Italy 2021

What to say about Rome?

I feel like Rome is one of those places that people either love or hate. I love it. It isn’t the cleanist, the taxi drivers can be terrifying, but the way that the ancient city is just woven into the fabric of the city itself just strikes me. It’s amazing to wander down the streets and find bits and pieces of the ancient seat of the Roman Empire everywhere. In basements, in the street, everywhere.

One issue we had on this trip is that Covid has made things really difficult. Many of my favorite places to visit (the Forum, many of the churches) are basically impossible to enter. Either the tickets are sold out weeks if not months in advance, or the lines are crazy long because checking vaccination documentation takes forever. I hope to go back with my husband after things calm down a bit more so we can hit those places we missed.

Now, I could upload a bunch of pictures I’ve taken from my (many many) trips to Rome over the years, but I’m going to stick to this trip for now. Maybe after I actually finish the page for this trip I’ll update with some extra bits from past trips.

I will say, though, that Rome is still a city that I can just wander without actually going in anywhere. You can see so much just walking around. On this trip we did go to two main locations, the Domus Aurea and the Vatican museum.

I will highly recommend the two-part day that we arranged. We started off the morning with the trip underground to see the Domus Aurea. Book those tickets ahead of time since even prior to Covid they were very few. This location was Nero’s famed golden palace that was buried after his death in order to erase him from memory. But what has been preserved is amazing. The frescos and mosaics are incredible.

What makes this a great pairing with the Vatican museum is that the artists decorating a lot of the Vatican had entered into the remnants of the Domus Aurea through holes in the ceiling, and replicated that art style on the walls of the Vatican. So it makes a really interesting pairing between the two locations.

Some Advice

We usually stay at the Hotel Forum, right in the heart of the Roman forum, a short walk from the Colosseum. It’s a bit pricey, but if you can afford it, it really is a great place to stay. They also have a fantastic rooftop bar/restaurant that gives you incredible views of the city. Get there a bit before sunset to really get the best spot to watch the light changing over the city. Enjoy it with an amazing glass of Italian wine.

Book your tickets early. And being willing to get moving earlier in the day will help you get into the sites. A tour of the Vatican museum can be really incredible since you can learn a lot. Also, they have some of the best artifacts from Rome, so, it can be a way to see some amazing mosaics. Does this rub me the wrong way? Yes. But it is what it is.

Wear really comfy shoes, because the streets are really uneven. The Colosseum is worth going into (even if didn’t make it this trip.) My pre-Covid advice was to buy your ticket at the Forum entrance and then you do the combo ticket and can bypass the line to get into the Colosseum. But, um, yeah, that’s not an option in the pandemic. But it may be an option in the future?

The metro is great to get around. Take it down to Ostia (another miss this trip but one of my favorite places in Italy) and stop at the Piramide stop and see the cool pyramid tomb. I wish I had more advice from this trip, but it was more challenging than I expected. But I’m sure I’ll be back to Italy, and I’ll add more in the future.

Florence

I wish I could add more for Florence. I can definitely tell you more about all the amazing things to see and do in Florence, but they were from a previous trip. Due to time constraints and Covid making the lines for the main churches miles long (not much of an exaggeration), we didn’t get to do much. But I got some nice pictures of the main sites. We did go to the Galileo Museum, which I always find a highlight. Come on, they have his bones! And having lunch sitting by the Arno is amazing. So, not much for this section other than to say that the people working at the Sixt rental car at the Florence train station are amazing. Oh, and it you like great art, make sure to visit the Pitti Palace to go see the paintings by Artemisia Gentileschi.

Volterra

I have a lot more to say about Volterra. First, Alessandro with Tours by Locals. He was amazing! His city tour was just so good. Some great stories (which I will share below.) We did a tour of the city for my mom’s birthday and really made the city come alive. Unfortunately the Etruscan museum was closed since it’s under renovation, so if you go after it reopens, let me know how it is. I bet it will be incredible.

