Katherine's Next Trip!

You just got back from your dream trip to Italy.  You soaked up the atmosphere in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square while enjoying a cappuccino and cornetto, you have not stopped wearing your gorgeous pashmina you bought at the San Lorenzo Market in Florence, and you OBVIOUSLY had to toss your coin in the Trevi Fountain because Italy now has your heart and you MUST go back.  You know there is so much more to discover in Italy for your next trip, but you still want to go back to explore the cities that captivated you in the first place.  You can’t stop telling your friends and family about your fantastic trip and have now recruited more people to go with you next time.  Here are some great ideas to explore and appreciate more of what Italy has to offer in and around the “Big Three” of Venice, Florence, and Rome. 

Venice: Row Venice

La Serenissima, “the Most Serene”, is a magical city to explore.  Getting lost amongst the alleys and canals is the best part!  You almost can’t cross one of the 472 bridges in the city without seeing one of the iconic gondolas.  If you took a gondola ride last time, why not learn to row one yourself this time?  Join the ladies of Row Venice, the vogatrici, and learn to row a bateline the Venetian way.  Their 80-minute lesson hosts up to 4 people per boat and you can either row through quiet neighborhoods many tourists don’t set foot in or make your way down the Canal Grande at sunset as the work ceases and life starts to happen around you.  You will have an amazing story to share that only a few can dream of!

Florence: Day Trip to Lucca

Florence is one of my favorite cities in Italy partly because it’s so small and walkable.  Because it is so small and filled with arts and culture many tourists don’t ever need to leave town during their short time in the area.  After you have marveled at Michelangelo’s David in the Galleria dell’Accademia and witnessed Botticelli’s Birth of Venus at the Uffizi you might have wondered what else is there in Tuscany.  

Some people may decide to rent a car to visit the hill towns and famous wineries in the countryside (advisable only if they are vigilant about the restricted traffic zones in the historic villages and their wine consumption!), but I am perfectly fine with using Italy’s EXTENSIVE train system and visiting the charming town of Lucca, filled with medieval history and a Tuscan heart.  Only an hour and a half through the countryside on a regional train from Firenze Santa Maria Novella, you arrive just steps away from the 16^th century walls that surround the historic center and step into one of the most well-preserved medieval towns in the country.  

My favorite part of a visit to Lucca is to explore the 4km loop atop the walls that surround the center on a on a bike rented from one of the handful of vendors just inside the gate on the way in from the train station (Be sure to bring your driver’s license to leave as collateral).  You can really get your blood flowing and zip around town two or three times (I usually don’t need more than twice, and I do once slow and once fast) or leisurely roll along the walls, stop to take pictures, admire the view and enjoy a snack before you head down the ramp to explore the heart of this historic city.  If you want a bit more of a journey, you can ride along the Serchi River north of the city or explore the roads throughout Tuscany, with Lucca being a stop on the historical Via Francigena.  

After you have taken in the surrounding views and your exercise is done, it’s time to wander through the picturesque alleys and squares and explore the inner heart of the city.  There are numerous churches to pop into, great stores to browse, and cute streets to pass through ending your stroll at the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro.  One of my rules is to never eat in a popular tourist square and expect amazing food unless I am looking for that atmosphere and I am willing to pay for it.  So, with that in mind, walk right through the piazza and out the other side to Osteria Baralla, a traditional Lucchese restaurant with a warm welcome when you set foot in the door.  Try the tordelli lucchesi, large ravioli stuffed with various meats (usually beef and pork) smothered in a meat sauce (a good time to get your protein for the day!).  End your meal with another dish named after the town, zuppa lucchese, using the typical sweet cake of Lucca, Buccellato, with whipped cream, strawberries, and vin santo.  Walk off your delicious lunch wandering the rest of the town and hop on a train back to Florence.  You’ll be back to Florence in time for an aperitivo (and even a nap if you are tuckered out!), dinner and the evening passeggiata throughout the historic center of town.  

Rome: Caravaggios, Churches, and Catacombs 

The Eternal City is usually the priority for visitors to Italy, with tourists making a beeline to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Coliseum, the Vatican Museums, and the Roman Forum.  There is so much more to Italy’s largest city than those spots, yet the desire to hit all the highlights on a whirlwind tour of Italy can leave one missing out on what makes Rome so enchanting.  

You can get museum overload on a trip to Italy, so I make sure I only schedule one per day, alternating outdoor activities and indoor museums to engage a different part of my brain and body.  Villa Borghese is a great way to conquer both indoors and outdoors in the same day.  The Galleria Borghese is in the third largest public park in Rome where it houses some of the most famous works of Canova, Bernini and Caravaggio.  It is so popular and so small (for a museum, for a home for the aristocracy, quite large) that each pre-booked visit can only last up to 2 hours, which is great for the non-museum loving members of your group.  The awe-inspiring sculptures that depict important biblical scenes and ancient myths are situated in the middle of the ornately decorated rooms so you can appreciate the masterpieces that bring these stories to life from all angles.  With your head well-filled with art, you exit the museum into the park when your time is up.  Grab lunch at a nearby trattoria or even a sandwich and snacks from a nearby market and join the locals for a picnic in the park.  

Should you find yourself with a few hours to spare on any of your days in town, start exploring!  There are so many unique neighborhoods in Rome that sometimes it feels like you are in another world from the one you just left.  Exploring a neighborhood is one of the best ways to understand the heart of a city, so don your sneakers and start walking!  While you are exploring, you may come across one of Rome’s 900 churches, all beautifully decorated with their own style.  If you pass one, pop in, most of them are free!  You might stumble across breathtaking artwork you never knew existed located “in situ”, where it was meant to be displayed in all its grandeur.  Along the same lines, Rome has the most museums in Italy with 121, and if you happen to stumble across one that strikes your fancy, take a gander!  

If you have visited all the sites that you wish to above ground, why not start touring below ground?  The Roman catacombs are filled with history and give you a glimpse into the life and death of the Christian citizens of Rome from ages past.  Because Roman law forbid burial inside the walls of the city, the catacombs are located farther out of the historical center than most sites.  Here is where a guided tour comes in handy.  Many companies (some of my favorites are “The Roman Guy” and “Walks of Italy”) take care of the logistics for you as Italian transportation can be infrequent and at times unreliable.  They also bundle in other nearby sites or points of interest connected to the history you will be learning about ancient Rome.  

Get out and explore!

Each big city is chock full of historical sites and points of interest, but as a rule if I am visiting a place I have been before, I always include something new so I can expand my world.  I hope you take one of these suggestions or find your own to venture to so you can experience more of what the wonderful country of Italy has to offer!