Trip recap

Hello!

My husband and I (32M & 34F) got back from our trip last week and I wanted to share a recap. Reading other trip reports was so helpful when I was planning!

This post ended up being longer than I planned but hopefully it can be helpful.

We spent 3 nights in Rome and 4 nights in Bologna.

Day 1, Rome - Arrived in Rome around 10:30am on an overnight flight direct from Toronto. The Leonardo express train was quick and easy. Although I did think it was a bit pricey at €14pp.

We walked from the train station to the Ruby Giulia hotel in Monti and they accommodated an early check in. I HIGHLY recommend this hotel! We loved our stay there. Rooms were clean & comfortable, air conditioning worked great, nice spritz roof top bar, staff were friendly, and it was easy to access the metro and bus stops.

We grabbed lunch at Ce Stamo A Pensà. The fried pizza was good, especially the pesto. Arancini was dry and meh.

We had no plans that day so we wandered around the area and sweat a lot.

Went for dinner at Romanè (Michelin bib gourmand). Food was good but very rich. Really liked their tiramisu. After dinner we stopped by the Trevi fountain. It was busy but not unmanageable. Did not pay the €2 to go down to the fountain.

Day 2, Rome - we had this day open and agreed that it was too hot to actually enjoy exploring the city. We picked up pastries from Riccardo Taliani (we went here all 3 days in Rome) and caught a regional train to Santa Severa. It was a short, easy walk to the beach from the train station. We rented 2 chairs and an umbrella from a beach club for €36. The water was perfect temperature and crystal clear. The beach in general was very quiet and we were the only English speakers we noticed. Bought some fruit to snack on from some nearby vendors and it was the best peach we’ve ever eaten!

After the beach we walked around the small town for a bit, got a slice of pizza, and headed back to the train.

Enjoyed a pre-dinner spritz at the hotel’s rooftop bar and then went for dinner at Quel Che c’è Laboratorio Di Cucina. The food was simple and tasty but nothing super exciting. After finishing our bottle of wine from dinner on the hotel rooftop we walked down to the Spanish steps.

Day 3, Rome - We had pre booked a 7:30am Vatican tour with Liv Tours. 10/10 would book the early tour again. You actually get to enjoy everything without being jammed next to too many people and the temperature was manageable. Got gelato at Old Bridge.

After the Vatican we headed over to Travestere got suppli and pizza from L’Elementare. It was excellent, especially the suppli! Got gelato from Un Gelato A Roma. Best gelato we had in Rome.

Had dinner at a restaurant in Testaccio whose name I cannot remember. It was full of locals. Food was fine. After dinner we strolled through the night market along the lower part of the river.

Day 4, Rome/Bologna - We went back to the Trevi at 7am. There were still people around but it was easy to go down to the fountain to throw a coin and take a picture without the fee or the crowds.

Went to meet up for our 9am colosseum tour. This turned into a mess. Our tour group got stopped at the entrance and colosseum staff locked the group’s tickets. Something about the tour company purchasing the tickets on multiple credit cards. Waited about 1.5 hours and finally the colosseum decided that our tour could continue but we had to purchase new tickets individually. The tour company assured us we would be refunded (need to follow up with them on this). Finally entered the colosseum at 10:45am. At this point it was very crowded and hot. We could only stay for the first hour of the tour and then had to leave for our train to Bologna.

Got sandwiches from Mizio’s. Huge and delicious!

The train (Italo) to Bologna was delayed but otherwise uneventful. Arriving in Bologna our Airbnb was a lot further from the station than we thought. Tried to get a taxi using the Freenow app but there were none available. Eventually decided to bus. Bus was hot and crowded. There was no credit card tap onboard so we ended up not paying.

We had dinner at Al Cambio. It was a nice meal but didn’t wow us. Felt expensive for what we received. It also required a bus ride to get to. The caramelized onion tart was nice.

Got gelato at Il Gelato Di Carducci. Went there 3 times in total during our time in Bologna! Super delicious and only €2.80 for a generous small.

Day 5, Bologna - Our plan was to relax and eat - so that’s what we did! Slept in and started with lunch at Sfoglia Rina. Loved the vibe and the food! It also felt like good value with the included water, bread, and small side! The line to get a seat went quickly.

Went to Fabbri store - had no idea this company was Bologna based. Staff were very nice and did a tasting of all the products. Bought some cherries and other products to bring home.

Went to Aurum and had pistachio sours (based on a recommendation from Reddit), a negroni, and a Hugo spritz. All excellent!

Got gelato at Vero Gelateria. Good but felt touristy.

