Our first “big” trip since returning from our mega honeymoon was as wonderful as we had hoped. We held off on visiting Italy during our world tour as we knew we wanted to check out a few different cities and were limited on time…so we made an anniversary trip out of it 🙂 Two weeks of exploration and we still didn’t hit everything on our Italy bucket list…but we still had a great time. Highlights below:
Amalfi Coast:
During the planning phases of this trip, we were torn on where to stay in Amalfi, but ultimately decided to split our time between Positano and Capri. One of the major highlights in both places were the views – we certainly took advantage of our opportunities to admire the colorful cliffside architecture while enjoying a few refreshing limoncello spritz’. Furthermore, we had excellent weather that allowed us to swim the Tyrrhenian waters and even charter a fun little boat to cruise around the perimeter of the island. And of course, a vacation wouldn’t be the same without an obligatory spa day 🙂 Needless to say, our trip started off pretty rough.
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Florence:
After giving ourselves a few days to adjust to the time difference and relax on the coast, we were ready to truly start exploring… and EATING. Not to say that we didn’t have any fantastic meals in Positano or Capri, but it was really game on once we reached the city (especially since we no longer had to get into swimwear). We had one of our best Italian meals in Florence, with the star of the show being *truffles*. Although we ate a number of delicious truffle dishes throughout the entirety of our trip, our meal at this tiny 20 seater restaurant off the beaten path was such a treat. We also had our fair share paninis at the popular All’antico Vinao deli, as well as some bistecca fiorrentia (which was so so), and of course… gelato. Eating aside, we also checked out the main tourist sites: L’Accademia to see the famous Michelangelo’s David, the Duomo, and Ponte Vecchio. Our final highlight here was when we went across the river and up to Piazzale Michaelangelo for sunset views of the city – a great ending to our time in Florence.
Tuscany:
By the time we reached the Tuscan countryside, we were ready to drink some wine! We had tastings at several wineries throughout Chianti Classico and stayed at a lovely villa just outside Castellina. Our hotel also happened to be home to one of Tuscany’s 2018 Michelin star restaurants, so we most definitely took advantage of dining there.
Rome:
Italy’s capital was our final destination before heading back to the states. Such a unique place considering the impressive historical architecture sitting in the middle of such a busy city. We visited the major sites which attracted thousands of other tourists: Colosseum, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican, etc. A unique tour we were able to book in advance was the underground “Scavi” (or excavations) tour at the Vatican. This was a really great experience as only 250 visitors are granted access of the 40,000+ Vatican tourists a day. The tour walked us through the underground tombs of St. Peter’s and see the remains of the old church below. Aside from this one exception, every other major attraction was PACKED with tourists… it slightly took away from the experience, but we’re still glad we got to see everything. Note to future visitors: you MUST get skip the line access. We wouldn’t have seen all we wanted to see if we didn’t have this. The lines for all major sites were insane and we really couldn’t believe people would wait hours in them.
And there you have it. Our trip was a good mix of relaxation and exploration. We may have gained a few pounds, but totally worth it. Now we’re off to the gym and possibly back on keto. Until next time!
– AM & Matt
For more pictures from our trip to Italy, check out the image gallery page or click on the links below: