Hey y’all!! As you’re reading this, I’m probably fast asleep after a fun day in Verona! I was so excited when Catherine offered to guest post for me because I’m seriously obsessed with her and her blog! She’s sharing a few of her favorite places in Italy today and you better believe I’ll be using some of her recommendations while I’m here! I hope y’all enjoy!!
Hi! I’m Catherine and I blog at Bailey Dailies. On my blog you will find everything from recipes, to football posts, my random ramblings, and entertaining tips. I also just bought a new house, so I’m hoping to have some exciting design posts coming in the near future!
I’m so excited to be a part of Carolina Fireflies today and SO jealous that she is in Italy! Italy is by far my favorite place that I have traveled. If I was going to live anywhere else, it would be Italy. My mother’s family is actually Italian, so I’ve always been interested in the country. I actually studied abroad there in 2008 and loved every second of it. I basically ate my way through the country, and I have no shame over that fact! I thought since we are in an Italian state of mind on this blog today, I’d share with you my top things to do in Italy.
Rome
Ahhh, Roma! My favorite city ever. It’s where the old world meets the new world, and there is always something fun to see and do! You’ve got your major Roman attractions: Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Vatican, Coliseum, and several piazzas. However, I’m going to break down my favorite “extra” things to do that may not be necessarily in the guidebooks.
Trevi Fountain Gelato–the BEST gelato in all of Italy is at the right hand corner of the Trevi fountain. Trust me. Just buy it. Not sure what the difference is, but it really is the best!
Elephant Obelisk–isn’t he cute! He is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the tourists but it’s definitely worth a look.
Yes this is a picture of my arm, but can you tell what I’m doing? I’m holding a rope to climb stairs to get to the top of the Vatican. Yes, I’m terrified of heights but I”m so glad I didn’t miss this view!
See? Told ya!
If you are in to gorgeous views, go to the Piazza del Popolo (where the twin churches are). The Piazza is really cool but you may not know that if you climb up the stairs on one side and then keep GOING UP, you will get to this vista point. It’s one of my favorites, plus it doesn’t involve ropes (see above).
Other places you MUST see while in Italy:
Positano
Can you believe that this is a real place? I tear up sometimes when I see these photos because they are just so beautiful. This is a romantic little town perched on the side of the Amalfi Coast. You may remember the name from Under the Tuscan Sun–where Frances went to visit that hot Italian guy. Anyone??
Couldn’t you just live here forever??
Capri
GORGEOUS–that’s all I have to say. You take a high speed ferry to get to this tiny island off of the Amalfi Coast. It is charming and has it all–mountains, rock formations, grottoes, beautiful vegetation.
These rocks are fascinating! You get to ride in the boat right through them!
Venice
When I was in Venice I felt like I had been transported back into the Renaissance. The architecture was superb and of course, you have to love a town with canals for roads!
My friend Laney and I in Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s square). The pigeons are a little extra friendly but you can pull up a chair at an outdoor cafe, sip on something yummy, and watch the passersby for hours.
Yes, it’s cheesy, but ride the gondola. You get lots of history of Venice, plus a tour of the “back streets” that you wouldn’t see otherwise.
Milan
I think Milan gets overlooked–you never hear of people going there! If you have a chance, you should really go. It’s more of an urban city like Americans are used to but it has amazing food and several worthy sites.
“The Last Supper” is in this building in Milan. Staring at it is awe inspiring. I really thought they were going to have to force me out of the door–I just couldn’t quit looking at it.
Spin on this bull on one foot in the Galleria after a pizza and nice glass of wine for good luck! (Ok, the pizza and wine are not entirely necessary)
Florence
The main square there has replicas of the most famous statues. Here we are with David, the original of which is in a museum in Florence as well.
As in most Italian cities, there are cafes all around the square. This was one of our favorites. The statues from above are right behind us-see?
I hope that you will get to travel to Italy soon and experience some of its magic!
Want to keep up with me? You can find me on Instagram, Twitter, and of course my BLOG. Hope to see you around Bailey Dailies!
Samantha @ Life is But a Stream of Thoughts says
I went to all of these places this summer, except for Milan! I loved all of it!
Natalie Joseph says
I love travel posts and Italy is definitely on my list, nice list!!!
x Nats ~ coraltintedperceptions.blogspot.com