Dinner was at Antica Osteria Le Mura - amazing! Best overall meal and experience of the trip. Food was excellent, wine was great, and the staff were wonderful. We ordered more than we did at Al Cambio and it was cheaper. 10/10 recommend this restaurant.

Day 6, Bologna - We learned a lot of things actually close on Sundays in Bologna. Tried one bakery that Google said was open but it was closed up. Ending up getting pastries at a random bakery after walking a bit and they were awesome! Pistachio croissant had the most filling of any i tried.

Walked the porticoes up to the Madonna San Luca. It was sweaty but fun to walk up. The basilica is pretty and had nice views of Bologna and surrounding hillsides. The walk down was much easier and we opted to walk all the way back to our airbnb.

Shared a sandwich from Mo Mortadella Lab and a ragu from Pasta Fresca Naldi. Both delicious. Had a spritz at the bar across from the Fresca Naldi while we ate.

Got gelato at Cavour. Excellent! Perfect texture.

Dinner at Berbere. Wanted to try two pizza places so we shared a pizza. Very good.
Decided we were too full to eat a second pizza. Instead we got a small tirzelle to try and then gelato.

Day 7, Bologna - We booked the Italian days factory tour based on Reddit recommendations and it was the highlight of the week! Very well done, informative, interesting, and a ton of fun. Serena and Roberta were excellent hosts.
Tipsy and full, we rested for a while after the tour and then got takeout pizza from SPAN. Super good - best pizza we’ve had in a while!

Finished the day with 1 last gelato.

Day 8, Bologna - Airbnb host arranged for an early 4:30am taxi for us. Taxi was pretty pricey - €35 for a 10km drive. Bologna airport had plenty of food and shopping options available early morning. Had a smooth flight to Prague for the next portion of our trip!

A few random notes:

- Rome transport was easy to use and navigate. We always purchased tickets on the app so we didn’t have to worry about validation.
- Bologna transport service wasn’t as smooth as Rome. It was fine but we preferred to walk.
- We avoided tourist trap gelato by seeking places that use the round metal containers with lids.
- Rome was oppressively hot. Bologna was hot too but was much more manageable because there was always shade and no crowds.

Hi everyone,

My wife and I (37M & 37F) will be visiting Italy for the first time in April 2027, and I would appreciate some feedback on our itinerary.

We arrive at Rome Fiumicino on Wednesday, April 7 at 3:30 PM. We fly home from Florence on Friday, April 16 at 6:40 AM.

This is the itinerary we are currently considering:

April 7 — Rome
Arrival, hotel check-in and an easy evening walk around Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain.

April 8 — Rome
Colosseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and Monti.

April 9 — Rome
Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica and dinner in Trastevere.

April 10 — Rome
Historic center, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona and possibly Villa Borghese.

April 11 — Rome to Tuscany
Take the train from Rome to Florence, rent a car outside the city center, visit Siena and stay at an agriturismo in the Tuscan countryside.

April 12 — Tuscany
Drive through Val d’Orcia and visit places such as Pienza, San Quirico d’Orcia and Montepulciano.

April 13 — Tuscany to Florence
Return the rental car, check into our hotel in Florence and explore the Duomo, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Vecchio and Piazzale Michelangelo.

April 14 — Florence
Uffizi Gallery, Santa Croce and Oltrarno.

April 15 — Florence
Accademia Gallery, the Duomo area and our final evening in Florence.

April 16 — Departure
Our flight leaves Florence Airport at 6:40 AM.

We have a few questions:

1. Does this itinerary seem well balanced, or would you change the number of nights in Rome, Tuscany or Florence?
2. Is renting a car for two days in Tuscany a good idea, or would it be easier to visit the area through tours or public transportation?
3. Is Siena plus Val d’Orcia realistic in two days without feeling rushed?
4. Where would you recommend staying in Tuscany if we want countryside views, good restaurants and convenient access to the towns?
5. Are there any places, restaurants or experiences that we should add or remove?

We are trying to see the main highlights without making the trip feel too rushed. Any tips for first-time visitors would be appreciated.

Thank you first everyone for the wealth of information in this sub!

Long story short, I have one day to spend starting from Florence to Rome via Pisa in mid-August, taking 3 family members (wife + kid + MIL) around on my own.

The purpose of Pisa is really just to see the tower and have my family take boatload of touristy pictures that they can put up on their social media. Nothing in depth needed.

So my current plan is:

- Checkout hotel and leave Florence ~8 AM

- Arrive Pisa ~10 AM, do tourity stuff + lunch

- Leave Pisa ~ 2 PM

- Arrive Rome by ~6 PM, check in hotel, and have some time to do a evening stroll in the city

Planning with G-Maps, seems like i can either do Pisa->Firenze->Roma backtrack route for little less than 3 hours, or do a seaside route by either Frecciabianca or InterCity that starts from Pisa and follows the coastline to Roma that takes 3 hours or maybe just little more.

