15 days in... Italy!
- Joana Ribeiro Sabino
- Oct 11, 2018
- 8 min read
Do you feel like eating pizza? Or maybe some nice pasta dish? Why not go to its birthplace? I don't know about you but me, I will definitely go to Italy some day! So let's have a virtual trip to this wonderful, amusing and ancient country! Officially the Italian Republic, is a unitary parliamentary republic located in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. The southern part consists of the whole Italian peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia, the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, and many other smaller islands are located around the Italian territory. Independent states of San Marino and the Vatican are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of the country covers about 301 338 km² and most of its territory has a seasonal temperate climate. Rome, the Italian capital, was for centuries the political and religious center of Western civilization as the capital of the Roman Empire and as the seat of the Holy See. After the decline of Romans, Italy suffered numerous invasions of foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and, later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the cradle of the maritime republics and the Renaissance, an extremely fruitful intellectual movement that would be fundamental in the subsequent formation of European thought. For much of its post-Roman history, Italy was fragmented into several kingdoms and city-states, but was unified in 1861, after a tumultuous period in history known as "Il Risorgimento" ("The Resurgence"). Between the end of the XIX century and the end of World War II, Italy had a colonial empire that extended its dominion until Libya, Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Albania, Dodecanese and a concession in Tianjin, China. Modern Italy is a democratic republic, classified as the 24th most developed country in the world and with index of quality of life among the top ten in the planet. The country enjoys a high standard of living and has a high per capita nominal GDP. It is a founding member of the European Union and part of the eurozone, as well as being a member of the G8, G20, NATO, OECD, World Trade Organization (WTO), Council of Europe, Western European Union and United Nations. Italy has the fourth largest gold reserve, the eighth largest nominal GDP, the tenth largest GDP (PPP) and the sixth largest public budget in the world. Italian Republic has the ninth largest defence budget in the world, access to NATO's nuclear weapons and a prominent role in European, world and military, cultural and diplomatic affairs, making it one of the world's leading Middle Powers and a Regional Power in Europe. The country has a high level of public education and is a highly globalized nation.
Florence
Capital of the Tuscan region in Italy, houses many Renaissance works of art and architecture. On the north side, Piazza della Signoria is one of the most visited squares in the city, thanks to the imposing Palazzo Vecchio (the town hall).
Accommodation
The average price of an Arbnb in this city is around 90 euros but you can find prices from 10 euros per night.
Transportation
Being a historical city where most of the site seeing is close to one other, the best thing to do is walking. However, for those who can't or those who will need some kind of transportation for certain places there is a public transportation service that includes tram and buses. A single ticket journey its 1,20 euros but you also have daily tickets and those are; 24h ticket (5 euros), 3 days (12 euros), 7 days (18 euros) and four tickets of 24h for a family (6 euros). Your other option its getting a taxi.
Attractions
This is my list for 5 days in Florence if you can go to all this places. I will start from the most important ones in case you don't have time to do them all.
1 - Santa Maria del Fiore (Tickets 18 euros each).
2 - Le Gallerie degli Uffizi (Tickets 12 euros each).
3 - Ponte Vecchio
4 - Palazzo Vecchio (Tickets 18 euros each).
5 - Piazza della Signoria
6 - Palazzo Pitti (Tickets 16 euros).
7 - Galleria Dell'Accademia di Firenze (Tickets 8 euros each).
8 - David
9 - Piazzale Michelangelo
10 - Boboli Gardens
11 - Baptistry of San Giovanni (Tickets 18 euros each).
12 - Santa Croce Florence (Tickets 8 euros each).
13 - Torre Sineira de Giotto (Tickets 18 euros each).
14 - Bargello Nacional Museum
15 - Piazza del Duomo
16 - Santa Maria Novella (Tickets 7,50 euros each).
17 - Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore (Tickets 18 euros each).
18 - San Lorenzo Basilica
19 - Loggia dei Lanzi
20 - Piazza della Repubblica
21 - Palazzo Medici Riccardi
22 - Vasari Corridor
23 - Basilica di Santo Spirito
24 - Netuno Fountain
25 - Médici Chapel (Tickets 11 euros each).
