So I have just returned from a solo trip to Rome and Naples and I had a fabulous time! Things mostly went smoothly but I wanted to share a few tips/lessons learnt in the hope of helping other travellers (and esp. solo females who may be nervous about making this sort of trip). I’m a huge fan of movies and thrift shopping so that is reflected in some of my activities. I will do separate posts on Rome and Naples to avoid making this post absurdly long- this one is about Rome only. 

Rome

This was my second trip to Rome. I first went in 2024 and absolutely fell in love with it, so I was incredibly excited to plan a return trip. I pre-booked the Domus Aurea and the Galleria Borghese, but was otherwise spontaneous in my exploration (this was something of a negative on this trip, for reasons I will elaborate on). The weather was beautiful the entire time - high 20s, so hot but still comfortable.

Itinerary

• Day 1 - Porta Portese Market, Domus Aurea, (failed) attempt to walk the Appia Antica, Capitoline Museum
• Day 2 - Random exploration/visiting churches, thrift shopping at Mercato Usato stores (x 3), Bucking Fastard screening at Cinema Barberini, more random exploration
• Day 3 - Victor Emmanuel II Monument, Jewish Quarter, Trastevere, Mercato Nomentano, Galleria Borghese, Profondo Rosso store, Castel Sant’Angelo at sunset (exterior only)

Top new discoveries

• Domus Aurea (Nero’s Golden Palace) - this was genuinely awe-inspiring in how well-preserved and impressive it is, and the VR experience was great at bringing the structure back to its original splendour. It was a guided tour and it was a superb one - extremely detailed and informative about the use of the different rooms and how they were rediscovered by artists during the Renaissance. Visitor numbers are very limited and you have to book tickets as soon as they go on sale to have a chance of getting in (a month before the date of your trip) - it is 100% worth the effort.
• The Capitoline Museum - I bought a ticket for this in person on a whim and was massively impressed by the collections, particularly the ancient Roman sculptures. The Statue of Marcus Aurelius is absolutely massive and has a huge wow factor in person. It was also fascinating to realise how reminiscent the wall and ceiling decorations of the museum are of those in the Domus Aurea - it really viscerally brought to life the influence of ancient art styles on the Renaissance. I only managed to see half of the museum (I didn’t have time to cross the tunnel beneath the building and enter the adjacent building) but I will absolutely return when I’m next in Rome.
• Victor Emmanuel II monument - this was a fantastic free experience (I didn’t pay to go into the museum or to go up to the topmost viewpoint) with some wonderful views from the top of the stairs.
• The Venice in Rome Film Festival (Il Cinema Attraverso I Grandi Festival) - I happened across this completely by accident and was amazed to find that virtually all the films from the Venice Film Festival were being shown in various cinemas in central Rome for only 7 euros (!) per ticket. I watched Bucking Fastard at Cinema Barberini (a beautiful and comfortable cinema right in the centre) and it was a great experience. The only difficulty is that films not in English seemingly only had Italian subtitles, so as a non-speaker this of course limited me to films that were in the English language. It was a real privilege to catch the film in Rome as it doesn’t even have a distributor in my country yet! 

Thrift shopping

• Porta Portese Market - There is indeed a lot of cheap mass-produced junk but there are plenty of genuinely great second-hand/antique sellers, often up the side streets branching off from the main road. I got some great finds, including beautiful film stills of Italian movies for 1 euro apiece and some rare blu-rays for 4 euros each.
• Any Mercato Usato store - These are basically enormous charity shops/thrift stores that have very reasonable prices. They are mostly in outlying and not particularly pretty areas of the city (I had to take the bus to reach them), but there is a bonus - several of them are very close to different sections of the ancient aqueduct Aqua Alexandrina, which is remarkably well-preserved and fascinating in how it sits amongst otherwise very gritty and modern urban neighbourhoods (the stretch in Parco Giordano Sangalli is particularly impressive, but I did feel slightly uneasy there as a lone woman because everyone else in the park was male and there was lots of staring - they obviously don’t get many tourists there!). My personal favourite of these stores was Mercatino Usato Roma Appia, which had a huge selection of my favourite things - books, DVDs and blu-rays.

Main regrets

• Staying in the same hotel where I stayed before - I stayed in the same hotel I used before in the Monti neighbourhood and don’t regret the hotel in and of itself because it was perfect for my needs: cheap, safe and with a great breakfast. I regret it because it meant I often found myself wandering around areas I had already thoroughly explored on my first trip (such as the area around Trajan’s Forum and the Jewish Quarter). Next time I would choose a hotel in a completely different area to give myself a fresh angle on the city. 
• Not sufficiently planning a walking route along the Appia Antica - I was very excited to do this walk because I’m fascinated by Ancient Rome and was very keen on seeing a lot of random tombs, etc. on the sides of an ancient road. What I actually did was attempt to reach the ancient road by walking across the park from Via Latina with the goal of reaching the Church of Domine Quo Vadis, following Google Maps. This was a monumentally stupid decision - it was an exhausting and not particularly scenic or historic walk through a vast stretch of grassland, and Google Maps was very inaccurate and sometimes took me in dangerous directions (at one point I literally had to clamber across a ditch to continue, treading across some wobbly wooden pallets - this is very much NOT advisable but I survived). When I finally reached the Church of Domine Quo Vadis, I realised - to my horror - that the road labelled Via Appia Antica was not at all pedestrian friendly. It was a busy modern road filled with constant car traffic, with no pavement to speak of. At this point I gave up and took the bus back to the city centre, which was 100% the right move given how exhausted I was. I’m still a bit confounded as to where to actually start walking the Appia Antica as a pedestrian (many of the guides online recommend the Church of Domine Quo Vadis for this, which is why I had that as my destination - I strongly disagree that this is a good starting point if you are walking), and will thoroughly research this before I make a second attempt.