Since time difference appears manageable even with some buffer, if the seaside route is more memorable in terms of sightseeing, this may be a better choice for the family memories.

Which route would you recommend?

The trip is last week of August (August 28th through Sept 1st) and we would be renting a car in Verona and going to ortesei for 4 days. Then from there we need to get to Weggis Switzerland. The plan is below would this be the best (budget'ish) route to take? Also do we need a 4 wheel or suv car end aug for ortesei and that region? Seeing the parks etc.

Drive: Ortisei ➔ Milano Centrale (~3.5 hours) ↓ [Drop off Italian car - $0 international fee] Train: Milano Centrale ➔ Arth-Goldau (Weggis)

My girlfriend and I are planning a trip to northern Italy in late August. We have a general idea of schedule but we're hoping you all can help a bit with suggestions and provide advice. I've searched the sub for similar trip posts, read some Rick Steves blogs, read the Dolomites pinned thread and we came up with the below itinerary. We'll be renting a car leaving Venice and will drop it off at Milan. Ideally I'd prefer to leave Venice a day earlier but my girlfriend couldn't get off, and preferred to travel on Saturday.

Day 1 Wednesday: Arrive Venice

Day 2 Thursday: Venice

Day 3 Friday: Venice

Day 4 Saturday: Leave Venice, Arrive Selva

Day 5 Sunday: Selva (Seceda or Alpe di Suis)

Day 6 Monday: Selva (Seceda or Alpe di Suis)

Day 7 Tuesday: Selva (Seceda or Alpe di Suis)

Day 8 Wednesday: Leave Selva, Arrive Milan

Day 9 Thursday: Milan (Duomo)

Day 10 Friday: Leave Milan

Any suggestions for restaurants and sight seeing would be appreciated.

I've been to Venice and have been in St. Mark's, doges palace, etc. but my girlfriend doesn't care much to go on any tours or spend a lot of time with that. So mainly just roaming and have a few things in mind to see, like the ghetto.

Also, looking for recommendations for beginner to moderate hikes (and easy/family friendly bike trails) in the Dolomites near Selva. No steep climbing or drop offs, mainly can handle trails and some light climbing. For Seceda we were planning on taking the Col Raiser cable car halfway but I'm not sure if the remaining hike is doable. Similar case with Alpe di Siuis, so would love advice/info on those.

Hi, looking for restaurant recommendations in Milan and Lake Como.

Main priorities:
- Fresh, seasonal, high quality ingredients
- Local / organic
- Authentic Italian food (not tourist traps)
a Good value for money

Not looking for Michelin star fine dining, just genuinely great food that locals would recommend.

Milan:
Staying near Milano Centrale

Looking for somewhere suitable for a group of 10.

Considering:
Un Posto a Milano
BioRiso & Cicoria
Trattoria L’Angolo Nascosto
Any better suggestions?

Lake Como:
Looking for a memorable lunch, ideally:
- Homegrown ingredients
- Traditional local dishes

Considering:
Baita la Morena
Cascina Don Guanella
Al-Marnich
Any hidden gems or places you’d personally choose?

Also visiting late July/start of August - any places likely to be closed for summer holidays? Thanks

Just finished 17 days in July around northern Italy, landing in Milan and leaving in Bologna. This sub has been helpful in helping me decide what restaurants to visit (as you'll see by some of the names) and I wanted to return the favor a bit.

About me quickly- 37 y/o male from TX, this was my third trip to Italy. I also have some weird gut thing where foods with gluten in the US give me bad inflammation + psoriasis, but in Italy I'm free and clear to eat anything I want with no reactions. So just know if some of my descriptions seem overexcited, know that I haven't had pizza or even a sandwich since the last time I was in Italy, summer of 25.

Okay, so I'm going to just go in order of places I visited with restaurants, hotels and anything else I thought may be helpful.

Milan-

Hotel-

Milano Verticale- This was a great hotel right by Garibaldi train station, just a few minutes north of city center. We enjoyed our time there, and they had a phenomenal breakfast buffet. I recommend it.

Food-

Trattoria Bolognese da Mauro- One of the best meals on the trip. Incredible Bolognese restaurant by the Navigli area. Note that if you get the trio of pastas, it's three whole servings of your choice that they bring one by one as you finish. I would come back to Milan just for this meal. Message them on Whatsapp for a reservation.