The southern wall dates back to the time of the Etruscans, which is incredible since they pre-date the Romans. It was also a Roman city and was a seat of power as its own (sometimes) independent city-state during the Middle Ages. So, cool story number one - one of the near things to see in Volterra is the Roman theater, but they just discovered the Roman amphitheater which is currently being excavated. So I can’t wait to go back once it’s able to be toured.

Another cool story is that during the middle ages, most of the lower levels of the buildings were storefronts with overhangs covering them. The entrance to the housing was by way of ladder. During an attack, they would pull the ladders up and get around the city by running on the top of the overhangs. They also blocked off paths so that if an invader came in, they could close off just a few narrow alleys and then the invaders would be tricked out of the city, getting lost in the maze of small paths and alleys.

They have a really lovely church and baptistry that are worth seeing. And some great views from a park towards the top of the city. From there you can see a former medieval castle that is still used as a low-security prison.

If you’re in the area, definitely check it out!

Pisa

This trip to Pisa was a bit of a mixed bag. Good - my husband and I were able to go up the tower. Bad - the baptistry was closed which means he didn’t get to hear the amazing acoustics of the place.

Most people go to Pisa just to see the tower. Is it worth waiting in line to go up? Yes, it actually is. It is so weird walking up those stairs and feeling the gravity change as you go around. It’s kind of dizzying. And the views are amazing!

Some advice, there are some public parking lots a short walk from the entrance and it’s much easier parking there than the official lots.

There’s some great dead people in the Camposanto. If you are a person who like some weird medieval art and some great dead people, make sure you check it out.

If you’re going up the tower, you have to leave you bags (purses included) at the lockers. Be sure that you drop your stuff off first, and if you are visiting in Times of Covid (ToC from now on), keep your ticket, phone, and vaccination proof with you. And a mask.

And below, did I include a picture of a poorly painted lion because it’s hilarious? Yes, yes I did.

Lucca

Lucca is adorable. This city is a weird story. So, back in the day, rich people would give other rich people entire cities (and sometimes city-states) as gifts. Just “hey, thought you’d like this cute Italian city, enjoy!” And of course the people who lived there had no say. Because they were peasants.

In the best outcome, those cities would be allowed to just do their thing and the “owner” would just collect taxes and leave them alone. In the worst cases, the cities would be pilfered of anything of value. And the people would be forced to serve in wars that meant nothing to them or anyone they knew.

But Lucca is an amazing outcome, beyond even the best. It was a gift from Napoleon to his sister. It could have turned out awfully. But she visited the city and fell in love. She saw the old city walls, falling apart, and did something amazing. She paid to rebuild them and expand them. Turning the walls into this amazing park with restaurants and play areas and just space for the people of the city to live and love.

And it’s so much fun. The city now is much bigger than the walls, but there’s plenty of parking outside the wall (and its an easy walk from the train station.) There’s some cute stuff to see in the city, but this was a short trip, so we didn’t have much time. But we rented a bike-cart and drove around and it was great. It’s another city I’ve spent more time in in the past, so hopefully I can add more later.

If you’re in the area, check it out. It’s such a cute city!

Ravenna

Do you want to see Byzantine mosaics but can’t travel to Turkey? Try Ravenna! This was a new visit for me, and Ravenna was so cool.

It was under control of the Eastern Roman Empire, so the basilica and some other churches there were decorated in that style. The sites are really incredible.

I haven’t actually done much research on the city. I just went to see the amazing art, and it was incredible. It’s easy to walk, has some great pastry shops, and seem like a delightful place to visit. So, check it out!

Venice

Ah Venice. City of art, history, music, and water. A slowly sinking city built on a marsh by Roman escaping invading armies, I could write a whole book about it. But not here. Our trip to Venice was disappointingly short, but I hope to go back. Of course, it will be harder and hard to visit due to future restrictions trying to preserve this amazing home of a continent-spanning empire.

