Looking for the perfect way to spend 10 days in Italy? Look no further! I’ve got you covered the best itinerary for your first trip to Italy.
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Planning a trip to Italy:
If you read my post about Ireland, you’ll know that when I was feeling a little insecure about my first international trip ever that I ended up finally doing it by booking a trip with Globus Journeys. It was the perfect safety net and I learned so much…most of all that traveling wasn’t as complicated as I had made it out to be.
So after several solo adventures throughout the UK, I was ready to branch out further afield but again found myself a little nervous. Mainly it was the language barrier, coming from a family where English was my grandparent’s second language, I was a little embarrassed I only had a little high school Spanish to my name.
When it came down to it, I again turned to Globus to take me to my dream location of Italy. It was the absolute best solution to my “problem”. I’d get the experience I wanted AND there would be someone there who spoke the language. Additionally, something I didn’t think about…it was SO nice to have someone else in charge of all the details for once.
At that point, I hadn’t just been solo traveling but I had started taking groups of my friends on trips as well. Add to that, I had a very high-stress job that I was still technically tethered to while I traveled…having Globus take care of me for 10 days in Italy was heaven.
Flying Air Portugal (TAP):
You’re probably thinking…Air Portugal to Italy? What? A little back story but my Grandma worked for Air Portugal for years and flew for free and I was obsessed blah blah blah. So when the opportunity presented itself to fly with TAP, I took it! Unfortunately, due to fog going into Lisbon (which I know now is pretty typical) we were super delayed and I ended up missing my flight from Lisbon to Venice.
TAP runs a stopover program to promote tourism in Portugal, I highly recommend you check it out, so almost all their flights stop in Lisbon or Porto before continuing on to your actual destination. I ended up spending more than six hours in the Lisbon airport which was a bummer obviously but it is where my Priority Pass membership shines.
I spent the time in the lounge eating and drinking for free. TAP also gave me food and drink vouchers for my trouble which I wandered out of the lounge at one point to utilize. The Lisbon airport is no joke. So much stuff to check out.
In general, I was very impressed with TAP’s product. The “classic” fare is very comfortable with more legroom, great food, and two checked bags should you need them. If you’re looking for a reasonably priced flight to Europe, I’d definitely check them out despite the delay. Haha…
How to get to Venice Italy:
Even though I was delayed, I would still utilize TAP to get to Venice but in November 2022 I’ll be able to try another airline to get to Venice…Turkish Airlines. As travel nerdy as it may seem, I’ve been wanting to try Turkish Airlines for a while. They’ve got great reviews with their food and comfort levels being very high so I’m excited. I’ll definitely report back.
Once you get to Venice airport, you do have a couple options to get to Venice itself cuz ya know…it’s a little complicated what with all the water. Haha… Since I had been so delayed getting there I had missed my chance at a transfer with Globus but I had plenty of time to figure out my next move.
Once you land and grab your luggage, you can either take a bus to a stop right across from Venice and walk across the bridge or get a water bus/taxi from the airport. Water taxis are very expensive and I wasn’t familiar enough with the area to feel super comfy with the water bus stops etc so I opted for the bus.
The hotel was only a 10 min walk from the bus stop so it worked out really well. Also, because of the delay…I ended up arriving in Venice at night so everything was all lit up and even though it had been a very long day…the magic of Venice took over.
Sight Seeing in Venice:
For our first actual day on the trip (the day after I arrived), Globus took us over to St. Mark’s Square. We were able to tour the Doge’s Palace with a local guide which was incredible. He made several comments about how lucky we were to come at the end of November because there was literally no one there. So if you’re planning to go…do it in the off-season for sure.
We also got to do a very cool glassblowing demonstration before we were cut loose for free time. Interestingly enough, in addition to it being a slow tourism season, it’s also when Venice floods. They are SO used to this that they have these platforms they put out and you just walk over the water with no problem. You feel a bit like maybe this isn’t ok but everyone else is just business as usual.
I chose to do the evening excursions with Globus which is always a good time. They pick the best restaurants and activities. Usually, the guides have relationships with the various vendors so we get special treatment. It’s very nice. If you have a little more time, check out these 15 things to do in Venice.
Venice to Florence:
Sadly in the morning, we headed out of Venice but fortunately, we were on our way to Florence. On our way to Florence, we stopped off at Pisa to see its famous Leaning Tower. A super fun stop as we ate gelato and watched dozens of people trying to get their “holding up the tower” picture for social media. Unbeknownst to me (which, ya know, shame shame), there is a lot of stuff around the tower. They have an absolutely gorgeous cathedral that we were lucky enough to get into for free that day. After a very nice pit stop, we were off to Florence.