Riva Del Garda-

I want to say first that this town is shockingly beautiful. I can't count the number of times my girlfriend and I were walking around and just turned to a view that made us stop in our tracks and say "oh my god." I stopped shortly in Peschiera before, which is nice, but does not compare to the beauty of Riva IMO. I would recommend anyone spending a few days in the area to rent a car and stay on the north side of the lake. You can rent a car at a Hertz in Peschiera, which is on the high speed train line, and just drive an hour up for a huge increase in vibes. We loved it here.

Hotel-

Bellavista Lakefront Hotel- We got upgraded to a lakefront view room here which may have had the most beautiful hotel view I've ever had in my life. Hotel was nice with a spacious room and good water pressure. The breakfast sucked, but you ate it with a view of the lake. We loved our time here.

Food-

Bastione- This is the cliff side restaurant overlooking the town. You can make a reservation and ask to be in one of those tables on the edge overlooking everything. The view is breathtaking, we found the food to be pretty bad. I would go again.

Sud Pizza- Chain with neapolitan pizzas in a couple locations around Riva. We liked our food here a lot.

Activities-

We rented stand up paddleboards from Sailing du Lac multisport center and had an absolute ball on the lake. I am 6'5 and extremely uncoordinated so no standing up for me, but just sitting and cruising around on that thing in such a beautiful place was just pure joy. A highlight of my whole life.

We also drove over to Limone (15 minutes) one day and did the Ciclopista del Garda, which I highly recommend. Absolutely stunningly beautiful. Get there early and beat the crowds. Luckily in Italy, getting places early means like 9am. We loved this experience.

Ortisei-

Next we took the train up to Ortisei. It is shockingly beautiful with far less crowds than I expected.

Hotel-

Garni Hotel August- I know this is basically saying hotel twice but this is how it's listed on Google. Okay so this is a stunning hotel with an incredible view of the town. Breakfast is pretty good, and the people that run the place are very nice, and really care about the property. My issue is that it's a literal 15 minute hike from the city center, up a road, then through the forest and a path. This is enjoyable once or twice as you get to see the town, but after hiking all day it really becomes a real pain in the ass. The hotel is really stunning, but that hike sucks.

Food-

Tubladel- This place knocked my socks off. Great service, some of the best food I've ever had, warm environment. We had an absolutely delicious meal here. Slightly more expensive than other places in town, honestly less expensive than I think it should be. Loved this meal.

Turonda- Great pizzas, and a diverse menu of other food as well. We ate here twice.

Malga Pieralongia- This is on the trail from the top of Seceda. I freaked out eating here. I just couldn't believe how fresh the cheese and yogurt were, and how delicious their speck was. View is great, dogs are running around, easy hike from Seceda peak. Don't miss it.

Gostner Schwaige- This is in Alpe di Siusi. I also freaked out eating here. Some of the most beautiful food you will ever eat, each plate and beverage is like a work of art. If you're in the Alpe di Siusi definitely swing by this place.

Refugio Friedrich August- This is close to the Sassolungo "coffin" lift. It's the place with the donuts from Instagram. We found the food here to also be exceptional. It was much less swamped with American influencers than I thought it would be. Also we were there at like 1pm and they were still selling the donuts- I have seen many reports that they sell out around 9 or 10, was not the case for us.

Hikes-

Seceda- We did the path that takes you from the peak, to Malga Pieralongia, then down to the Col Raiser lift. I thought it was stunning and perfect, and would recommend it to anyone. Downhill the entire way, maybe a few hours end to end with lunch.

Alpe di Siusi- We rented e-bikes and attempted the panoramic. This was a fucking nightmare. There are long sections of this path that are so steep, we bailed and turned around after doing maybe 40%. Alpe di Siusi is not the easy winding road instagram will lead you to believe. When we returned our bikes even the shop owner was talking about how hard that path is. I think this whole area is super overrated honestly.

Sassolungo- We did the "eco pass" which is Plan de Gralba -> Gran Paradiso ->Forcella "coffin" lift.
This was my favorite day in the Dolomites. Sassolungo is just breathtaking. This is easy hiking with unbelievable views and way less crowds than my previous two days. Also you get to skip the line at the coffin lift with the eco pass, which is great because that line was pretty long. Put this on your list if you don't have it already.

Venice

Hotel- We stayed in an Airbnb that fucking sucked

Food-

Muro Frari**-** One of my favorites. Really delicious pizza, great mussels as well. All Italians inside which can be difficult to find in Venice.

Osteria Ai Assassini- We stumbled into this place and had another one of our best meals on the trip. The owners really care about their food, and you can tell. Exceptional everything.

