I returned this past Saturday from my first trip to Italy (two weeks) and I loved every second of it. Thanks to this site, and help from some people on this board, I learned a LOT before going, and it all was helpful once we got there. I purchased the 2013 Italy guidebook and marked the crap out of it (Sticky Notes, highlighter, underlining, stars...you name it) and brought it with me to every city we visited. I was told by some less-than-helpful people (also on here) to limit my expectations and not to expect to be able to do nearly half the things I had planned, and I'm happy to say those people can bite it. My new husband and I visited Verona, Venice, Florence, Lonato, Supino, Soave, Deruta and Rome in that time, and are making plans to go back, possibly next year, to see Naples, Pompeii, and the coasts. Anyway, it was an amazing, beaituful, busy trip, and I am itching to get back there. Italy made me realize that life needs to be seen, and tasted, and heard, and so as much as it pains me to get up at 6 a.m. every day and drag myself to a job I don't like, I know it's all worth it if I can get back to that incredible country anytime soon. Thank you to everyone on this board who encouraged me to keep my itinerary, and everyone who let me in on their own travel secrets. Grazie mille!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16236 posts
I know I wasn't the one to tell you to do less. I'm not for savoring places too long, a couple of pictures and I'm off to the next place, I showed all of Rome to my sister in law in less than 24 hours (she doesn't want to travel with me anymore, though)
Posted by
OP
Oak Park, MI, USA
62 posts
We actually spent two and a half days walking around Rome, and while we didn't go IN to a lot of places, I still felt like we saw a lot. We spent two days touring Florence, and only one in Venice (I am a little bitter about that, in fact) and a whole day going up Lake Garda and then stumbling onto Lonato, a whole day in Supino (ancestral village, we met the mayor), most of the day in Soave (winery), most of the day in Deruta (I have a ceramics problem), and then...yeah...Rome, where we flew out of FCO. It was incredible, every day. Verona was the closest city to the first place we stayed, in Vigasio, so it has a special place in my heart. But Venice...man. I also absolutely loved the second city we stayed in, San Gemini. It was the most authentic Italian experience I think we had all two weeks. Beautiful place, and I'd for sure go back there.