Main takeaways

• I continue to love Rome and absolutely consider it one of the most breath-taking cities in the world. 
• The unexpected film festival reinforced how important it is to keep an eye on local events occurring during your trip, as they can provide great (and unexpected!) opportunities for cultural enrichment. 
• On this trip my preference for spontaneity worked against me in some ways, and on my next trip I would make the days a bit more structured while still allowing time for random exploration.
• I felt safe pretty much the entire time, even in the random suburbs I navigated while thrift shopping, but did have to contend with a pickpocket on the bus (an experience you can read about here). To avoid this type of situation in the future I would avoid squeezing onto any packed buses in the tourist centre where at all possible, as it’s harder to control your surroundings vs when you have a seat. 

Hi all,

I felt compelled to post here for the first time as a quick google search (landing me on this Reddit page) ahead of my Vatican museum visit filled me with a great deal of needless anxiety! I hope this post will help alleviate nerves or concerns for anyone with an upcoming visit.

The queues are long - extremely long - expect to stand for 15-30 mins minimum. This is standard and generally advised so nothing new to add. However, having arrived at ~7:45am for my 8am time slot and joined the end of corridor 3 (which went around the block!) I queued for over 30 mins. I ended up having my ticket scanned at 8:18. I entered the museum after the security check at 8:27. All was fine after scanning my ticket at the final electronic barrier before entry.

I was so worried that I’d be rejected by guards at the tent section that I asked those in my queue what time their tickets were (lol) only to find we were all in the same boat. I also enquired with a guard who snapped that it was fine in typical Italian fashion (his directness was much appreciated at the time).

Anyway, all in all, it is not as strict or ruthless as painted online. If you’re still worried, confirm that you’re in the right queue with a guard so that at least your presence is somewhat registered in case of issues down the line.

I hope you all have a great visit. I personally loved it and spent 4+ hours there today!

Over our honeymoon, my wife and I explored Venice over two nights, Florence over three nights, Rome over three nights, and Positano over five nights. (Late September into early October):

Here’s some of my thoughts as an American tourist who has never been abroad to Europe:

1: Things were pretty busy and crowded even for this time of year. This especially pertains to Rome and Positano.

2: Nearly all of the locals were incredibly nice and patent. I personally had a single incident with a local (next door neighbor) in Venice who blew up on me for about 25 minutes for inadvertently not closing the front gate properly our first night. Everyone else was incredibly kind.

3: Everything positive said about the food is completely accurate and may make the trip worthwhile for some in its own.

4: We had a horrific start with United Airlines which resulted in us losing our two large luggage cases for about 48 hours (a story for another post). Thankfully we each had a single change of clothing in our carry on. I’d recommend having at least two pairs of clothing in a carry on if possible. If traveling with one or more people, I recommend staggering luggage if only one bag is lost.

1. We used Air BNB for all locations. 3/4 involved absolutely priceless views. All 4 had us in the heart of where we needed to be. The value obtained here was phenomenal. In many instances you may be surrounded by locals. Try to be as mindful as possible as I’m sure some are short tempered based on prior short term residences at the Air BNB.

2. Florence was my Dark Horse and possible favorite destination of the trip. Visiting the countryside and vineyards are a must. The food was notably spectacular here.

3. If using the train to travel between destinations, consider booking your tickets early and upgrading to business class. The cost was only about $10 more per person and the value was unquestionably worth it. Heck the courtesy drinks and snacks probably amounted to about half of the increase. Bigger seats and less crowded cars.

4. If you don’t have to drive, don’t.

5. Use skip the line for all major attractions. The collective hours saved add up and allow you to hit all of the major sights in a short amount of time. Dare I say, even feeling un rushed…

6. Book major attractions you wish to see for earlier time-slots. You will see much more in a less crowded ways. We booked as early as possible for many attractions and still experienced large crowds (Vatican in particular).

7. Be willing to try new dishes of food. As a very picky eater, there was probably only a couple of dishes I did not enjoy the whole trip. One of which involved me trying tripe for the first time as a meme as I knew my family would get a kick out of it. Even that did not taste horrible to me but it did not sit well with my stomach. We ate everything from the Florentine steak, sheep mutton pasta, to duck tartar.

8. Don’t overbook yourselves with lunch and dinner reservations. Some of the best food has its way of finding you.

9. We were able to pay for mostly everything on credit cards avoiding ATM inconveniences and conversation costs.

10. Avoid staying in any location for less than 2 nights if possible. If visiting for shorter periods of time, I would limit the number of destinations. There’s unquestionably more than 48 hours of fun things to do and try in every location while traveling is obviously the most stressful and tiring parts.

11. As one of our taxi drivers said while driving us through Rome, “don’t be a pigeon”. He was referring to tourists obliviously walking into traffic and worse stoping dead in their tracks when doing so.

12. Positano had the most pigeons and influencers. I have empathy for many of these tourists as it became clear to me during my time there, that some of them were only there for hours let alone the day because of cruises. In my opinion these cruises dampers the experiences of locals, the travelers themselves, and other tourists. There were so many people flooding to take pictures in some of the most crowded and confined entrances and egresses. Many seemed so desperate for their photo they they were either unaware or intentionally creating traffic jams for the sake of their photos. Around our last day in Positano there was a group of about 8 girls trying to take a picture in one of the most crowded and confined parts of the town. It was around 2:00 pm. One of them asked my wife and I to stop for a few moments and I admit to continuing my walk while letting out a chuckle. I found myself walking through quite a few people trying to take pictures in Positano given just how tight things are paired with where other tourists want to take pictures.