Ristorante Al Covo- I hate to say it, but we really didn't like this place. I wanted to like it so bad, but neither my girlfriend or I really enjoyed our meals. Also was hot AF inside.

Also we went to see the new Marina Abramovic exhibit which was stupid as fuck. Just insanely stupid. The rest of the Gallerie dell'Accademia is incredible. "The Artist is Present" is one of my favorite docs so I wanted to go see this, but JFC it's so dumb. She put rock shoes in front of Feast in the House of Levi.

Florence-

Hotel-

Leone Blu Suites- Nice hotel with 9 rooms, probably an 8/10 for me. Good location.

Food-

Trattoria Casalinga- This might be my favorite meal in the world. Their chicken liver pate and duck ragu just blow my mind every time. Would never miss in Florence.

Antico Ristoro Perditempo- The best lasagna I've ever had by a mile. We went twice, nothing I've had anywhere compares. Shockingly delicious. Like so good it pisses you off that you can't have it because you don't live there.

Cosimo Rooftop- This place has my favorite view of the city, maybe next to Piazzale Michelangelo. It's expensive, but I found it very enjoyable. We just snacked.

Our favorite gelato places were Barroccino and Sbrino

The Rothko exhibit is exceptional. He is one of my favorites and it's amazing to see so much of his work in one place. Highly recommend. The Bargello and Santa Croce are also highly underrated and a "must visit" IMO.

Bologna-

Food-

Allegra Cafe- Holy fucking shit. The best pain au chocolat and pain suisse I've ever had. I've been to Paris 5x and really hunted for the best there, these fucking blew me away.

Cremeria Santo Stefano and Cremeria Cavour were both unreal. Some of the best gelato I've had in my life.

I don't want to say anything about the other restaurants I ate at here because honestly by this point I was pretty burned out on pasta. The places we ate were good and probably would have really delighted me if we started here.

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Okay we are now entering the fellas section so no chicks allowed!!!!!!!!!!

I brought some tech that was huge in improving our trip. I'm not making any money off recommending these, this is just stuff I used and liked.

- Concept Global Sling Bag- These are BOGO for 40 bucks. They fit a phone, passport and a wallet and have a little clip that makes an extra step for pickpockets. Absolutely perfect for walking around.

- Anker MagGo Power Bank- Game changer. Fast charges your phone and has enough juice to fill your phone a couple times. I stuck it in my sling bag and would top off at lunch or something. Also if you're just stopping into your hotel to change, this will charge your phone faster than a wall charger.

- Osmo Action 6- I absolutely love this thing. Got it for our paddleboarding and biking, and got some incredible videos. Super high quality video and very well made. Having an extra battery for it was helpful. I also got the 500gb SD card which was probably overkill.

-Sleeper Hold- The greatest improvement for long flights I've ever found. Straps your head to the plane seat so you don't nod when you're snoozin. I probably slept 5 hours there and back, which I've never done in my life. I love this thing.

- Metamucil powder- One of my most genius ideas. You are in Italy eating dough three meals a day. Two tablespoons per day of this keeps everything right. The bathrooms in Europe are largely awful and this makes your life better. Huge travel upgrade for me.

This was a ton to read, but hopefully something in here was helpful for you.

Does anyone have any tricks or techniques to get the underground colosseum tour tickets?
Willing to try anything at this point I just want to be able to guarantee I’m able to go underground.
This was the part of the trip I was most looking forward too and would be really disappointed if wasn’t able to because I didn’t have a piece information that could help.
I have two days and a few hours today to try again to get them but any tidbits or help would be greatly appreciated.
Some things I have already tried:
-Multiple devices/windows
-clearing the cache
-refereeing RIGHT at the time of the tour start time
-going off WiFi
-going ON WiFi
-refreshing consistently 5 minutes before tickets drop
-waking up at ungodly hours EST to purchase tickets

I haven’t tried a VPN (would need to do research see if free ones are available) but I’m willing to spend on a VPN if needed. I just really am seeking any help. Before we book anything else in Rome I want to make sure we get these tickets.

My wife and I just got back from a 10-day road trip that deliberately stayed east of the Apennines: no Tuscany, no Umbria, just the Adriatic side and the mountains behind it. One night per stop, 1,500 km total. Sharing this because most Italy trip reports here focus on Tuscany/Amalfi/Rome, and this route barely shows up. Long post, but hopefully useful for anyone considering a less-traveled itinerary.

The route: Riccione → Termoli → Vieste → Vasto → Lanciano → Sulmona → Ascoli Piceno → Corinaldo → Brisighella → Como.