26 - Palazzo Strozzi (Tickets 12 euros each).
27 - San Miniato al Monte Basilica
28 - Orsanmichele Church
29 - Giardino Bardini
30 - Palazzo Castellani (Tickets 10 euros each).
Photos of the Attractions
Video by; Around The World 4K
Food
Affettati Misti
This is one of the most traditional snacks served in Florence restaurants. The slices are arranged in a circle on a plate decorated with crunchy and tasty lettuce leaves. Sometimes it is served with thin slices of bread in a basket. The best wine to be combined with the slices is a new and rather light Chianti, like those of the "Florentine hills".
Photo by; Andrew Malone
Vinagrete
An excellent appetizer, which can vary depending on the season and availability of vegetables. The success of this simple and tasty dish depends on two basic elements: fresh vegetables and, above all, olive oil from the Tuscan hills. The vegetables are served with a small glass containing oil, salt and pepper in which the pieces of raw vegetables are immersed.
Photo by; Barbara Bueno
Toast with Liver
Thin slices of toast with sauce made from rabbit liver, capers, anchovy fillets, chopped sage leaves and butter. Originally this sauce was called "peverada" and was made with saffron that grew in large quantities in the rural landscape surrounding the city.
Photo by; amrufm
Rome
Capital of Italy, a huge cosmopolitan city with almost 3,000 years of influential art, architecture and culture all over the world. The 18th Century Spanish Steps are in the heart of Rome's upscale shopping district, with designer boutiques along Via Condotti and Via Borgognona. Roman cuisine includes mainly traditional dishes such as carbonara, amatriciana and saltimbocca. The nightly activities range from watching classic Verdi operas, to having fun in the popular clubs of Testaccio, which was once the neighbourhood of the city's abattoirs.
Accommodation
The average price of an Arbnb in this city is around 90 euros but you can find prices from 9 euros per night.
Transportation
From Florence to Rome you have 2 options. First one is by train. The cheapest journey costs 21 euros and it takes 4h09m to get in to your destination. The second one is by bus, it takes 3h15m and it costs 8 euros. Public transportation in side the city was metro, bus and trams. Single tickets costs 1,50 euros, a 24h one costs 7 euros, 48h costs 12,50 euros, 72h costs 18 euros and a 7 days ticket costs 24 euros. Renting a medium size car in Rome cots around 30 euros for 5 days. You can also get a Taxi or call an Uber.
Attractions
This is my list for 5 days in Rome if you can go to all this places. I will start from the most important ones in case you don't have time to do them all.
1 - Colosseum (Tickets 18 euros each).
2 - San Pietro Basilica
3 - Roman Forum
4 - Pantheon (Tickets 6 euros each).
5 - Fontana di Trevi
6 - Sistine Chapel (Tickets 17 euros each).
7 - Vatican Museums (Tickets 35 euros each).
8 - Piazza Navona
9 - Scalinata Di Trinità Dei Monti
10 - Lungotevere Castello (Tickets 14 euros each).
11 - Villa Borghese Gardens
12 - Piazza di Spagna
13 - Monte Capitolino
14 - Piazza San Pietro
15 - Piazza Venezia
16 - Piazza del Popolo
17 - Galleria Borghese (Tickets 5 euros each).
18 - Campo de Fiori
19 - Vittorio Emanuele II Monument
20 - Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica
21 - Circo Massimo
22 - Bocca della Verità
23 - Capitoline Museum (Tickets 16 euros each).
24 - The Archbasilica of St. John Lateran (Tickets 10 euros each).
25 - Villa d'Este
26 - Baths of Caracalla (Tickets 15 euros each).
27 - Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
28 - Arco di Costantino
29 - Ponte Sant'Angelo
30 - Janículo
Photos of the Attractions
Video by; Expedia SEA
Food
Bucatini all'amatriciana
It is a pasta made with tomato sauce, pieces of guanciale (kind of non-smoked bacon very greasy), parmesan and pecorino, dry wine and onion.
It is called amatriciana because the guanciale used to make this dish is from Amatrice, a small village in Abruzzo.