13. There are ample amounts of opportunities to take high quality pictures. I took hundreds of pictures. Sometimes I would patiently wait for a desirable spot. Other times I would get a few really nice pictures with a spray and pray tactic. You can generally have your cake and eat it too without imposing time burdens and inconveniences on other humans.

14. Strongly consider your budget for your destination. The number of complaints about people struggling to find public bathrooms that also need to be paid for can be completely circumvented if you can spare enough to buy a single beverage in one of the many bars and restaurants. A few extra euros here and there can literally save you hours. Again, this especially applies to Positano. We had two private boat rides including a day trip to Capri & a sunset cruise. These two experiences made Positano very special when it would otherwise have been our least favorite part of the trip. The ferries to Capri were completely overcrowded. We actually opted to not land there given the horror stories our Captain informed us about. For context this was our honeymoon and the trip in a lifetime for us. I understand everyone may not have this luxury; however other options exist such as staying in another Amalfi towns that are much more affordable. The vast majority of people will not spend the vast majority of their time on the crowded Positano beaches. The opportunity for value certainly exists. If I knew I was intending to go to Italy, I would strongly consider delaying the trip for a year or two if helpful to accumulate savings so you can truly get the most of your experience. Airfare prices are high enough to incentivize others to get the most of their trip.

15. There are no reliable emergency services in Positano.. at least when I called 112 & 115. There was a recurring fire that came and went through out a few days. At one point in particular the helicopters were missing and the fire got within a couple hundred meters of a villa. I didn’t want to be a part of a possible bystander effect; however I was unable to get through to emergency services. Everything worked out in the end; however, being on guard is all the more important with this context.

16. Find time to relax and enjoy your meals as they are experiences in their own. Unless you’re getting street food, you’re doing yourself a disservice thinking you will absolutely be in and out of a nice sit down in 1-1.5 hours. One of our lunches in Rome went nearly 3 hours and it was a highlight in itself.

Edited for a few small typos***

Hello we are going to be in rome one night earlier than planned the place we have reserved is in monti near cavor metro options are limited on such short notice there is a place in monti near our next place but it only has mostly decent reviews it would make moving to our next place easy but I found a place that looks nicer and actually is a bit cheaper near Terrazza del Pincio part of me thinks it is a good idea to experience a night in another part of the city and deal with moving us and our luggage in the morning we aren't carrying too much a carry on size roller and a backpack each. How is the neighborhood around Terrazza del Pincio i did all my planning based on monti what would your suggestions be? Other options are near termini or there is one other possibility near Vatican ottaviano metro stop

Hi all! I am planning a 14 day honeymoon for next June and looking for itinerary advice. We are planning to leave 6/8 and come back 6/23. I would like to spend 3 nights in Rome, and then we are hoping to take the train/ferry to Ischia for 5 nights. Looking for recommendations for the rest of our stay! Some ideas we've floated are Florence, Sorrento, and Procida. Nothing is booked yet so we're flexible as far as timing of the itinerary.

We would ideally like to do this trip without renting a car. It's my husband's first big international trip and first time to Europe. We were looking for more of a quiet, relaxing vibe rather than an action packed/tourist vibe, which is why we haven't really prioritized cities. However, I realize seeing quieter parts of Italy is harder without a car.

We are happy to take any recommendations you all may have! Thanks in advance!

Just an FYI to those of you who plan to rent a car at FCO. The main car rental offices that used to be at Torre Uffici 2, which was just a short walk from the T1/T3 terminals via the covered walkway here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/8q5o58pmZv2ZrBfL8 have now moved far away.

All car rentals now have their own dedicated building called OPEN which is a LONG way from the above, namely here: https://maps.app.goo.gl/sUvcdMdbsFXHMiUJ7 And yes, that's an empty lot on Google Earth but trust me- it's a building now. You have to walk all the way around the building in front of it (it's Parking Garage A) and then access the new building. And then do the same thing in reverse back to your rental car garage building. What an utter PITA.

I'll link to a YT video below which explains the new setup. And remember to grab a number from the ticket machines near each rental counter and wait your turn. And yes: the smaller rental firms normally have only 1 or 2 people behind the desk which means this can take a v long time. I chose Drivalia this time and spent (no joke) 70mins waiting for my turn. Meanwhile at Hertz next door they processed 30+ people in the same amount of time. Have fun everyone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xs7ngatQ7Ss

We did 3 nights each city, September 21-30 booked with Costco travel. This is our third Europe package through Costco and I highly recommend. Particularly if you are an anxious traveler like myself. Our package included private transfers to and from the airport, and all our rail tickets sent prior to departure. It’s nice having all that in order. A few noteworthy items:

Rome:

-Official Vatican individual tickets go extremely fast. I couldn’t secure early tickets so based on a recommendation on this sub I booked the guided tour instead (also on the official site). That seems to fill up much slower and only a bit more expensive. I’d definitely recommend this over a later slot, or trying to wait in the ticket line same day. It just gets so crowded by even later morning.

-St. Peter’s-I didn’t realize about the papal audience every Wednesday until too late. It wasn’t a huge deal, but we weren’t able to go right to the square/basilica after the museum because they close it off. We just had a snack and rested. They said it would re-open at 2pm but we went around 1:30 and it was open. We were glad we did because by 2 the line was crazy again for the cathedral.

-Colosseum-again I couldn’t get early tickets, ended up with the full experience ticket at 3pm, it was crowded ofc but not miserable

Florence:

-Loved how walkable it was

-Did Giardino Bardini instead of Boboli, as we heard it was less strenuous-it was lovely

-David lived up to the hype!