TL;DR lessons learned, if you don't read further:

The Adriatic side felt local and underrated; one-night stops worked well where there weren’t many “must-see” sights.

• Small family-run B&Bs work wonderfully for actual human interaction.
• If you have a car and love driving, you can cover a lot in a week.
• Don't be afraid to improvise off-plan when locals recommend something.
• Not every stop needs to be a postcard, but often they turn into one.

The background: Riccione
For the last 25 years, my wife and I have regularly spent summers in Riccione. Before kids we went as a couple to party; with young kids we stayed at an agriturismo nearby; now that our kids are teenagers, we’re back in Riccione proper. Coming from Belgium, it has always had huge pull for us: easy enough by car or plane, lively in summer, good food, entertainment and weather. After a year’s work, it felt like a safe bet. We’d also done day trips to Bologna, Ravenna, Modena and San Marino, and Urbino had made us curious about what else existed away from the usual routes.
So when summer 2026 gave us eight extra days after the kids flew home from Riccione, we wondered: could we find more Urbino-like towns along and behind the Adriatic coast? I planned nine stops, aiming for under €150 a night including AC and parking.

Off to a great start: Termoli & Vieste

Our first stops were Termoli and Vieste. Termoli already felt different from the northern Adriatic beach towns we knew: extremely lively on a Saturday evening, with a nice mix of beach and old town. The people, including our great B&B host, made it stick.
Vieste, on the Gargano peninsula, was the visual knockout of the trip: a white hilltop town on a cliff, a massive limestone monolith on the beach, and narrow lanes that felt lived-in rather than staged. It’s a bit of a pain to reach, but that also meant seeing the whole Gargano peninsula, including Vignanotica beach. We visited that specific beach by car, returned by boat the next morning, and did a sea-cave tour before checking out. It completely changed how we saw the cliffs we’d driven past the day before. A packed 24 hours, but we loved all of it.

Starting to leave the coast behind: Vasto & Lanciano

After Vieste we started heading north again, first to Vasto. It’s on the coast, but we stayed in the old town above the beaches, which gave us great views and helped us move away from the “beach holiday” theme. Vasto felt slightly more sophisticated than Termoli, though the differences were subtle.
After a night in Vasto and a wonderful trabocco lunch, we properly left the coast behind. Lanciano is about 30 minutes inland and feels far removed from the sea. We had an amazing B&B, Alma Luxury House, with a super-enthusiastic host. For the first time it felt like we’d entered a place where foreign tourists are still a bit of a novelty. People were chatty, curious and happy to promote the sights and food of their town.

Into Italian heartland: Sulmona & Ascoli Piceno

We’d already seen the Apennines from Lanciano, but now it was time to head for the hills. Sulmona surprised us most. It’s the kind of town few people put on a “must-see” list, but it has real depth: mountains all around, a 700-year-old confetti tradition running through half the shops on the main street, the whole town out for the passeggiata, and breakfast on an amazing roof terrace at B&B Il Marchese Del Grillo. We also detoured to Lago di Scanno on a whim, and that became one of the best moments of the trip.
Ascoli Piceno wasn’t bad, but it paled a little after Sulmona. We also let the fried food get to us — fried olives, vegetables, meat and even custard — so it became an unexpectedly early night to digest. I do want to mention Dimora Storica Nella Torre, probably the most luxurious B&B we stayed at and highly recommended.

The small towns: Corinaldo & Brisighella

For the last two Adriatic-side stops, I took a risk on properly small towns. Both Corinaldo and Brisighella are listed among Italy’s most beautiful villages, but they’re places many tourists probably only visit for two hours. We still loved staying overnight: enough to see, experience and eat, plus plenty of beautiful photo moments. The B&B owners went above and beyond, especially with a last-minute wine tasting at Cantina Casadio outside Brisighella. Genuine hospitality, great wines and a fairy-tale location made it a magical evening near the end of the trip. Note: Brisighella was supposed to be the end, but I added Como to break up the return journey.

The low point: Como

I’ll be honest because it may help other travelers: Como was our least favorite stop, not because it’s ugly — it’s genuinely pretty — but because after nine days of small towns, personal hosts, wineries and family-run restaurants, it felt like stepping back into generic tourist Italy. Big groups, more transactional interactions and a beautiful but crowded lakefront promenade. If you end a similar route on Lake Como, don’t expect it to feel like a culmination. It’s a different kind of place: polished, scenic, and less personal. We still enjoyed the sunset walk to the villa gardens, but it was a tonal shift.

