Italy Trip Report (including Nice and Monaco) with packed itinerary
To preface, I’m probably the person everyone in this sub is telling you not to be by packing their itinerary to the brim and spending only 1 - 2 days each woops don’t come at me. But I loved my trip and I think it was good pace for me. I visited in early - mid April, so not that crowded nor hot yet which was a good time.
My itinerary + brief review:
* 3 days in Castelfiorentino at friend’s while visiting San Gimignano and Pisa. Loved the Tuscan fields and vibes!
* Florence 1 day: very romantic vibes, but expensive hostels
* Rome 2 days: it was way too crowded for my liking, but amazing historical sites and stories. Def recommend a walking tour. Didn’t go to Sistine Chapel but went inside the basilica at 7:30 am, only a 5 minutes queue.
* Perugia 1 day: it was foggy when I went, but very lush and the air was so crisp I loved it + tried cinghiale (wild boar) and lots of truffle
* Bologna 1 day: a small, very orange and loveable city. One of my fav cities and I think 1 day was enough.
* Venice 1 day: very pretty obviously, but it was so hot in the main square as there’s no shade so make sure you’re prepared for that.
* Turin 1 day: one of my fav! Loved the huge park and very green scenery. I stood on the busy bridge for 15 mins just admiring the spectacular view. Charming old town.
* Nice + Monaco 1 day: nice was amazing! Cheaper hostels and lots of pastries 🥐 would be a good base to go to other French riviera cities including Cannes. You can do paragliding in nearby cities. Very relaxing and perfect to wind down.
* Genova: tried a couple of unique pasta like walnut sauce and orange + pumpkin ravioli. The town is quite charming but I think there are other towns with better coast or city.
* Cinque Terre 1 day: I hiked all the way from Levanto to Riomaggiore in 1 day, took me around 9 hours with minimal break. Started at 10 am (would recommend to start earlier). Would recommend to break it down to at least 2 days. Hiking was my priority so I didn’t spend much time in the towns. I did a bit of research so feel free to ask questions.
I wouldn’t claim that I understand all these cities because I didn’t spend that much time, but I got a pretty good feel of each. I used public transport (you can get discount for Trenitalia if you’re under 25, just sign up). A lot of overnight buses which saved hostel money. Obviously moving around is more expensive than staying in 1 city, but I don’t regret it! It took SO much planning, but definitely worth it. I had a list of stuff I wanted to visit in each city but I mostly walked around while guided by the spots, not strictly following an itinerary. My highlight was definitely the Cinque Terre hike.
Thanks Italy, it was an absolute good time.