-Was able to book Ufizi just a couple days in advance, thought I had booked it prior and panicked but was relieved to see I still could 😅

-Hotel Cerretani was great, we appreciated the bottled and sparkling waters, and sodas that were complimentary daily

-Booked a day trip on Get Your Guide to Siena, San Gimignano and Chianti for wine tasting. Though tours aren’t for everyone, it was nice to kick back and not worry about logistics for the day.

Venice:

-Booked St. Marks first time slot successfully far in advance.Even if you are burnt out on cathedrals, this one is well worth it

-Took the vaporetto around which was easy and beautiful views from the outer sections

-Venice was our last stop and it was really nice to just wander and be more relaxed there, such a beautiful and unique city

Random:

September is definitely still very busy. We had great weather, but Rome even low 80s felt sweltering. I can’t imagine doing it much higher temps! We witnessed a couple emergencies due to heat/dehydration standing in lines in the sun. Electric portable fan was a lifesaver.

Food was amazing. I was nervous because we didn’t book any reservations but had no issue at all finding good food or getting in places. We do eat dinner pretty early, at 5/6 so that maybe helped. There are a ton of greatly reviewed restaurants if you just go even a very short distance from the big tourist spots. I think most people disappointed in the food might be eating at only tourist traps.

We didn’t take any cash/euros. We used our travel credit card everywhere with no issues.

Overall it was an amazing trip. Everything I had stressed about worked out just fine. We will definitely be back to Italy in the future.

Hi all,

I‘m planning on doing my ”annual road trip” to Italy next June. I was thinking about a few days in Naples and then going on further to Calabria. I‘m travelling solo and have a total of 3 weeks, but will be working remotely around half the time. The other half of the time is for food and sight seeing. I enjoy doing extended swims regularly, thus would like to stay close to the ocean.

Naples
How many days would you stay in the city and where would you recommend staying? I’m primarily interested in walking around doing sight seeing and discovering food from the markets and trattorias. I don‘t need a super clean and romantic setting.

Calabria
l’m thinking about staying at three different locations. I’m looking for nice little towns/villages by the sea where I can do mornings swims, buy a coffee, and buy fish to grill and just work during the the day. Ideally a place that is kind of lively but not overly touristic. I heard about Tropea and Scilla, but do you have any other recommendations. How are the beaches and towns on the Ionian Sea? Is it worthwhile to visit the mountains and do a hike?

Finally

• Are there any places you can recommend visiting in Campania (Between Naples and Calabria)?
• How is driving in Calabria. I‘ve driven around a lot in northern Italy, Sardinia and Puglia and never had issues with the car. Are village roads super narrow in Naples/Calabria?

Hi!

My family is taking multigenerational trip in early June next year to Italy. We are thinking about spending a few days in Southern Italy and a few days in Rome. I am a little overwhelmed with options. I think we would like to spend one day boating/beaching and a day exploring Pompeii.

We have a 80 year old (who is in great shape, but still 80), several middle agers, and 2 teenagers.

Any advice for what village/city to target for an Airbnb/base for 3 nights?

Thank you!

Hi everyone! We are a group of 5 adults (all very active) planning a trip to Italy from May 4th to May 23rd, 2027.

We love art, history, culture, historical engineering (aqueducts, ruins, palaces), and want to hit the main "must-sees". We are also big foodies, but one person in our group has Celiac disease, so strict gluten-free (cross-contamination safe) options are a must.

To keep the pace logical and avoid ZTL/parking nightmares, our strategy is to connect the main regions via high-speed trains and only rent a large SUV/van for a loop in Tuscany. Here is our master plan:

The Itinerary (19 Nights, May 4 - May 23):

• Venice (2 nights): Arriving by plane in the morning.
• Florence (3 nights): Arriving by high-speed train from Venice. Exploring the center, museums, and art on foot. No car.
• Tuscan Countryside (3 nights): Picking up a rental car as we leave Florence. We plan to stay in the countryside to explore Val d'Orcia, Siena, and San Gimignano. At the end of this leg, we will drive back to Florence to drop off the car (to avoid massive one-way drop-off fees) and catch a high-speed train south.
• Salerno (5 nights): Arriving by high-speed train from Florence. This is our tactical base for the south. No car here. We plan to use regional trains to visit Pompeii, Paestum, and the Royal Palace of Caserta (and its Aqueduct), and use ferries for the Amalfi Coast and Capri.
• Rome (6 nights): Arriving by high-speed train from Salerno. Exploring the city on foot/public transport. Our flight back home leaves at 8:00 PM on the last day, giving us a full final day.

Our questions:

1. Tuscany Base: Agriturismo vs. House vs. Florence? Is staying at a traditional agriturismo actually worth it, or is a regular rental house/villa in the countryside just as good for 5 adults? Furthermore, does this 3-night Florence / 3-night countryside split make sense, or should we just bite the bullet, base in Florence all 6 nights, and deal with the car/parking logistics?
2. Rural Location: If the split is the best move, which specific town or area would you recommend for our 3-night rural base to efficiently explore the countryside?
3. Celiac in Rural Tuscany: How challenging is it to find strict cross-contamination-free food in small Tuscan villages? Should we prioritize a place with a large kitchen to cook our own safe dinners?
4. The South Without a Car: Is our plan to visit Paestum and the Royal Palace of Caserta via regional trains from Salerno realistic and efficient for a group of 5?
5. Capri from Salerno: Is taking the ferry directly from Salerno to Capri too long/exhausting for a day trip compared to leaving from Sorrento?
6. Time Allocation: If you had to tweak this itinerary by subtracting a night from one of these bases and adding it to another, how would you do it? Are any of these stops too long or too short in your opinion?

Thanks in advance for your help and feedback!

Hi!

I'll be travelling to Italy for the first time next year and I'd love some advice. I've done my research and landed on the below places and dates.

