Italy: A Firsthand Travel Guide
Italy was my 15th-birthday trip, Rome, Florence, Pisa, and Venice over Easter, and it marked me for life. The art, the food, the sheer beauty of it: some of the first things that ever truly moved me happened on this trip. Here is the Italy I fell for, city by city.
Rome
We were in Rome for Easter during Pope Benedict’s papacy, and we went to Easter Mass at the Vatican. It ran nearly four hours, in many languages, a long day and a genuinely once-in-a-lifetime experience I will never forget. St. Peter’s Basilica is staggering, and the Sistine Chapel took my breath away, one of the first works of art that ever left a permanent mark on me. Beyond the Vatican, Rome is the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon, and some of the best pizza of my life. I also loved shopping around the Spanish Steps.
Florence
Florence is the beating heart of the Renaissance, and it is completely my kind of city. I fell in love with the Duomo, Brunelleschi’s great domed cathedral, so much that I remember thinking I wanted to get married there. The city’s basilicas are magnificent, and the art is everywhere, above all Michelangelo’s David at the Accademia and the masterpieces of the Uffizi. And like Paris, Florence is a place to slow down: a coffee at a cafe, watching the city go by, is its own kind of perfect.
Pisa
Pisa is worth seeing, the Leaning Tower really is that striking, but it is a quiet town, so I would treat it as a day trip, an easy one from Florence, rather than a place to base yourself.
Venice
Venice is pure magic: the canals, the light, St. Mark’s Square. One firsthand tip I learned the hard way, stay on the historic island, not on the mainland. We stayed in the modern part to make the luggage logistics easier, and next time I will absolutely stay in old Venice now that I know the tricks to make it work; it is worth it. Go in spring or fall rather than summer, the famous canal smell is far milder outside the summer heat. And my favorite part of the whole trip was taking the boat out to the islands of Burano, with its rainbow houses, and Murano, home of the glassmakers.
Come for the art
If you love art, Italy is the trip of a lifetime. This is the birthplace of the Renaissance, and standing in front of the real thing, the David, the Sistine Chapel ceiling, the Botticellis of the Uffizi, the frescoes in the churches, is something no photo can prepare you for. It changed how I see beauty, and it is why I tell art lovers to give Italy more time than they think they need. The best of it has timed tickets and long lines, so this is exactly where planning ahead pays off.
Gelato, pizza, and blood oranges
Eat everything. The pizza is extraordinary, gelato becomes a daily ritual (and it is better than any ice cream back home), and it was on this trip that I discovered blood oranges and became completely obsessed, they are in season in spring, so Easter was perfect timing. Follow your nose, order the local specialty, and never skip the afternoon coffee.
Why plan Italy with me
Italy rewards a smart plan: skip-the-line and timed entry for the Vatican, the Accademia, and the Uffizi; the right neighborhood in each city (yes, on the island in Venice); and a route that flows from Rome to Florence to Venice, with Pisa as a day trip. I arrange the museum access, the guides, and the logistics through my trusted local partners on the ground, so you spend your time in front of the art, not in line. It is a dream honeymoon, and because it is a long-haul flight, it is worth reading whether business class is worth it for the trip over.