What worked structurally

One night per stop sounds exhausting on paper, but it kept every day feeling like a new discovery. The Adriatic side has fewer blockbuster sights than the classic Italy routes, so short stays helped prevent boredom. The trade-off: at least three hours in the car most days, plus the usual gap between 10am check-out and 3pm check-in. We turned that into a routine: one detour or activity during the gap — a trabocco lunch, gorge walk, mountain lake or boat ride.

On meeting people along the way

I worried we’d just race through Italy hitting landmarks without much human contact. It mostly worked out because we made an effort: small family-run wineries and B&Bs where the owner actually talks to you, ordering at the bar counter instead of sitting down, and speaking enough Italian to get beyond “what should we see?” There was still a language gap, but I could understand enough to make it work. It felt more personal than Como, where we opened conversations in Italian and almost always got replies in English.

Random practical notes

• Especially Abruzzo felt very under-visited by international tourists. If you want a less crowded alternative to the classic Italy circuit, this is worth considering.
• Learn 5 Italian sentences and use them constantly, even badly. It genuinely changes how people treat you.
• I booked everything through Booking for the convenience of having everything in one app. I know the commissions are rough for small businesses, but it worked very well. Just expect messages from every B&B about arrival times and check-in details.
• If you're detouring into the mountains, double check driving times — what looks like a short detour on the map can eat 90+ minutes once you factor in mountain roads.
• I drove my fairly large personal car, a Mercedes E-class estate, and worried about narrow alleys and on-street parking beforehand. In practice, it was fine: no scratches, no break-in attempts, and the comfort helped on the long drive to and from Belgium. A Panda is obviously better suited to Italian roads, but a larger car can work if you plan parking carefully. Any ZTL issues were clearly communicated and handled by the B&B owners.
• Italy is foodie heaven, with strong regional traditions. Every meal was fantastic, often featuring dishes specific to one town or region. Vegetarian and gluten-free travelers also seemed well catered for almost everywhere.

Happy to answer questions about any specific stretch of the route if anyone's planning something similar. It's an underrated corridor and deserves more attention than it gets.

My fiancé and I just booked our flights for our Italian honeymoon!!! Now to plan all the best sightseeing and food and book hotels. We’re thinking of spending three days in Florence and four days in Rome. We’ll fly into Rome on Sunday and take a train to Florence, then take a train to Rome on Wednesday and fly home on Sunday. Any must-sees for first time travelers? Anything especially fun for a honeymoon? We definitely want to see stuff like the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Sistine Chapel, the Vatican, a Tuscan vineyard and wine tasting, the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Any tips and tricks and recommendations to make our trip as smooth as possible while getting to check off all the things on our list would be greatly appreciated! 🇮🇹

I'm visiting Arona next monday, but I saw on Gmaps that the panoramic park overlooking the city is closed on mondays.

Do you know of any other scenic viewpoint where I can enjoy a good view of Arona and the lake?

Planning a trip (me and gf) first week of June next year to Florence, Tuscany, and Bologna. Thinking of doing 2 nights in Florence, 3 nights in Tuscany, and 2 nights in Bologna. Will rent a car for the Tuscany portion.

Is this spreading ourselves too thin? Will we get bored with 3 nights in Tuscany countryside?

Any other ideas of where within Tuscany we should stay/go?

Goal for the trip is to just eat really good food and wine. Thinking we’ll do some cooking classes as well. Florence will be more for exploration/museums. Not entirely sure what we actually do in Tuscany all day. Want to do a couple wineries, but how does that work with the rental car?

Alternatively, thinking we can swap Florence for Milan. Thoughts on that?

ended up in italy with very little planning, really was just trying to outrun my life and make it all stop for a while. i don’t have travel insurance but i have been very unwell and need to go to some sort of hospital or urgent care. am i able to access medical care here without any insurance? how much will i have to pay upfront? can i retroactively claim the cost with my provincial insurance (canada)? really feeling lost

I'm traveling on a budget in Italy and really want to visit the Colosseum (on Aug 15th), but I'm not sure if overpaying for skip-the-line is worth it unless it's really saving a lot of time. Did anyone take it? Does it worth it?

I've seen the regular tickets and then these skip-the-line or guided tour options that cost significantly more. As someone watching every euro, I'd rather put that extra money toward food or other experiences if the standard ticket gets me in without wasting half my day in a queue.

For those who've visited the Colosseum, how bad are the lines really with a regular timed-entry ticket?

Hey everyone! I’m planning a beach trip to Italy and I am between two options (4-12 September, not the exact dates but aprox. this period)

1 ​North / Emilia-Romagna: Staying in Rimini . The huge upside I noticed is how easy it is to do day trips to San Marino (under an hour by a bus) and Florence (under 2 hours by train through Bologna). Plus, wide sandy beaches and good nightlife.