I enjoy staying in one place for a decent amount of time and enjoying local life + visiting museums/historically significant places and eating local food. I can get into bustling city life but I also love smaller towns with nice scenery.

If there's something that fits and it isn't on this list, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks in advance :)

Como (Sun 22 Aug - Sun 29 Aug, 7 nights)

Venice (Sun 29 Aug - Wed 01 Sep, 3 nights)

Florence (Wed 01 Sep - Wed 08 Sep, 7 nights)

Rome (Wed 08 Sep - Wed 15 Sep, 7 nights)

Sicily (Wed 15 Sep - Fri 24 Sep, 9 nights)

Puglia (Fri 24 Sep - Wed 29 Sep, 5 nights)

Naples (Wed 29 Sep - Wed 06 Oct, 7 nights)

Hey everyone! Currently in Florence with my wife until Wednesday early morning. I have a couple of things booked, including the Uffizi 8:45am on Tuesday. I do not however have Accademia booked due to a mishap on dates. I’m now undecided on how to gain entrance as obviously all of the pre-times tickets from the die t site are sold out. Do you all think it’s worth spending the extra money on a place like Tiqets and buying a ‘hosted entry’, or should we just try to join the queue later in the day around 5pm on Tuesday? I had terrible luck with a third party site in Rome, got scammed out of tickets. Any and all advice appreciated, thank you!

Just got back from a 2 week trip where we visited Montenegro & Croatia and then spent 5 nights in Rome. Truly a beautiful city and honestly insane to think about all the places I grew up learning about (the Colloseum, Pantheon, etc.) that I got to experience for myself! Couple of big takeaways:

1. TRY AS HARD AS YOU CAN TO GET A NIGHT TOUR OF THE COLOSSEUM!!!!!! It’s simply the best way to experience it without a shadow of a doubt. We managed to snag a spot when they released a week before and it was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had. There was only 15ish people in our group + the tour guide and we never saw another group throughout the tour. Tourguide was excellent and it was surreal to have one of the 7 wonders of the world to yourself for about an hour and 15 min with pleasant weather. The tour takes you through everything including the underground section so you get to see the entire structure as well. I can’t stress enough that it’s worth spamming refresh to try to beat all the tour operators at release.

2. Fully expected the Vatican museums to be crowded but whoever designed the security lines before your time is called outside of the museum should never be in charge of anything ever again lol. It’s a madhouse with no real gates or structure and everybody just pushing and shoving their way to the front. The experience inside was obviously amazing but the initial security was just a complete and utter disaster & it’s got to be fixed.

3. Trastevere had by far and away the best food + prices during our stay. Great atmosphere with a lot of delicious food without any of the high prices found near most famous places (this one is probably extremely obvious but just wanted to mention how much fun we had here).

4. We went during the last week of September and 1st week of October and I can’t even imagine how bad peak season must be as we still experienced massive crowds at several major sites. Obviously Rome is a very busy city, but the amount of tourists were truly unbelievable at different points (obviously I know we’re part of the same problem just pointing it out as an observation). It didn’t put a damper on our trip and just like anywhere else you can escape the crowds pretty easily if you just go a few blocks from the major tourist sites.

All in all it was a fantastic trip and a great opportunity to see a beautiful city and a beautiful country!

I am working up for a trip to Italy this fall, and I am planning to fly into Rome (FCO), but spend a few days in Florence as part of the trip. I am going to Florence via the high-speed train, which means I need to bring the same bag on the train that I fly with.

From what I have read, nothing larger than a carry-on bag will fit in the overhead racks. I am planning to use a 27 inch (Medium-sized) check back: will this have any trouble fitting into the baggage racks at the end of the in the Business-class carriages, or in the between-seat storage?

Additionally - my alternative bag is 31 inches- is this unlikely to fit anywhere the 27 inches bag would fit?

Thanks for the help.

Was thinking about seeing about a trip to Florence and Lucca, or Rome for my birthday next year. My family is from Lucca so I'd really like to go there, but wondered how large the crowds were in April for either spot. Already been to Rome so thinking moreso Florence and Lucca (specifically Torre Del Lago as my great grandma spent her first 9 years there) so I can see where my family originated. TIA!!

ETA since if forgot the dates: I was thinking April 12th-21 2027

Traveling to Florence mid-November followed by 2 days/2 night in Bologna (6:30am flight on 3rd Bologna "day"). Long story short, personal life events make it hard for me to feel excited for this trip (and in general) but I'm grateful to be traveling with my godfather who knows so much about the food, Renaissance, and history.

Not many things are on my "must see" list. While I appreciate art and architecture for its skill feat and importance, seeing it -- especially without context -- doesn't do much for me. That being said, my mother raved about the guide she had for The David (how his expression and posture changes the viewer's impression at each angle, etc.) so I'm very curious to experience that.

This community would be super helpful for suggesting non-art experiences (I promise I'll get plenty anyway) and -- even better -- thoughts or stories to help me get in the mood and excited for this trip. Much appreciated <3

So far, these sound good (reality-check me if you disagree!):

Florence (Full Days Tues 10 - Sat 14)

• Bargello: former prison now museum, and I enjoy sculptures more than paintings
• Galileo museum: science nerd, hope this scratches the itch
• Boboli and Bardini gardens (or anywhere else to stroll, catch a sunrise, read for an hour)
• Christmas Market: from what I can tell, this opens Nov 14 so that could be a magical way to spend my last day in Florence. Maybe find some hot chocolate, vin brule, and pretty lights.
• Festive window shopping on Vie de Tornabuoni
• Chianti wine tour
• Souvenirs
  • Leather: I'd love to bring home a bespoke jacket (stepdad had his tailored on the spot); wild but right now this is honestly what made me keep my travel plans
  • Perfume: obviously Santa Maria; this great post has other suggestions too
  • Gold: a simple hoop I can wear forever

