rome
florence
cinque terre
venice

Rome (Roma)

• Borghese Gallery Tour (recommend audio guide)

• Spanish Steps

• Pantheon

• Trevi Fountain

• Piazza Navona

• Vatican Musem, Sistine Chapel + St. Peter's Basilica Tour (recommend guided tour)

• Trastevere

• Jewish Ghetto

• Colosseum, Palatine Hill + Roman Forum (recommend guided tour)

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Florence (Firenze)

• ​Accademia Gallery (Statue of David)

• Uffizi Gallery

• Ponte Vecchio (bridge with shops)

• Piazzale Michelangelo best overlook of the city 

• Duomo

• Palazzo Vecchio

• Mercato Centrale

• Day Trip to Tuscany 

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Cinque Terre

• Hike the trails between the five towns (Refer to the Cinque Terre National Park Office for info on trail closures due to mud/ land slides; trails can be steep in areas)

• Monterosso Beach (Picturesque orange and teal umbrellas on the pebbly beach)

• Boat tour for the best perspective to see the oceanside villiages

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Venice (Venezia)

• Grand Canal

• Gondola ride (be aware of the hours they operate...the gondoliers were gone after dinnertime)

• Rialto Bridge

• Doge's Palace

• Bridge of Sighs

• St. Mark's Basilica + Square

• Basilica di Santa maria della Salute

• Murano Island (famous for glass blowing)

Rome

• La Pentolaccia

• Trattoria da Enzo (homemade pasta, romantic outdoor seating in a tiny alleyway, limited seating)

• Gelateria dell'Angoletto (we loved the cherry and stracciatella)

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Florence

• Sandwichic (delicious sandwiches)

• ​Cibre'o Carabe'

• Gelateria Carabe'

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Cinque Terre

• Cantina di Miky

• Restorante Miky

• Torre Aurora

• Belforte

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Venice

• Osteria Mocenigo

• We utilized Airbnb for our stay in each city and all were lovely.  The challenge is you may not have an English-speaking host to help you with further recommendations or help when needed.

• If you desire that extra layer of comfort, perhaps a hotel would be more suitable.

• We stayed in Monterosso while in the Cinque Terre region.

• We stayed for 2 weeks and traveled to 4 regions.  We recommend either staying longer or focusing on just one or two places.  We were exhausted!

• The Rick Steves' Italy guidebooks and audioguides were helpful!

• The travel time is long from the West Coast - it may be helpful to break up the travel into 2 days unless flying business class.

• Try to book tours and restaurant reservations in advance

• If traveling to different cities, bring bags that you can lug around easily on public transit.  There are no cars allowed in Venice, so be ready to walk with your bags on the cobblestone.

• Be prepared for limited breakfast options

• Favorite photo spot for the Roman Forum:  The rooftop of the Capitoline Museum

• ​Most places accept credit cards.  Think of ordering some foreign currency ahead of time.  Wells Fargo has a super easy system online. 

• You transport to/from the airport in venice via water taxi!