My itinerary for Italy in 10 days

When I first started planning a trip to Italy for ten days, I had a very simple plan: to see as much as possible, eat delicious food, walk a lot, and preferably not be late. Already at the stage of setting the route, it became clear that the last condition would be the most difficult to fulfill, because Italy does not have a stopwatch at all. Here you can leave the hotel "literally for half an hour", and three hours later find yourself at a table in a small cafe with pasta in front of your nose and the thought that, since you've already come, you should try tiramisu. Rome Leonardo da Vinci Airport In the end, I decided not to try to travel all over the country in ten days and made a route so that each move would make sense. I wanted to see Rome, Florence and Venice, and between them leave enough time for ordinary walks, casual discoveries and those very moments that cannot be included in the tourist plan. It turned out to be a route that I was quite happy with, although I said to myself a couple of times: "Gilana, why did you walk there again if you could get there?" I arrived in Rome with the feeling that I would quickly settle in, drop my things and go for a walk, like a real organized tourist. In practice, everything looked a little different: first I was looking for the right exit from the subway, then I was trying to figure out which way to go, and then I saw the first beautiful street and, of course, I went completely the wrong way, because how could I walk past such a house and not take a picture of it. Trevi Fountain On the first day, I specifically did not arrange a sightseeing run. I walked around the center, reached the Trevi Fountain, looked at the Pantheon and just got used to Rome. I wanted to feel the city, not tick off ten famous places, so I walked a lot, looked into the alleys and periodically sat down somewhere to drink coffee. The Pantheon By the evening, I had already realized one important thing: Rome is impossible to watch "casually." Even an ordinary dinner trip here turns into an excursion, because there is so much history, beautiful facades and small squares around that the phone almost begs to be picked up.

On the second day, I went to the Colosseum. I tried to arrange the tickets in advance, because even before the trip, I imagined that spending a few hours in line under the Italian sun was not exactly the experience I was flying to Rome for. The Colosseum When I finally found myself next to the Colosseum, I realized why it was impossible to perceive it only as another item on the list of attractions.: The photos convey the shape of the building, but they don't convey the sense of scale at all when you're standing next to it. The Roman Forum After the Colosseum, I went for a walk around the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The walk turned out to be much longer than I expected, because there I always want to stop, look around and imagine how it all looked many centuries ago. Palatine At some point, I realized that my legs had already stopped sharing my interest in history, and if they had a voice, they would probably suggest switching to studying ancient Rome exclusively in a sitting position. After such a walk, I decided not to overload the evening and just went for a walk around the city. I went to have dinner, sat outside for a while and watched the people who were passing by for a long time. I actually liked that in Rome, even an ordinary evening turns into a little trip.: you don't have to go to any particular landmark, just go outside, and the city itself begins to show you something interesting.

I devoted the third day to the Vatican and prepared myself in advance for a lot of impressions. St. Peter's Cathedral makes a completely different impression in person, even if you have already seen it in photographs dozens of times before the trip. You stand inside and realize that it's just impossible to look at everything at the same time, so at some point I stopped trying to memorize every detail and just enjoyed being there. St. Peter's Cathedral After the Vatican, I decided to change the pace a bit and headed towards Trastevere. I really liked its small streets, old houses, balconies, laundry that dries completely without any desire to match tourist photos, and small restaurants where people quietly dine and talk. Santa Maria in Trastevere Square and fountain I took turns several times where I had no intention of going at all, and each time I found something interesting, so I gradually stopped looking at the map and just allowed myself to get a little lost. Republic Square In the evening, I found myself back in the center of Rome and found myself thinking that the city was already beginning to become familiar. Of course, I could still easily get lost, but now I was doing it much more confidently, because I already knew several landmarks and had a rough idea of which way to go. For me, this is always a special moment in a journey – when a strange city gradually ceases to be a stranger.

I decided to start the fourth day calmly, because after three days of active walks, I already wanted to just walk along familiar streets without the obligatory to-do list. I took another look at the center, reached Venice Square, had a coffee, and gradually began to return to the hotel to get my things. At times like this, I always regret a little that I can't just leave my suitcase in Rome and come here for another week, because that's when you get the feeling that you've just begun to understand the city. Venice Square in Rome My traditional struggle with a suitcase was waiting for me at the train station. It would seem that there are few things, everything is neatly assembled, but once you start looking for the right platform, this small bag suddenly turns into an impossible object. Fortunately, the train to Florence turned out to be convenient, the journey passed quickly, and after a while I was driving to a new city and looking out the window, realizing that the first part of the journey was over. The Ponte Vecchio Bridge I checked in in Florence and didn't plan a long route on purpose in the evening. I just went out for a walk, looked at the city at a calm pace and realized what it would be like for me. So far, the Ponte Vecchio Bridge has impressed me the most. I read that it was built in 1345. It is clear that repairs were carried out, reconstruction was carried out, but it is still amazing that such high-quality structures were built earlier. In general, after Rome, Florence immediately seemed more intimate and cozy to me, although even then I suspected that my feet would be discovered very soon: a small city does not mean a small number of steps, but that's another story.