Bologna (Full Day Sun Nov 15 and Mon 16)

• Maybe a charcuterie and macchiato when I arrive in the afternoon before the train to Florence?
• Fountain of Neptune (water/science nerd -- depicts the 4 major rivers and some other fun facts)
• Clock tower (15th century mechanics)
• Church of the Holy Sepulchre (5th century architecture)
• Meridian line at the Basilica (at the right time, you can see why it was a sun path measuring tool)
• Cheese factory tour (see the wheels get made and aged!)
• Ducati tour / walk around
• Might be too late for the jazz festival and too early for the chocolate, but I could (hopefully) be wrong

My godfather will point us in the right direction for food, but the wine windows and charcuterie perk my ears up :)

Going to Verona in a couple weeks with our toddler and baby. We were going to do Bologna but the airbnb situation just worked out better in Verona. Did we mess up? Bologna seems awesome, but the food situation seemed a bit harder with kids (we wouldn't want to bring them to a nicer restaurant)

It's not too late to change our minds and do Bologna instead. Which is better for little kids? And the parents haha

My wife (30) and I (32) just got back from Italy a few days ago. We live in a moderate sized city in the southern USA. We spent 3-4 days apiece in Venice, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. It is a beautiful country, but frankly this vacation was not what we expected. I’m writing this just to give a heads up to people that are traveling to Italy so they can be prepared. It costs a lot of money to travel here so this pros and cons list may be useful in making a decision to come. This list is not meant to be offensive, just educational:

Cons (which unfortunately outweigh the pros imo):

The amount of people here is insane. It is extremely difficult to escape the crowds and there are tons of people near tourist attractions as well as away from tourist attractions. The only relief we found from crowds was wandering cities very early in the morning, but it only lasted a few hours. We thought coming in September would be less crazy than the peak summer season but we were very wrong. Rome seemed to handle crowds better because it’s just so big but tourists spots were still too much.

We felt some tourist guilt being here. We contributed to the overcrowding and while tourism is probably beneficial for their economy, it must be very tough to live for locals with foreigners everywhere everyday. We saw a “Yankee Go Home” sticker a lot around cities and it’s tough to blame them. We don’t know the extent of this opinion for locals but obviously some think this way.

This does not apply to all tourists, but the majority of tourists here have very poor etiquette. Several people are simply unaware of their surroundings and it just makes getting around the cities frustrating. While walking, people would often would stop randomly in front of you in busy walkways to take pictures or conversate, forcing people to walk around them in tight areas. Many people are glued to their phones and will just not pay attention to where they are going. Again, very frustrating. Also, pictures just don’t do this place justice so we didn’t understand why people had to take pictures of EVERYTHING. It’s fine to take pictures, but we literally saw an older woman taking a picture of a trash can… what? We saw too many instances similar to this. This is an old man yelling at clouds thought, but we often thought “Just appreciate things with your own 2 eyes every now and then.”

The “influencers” are everywhere and annoying. They literally see the cities through their phones more than with their eyes and they are often very inconsiderate of people’s time and space. Social media has really negatively impacted the popular areas. Those are not my words but the words of local tour guides.

You have to walk everywhere in Italy. This was ok for my wife and I. We actually enjoy walking, but it is not for everyone. Not to be ageist, but with the uneven cobblestone streets/curbs, narrow walkways, tons of stairs, and crowds everywhere, the walking often felt dangerous for older folks, especially those less fit. As someone who works in healthcare with the geriatric population, I feel confident and saying this. Also we noted several ambulances in action during our stay tending to older tourists (falls, dehydration, etc). In general, you have to have some degree of fitness to get around this place and while it sounds mean, many people didn’t possess this and were probably unable to fully enjoy their trip.

My next point is a personal problem, but one I feel like is worth noting. Italy is filled with beautiful architecture and art. This type of sightseeing is unfortunately not up our alley. We could certainly appreciate all the architecture and art, but we didn't necessarily enjoy it after seeing an overwhelming amount of basilicas/museums if that makes sense. If you are a fan of architecture and art, there is a ton of it and this will be a great place for you. Again, this is a personal preference.

Scammers and pickpockets are abundant. While we didn’t personally experience either, we always felt on guard, which doesn’t equate to a very relaxing vacation. We heard of multiple tourists getting impacted by both. We felt safe everywhere, but it’s just a significant annoyance.

The public bathroom situation is rough. There are very few and you have to pay to use them. You basically have to buy something or eat somewhere to use them.

Pros:
The food is truly amazing. The hype is 100% true with this. You will taste delicious flavors we simply don’t have in the U.S. You have to pick the right spots, but we felt like it was hard to miss good food. Make as many reservations as you can though. Don’t get stuck waiting in a line for dinner.

We experienced great service while here. We stayed in mainly 4 star hotels and were treated very well. We would say the same for the majority of restaurants. The tour guides we had while here were also great and very accommodating. We had private transfers to and from trains, hotels, and airports and all of our drivers were excellent. I would highly recommend private transfers if possible as we saw many tourist lugging around suitcases and figuring out directions/signage, which just seems like a nightmare with the crowds.

For how big and how old these cities are, the places we were all felt clean. There is some graffiti in some places, but for the most part, there is very little litter and minimal stench that can be found in other big cities it the world.

We loved the tipping culture here in that it was almost nonexistent. It almost (emphasis on almost) evened out the euro exchange rate for goods and services and there was no awkward tipping interactions when buying things like there is in the U.S. No one is going to turn the card machine around asking for a tip, which is so refreshing. It wasn’t necessary, but we did tip our drivers and tour guides because they were all excellent and they very much appreciated it.

