Who's been to Italy??

knottiec88d9f0fc1cff17b

Hi guys!

My fiance and I will be spending the first of our 2 week honeymoon in Italy, splitting time between Rome, Venice, and Florence. Looking for any tips/suggestions of places to go/see/eat/do

Neither of us have been so we're looking to make the most of it!  

Honeymoon will be beginning of November

ernursej

One week to see all three places? You may find that you are going to be a bit time crunched. We did those same three places in 10 days and while it was okay, anything shorter would have felt rushed. Are you taking the train between cities?

Recommend Coliseum in Rome, water taxi in Venice (literally just ride it around for a few hours - cheap and you see everything) and Boboli gardens in Florence. I'll take a look at what we did and let you know a few more things.

Restaurants - stay away from the main squares and you will find authentic, high quality food and wine. It is cheaper to drink wine than water in Italy. I loved it!

climbingsingle

knottiec88d9f0fc1cff17b said:

Hi guys!

My fiance and I will be spending the first of our 2 week honeymoon in Italy, splitting time between Rome, Venice, and Florence. Looking for any tips/suggestions of places to go/see/eat/do

Neither of us have been so we're looking to make the most of it!  

Honeymoon will be beginning of November

I have! We honeymooned in Italy and it was amazing. We rented an apartment through Airbnb in Florence. We also rented a car and our apartment came with a parking spot too. We drove to the Cinque Terra area and stayed overnight there. We also drove to Pisa and Luca. And we took the train to Venice for an overnight too. 

If you want to see The David, make sure to book your tickets in advance. And you really can’t go wrong with wherever you eat. 

climbingsingle

Double post. 

Also, we went for 10 days. 

ei34

H and I honeymooned in Rome, Florence, and Venice it was the best trip we’ve ever taken.  Ditto PP that we were in each city for 3 nights...I don’t think a week would’ve been enough.

In Rome, it’s touristy but the Colosseum was awesome.  I loved the vibe in Piazza Navona, and there were tons of little cafes nearby with great prices on a glass of vino and an antipasti platter. Best gelato of all three cities.

Piazza del Vino in Florence was probably my favorite restaurant of the entire trip. (Florence was my favorite city.)  If the line to climb to the top of the Duomo is too long, try climbing its bell tower.  Stunning views (including the top of the actual Duomo!).  Best wine of all three cities.

Venice was magical- totally worth it to take a gondola ride (we took two) as well as water taxis.  There were farm stands everywhere with produce so fresh you could smell it from a block away.  Doge’s palace and a Murano glass blowing demonstration were both memorable. Best pizza and risotto of all three cities. 

All of the Catholic Churches were works of art, even someone not of the faith would appreciate them.  I didn’t have one bad meal.  I’m jealous you’re going so soon- enjoy!!

climbingsingle

eileenrob said:

H and I honeymooned in Rome, Florence, and Venice it was the best trip we’ve ever taken.  Ditto PP that we were in each city for 3 nights...I don’t think a week would’ve been enough.

In Rome, it’s touristy but the Colosseum was awesome.  I loved the vibe in Piazza Navona, and there were tons of little cafes nearby with great prices on a glass of vino and an antipasti platter. Best gelato of all three cities.

Piazza del Vino in Florence was probably my favorite restaurant of the entire trip. (Florence was my favorite city.)  If the line to climb to the top of the Duomo is too long, try climbing its bell tower.  Stunning views (including the top of the actual Duomo!).  Best wine of all three cities.

Venice was magical- totally worth it to take a gondola ride (we took two) as well as water taxis.  There were farm stands everywhere with produce so fresh you could smell it from a block away.  Doge’s palace and a Murano glass blowing demonstration were both memorable. Best pizza and risotto of all three cities. 

All of the Catholic Churches were works of art, even someone not of the faith would appreciate them.  I didn’t have one bad meal.  I’m jealous you’re going so soon- enjoy!!

Totally agree with the bolded. We took a water taxi when we got off the train instead of the ferry and it was totally worth it. Also, you can bargain on the price of the gondola rides. We ate at the Hotel Danieli in Venice. A little pricey but worth the money.

Our favorite restaurant in Florence was a little out of the city center and near our rental. Osteria I Riffaiolo. The food was amazing. 

knottiec88d9f0fc1cff17b

Thanks for all of the recommendations! I can't wait!! Any tips on cheap travel sites or airlines? Leaving from Florida

ernursej

Italy is not cheap but your meals can be relatively inexpensive if you eat at non-touristy places and drink the house wine. I think we had two big bowls of pasta and a carafe of house wine for under 20 one night. Avoid the places that have pictures of the food - usually not great food or value.

I'm not sure if they have connections but Ryanair and JetBlue are cheap but be warned that they often fly into non-convenient airports and you may spend the difference on train/cab fare and all the add ons like baggage and seat selection.

CharmedPam

ernursej said:

Italy is not cheap but your meals can be relatively inexpensive if you eat at non-touristy places and drink the house wine. I think we had two big bowls of pasta and a carafe of house wine for under 20 one night. Avoid the places that have pictures of the food - usually not great food or value.

I'm not sure if they have connections but Ryanair and JetBlue are cheap but be warned that they often fly into non-convenient airports and you may spend the difference on train/cab fare and all the add ons like baggage and seat selection.

So don't eat at the Denny's of Italy. But also, don't eat at the Denny's of America either  

We're hitting all those spots next year so I'm going to follow this post.  Staying in the Trastevere area in Rome but need recommendations for Florence and Venice.  I have a hotels.com gc I want to use and a free night by the time I'm ready to book next month, looking around $150/night but will break that budget if the place is good enough. 

ernursej

There are actually lots of places that have pictures of the food but we avoided like the plague. We made that mistake the first night and it was the worst meal of the trip.

knottiec88d9f0fc1cff17b

CharmedPam said:

So don't eat at the Denny's of Italy. But also, don't eat at the Denny's of America either  

We're hitting all those spots next year so I'm going to follow this post.  Staying in the Trastevere area in Rome but need recommendations for Florence and Venice.  I have a hotels.com gc I want to use and a free night by the time I'm ready to book next month, looking around $150/night but will break that budget if the place is good enough. 

We just booked an air b&b for our time in Rome. Right in the middle of everything, great reviews, and $97/night!