In the morning, I went to explore the historical center of Florence and quickly realized that it was almost impossible to just walk down the street here. Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore There is always something around that attracts attention: a facade, a square, a showcase, a sculpture, an old door or another street that looks like it was specially built for photographs. I walked to the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, walked around the center, looked at the Palazzo Vecchio and went back to the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. Palazzo Vecchio At some point, I realized that my plan for the day had completely ceased to exist. And you know, I decided not to resist, because Florence is just the kind of city where it is more pleasant not to run along the points, but to allow myself to deviate a little from the route. I went into small shops, looked at the windows, photographed the streets and periodically sat down to drink coffee, although before that I confidently promised myself that "today I will save time." Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology of Florence After a few hours of walking, I decided to go to the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnology of Florence and spend part of the day there. I didn't expect that there would be so many exhibits here. An art historian told me that there are about 25,000 artifacts collected here. After a while, my brain began to hint rather delicately that another piece of art might be too much of a challenge for him right now, so I went looking for food. Margarita with tomato sauce, mozzarella and herbs In the evening, I sat in a small cafe for a long time, looked at the people around me and thought that in Italy, for some reason, food very easily becomes part of the route, and not just a necessary break between the sights. I wanted to try real Italian pizza. I ordered a traditional Margarita with tomato sauce, mozzarella and herbs. And it was the most delicious pizza, which I ate completely by myself, although I originally planned to take a couple of slices with me.

On the sixth day, I decided to take a little calmer and look at Florence from above. The way up turned out to be a little more difficult than it looked in my imagination, but when I finally stopped and saw the city in front of me, it became clear that all these ascents were not in vain. Florence looks completely different from above, and at such moments it's especially clear how compact a city can seem, which a few hours ago you were winding kilometers through. After that, I just walked around without a clear plan. I looked into stores, first I looked at branded items, and then I bought small souvenirs that would surely be in the closet with the inscription "Italy" at home, and again I photographed everything that came across on the way. I actually noticed a strange thing about myself: the longer I travel, the less I photograph the sights and the more I take pictures of ordinary things – streets, a cup of coffee, a hotel window, a table in a cafe and some funny sign. Ponte Santa Trinita I was captivated by the place of Ponte Santa Trinita, it is located between the districts of the historical center and Oltrarno. Unlike the crowded Ponte Vecchio, it's peaceful here. This is probably the perfect place to take a break, breathe in the air and feel the atmosphere of the city. It was in Florence that I finally abandoned the idea of adding a few more cities to the trip. At some point, it became clear to me that if I tried to look at everything in ten days, I would only remember train stations, train numbers, and where I left my charger. And I wanted to return home with the feeling that I really was in Italy, and not just moving around with a suitcase.

In the morning, I packed my suitcase again and went to the train station. By this point, I was already a little tired of the constant "assemble–disassemble–reassemble" process, so this time I decided not to complicate my life and just double-check everything before going out. Of course, it was at that moment that I almost left one thing in the room, because for some reason traveling makes me forget things that I never forget at home. Santa Maria Novella Train Station The journey to Venice was quiet, and upon arrival, a new story began. With a suitcase, Venice turned out to be much more difficult than I imagined: bridges, stairs, stones underfoot and the absence of familiar streets along which you can just walk calmly. At one point, I looked at my luggage with the expression of a person who is beginning to suspect that it is the main obstacle on the way to beautiful Italy. Grand Canal Gondolas After checking in, I went for a walk anyway. I purposely left my first evening in Venice free and didn't try to find all the famous places right away. I just wanted to walk along the canals, look at the houses, listen to the sound of the water and from time to time stop where it was especially beautiful. Next to the traditional Venetian boats, I couldn't help but feel like the heroine of an Italian movie. It is not surprising that Venice has gradually begun to make the impression on me that I want to return here for, it is incredibly beautiful and cozy here. Gondolas are used as the main type of water transport in the historical center. And the symbol of the city, as I understand it, is a popular tourist attraction. I took a boat to the Church of Santa Maria della Salute. The Grand Canal. Church of Santa Maria della Salute It seemed like an amazing journey to me. I thought about how lucky Italians are, because they can swim like this every day. The temple was built as a sign of gratitude after the devastating plague epidemic of 1630-1631 receded. On the seventh day of my trip, it became the last destination. I had no desire to go anywhere else, I wanted to keep calm and peaceful, which I received after visiting the church.