Not to pick favorites but Venice and Florence were neck and neck for me. Sorrento was a close second with Rome being firmly at the bottom of the list. I’m getting ahead of myself. Florence…
I feel like pictures don’t do it justice and I know people tend to throw that phrase around a lot but this one is legit. I swear the photos of me standing in front of the Duomo looks fake. We did an evening walking tour and it was epic.
We tour the Accademia Gallery and got to see Michelangelo’s David. Definitely one of those weird moments when you’re standing in front of something you’ve seen in books all your life and you can’t figure out how you didn’t know that he was 19ft tall. NINETEEN FEET TALL! The Met in NY has a sculpture gallery that I adore and have been to probably half a dozen times. I guess I just thought it would be like that not GINORMOUS.
There was a lot of Michelangelo’s work there which was so cool to be able to see. He was quoted as saying that the sculpture was already done inside the block of stone…he was just removing the outer layer to set it free. Some of his early work or the ones he didn’t complete towards the end of his life make you absolutely believe that. Unreal.
Florence in addition to art and architecture is known for leather and gold. Globus took us to a leather work demo which was very interesting and then we were off on our own for the afternoon. Me being me, I had done some additional research for each location because I knew we’d have some free time to explore. My delay in getting to Venice kind of ruined those plans but for Florence I was ready.
Apparently, the oldest operating pharmacy in the world, Santa Maria Novella, is in Florence and you know I love going to the local pharmacy and grocery store wherever I go so away I went. I was not prepared. It was the most gorgeous “pharmacy” I have ever seen in my entire life. I think it might have been more epic than some churches I’ve been in. Which I guess makes sense because it was founded by the Dominican monks who were also setting up what we now know as the Santa Maria Novella Basilica right around the corner. I went a bit crazy buying soap and potpourri that I still have thank you very much.
Of course, the food was incredible and so were all the people we met. The Christmas Markets were starting to pop up so we got to check that out in Florence and it was very fun. Definitely got you in the spirit.
From Florence to Rome:
On our way to Rome, we stopped for an overnight in Assisi. This was one of those things that took me by surprise. I thought it would be cool to see St. Francis’ Basilica but I ended up just falling in love with the storybook town of Assisi. Not to downplay the basilica though because MAN was that incredible. Sadly, we weren’t allowed to take pictures inside but hopefully my outside pics will help convey what I’m talking about.
We stopped in a little shop during our free time after the basilica tour and did a wine tasting. They had ALL of the truffle stuff my little truffle-loving heart needed. It was a pretty perfect afternoon.
On to Rome for two nights…so I will start this out by saying that I hope to enjoy Rome more when I’m back in November but I really wasn’t feeling it my first time through. In their defense, Rome was in the middle of a “garbage situation” with the company that provides pick-up service so there was trash everywhere which didn’t help my general opinion I’m sure.
In addition to the trash, the traffic in Rome is probably the worst I’ve ever experienced. It was so congested I couldn’t figure out who was driving and who was parked. AND THEN you throw in the Vespas and you might as well forget it. So crazy. So confusing. Woof.
The highlights, however, were the reasons we were actually there. We went to Vatican City and it was amazing. Our local tour guide made the same comments that the Venice guide did…we were SUPER lucky to be there in the off-season. Normally you can’t stop to look at anything in the Vatican Museum…you just get carried along by the crowd. I was super grateful. There was just so much to see.
And then…The Sistine Chapel. Absolutely mind-blowing! It was actually hard to wrap your head around…ya know…like you can’t really believe you’re standing in the Sistine Chapel but then also trying to take in ALL the paintings.
There are no photos allowed inside the chapel which was a bummer but in a weird way, I find not being allowed to use my camera almost makes me absorb things more since I’m forced to take it all in with my actual senses not looking through a lens.
So quick nerd alert…one of my fav films is Hudson Hawk. Don’t judge. In the movie, Bruce Willis mails himself into the Vatican. With Vatican City also being its own little country, it’s got its own postal system/stamps, etc. If you’re looking for something fun to do while you’re there…mail something home from Vatican City!
The tour we took of Vatican City went from The Sistine Chapel into St. Peter’s Basilica and then ended in St. Peter’s Square. Let’s start with St. Peter’s Basilica.
The basilica is the largest church on earth but everything inside is built in such a way that you actually don’t realize how ginormous it is until you’re told things like: The statues on ground level are 6ft tall, they look like the same size as the ones up in the ceiling but those are 24ft tall. WHAT?! The letters that wrap around the top of the wall? 8ft high. You could fit the Statue of Liberty inside the dome. Notre Dome would fit inside. It’s two football fields long. It’s unreal.
Inside St. Peter’s Basilica is Michelangelo’s Piete, as I’ve mentioned before, sculpture has always fascinated me and this piece was a perfect example. The depth of emotion as the Virgin Mary holds Jesus in her lap after his crucifixion is awe-inspiring and truly brings tears to your eyes.