Photo by; Joy
Spaghetti alla Carbonara
Very common dish, but very heavy too. The dough is mixed with raw egg and cheese which is then cooked to create a very yummy tenderloin.
Photo by; Kimberly Vardeman
Rigatoni alla Pajata
This is the oldest and most typical dish in Rome and it is not easy to find it in restaurants.
Rigatoni are short bored pasta in the middle (like penne) with veal-based gravy (pajata). The intestine is washed, but the milk is not taken from inside.
Photo by; Prof.lumacorno
Naples
City in southern Italy, sits on the Gulf of Naples, next to Mount Vesuvius, an active volcano that destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii. Founded in the second millennium BC, Naples has centuries of art and architecture. Via Toledo is an elegant shopping district next to the Spanish Quarter. The historical center is divided in two by the most famous street of Naples, the colourful and bustling Spaccanapoli. Famous for being the origin place for pizza and spaghetti, Naples also offers several seafood specialities.
Accommodation
The average price of an Arbnb in this city is around 85 euros but you can find prices from 10 euros per night.
Transportation
From Rome to Naples you can travel by train or bus. On a train it will cost 10 euros the cheapest one and it takes 2h03m. Going by bus it takes 2h:30m and it will cost 8 euros per ticket. In side the city you have metro, bus, tram and cable car. A 24h ticket costs 3.50 euros. My apologies, this was the only information that I could get just for the public transportation. Renting a medium size car costs around 40 euros for 5 days. You can also get in to a taxi.
Attractions
This is my list for 5 days in Naples if you can go to all this places. I will start from the most important ones in case you don't have time to do them all.
1 - Royal Palace (Tickets 8,50 euros each).
2 - Naples National Archaeological Museum (Tickets 19 euros each).
3 - Castel dell'Ovo
4 - Castel Nuovo
5 - Piazza del Plebiscito
6 - Cappella di San Severo (Tickets 7 euros each).
7 - Naples Port
8 - San Carlo Theater (Tickets 9 euros each).
9 - Umberto I Gallery
10 - Sant'Elmo Castle
11 - Capodimonte Museum (Tickets 18,50 euros each).
12 - Naples Cathedral
13 - Vesuvius National Park
14 - Naples Underground Geothermal Zone
15 - Santa Chiara Basilica (Tickets 6 euros each).
16 - San Francesco di Paola Basilica
17 - Gesù Nuovo
18 - Catacombs of San Gennaro (Tickets 9 euros each).
19 - Cumas
20 - Museo Nazionale di San Martino (Tickets 6 euros each).
21 - Parco Virgiliano
22 - S. Domenico Maggiore Church (Tickets 7 euros each).
23 - San Lorenzo Maggiore (Tickets 9 euros each).
24 - Museo d'Arte Contemporanea Donnaregina (Tickets 8 euros each).
25 - Pio Monte della Misericordia (Tickets 7 euros each).
26 - Flavian Amphitheater (Tickets 4 euros each).
27 - Villa Floridiana (Tickets 4 euros each).
28 - Macelo de Pozzuoli
29 - Fontanelle Cemetery
30 - Gaiola Underwater Park Marine Protected Area
Photos of the Attractions
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Video by; Condé Nast Traveler
Food
Montanara
A delicious snack, is a small, very soft fried pizza topped with a little tomato sauce, parmesan and basil. Montanara can be found in any Naples diner.
Photo by; Daniel Zemans
Pizza
Naples has the best pizza in Italy and that's the end, and not only because of the wonderful mozzarella, the fresh tomato sauce, it's just the way to do it. It was not by chance that Italy applied for the art of Neapolitan pizza to UNESCO World Heritage.
Photo by; Sami Keinänen
Mozzarella de BúfalaIn addition to eating a pizza with buffalo mozzarella (or mozzarella), something I would advise you to do is go to a cheese shop (caseificio) or salumeria and ask to make a sandwich with the fresh mozzarella.
Photo by; Joselu Blanco
And those are the places I would like to visit when I go to Italy. If you are planing to go on one of these cities, I hope this post helped you on something ;)
Be sure to enjoy all your travels!
Joana Ribeiro Sabino
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