The next day, I went to St. Mark's Square and the Doge's Palace. Of course, there were a lot of people, and I understood in advance that Venice is not the place where you can count on the complete absence of tourists in the center. But when I stopped trying to take the perfect photo without a single person in the frame, it became much easier to just enjoy what was happening. View of the Basilica from St. Mark's Square The courtyard of the Doge's Palace After the main attractions, I purposely walked away from the busiest streets. And that's where the Venice that I particularly liked began: small bridges, narrow passages, windows of old houses, boats against the walls and a completely peaceful life outside the main tourist routes. Sometimes I would just stop in the middle of the street and think that if I didn't know where I was, I might think I was in an old movie set. In the evening, I walked along the canals for a long time and got a little lost again. But for some reason, getting lost in Venice is not scary at all, because even when you don't understand where you are, there will almost always be a beautiful canal, bridge or small square ahead. However, when I finally found my way back, my legs clearly believed that the excursion program for today had been over-fulfilled.

I decided to devote the ninth day to more relaxing walks and trips to the islands. After my busy days in Rome and Florence, I just wanted to look at the other side of Venice and take a break from the constant stream of people in the center. The trip around the city on the water turned out to be very pleasant, especially because I was in no hurry and did not try to do absolutely everything in a few hours. I admired the Grand Canal, took a lot of photos, drank coffee, looked at houses, and again found myself thinking that it was much more interesting for me to observe the ordinary life of the city than just moving from one landmark to another. At some point, I looked at the navigator and discovered that I had gone completely wrong from where I had planned. But after a few days in Venice, I already perceived it almost as part of a mandatory program. Tagliatelle with bolognese sauce In the evening, I returned to the city and had one last Italian dinner. I really liked the tagliatelle with bolognese sauce, before the trip to Italy I would have called them pasta. But now I see the difference and I will try to cook wide noodles with meat stew at home. It was a little sad to get ready to go home, because in ten days I had already gotten used to this rhythm: waking up, going outside, walking a lot, looking for a new cafe and constantly being surprised that the next turn turned out to be more beautiful than the previous one. At such times, you especially want to stop time for at least another couple of days.

I didn't plan anything serious on purpose on the last day. I wanted to have a quiet breakfast, walk along familiar streets, take another look at Venice, and just sit somewhere with a coffee without checking the departure time every five minutes. After 10 days of constant movement, such a slow ending turned out to be exactly what was really needed. I walked through the streets and remembered the beginning of the trip when I first arrived in Rome and still did not know how much I would have time to see. During these days, I managed to live in three completely different cities, get lost several times, get tired of my own suitcase, eat a lot more pasta than I had planned, and take so many photos that I had to deal with my phone's memory later. St. Angel's Bridge I went home with the feeling that ten days is both a long time and absolutely not enough. A lot, because during this time you can see Rome, Florence and Venice, feel the difference between them and get a real idea of traveling in Italy, and a little – because you only have to look at the map, as it becomes clear how much more is left beyond this route. What would I change in the route now? If I were planning a trip to Italy for ten days again, I would keep about the same principle: several cities, a normal amount of time in each and a minimum of pointless travel. It is much more pleasant for me to spend three days in one place, to have time to walk in the morning, afternoon and evening, to see the city not only from the tourist side and leave myself time for random discoveries, than to wake up every day thinking that today I need to go somewhere again. My itinerary turned out like this: Rome – 3 days, Florence – 3 days, Venice – 3 days and one more day for moving and a quiet end to the trip. Of course, this is far from the whole of Italy, and I understand perfectly well that there are a lot of places outside of this route that I also want to go to now: Tuscany, small towns, the coast, the south of the country and many places that I hadn't even considered before. And that's probably what I like most about traveling. A good trip doesn't end when you check all the sights, but when you return home and after a couple of days start looking at photos again, remembering random streets, the taste of dinner, and some completely ordinary evening view. After my Italy, I still have exactly this feeling: I didn't "see Italy in ten days", I just got to know her, and the acquaintance turned out to be so pleasant that now I want to continue.