Outside in St. Peter’s Square, where they hold papal audiences and a variety of other events. There are 140 statues of saints and martyrs circling the area and almost 300 Tuscan columns line the square as well. For me, it was very recognizable from The DaVinci Code movie so that was kind of fun.
Another stop, while we were in Rome, was the Colosseum. When I was a kid, I wanted to be an archeologist so obviously, Italy, in general, was very cool in a throw back way to when I was just absorbing all things ruins/ancient history but the COLOSSEUM checks all the boxes. The size of the place was shocking especially when you consider it full of people cheering on all the events. Highly recommend making this a stop if you’re in Rome. They also have an underground tour that we’ll be doing in November. I can’t wait to check it out.
Sadly, some of our tour group finished up their trip in Rome before the rest of us headed on for another two days in Sorrento. We had an excellent dinner to say farewell to our friends before we parted ways in the morning.
Visiting Pompeii:
After we left Rome behind us, we headed off to Pompeii as we continued south to Sorrento. Referencing the above childhood dream of being an archeologist…Pompeii was a HUGE bucket list item for me. We had a private guide for this stop and it was as epic as you’d hope! I’ll admit, there was such a weird vibe here that I was super uncomfortable the whole time. It was almost overwhelming…the feeling of needing to leave. I don’t know what any of it means but I was shocked.
Some of the cool stuff around Pompeii; it had raised walkways for people to cross the streets with spaces for carts to roll through, there was plumbing, there were two-story markets and so much more. They were incredibly advanced. I don’t think I realized how much of the city was just sitting there. I think I thought it would be more ruins and archeological dig sites but we walked past homes, restaurants, and baths. It was such a cool experience.
In the evening, there was an excursion to a farmhouse for dinner. We got to tour their farm and learn all about their farm-to-table business. Super fun and delicious! If you’re going on a Globus trip, I would probably push you to do all their excursions.
You really get a local experience at almost every single one and since the whole reason I went with Globus was that I was nervous about the language barrier…this was an easy way to get even more out of my vacation with a guide. Just to give you an idea, between the included meals and adding all the excursions…all my breakfasts, dinners, and most of my lunches were taken care of which was just one less thing to worry about.
Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast:
Truth be told, I only did the extended Italian trip because of Pompeii and Positano. I mean, how was I going to come to Italy and NOT see Pompeii and Positano? Crazy talk. HOWEVER, I ended up falling hard for Sorrento! It is literally the cutest little coastal town with all these narrow alleyways full of shopping and restaurants. The views of the water from the cliffs are incredible.
I took Globus’ excursion to Positano and the drive there along the coast was HARROWING. Haha! I was on the cliff side of the van and I could look straight down to the water. I’m not a squeamish passenger normally but this route will do it to you.
Where to buy limoncello:
When we arrived to gorgeous Positano…it was POURING. I mean torrential. Our tour guide felt terrible for us but in my opinion…everyone’s got sunny pics of Positano…mine are unique! Hahaha! We didn’t stay as long as we probably would have on a sunny day but it was very fun navigating the narrow windy streets down to the beach and then being set loose to explore for a little bit. We found a cute little shop where we camped out with lemon beers and stocked up on lemon candy and, of course, limoncello.
Limoncello is a delicious lemon liqueur that is made in this area of Italy. It’s everywhere in Sorrento and Positano but it’s a very nice souvenir from Positano specifically. All things lemon are featured here so if you don’t drink, you’ll still have plenty to choose from. I’m looking forward to going back in November and hoping having a full day with more agreeable weather. My original plan on this trip was to get handmade sandals while in Positano but there was just no way during to the deluge that I was going to find the shop. Fingers crossed I get my sandals this year.
Saying Goodbye to Italy:
When we got back from Positano, our guide gave us some ideas of things to do in Sorrento so we set out on our own for the afternoon. One of my favorite memories from the trip is lunch that day in a little restaurant on the town square with Keesha, who I immediately became friends with very early in the trip. It was crazy good food in a great setting as the rain kept coming down with someone who I’m still friends with today. We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering the alleyways shopping before our farewell dinner with the rest of the tour group.
In the morning, we headed to the airport in Naples where we all went our separate ways. I wasn’t heading home though and you can read about my Lisbon Stopover here. I got home on Christmas Eve 2019. A few weeks later, Italy was hit HARD by Covid-19. Keesha and I were so worried about all the people we had met during our trip but we had no idea how soon it wouldn’t be just Italy battling this virus. It’s so strange to look back at this trip knowing what I know now.
Obviously, a trip to someplace like Italy really makes you appreciate the ability to travel but having the option to see the world taken away for two years DEFINITELY makes you think. I can’t wait to go back and support the tourism industry and all the local mom and pop shops and just appreciate EVERYTHING more. It’ll be incredible to go back with this new viewpoint and hopefully be a more grateful traveler.
