Wanderlust for Italy

Travel to Italy! This country is full of adventure, from amazing food to incredible architecture and history. I’m feeling Wanderlust for Italy!

Boyfriend and I had been planning on traveling to Italy for at least a year. I had even bought a guidebook. But when we started talking about the exact details of the trip, more and more we didn’t feel like it was the trip we wanted to take.

The big deciding factor was that while there are opportunities to dive in Italy, it’s not diving that’s raved about among the world’s best. Italy IS grand with its incredible food, amazing architecture and sights, and plenty of history. But we decided it’s a country we’ll love when we slow down a bit. I’m not knocking Italy at all! I would love to take this trip now if we had time. For now, world-renown diving takes precedence!

BUT. Here’s all the research I did before we changed our plans! All of this will be very handy when we do visit Italy one day and/or it can help you if you want to visit Italy. This little “Wanderlust for” guide will help you start planning, then I would recommend looking over the Italy tourism website and Rick Steves’ Italy guidebook for hotel and restaurant recommendations.

We were planning to go to several cities in Italy and either the Italian island of Sardinia or the country of Malta to dive. You can easily spend three weeks in Italy traveling throughout the country. There’s so much to see!

This was our proposed 15-day schedule:

• Day 1: Travel
• Day 2-3: Venice
• Day 4-6: Cinque Terre (Monterosso, Vernazza)
• Day 7-8: Florence
• Day 9-11: Rome
• Day 12-14: Sardinia or Malta
• Day 15: Travel

General Tips for Italy

• Best time to visit Italy: tourists flock to Italy from May to August. The best time to visit for fewer crowds, better prices, and good weather are April and October.
• If you’re visiting cathedrals, be prepared to cover your shoulders and knees.
• The best (and cheapest) international airports to fly into are Rome (FCO) or Milan (MXP). You could fly into Venice (VCE), though it’s a little more expensive.
• For the best flight prices, look in April through June to travel in September or October.

Which Italian Cities to Visit

The hard thing about Italy, especially with limited time, is that there are so many cities to visit and each one has its own notable sights. Here’s a run-down of popular destinations.

• Rome: Colosseum, The Sistine Chapel and Vatican City, St. Peter’s Basilica, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Roman Forum
• Venice: The Grand Canal, Basilica di San Marco/St. Mark’s Basilica, Doge’s Palace
• Florence: David (statue at Galleria dell’Accademia), Uffizi Gallery (art museum), Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore (cathedral)
• Bologna: foodie city
• Milan: Milan Cathedral, Lake Como (an hour outside of Milan)
• Pisa: Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Cinque Terre: five picturesque villages of Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore. We were planning to visit Monterosso and Vernazza.
• Positano/Naples/Pompeii/Sorrento: these cities are in the same region, the farthest north is Naples, which is an hour away from the others
• Amalfi Coast: a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Capri: this island can be accessed from Naples or Sorrento; Blue Grotto

Amalfi Coast vs Cinque Terre

We knew with limited time, we had to pick one or the other. We decided on Cinque Terre because it fit us better. Here are some details so you can choose between them.

• Cinque Terre is in the north while Amalfi Coast is south.
• Cinque Terre is easier to get to and around.
• Cinque Terre is known for its breath-taking views on hiking trails and low-key backpacker vibes. Amalfi Coast is known for its beaches and luxury resorts.
• While Cinque Terre is colorful and quaint (see photo below), Amalfi Coast is more whitewashed and posh.
• From the Amalfi Coast, you can do day trips to Positano, Pompeii, and more.

Getting Around: City-Hopping in Italy

The train seems like the most efficient way to get around Italy. Here are some times for train travel around Italy.

• Milan to Cinque Terre: 3 hrs
• Milan to Venice: 3 hrs
• Venice to Cinque Terre: 5.5-6.5 hrs
• Cinque Terre to Florence: 3 hrs
• Florence to Rome: 1.5 hrs
• Venice to Florence: 2 hrs
• Rome to Naples: 2 hrs
• Rome to Positano: 1 hr

Diving in Italy

• The best dive areas are the Aeolian Islands, Portofino Marine Reserve, Ustica, and Sardinia.
• Dive April to October.
• Divers usually dive from land. You don’t even need to go far; you could dive while in Rome.

Some popular dive spots:

• St. Lucia wreck (off Rome)
• St. Elmo’s Rock (Sardinia)
• Sorrento: Punta Campanella
• Abyss of Christ Statue in Liguria
• Costacuti Reef (off Rome)
• Wreck dives in Sicily

Visiting Sardinia

Sardinia, Sardegna in Italian, is an island 190 miles west of Italy. An hour flight from Rome, Sardinia’s white sand beaches and clear blue waters are yours to enjoy when you visit. If you can pull yourself away from the beach, there are places to hike and picturesque towns to explore. You’ll also find “The Stonehenge of the Mediterranean,” which are thousands of stone structures from the earliest civilizations.

I was considering Sardinia because of the notable diving, which some consider as the best in Italy. While there are a lot of wrecks, one notable spot is Grotta del Nereo because of its caves and tunnels.

Eating in Italy

Here are some restaurant recommendations and tips to get you started.

• Eat fried pizza in Naples
• See all Michelin star restaurants here.
• Giolitti in Rome is the oldest gelateria.
• Eat tiramisu in its birthplace – Treviso (outside of Venice).
• Eat at a trattoria or osteria instead of a ristorante because it usually means they’re family-run and cheaper.
• Award-winning restaurants: Osteria Francescana (Modena), Piazza Duomo (Alba), Le Calandre (Rubano/Venice), Reale (Castel de Sangro)
• While wine in the Tuscany region is a must, be sure to keep a lookout for craft beer in Italy. I wrote about Birradamare, which is located in Rome, and there are over 400 breweries in the country!
• Eat gelato every day. 🙂

Now, are you wanderlusting for Italy like I am? I can’t wait to visit Italy (again! I visited once years ago) and eat so much gelato and carbs. The country is full of history, art, and culture. I hope this guide helps you start planning or makes you consider visiting!

P.S. There aren’t many yet, but you’ll find my “Wanderlust for” posts here.

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