2 ​South / Puglia: Flying into Bari and stayng somewhere along the coast (I was thinking Polignano a Mare or Monopoli). Here, the main seling point seems to be the incredible turquoise water and yhe worthy views.

​What would you choose?

I had a question about doing a one-day beach trip on either August 27th or 29th for my honeymoon. This will be one of the last days of our Florence-Rome honeymoon (starts on the 19th, ends on the 30th). This is the first time my fiancé and I have traveled outside of the country (Seattle, U.S). I'm a pretty anxious traveler, and I know my fiancé wants to visit the beach and swim. I was wondering if there are any beach suggestions/places where we can put our stuff that is okay to leave unsupervised. I know a lot of locals take vacations in August, so I was wondering if it would be super busy/even worth it in the super hot heat, especially because I'm expecting some trip burnout at this point, since the longest trip we've done previously was a week. Recommendations, advice, anything would be helpful! Happy to answer any questions to make it easier to help out.

My wife and I are planning a trip to Italy later this year and are thinking of breaking the trip down as shown below. Haven't booked our flights yet.

1. Is this reasonable or are we trying to do too much? Not enough?

2. Should we have concerns with the weather?

• From research, it seems things should be cooler and Venice may have high tides, but I'm sure I'm missing something.

1. Anything you'd change or suggest?

Planned Trip Dates:

- Arrive on November 26, 2026 in Venice (flying LAX to VCE)

- Fly home on December 10, 2026 from Rome (flying FCO to LAX)

Planned Dates and City Breakdown:

- Venice (3 nights): Arrive on afternoon of Nov 26 / Leave in morning of Nov 29. Taking train to Florence.

- Florence (4 nights): Arrive on Nov 29 / Leave in morning of Dec 3. May add a day trip outside of Florence. Taking the train to Napals.

- Naples (3 nights): Arrive on Dec 3 / Leave the morning of Dec 6. Taking the train to Rome.

- Rome (4 nights): Arrive on Dec 6 / Leave from FCO around 9:30 in the morning on Dec 10.

Sorry for any formatting issues, on mobile.

Hi. I’m looking at going to Portovenere from La Spezia on 1st November. Firstly it’s All Saints Day so I know it may be very busy. There doesn’t appear to be any buses on a Sunday between 08:19
and 12:23 when I was looking on Rome2Rio. I would probably need one around 9am. Would I have to go in a Taxi?
Thanks

I’m interested in visiting the Vatican 9/23/26. edit: or as I was advised 23/09/2026. 🙂It looks like everything is already sold out other than 5 or 5:30. I thought tickets were released 60 days out? Seems that was incorrect? 😭How is the guided tour through the official site? We normally like to go at our own pace but since the tour has mornings we are considering. TIA!

I fly into Rome on August 15th and will be staying there a few nights until I figure out the next destination. Ideally I wanna head south but a lot of people are telling me it’s not ideal unless you have a car. The places I’m thinking of are Sardinia, Amafi coast or Sicily but I’m open to suggestions. Ideally I’m looking to swim as much as I can

So I’ve heard all the rumors and have now experienced it myself.

Have been checking every day for pantheon tickets for Tues Aug 18 to open up. They finally did so I went to book online. Got to the payment page 4 times (debit, Apple Pay, credit card and my other credit card). Says payment declined. Both my phone and computer browser

ChatGPT suggests it’s not my cards (they all work) and goes on to suggest that I just buy the tickets in person because they’re usually available

Any tips beyond all of the obvious once’s ive read here and I’ve tried are much appreciated. Or do you agree it is just safe to buy them on site the day of (my over planning personality is stressed on this)

Me and my husband are staying in Naples for a few days for our honeymoon, before we head to Ischia and later Sorrento. We are going early october and I was wondering about restaurants in Naples. Is there a specific pizza place you recommend? What foods are a must try besides pizza? Thank you!

We are traviling by car to Italy next week. On Google Streetview we found this parking sign just outside our appartment. At what times is is allowed to park there?

https://maps.app.goo.gl/aVoRq85icKJRT18c7

We asked different AIs with different results.

P = Parking is allowed
ZPC = Zona a Parcheggio Controllato = we need to pay?
C = ? is this just the parking zone? The area where these rules apply? Or does it have another meaning?
Hammers = ? AI A = "On working days = Monday to Saturday", AI B = "Street cleaning hours"

Small sign = Only for residents with special permit.

Is this correct?

We will stay there only for one night from Sunday to Monday. So does the part with the hammers apply or is this just mon-sat?

Just a simple sign, so much confustion... :-)