Is it worth it to do a gondola ride? Yes. Visit in the fall or winter to avoid the smell.

But for now I’m just going to post some pictures and I will hopefully post an entire page to this amazing city!

Padua

A short trip from Venice, Padua has some very famous churches with amazing art. Another super cute Italian city with easy walking and some great things to see. I wish I had more to say, but I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Verona

Made famous by Shakespeare, Verona is way more than you would think. It has one of the best preserved (or rebuilt) Roman amphitheaters in the world. It was way cuter than I expected. They have some great piazzas with amazing restaurants. And they have some amazing food choices that are specific to that region of Italy.

This is another place where I wish we had more time, but we got to see some amazing things and really loved it.

San Gimigniano

The city of towers. It got to the point where they had to outlaw building new towers and actually tore some down since there were too many.

This city on a hill is amazing. You can climb up one of the towers and the views are incredible. There’s a lovely church with wonderful medieval art (including another wonky lion) and some fantastic restaurants.

Once again another highly recommended visit. Be ready to walk up and down a lot. But also shoutout to the great kitty we met!

The History

Pompeii was a holiday city during the height of the Roman empire. It had a hugely varied population with some huge villas as well as smaller apartment buildings. It was popular for the wealthy of Rome to have a villa down by the shore to enjoy.

It was a busy city with public buildings, private vineyards, and a mix of the population of the empire. The eruption of Vesuvius was a tragedy. We know a lot about the eruption from accounts written by survivors and those who went to try to save those stuck in the city. Many people survived the eruption because they were able to flee. The city became a time capsule that really allows a modern visitor to experience what life in a Roman city would have been like at the time.

We have learned a lot about how Roman cities were organized and the daily lives of the Roman population from this site.

Some really amazing things that you’ll find at the site: Roman fast food joints (they even found preserved food and were able reconstruct the contemporary diet.) Apartment buildings with multiple floors of smaller rooms. Vineyards that have allowed modern scientists to actually grow grapes from the original cultivars that were grown by the Romans.

Modern Pompeii is a very cute little city. The archaeological site is huge, but the city itself has continued to survive on the ruins of the old city. There are still excavations going on and so continuing visits allows you to see new stuff every time.

Tips and Tricks

Pompeii can be a bit of a maze. My first piece of advice is give yourself enough time. My first time to Pompeii was with a bus tour from Rome and they gave us ONE HOUR for the site. A single hour! Madness. We actually told the tour guide that we’d take the train back so that we could have more time. This trip my husband and I gave ourselves and entire day. We ended up spending about six hours there. And we still missed stuff. It’s really hard to see everything.

Get a map. And actual physical map. And a pen (using the lipstick in your bag doesn’t work as well.) Maybe bring snacks since the on-site food location can have crazy long lines.

Be ready to backtrack. When we went, there were a lot of roads closed off, so we would get to the end of a road planning on cutting over just to find the road we were planning on taking closed off.

Explore the whole site. Certain portions can be really busy but there are still some incredible things to see in the less crowded portions.

Enter near the amphitheater. The line there tends to be a lot less busy.

Buy your ticket ahead of time if you can. The crowds can get really busy, especially during the middle of the day, so it helps to get your ticket before you get there.

Staying in Pompeii can be really nice. The downtown near the church is very cute and has some lovely restaurants.

We stayed at the Bosco d’Medici Resort which was great. They have a farm area with a donkey, chickens, rabbits, peafowl, and a bunch of other animals. They have lots of fruit trees and an excellent restaurant. They also make their own (fantastic) wine. Everyone there was super friendly and we had a great time.

There are a few really excellent restaurants in town. I highly recommend La Bettola Del Gusto which was really excellent (although they did have a slight issue with their menu being more an idea than a list of what they actually had.)

So, check out the city. Check out the site. It really is worth the time and the city is more than just the site. They have a lovely church which was only recently built (late 19th century) but the mosaics looks hundreds of years older. Really cool.