felt like I just got my bearings in each town and then we were off again. I still had a wonderful time and I’m grateful I was able to fit in so many places, but ooooof it’s exhausting!

We did a pesto making class at the restaurant Nessun Dorma and it was SO MUCH FUN! This restaurant is located in Manarola, facing the incredibly gorgeous and colorful view, and it’s normally a line that you have to wait in for hours in the sun to get a table, but if you book the pesto experience (€80 per person) then you get a guaranteed spot, you get lunch, you make pesto (best pesto I’ve ever had – it’s from this region originally!), you laugh and drink a lot, and you get to keep your apron and a bottle of wine! It was definitely one of my favorite things that I did so I highly suggest it! You can book right on their website.

We hiked up the 380+ stairs one morning to another one of the villages, Corniglia. This was my second time visiting Cinque Terre and this was the only village I didn’t visit last time, and as much as the stairs were absolutely killer, I’m glad I got to see this town too. I wish we had more time to walk around and shop, it was so cute. The other two towns are Monterosso (best beach to lay at all day) and Vernazza. It’s really worth seeing all 5, and you can take the train between towns and they’re all only 5 minutes apart. You can also hike the towns and I would like to return (not in mid summer) and do that one day! Pro tip: bring water shoes, as all the beaches are rock beaches and it HURTS your feet!

Florence, Italy

After two very warm nights in Riomaggiore, we took the train into Florence. We got word on the way that my luggage had been found, but I was already actively on my way to Florence – even farther from my bag. Once we got there I had to leave and train back to Bologna, and I was so sad to lose a full day in Florence, my favorite city. But I was still traveling for another 3 weeks so I just really needed that darn bag. Once I got back to Florence (with ALL MY THINGS!!!) I found us a rooftop bar with a sunset view directly next to Duomo, my favorite building in the whole world. The rooftop bar was called View on Art and you should absolutely go for sunset if you’re ever in Florence. And then we actually stumbled upon a restaurant that we literally picked out by how cute it looked in the street, and it turned out to be one of my favorite meals of the whole trip. And the worst part? I didn’t even get the name of the restaurant. But any dish here involving truffles is a great idea.

The next day, one of our friends flew back to London, and two left for Rome, and just one friend and I stayed to do a Vespa tour of Tuscany! I didn’t think it was a scary idea until we started practicing and watched multiple people crash the Vespas, hurt themselves, and when I tried, I was very shaky and terrified. LOL. But I still got to drive a Vespa, even if it was brief, and I still got to do the half day adventure riding in a convertible through the Tuscan countryside, taking photos, stopping at a local estate for a fresh pasta lunch, wine, and of course, more photos. We made friends with an Australian couple and an American couple, and had such a blast with our driver, Chris. I still think this was worth every penny even though I chickened out of driving the Vespa for 50 something miles! I figured I should just keep surviving instead of risking my life for a Vespa ride hahaha

Best sights in Florence: duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and literally… all the food you can get your hands on.

Rome, Italy

After, again, not nearly enough time in Florence, we were off to meet our friends in Rome. We got off at the wrong train station, but we made it just fine anyway, and our Airbnb was literally a block away from the Colosseum. In just one day I managed to squeeze in some delicious pizza, pasta, the colosseum, the pantheon, and the trevi fountain. And I didn’t even walk as much as the last time I was there!!! Rome is cool but I had already been there before and it’s just chaos in the summer so I opted to only do one day there. I was super excited to try a restaurant over next to the Pantheon that came highly recommended by the one and only Stanley Tucci, but they were so full they couldn’t fit our group of 4 in even after we waited in line before they opened.

Salerno, Italy

We headed down south after Rome to the STUNNING Amalfi Coast. When we first started looking up places to stay, it was ridiculously expensive and very booked up in all the main towns like Positano and Amalfi. So I did some research and I found a town called Salerno, which is even farther south than the rest of the towns, and you can take a train direct from Rome or Naples! The other towns require a train to Naples and then either a ferry or a long terrifying drive by public bus or VERY EXPENSIVE private transfer, and that just didn’t sound like what I wanted to do. You can also stay in Sorrento as a home base and ferry into the towns, but I had already been there before and I wanted to stay somewhere new. From Salerno, you can take a €32 round trip ferry to Positano, and spend the whole day there. Same with Amalfi, and for even less €€. So that’s what we did!

