TRAVELLING TO ITALY - Q&A, JAN 2022
Ciao, guys!
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I recently took a short trip over to Italy to visit Luca’s family. His brother lives just outside Venice so we went to spend a few days with him as well as have the chance to hop over to Venice, a place I haven’t visited for years! It’s such a magical city and was even prettier visiting in the winter fog and sunshine when it’s so quiet. I’m creating a print set of my foggy Venice photos that will go live on the print shop later this week so look out for the collection drop!
We decided to go very last minute given that travelling in January isn’t the most inspiring when it’s freezing cold, but I’m so glad we did. Short little trips like this help so much during the cold, dark winter days - we used to do them often before Covid hit and I had forgotten how much I loved them. You guys enjoyed following along on my trip and many of you said you were planning a trip to Italy this year, so I decided to do a little Q&A on Instagram and give you guys some tips for your upcoming Italy trips. Hope my answers come in helpful for your future travels to Italy!
Q: What are your must see cities on first trip to Italy?
If you want quintessential Italy, it has to be Rome. The food, weather and general vibe are wonderful. Avoid it during the summer months - July-Aug
If you love art history, head to Florence or Venice!
If you want the ‘postcard’ version of Italy then the Tuscan countryside and Amalfi coast
Q: Is Tuscany & the Cinque Terre doable in 10 days?
Yes, I think so! You can easily do the Cinque Terre in just 2-3 days, staying there a couple of nights and spend the rest of the time in Tuscany. The towns are tiny so are very easy to see in a couple of days, of course there are lots of lovely places to eat, beaches to go to etc so it’s always nicer to give yourself some extra time! There are also lots of beautiful places to see further along the coast from the Cinque Terre but if you’re limited on time it’s easy to do both Tuscany and the Cinque Terre in 10 days.
I’ve created a downloadable Cinque Terre guide you can purchase here, full of my personal tips, favourite spots and places you cannot miss whilst you’re there:
-DOWNLOAD THE CINQUE TERRE GUIDE-
Q: Do you have any honeymoon recommendations for Positano and the Amalfi Coast?
Il San Pietro (for sunset aperitivo is one of my favourite ever spots or their fine-dining resto)
Rada Beach for a gorgeous seafood lunch
Franco’s Bar for pre-dinner sundown drinks
Il Tridente for a fine-dining dinner
Do a beach day at Arienzo beach, it’s amazing (€75 pp including a three-course meal, wine, cocktail, coffee and water as well as a free transfer from Positano)
Le Sirenuse for a gorgeous breakfast, cocktail or dinner
La Tagliata for a traditional Italian dinner (shuttle buses go from Positano)
Q: I’m doing a day trip to Capri from Positano, how should I spend the day?
Arrive early, head up to the main Piazza Umberto and enjoy a coffee + stroll around the streets before they get busy, do some shopping!
Walk over to the viewpoint of the famous Faraglioni rocks called Belvedere Tragara.
If you’re up for a trek, walk down to Da Luigi or La Fontelina for lunch with views of the Faraglioni (both require advanced booking!!!) If that’s a bit too much of a walk, enjoy a bite at Al Capri in the town, a lovely little local spot!
After lunch take a car or bus (they go from Capri town centre) to Ana Capri for some shopping and enjoy sunset aperitivo at Il Riccio or Hotel Caesar Augustus - the views are unreal!
Q: Are there Italy specific etiquette tips around public transport or dining?
Not really many tips on public transport other than people don’t really eat on public transport in Italy. Also, at the moment masks are mandatory on all public transportation, including if you’re walking outdoors too.
Etiquette for dining…I mean where do you begin haha!! Italy has lots of rules for dining, more centred around food than anything else.
Cappuccinos aren’t drunk after midday and definitely not during a meal (Italians usually have espresso after a meal so if you want to get a cappuccino at dinner, after the meal would be the only acceptable moment).
Pasta is eaten as a main course in restaurants, followed by a second course of meat, fish or a protein.
You generally don’t put cheese on seafood pasta.
Not all restaurants serve pizza, which is normally domain of a ‘Pizzeria’.
Restaurants tend to serve food local to the area (Carbonara, Cacio e Pepe and Amatriciana in Rome, Meat ‘Ragu’ and Mushroom pasta in Tuscany, Pesto in Liguria, Tomato based and seafood pasta in the Amalfi coast). Therefore, alway be a bit suspicious if you find Carbonara on a menu in Amalfi!
Q: If I’m in Rome is it easy to travel to Tuscany for a few days and Capri without renting a car?
It’s very easy to get most places by train in Italy. To get to Capri you can take a 1hr train to Naples, from there a taxi to the port and a 40min boat to Capri. Sounds a lot but it’s quite straight forward!
If you’re wanting to go to Tuscany, unless you only want to go to cities such as Florence, Sienna, Lucca etc, you’ll need a car to see the smaller countryside villages. Plus to really see true Tuscany you need a car - the rolling hills, the vineyards etc, they are all what make up the magic of Tuscany!
You can book your trains on TreniItalia.com
Q: Should I do a trip to Italy or Greece?
Hhmm that’s a bit like saying shall I visit Paris or London! They have many similarities but both offer quite different things and are very special in differing ways! Both have amazing food, weather and an array of places to see. Generally speaking (this is a generalisation!) in my opinion, Italy is the place to go to get lost in a city, get immersed in history, art (Greece is too but you find more of that on the mainland than the islands). Instead if you’re looking for a more relaxed, beach trip, then head to the Greek islands. There are so many islands to choose from you. You can find one which suits if you’re looking for a more off the beaten track style island or if you want
Check out my guide to Santorini here to give you a flavour of what to expect in the Greek islands! I’m working on a Cyclades guide as we speak to give you guys an overview on the islands so you can have a better idea on which islands to pick when you visit!
-DOWNLOAD THE SANTORINI GUIDE-
Q: Where can I get a Covid test done in Italy?
You can do them at pretty much any local pharmacy!
Q: Where in Rome should I stay to be close to all the amenities and all that the city has to offer?
I would say stay by Campo De Fiori - you’re in the middle of everything there with easy access to Trastevere and the Vatican on the other side of the Tiber river as well as all the best parts of the centre of Rome!
Q: We are doing the Amalfi Coast in June - any off the beaten path towns we can’t miss?
Last summer when we were staying in Positano, we took a drive down towards Atrani (one of my favourite spots on the coast!) and then kept on driving and hit the most amazing beach spots called Minori and Maiori, don’t miss those. I also think Praiano is a great spot for lunch and aperitivo and is less crowded than Positano! There are plenty of other off the beaten track places as well but depends how much time you have :)
Q: What is tipping culture like in Italy?
Generally speaking tipping is not expected, of course you can tip if you like. For a meal, leaving a few euros is accepted - maybe if you’re in a bigger group and have had a more expensive meal you could leave a slightly bigger tip but there isn’t like a set percentage or amount you should leave. It’s up to you but generally speaking for a normal meal out for two people you’d leave a few euros as tip.