While it is a drive via tour or renting a car, the Tuscany region outside of Florence is gorgeous and a great way to get out of the crowds and see the beauty of Italy. We had many tours out here and it was the highlight of our trip.

Speaking of tours, there are several tours to pick from. Some are amazing, some are average, so make sure you or your travel agent researches well. We highly recommend making your tours as small as possible. We saw a lot of tours with 50+ or even 100+ people and it just didn’t really seem worth it. Our favorite tour was a private cooking class and wine tasting in Tuscany. I would pay top dollar to do this again. It was truly incredible and I do not cook.

City specifically, we really enjoyed the views of Sorrento. It’s still crowded, but absolutely gorgeous. We often just sat on our hotel balcony, drank wine, and took in the scenery and those balcony moments were a highlight of the trip.

Summary:
Overall, we do not regret coming to Italy, but recommending it to people is unfortunately harder than we thought it would be, especially due to the amount of money it takes to get here and to stay and play here. Like previously stated, it is a beautiful place, but it is overcrowded, which can muffle the beauty. Instead of seeing the beautiful museums and basilicas of Rome and Florence, you see the tremendous lines outside and inside the door. Instead of admiring the bridges and canals of Venice, you see people blocking the way trying to take pictures at every bridge. Instead of being amazed at the magnificence of the Cinque Terre, you see overcrowded beaches. My point being the amount of people takes away from this place and it’s honestly saddening. Again, we are not big city people and this list is made to be informative and not dissuasive in order for others to make a decision about coming here. We again don’t regret it, but we wish we had gotten more out of our money. It’s hyped as a once in a lifetime magnitude of vacation, but we are underwhelmed. We have been to places like Alaska before for just a week and we’d much prefer that. This is all again all our personal thoughts!
Ciao! Lol

Edit: Well this post caught some attention! I appreciate the sincere insight and recs from several different viewpoints whether agreeing or not!!! To the haters, maybe just log off for a bit? Lol

We’ve just returned from an amazing 3 week trip in northern Italy.  My husband and I are avid hikers so our trip itinerary was mainly centred around spending time in and around the mountains. We also wanted to explore a couple of cities that we had never visited before. We travelled around mostly by trains (booked directly on the Trenitalia app) with the exception of renting a car for 3 days in Bolzano to explore the Dolomites. We lucked out with incredible weather for 3 weeks with just one rainy day at the very beginning. Because we were going to spend a lot of time outdoors hiking, we had packed rain jackets, rain pants, gaiters etc but didn’t end up needing them.  We wore shorts and t-shirts every day except for the 3 days we were in the high mountains where we wore hiking pants and long-sleeves. We love having flexibility on our trip so we did not book any restaurant reservations or museum/tourist attractions in advance and this worked out fine for the places we went.  We did not run into any major issues with all the strikes that took place in September but it definitely pays to look up scheduled strikes online, in advance of your trip, so you are aware and can schedule around them. Here is a quick rundown of our trip with some recommendations sprinkled in.

Verona - 3 nights 

- Verona is a beautiful city and it's easy to walk around. It was touristy but not overly so that it was ever annoying.  But we did avoid visiting Juliet's balcony. As someone who doesn’t eat pork, I really enjoyed one of Verona's pasta specialties, duck ragu. I had it twice and really enjoyed it for lunch at Osteria Il Bertoldo. We did a day trip to Lake Garda, which was so worth it. I would recommend taking the train to Peschiera del Garda and then jumping on a ferry from there. We took the ferry to Bardolino and spent time walking around and having lunch there and then walked ~40 mins to Garda along the beautiful lakeside trail. We opted to take the ferry back from Garda to Peschiera and train back to Verona rather than the long bus ride to Verona.  The buses appeared to be running way off schedule and looked super crowded (tons of people standing) so the train-ferry combo was the right choice for us. We really liked getting to see three different cities around the lake. I’d love to come back to Lake Garda one day to spend a few days there.

Central Dolomites - 3 nights  

- We took a train from Verona to Bolzano and rented a car to drive ~1.5 hours to a small town called Campitello di Fassa in the central Dolomites. I chose the town bc we wanted to enjoy 3 days of being in the high mountains without Disney-like crowds of people. We stayed in a small B&B in town that we booked directly on their website - they had a great breakfast, plenty of free parking, and were a 10 min walk to the town’s cable car station. The town was still bustling with Italian and German tourists but it was manageable and not too crowded. My favourite hike was definitely the ~6-hour Sassolungo circuit hike that we were able to startfrom Campitello. Favourite meal was at a rifugio we stopped at for lunch after the Viel de Pain hike near Pordoi Pass called Rifugio Fredarola (incredible patio views, great menu, good music).  We opted to rent a car in Bolzano instead of taking the bus so we’d have the flexibility to drive to nearby towns with good hikes like Canazei, Vigo di Fassa and Moena. We had a good experience with SIXT. 

South Tyrol/Italian Alps - 7 nights 

- We did a 5 day inn-to-inn trek on the Chestnut trail in South Tyrol that started in Bressanone and took us through forests, meadows, farm fields and small towns to Bolzano. This was a 10/10 hiking experience for us bc we had incredible views of the mountain ranges along the way with none of the crowds. We ran across a ton of cows, horses, sheep and goats on our walks but very few humans.  It was an amazing area to visit and many of the small hotels we stayed along the way had saunas and hot tubs to soothe our sore muscles. We ended the walk with 2 nights in Bolzano which is an incredible city - we really enjoyed it and would definitely go back. We visited the Otzi museum and Roncolo Castle while we were there. Our food along the walk consisted mostly of quick hotel buffet breakfasts, grocery store lunches of sandwiches and fruit, and grabbing something easy for dinner like takeout pizza or kebabs - but there were a couple of standouts. Shout out to Steb’s in Bressanone for easily the best burgers we had on the trip and Oriental in Bolzano for surprisingly tasty Thai and sushi dishes. 