My friends left after day two, and I stayed solo for the next 5 nights in Salerno. I will say, it is the most NOT English-friendly town I stayed in so far, but everything has been totally manageable! The people are much more local, and while there is still plenty of tourism, it’s a lot less chaotic than both Positano and Amalfi. Salerno is still vibrant and there is night life and all the restaurants close down between 3:30 and 7:30 for a mid day break. The food is incredible and even when I go into a place where no one speaks English, we can communicate enough for me to place an order and then say “gratzie” when I leave!

From Salerno, I scheduled multiple boat activities, because the best view of the Amalfi Coast is from the water. One day I booked a whole day private boat tour (with just two families on board with me) which paused for multiple swim stops at private beaches or just out in the middle of the water, and stopped for 1 hour each in Amalfi and Positano. I used those hours to wander the streets and take photos and also sweat my life away in the mid afternoon heat. Summer in Italy is no joke, I expected it to be way less hot and humid than North Carolina and I was incorrect. Jumping into bodies of water is key for survival. Anyway I had the best day on the small boat and visits to these bustling little towns.

As I write this I am getting ready for bed and tomorrow is my last full day in Salerno, and I’m so sad to go. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time here and I’ve actually really loved the solo travel part, especially that I’ve just stayed in one town and haven’t been going going going between cities. I have favorite restaurants, favorite waiters, favorite meals, favorite gelaterias. I love to wander the pedestrian path and to take a book and sit under the walkways of gorgeous blooming trees at the marina, and walk to the free sand beach about 20 minutes away. I love the pizza and the pasta most of all.

Some notable favorite restaurants:

• Caffé Moka is my favorite little breakfast/coffee shop/snacks whatever you need. It’s so gorgeous inside and very Italian speaking only but they were always kind to me and I LOVE the coffee & pastries there – also the cheese omelet!
• Al Dente Spaghetteria for absolute fantastic spaghetti dishes of all kinds, I had the caciao e Pepe and it was 14/10
• Gli Esposito Pizzeria for the most fun waiters and mind blowing pizza and pair it with a €5 glass of house vino
• Burger Bar Cargo for if you need a break from all the pizza and pasta and want a yummy burger (veggie friendly ones too, I really enjoyed the veggie burger!!) and some French fries
• Zero Healthy Bar & Poke for a little fruit & veggie refresh when your body is feeling too heavy from the carbs. I actually went like… 4 times. I tried it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Açaí bowls, fresh smoothies, poke bowls, yummy avocado toast, and once for dinner I even got a salmon plate that was completely delicious and had sooooo many veggies with it. Sometimes I just neeeeeed that on a trip to make my belly happy.

Where did I stay solo? I’m not opposed to hostels but that wasn’t really a thing here. I found that airbnbs were too expensive for just me, that’s much easier when sharing with friends. So I found a little B&B called Casa Castagna B&B. It’s basically like… an apartment complex that has a shared kitchen like a hostel and she will cook you breakfast (if you want it) and then it has a few rooms down one hallway. I will say the first few nights were great but it the walls are incredibly thin – so there was a lot of noise, not from the street, but from the other guests. I would’ve had no problem with her early morning cooking (you hear her in the kitchen) because I’m an early riser anyway, but some nights I’d get in late and then still be woken up by 7 or 7:30 by the noise. But then a family with small children came yesterday and the noise level has increased significantly. I can hear every conversation, every fit from the toddler, and if they hadn’t shown up, I would’ve had a much better experience! So it’s definitely risky, I’d probably stay here again and just hope I don’t get any toddler neighbors again! The location is really walkable to everything, a 10 minute walk from the train, 10 minutes to the ferry, 20 minutes to the beach, 2 minutes from endless restaurants and cafes and bars on the pedestrian street.

Positano, Italy

We spent one full day out in Positano at a beach club all day, lounging in chairs with table service, living the life of luxury, and honestly I had the best fish and chips of my life there. We chose L’Incanto Beach Club and it was €40 per bed, with a minimum of 2 beds. So if you go solo you would be stuck paying for two, sadly, but it really was worth the price. The beach is so clear, the views are literally something out of a dream, and the aperol spritz’s just taste better on the beach when served by very handsome local Italian men. The fish and chips I got that I will dream about forever, was at La Brezza, a restaurant right on the corner at the port that one of the locals suggested to me! Always trust a local.

