Italy

Day 1 – Arriving to Italy

After exploring Paris and London (link blog post) we flew into to Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome. Since our flight landed around 7:30 p.m. we just ate dinner at the hotel and called it an early night to rest up for our day full of walking ahead.

Day 2 – Exploring Rome During Record Heat

We started the day at the Trevi Fountain to in an attempt to beat some of the crowds.

After the fountain, we headed to the Colosseum. Once purchasing our ticket we were provided an entrance time that was around an hour later in the day. To pass the time, we walked the nearby grounds of the Domus Severian. By the time we could enter the Colosseum, it was well over 100°F with very little shade. Thankfully there were some locals selling cold water outside so we each bought a bottle before entering.

We spent several hours exploring the different levels and sections Colosseum. It was amazing to see the intricate design and engineering that was put into the building nearly 2,000 years ago.

After several hours baking inside the Colosseum, we decided to finish our visit and headed back outside to buy another bottle of water. Unfortunately the locals were being ran off (and some even arrested!) for selling water.

We continued our day of sightseeing with the Altar of the Fatherland, Spanish Steps and the Pantheon.

Our final stop of the day was the smallest country in the world, Vatican City. Even though it is completely surrounded by Rome, Vatican City has it’s own leadership ( the pope ) and handles all of it’s own government functions.

We took a local taxi from the Vatican City back to the nearest train station, then a train from there to our hotel for the night.

Day 3 – Day Trip to Naples

Our train like Rome Terminal Train Station for Naples Central Train Station at 7:00 a.m. In just over an hour we arrived in Naples where we met up with the tour group we had booked through Get Your Guide to see Sorrento, Positano and the Amalfi Coast.

The first stop was Sorrento where we we made a quick stop at the Sorrento Viewpoint just long enough to stretch our legs and snap a few pictures before we continued down into the town. Once in the city we had some time to walk through the shops and check out another overlook.

Our second stop was the famous village of Positano. Most buildings of Positano are built on cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. It was easy to see why this area is so popular as we walked up and down the steep streets and along the beach.

The tour guides had arranged a lunch for us at the Calajanara Restaurant. The food was good but the views were spectacular as it overlooked the shoreline below.

Our final stop was the Amalfi Coast where we took a boat ride so we could have a better view of the city and surrounding landscape.

Once completing our visit to the Amalfi Coast we piled back into the van and headed back towards Naples. The winding roads on the way back, combined with the fact our van didn’t have air conditioning, meant several members of our group fought motion sickness on the way back. We made several stops to allow people to get some fresh air and we BARELY made it back to Naples in time to hop on our train back to Rome.

Day 4 – Wondering Around Florence

We left Rome early on a train and headed north towards Florence. We dropped our luggage off at our Bed and Breakfast that was located near the station, then ventured out to see some of the sights in Florence.

The Santa Maria Cathedral is one of the most interesting buildings we have seen. The amount of detail throughout was astounding, especially considering it was designed in 1296!

As we continued to explore, we check out the Ponte Vecchio which is a bridge built over the Arno River that is famous for having shops built across it.

After spending several hours wondering through the District 1 area of the city, we took a train to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa. This turned out to be a very quick stop as there isn’t much else to do in the area. After walking around a bit and snapping a few pictures, we boarded the train back to the hotel for the night.

Day 5 – Lost in a Vineyard

We enjoyed a light breakfast that was provided at our AirBnB before getting on a bus to take us from Florence to Greve which is a town located in Tuscany that is famous for vineyards. It was around a half hour bus ride and we ended up chatting with a couple from Australia along the way. We all were wanting to check out some of the vineyards, so once we arrived we decided we would check into public transportation together to save cost.

We went into an Information Center near the bus stop and asked about transportation options…. where we found out the town didn’t have any options. No buses. No Ubers. No private transportation services.

They recommended the nearest vineyard and said we could walk there, so off we went in the 102 degree heat. When we finally arrived to the building we didn’t see any signs of life. We walked around until we finally found someone who said they were closed that day. He pointed us down a dirt road and said there was another place only a few minutes away that should be open.

When we arrived to the next vineyard, there was more activity but a sign on the door said they were closed for a private event. As we peered through the fence we could see that they were preparing for a wedding. We again asked someone for help and they pointed us down another road saying there was a wine tasting venue.

Without any other options, the four of us headed down the road. At this point we were all exhausted from the heat and we hadn’t prepared for a trek across the Italian countryside. Along the road we happened to find a random water spigot. Without much thought, we all quenched our thirst before continuing on. Our escapade finally concluded when we arrived to Santa Margherita Tenimenti Toscani.

Luckily once we were finished at the wine bistro, we discovered we had walked far enough to be near a bus stop. So we were able to board our bus back to Florence there and made it back in time to head to the Florence Airport for our flight to Paris.

We had planned to try out one of the airport sleeping pods since we arrived late and departed early, but once we arrived we realized we couldn’t get back through security. We checked the Hotel Tonight app and ended up booking a room at the NOMAD Hotel nearby to get a few hours of sleep.

Day 6 – Our Final Journey Home

We ended our adventure with an uneventful flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky airport.