How to make the best of Bellissima Italia!
When I began my Masters Program, I promised myself that once I completed this milestone, I would celebrate by paying Italy a visit for the first time.
After 3 years of hard work, my dream came true.
On October 8th, I left Phoenix Arizona with my boyfriend on a 10 day adventure. Our goal was to enjoy the trip, not as tourists, but as humble students. We wanted to see what locals see. What they value and the culture that they embrace on a daily basis. I had been reading several of blogs, articles, and books around how to plan a trip to Rome and we did quite the opposite. I'll be sharing with you some of the tools that made the trip a great success.
Be Spontaneous!
The moment we landed in Rome, we dropped off our bags and began to walk. There was no set itinerary nor a set schedule of things that we needed to do by the hour. We were able to walk around the area that we stayed (Via Sardegna) and explored the surroundings. We walked south, north, east and west - Everything seemed to be in such close proximity! For the first day, our goal was to learn and observe. After we ate some amazing pasta, walked Villa Borghese, and took a quick power nap - We walked around some more and saw the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain (Beautiful!). There were only two key locations that we wanted to ensure we visited when in Rome: The Vatican and The Colosseum. Everything else, we followed the advise of the locals, comments on Foursquare, and google maps.
Skip the Hotel & Look for Privately Owned Hospitality!
My Boyfriend and I decided to skip the fancy Hotels and went through AirB&B for our visit to Italy. One of the best decisions we had made!
We stayed at two different condos within Rome and one Rustic Farmhouse in Tuscany. Every host was friendly and a joy to meet! They shared with us some great local hotspots, ideas on what to do, and great suggestions to make the best out of our time together.
It was affordable, private, and peaceful. Would recommend to venture outside of a hotel stay and live like a local!
Try it all!
Rome and Tuscany are diverse in some of their key traditions and what their signature dishes are. Don't be shy to try is all! Pastries, Cappuccinos, Cacio de Pepe, Pizza, Pasta, and all of the above! Tuscany was very rustic and "straight from my farm/garden to table" feeling! Rome had some great twists to key Italian Dishes that you could have the same dish at different restaurants and not get bored.
Fall Weather was Perfect!
We left Early October and returned Mid-October. At first, we were unsure of what time to visit as we didn't want it to be too busy but also not encounter any bad weather. October was a phenomenal month to visit!
Rome was still warm, where we could wear a light jacket at night or light sweater. There were days that we didn't even have to wear a jacket/sweater and a few where there was light rain. We saw a bit more rain when we went up to the tuscany area, but it didn't prevent us from visiting a winery or exploring the smaller towns. I would recommend to visit Italy during the slower seasons, and October proved to be a great month to visit the beautiful country!
Here are the tips to give a small glimpse into how traveling to Italy was beyond what I had ever expected! In the next post, I'll share with you further a comparison of Rome & the Tuscany Area.
With Love,
Coach Leo.