“The entire town is built around the cove of the sea. It looks like an amphitheater, enjoying the performance of the ocean.”

One italian summer

Amalfi, Italy

While I only drove by this by boat many times, and did one stop over for an hour there, I didn’t get to fully immerse myself in this town. It was absolutely charming but it was like Positano in the way that it was over packed with people in the summer and so very hot it was challenging to walk around without feeling like passing out! I just wandered the streets and enjoyed some locally made lemon gelato and took some photos and hid in a few shops for a break from the sun. It wasn’t as expensive as the shopping in Positano, but I definitely preferred the brighter colored buildings and charm of Positano more. I have a feeling if I spent more time there I would’ve loved it more, though! I needed more than an hour. And the beach clubs there looked lovely, too, and I’m sure they cost less than Positano.

Conca dei Marina, Italy

The other boat tour I booked was on Airbnb, a sunset sailing cruise along the coast. It was supposed to be a 3 or 4 hour event, but then our captain Fabio was feeling generous and we were gone from literally like 4:00 pm until 1:00am. I didn’t get back to my B&B until 1:30. But it was the absolute best experience that I did. I was on board with just a sweet pair of American women, and then a couple who live in Australia. We cruised the coastline in the evening, which already gave me a way different view than I had seen before. Listen, I’m a photographer, I’m a sucker for some evening light. We boated past Māori, Minori, Amalfi, and a few others. We stopped at a beach only accessible by boat, called Conca dei Marini, and we pulled up and had dinner there, at a small family owned restaurant while the sun set over the water. That was when the couple on our trip suddenly got engaged!!!! We stayed for so long, toasting Prosecco, and more Prosecco, and explaining to the locals that we did not in fact want to go with them in their boat but we wanted to return to our captain – LOL. Then the hour boat ride home under the stars and the full moon may have even been my favorite part. With a belly full of gnocchi and Prosecco, and peach wine, and the sparkling lights of the beautiful towns, I was in heaven. I’ll link this Airbnb experience here because it’s something I think everyone should do.

The magic of Italy seems to be in its ability to connect some time out of time, some era that is unmarked by modernity. There is so much peacefulness in being present, right here.

One italian summer

Currency

Euros are the accepted currency all over Italy. And while they are getting more credit card friendly, cash is still king here. It’s faster and more efficient most of the time. It’s easier to pay at restaurants, taxis, street shopping, etc. so I suggest always keeping cash on you in this country.

Trains:

Download the Trenitalia app and get all your tickets there. The train stations names are in Italian so you’ll have to figure out your locations before you can book. For example Florence is actually “Firenze” etc. There are different classes of train tickets, if you’re just going a short distance of an hour or less, the cheapest ones are just fine. They’re a little more chaotic to board and search for a seat but it doesn’t really matter if you’re only on it very briefly. If you have a longer distance, the upgrades are pretty cheap (maybe €10-€20) and you get a reserved seat in the other classes, and some even feed you! I did this on my trip from Rome to Salerno and it was totally worth it! The seats even reclined and I got a pre packaged box of food and drinks! The tough part: finding your train and the correct platform. The app will tell you which platform but be sure to look at your train number over the destination, it’s not like at an airport where you find it by your final destination. Read the signs at the train station and find your train number and it’ll tell you which platform. Sometimes the platform can change even 5-10 minutes before the train arrives, so keep checking! Once your train get there, if you do have a reserved seat, look on the train for the correct cabin number before entering, I didn’t do this the first time I had a seat and I got on at cabin 10 but my seat was in cabin 6 so I had to walk through 4 different sections full of people with all my luggage. And then finally, make sure you get off at the correct station – LOL. There are two stations at Firenze and Roma, make sure you’re at the right one! 

In two days I leave for Turkey to embark on a one week sailing tour with Koda Sail as the photographer for the trip, so I can’t be TOO sad that I’m leaving Italy. Stay tuned for a post about Turkey, next!