Italy was my first solo travelling experience, back in 2022 and it changed my perception of travel forever. Since then I’ve been to over 20 countries and still counting.
I was in Italy for a friend’s wedding, so we started in Ravello on the Amalfi Coast.
Amalfi Coast – 7 days
The Amalfi Coast is absolutely stunning, but, be warned it’s unsurprisingly expensive and, in my humble opinion, a little boring. I like adventure, history, culture and a bit of adrenaline. The Amalfi Coast is all about sunbathing and spending a lot of money doing it. The Amalfi Coast is a 50km stretch of Italian coastline that includes 13 municipalities, I was based in Ravello, just a little bit along from Amalfi the town itself. Top places to visit: Ravello, Amalfi, Atrani, Positano and Maiori.
Naples – 1 day
After finishing up on the coast, I was on car duty, so I started transporting people back to Naples, the closest airport. Naples is a bit marmite, the undisputed home of pizza but it’s a bit rough and quite dirty – I only spent half a day here before moving on to Siena.
Siena – 1 day
Siena is a city in Italy’s infamous Tuscany region, the best part of Italy in my opinion. You could stretch to two days here, there’s not a huge amount to do, but it is a lovely city and I always say it’s like a quieter, smaller version of Florence. Plenty of museums, lots of traditional Italian cafes and the architecture of this walled city is to die for.
Florence – 3 days
Florence is the undisputed gem of Italy. The architecture, the art, the people, the river and the walkability of the city make it an absolute must-see if you’re going to Italy. People will always flock to Rome, naturally, but ask anybody that has seen a lot of Italy and Florence will come up first place time and time again. It’s very common for people to visit the capital of a country but often overlook the true jewel in the crown, in the same way that Italy has Florence, Spain has Valencia, Morocco has Fes and Portugal has Porto.
Cinque Terre – 2 days
After Florence I took a train to La Spezia, a port city on the Italian Riviera and the “gateway” to Cinque Terre. Made up of five towns, all connected by paths and a train station, it’s an amazing few days, like stepping back in time in traditional Italy. That atypical Italian photo of the multi-coloured buildings on the coast? Yep, that’s the one.
Venice – 2 days
From Cinque Terre, I took a number of trains and buses across the breadth of Italy to Venice, where I spent a few days. I’ll be honest, I found Venice quite boring, another city, that I feel has sold its soul a little too much to attract tourists. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a very cool city and travelling around by boat everywhere is an experience, but a couple of days will be plenty.
Rome – 3 days
Ah, Rome, The Eternal City. I went in with low expectations to be honest, the capital cities are always a bit overhyped and overcrowded but I found Rome was a pleasant surprise and I actually really enjoyed it. I saw all the usual sites, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain and so on. Personally, there wasn’t ever a moment where I was really in awe of any of it. Looking back, I think the only place that really gave me goosebumps was the Duomo in Florence, it is absolutely mammoth. But, everybody talks about the Colosseum in Rome, so when you get there you think “ah, cool, there it is”, whereas nobody talks about the Duomo in Florence and as you’re minding your own business walking through the streets of Florence, boom, there it is.
Rome was my final stop in Italy and after this I headed to Croatia.