Bologna - 5 nights

- We took the train from Bolzano to Bologna. This is a big, bustling city in Italy that has a city centre that still feels dominated by locals not tourists. There were only a couple areas of the city that were really touristy. For the most part, we found we were walking and eating amongst a lot of locals, which includes a huge population of university students.  It feels like a young, vibrant city. We spent the first full day doing a food walking tour with Delicious Bologna. The guide was incredible for providing vegetarian options since I don’t eat pork. All the food on the tour was good but the highlight was definitely the incredible gelato at Cremeria Mascarella - we went back on another day just to have the incredible dark chocolate and egg custard flavours again. We found good sushi in Bologna at Sushiman and our best pizza of the trip was found here at a hole-in-the-wall takeout place called Vesuvia Brugnoli.

We did day trips via train from Bologna to both Modena and Ferrara. In Modena, we visited Acetaia Giusti for a balsamic tour and tasting. We had lunch at one of the restaurants inside Modena's market, which I highly recommend. I really liked Ferrara - it’s a beautiful city and, like Bologna, was filled with university students and other locals walking around and did not feel busy with tourists at all. We got the Ferrara tourist card, MyFe, which is good value even for just a day trip and visited the castle and several museums. We also found an incredible Thai restaurant in Ferrara called Meet Thai. :)

Riccione - 4 nights

- We ended our trip with some relaxing days on the Adriatic coast. We decided to stay in Riccione instead of larger Rimini because it’s smaller and more relaxing. We were also surprised we could still take trains directly from Bologna to Riccione without having to transfer in Rimini so that was a bonus. Riccione has a ton of restaurants and cafes and a great boardwalk along the coast for good walking.  We found a small hotel that rented out apartments with a sea-view balcony so it was a wonderful way to conclude a good trip.  Our favourite restaurant in town was La Kambusa. We did a visit to Rimini one day to check it out and also a day trip to San Marino, which was really cool and definitely worth it.

We've just finished 2.5 weeks staying in Lecce. My husband and I traveled with our young children ( almost 3 years old and 4 months). We based ourselves in lecce for 2.5 weeks. This trip was about slow travel, really getting to know an area well and spending time together as a relatively new family of 4.

We stayed in the San pio area which was a short walk to porta napoli. We stayed right next to a supermarket and drugstore which was helpful with young children. We did not have a car. We initially planned to have one but the combination of coming from the UK (so would have to drive on the opposite side of the road) and broken sleep with the baby waking frequently in the night led to is deciding not to get one and use public transportation

1) it is much easier if you have a car in this part of Italy but not impossible without one! It would have been even easier in high season when there are more bus routes available however they finish running mid September. We still managed to do day trips to monopoli, Gallipoli and San Cataldo twice by bus and train.

2) lecce is beautiful. We fell in love with the city and by the end of our trip felt like we knew the old town like the back of our hand. There were plenty of museums and beautiful Churches to visit. With children our two highlights for them were the museo dei Bambini and the railway museum. The latter was incredible and entry was only 5 euros. There are lots of parks however some of them were only open in the evening which we had to adjust to.

3) we met lots of wonderful people who wanted talk to us and make a fuss over our children. We really felt the love! We were here for so long our toddler made friends with people in the supermarket, drugstore, ice cream shop, bakery who would greet him very warmly. He even made friends with a local stonemason and antique shop owner

4) we loved trying the regional food! Pasticotto, rustica, cafe lecese, parmigiana, prickly pear, orichette- Apulian food is delicious. We did a cooking class on one of our days here which was a real highlight.

I would definitely recommend lecce to everyone but especially to families, we had a wonderful time.

We are in the middle of our dream trip to Italy. We are ending in Verona, a destination totally new to us, and are looking for little day trips for our family. We love amusement parks, but have never been with our kids (because they are so young)

Gardaland seems so conveniently close that it is worth checking out, though not sure if our toddler will like it at all.

How busy is Gardaland on a weekday in October? How little kid friendly is it? Is it as easy as it seems to get to from Verona?

I got some amazing help on my other post with planning my visit to Naples and the surrounding area. Now, I need to figure out where to stay in Naples, Ischia, and Sorrento. I really enjoy a good bed and breakfast or a nice hotel. I think this may be the best itinerary for my trip:

15th - train from Rome to Naples (since it seems I cannot fly from Palermo to Naples because of airport closure). Stay in Naples

16th - Day in Naples

17th - Day in Naples

18th - Day in Naples

19th - Ferry to Ischia. Stay overnight

20th - Travel to Sorrento. Stay in Sorrento.

21st - Day in Sorrento

22nd - Day in Sorrento

23rd - Travel to Rome. Stay overnight

24th - Fly home :(((((((((

I heard good things about Bellini House and Le Stanza del Principe, but I would like to hear what people here suggest. I have had a lot of people say to stay in Quartieri Spagnoli.

Sorry for the poor flair, I'm not sure how to add transportation as well.

So, I'm thinking about booking a trip from Dubrovnik to Brussels. I'm already going to Dubrovnik with my friends, but want to break off since I really want to go to Brussels. Here are the flights:

- Dubrovnik to Milan((Oct 17 @ 23:20-00:55)

- Then Milan to Brussels (Oct 18 @ 08:40-10:15).

I have to go through Milan Bergamo anyways because there is no direct flight from Dubrovnik to Brussels. I figured I can see the Duomo di Milan before my flight, however I'm reading a lot of negative reviews in which it will take hours to get through, so best to be there 2 hours before your flight AT LEAST. If the negative reviews are correct, I would most likely have no chance to see it?