I have had the privilege of going to Italy twice. Once on a family vacation, and once for work at Milan Fashion Week. On my first trip my family and I stayed in Tuscany and visited Milan, Pisa, Florence, San Ginimano, and Rome. When I was there for work I lived in Milan, but traveled to both Switzerland, Lake como, and Venice. Through my experiences there are places I would go again, and places I definitely recommend avoiding.
Must Sees:
- Florence– overall best city, best food, best culture, and best art
- Milan– for the duomo and aperitivo dinners
- Tuscany– We staid in Tuscany in a villa. Tuscany had the best views and easy access to loads of cities. Plus tons of vineyards if you want to visit one!
- San Gimignano aka the city of towers– This city is a small Tuscan mountain city that is medieval. It looks fake because it is so old timey and preserved. But the main reason that this is a must because it has THE BEST GELATO IN THE WORLD. I had gelato in every city, and we found this particular one, NAME, from a tour guide book, and it was the best any of us ever had. It has even won best gelato in the world at a gelato competition. Make sure you go to the correct one, because there are two gelato shops close by, one more touristy (it’s a trap), and the worlds best, loved by locals. I have even sent a friend here on my recommendation and she agreed that it was the best ice cream she has ever had. I have never had anything compare.
- Rome– go for a day, honestly the coolest parts were the touristy historic parts like the Trevi Fountain, Coliseum, Spanish steps. But it is a city that is filled with tourists and is overall a tourist trap.
- Lake Como– quite possibly the prettiest lake in the world. I took a day trip here with a tour group by myself and it was amazing. The colorful houses and buildings right on the lake are like nothing you will ever see. We stopped at a city called Bellagio and had amazing food and views. You have to go on a boat tour of the lake because it is so beautiful.
- Switzerland– yes I know this is not in Italy but it is an easy day trip. I went here the same day I went to Lake Como and it was extremely beautiful. I would go back solely for the Swiss chocolate which is the best I have had in my life. I took back loads for my family and honestly ate it all except for a few pieces because it was too good to share.
Avoid:
- Venice– I took a day trip by myself to Venice since wasn’t far from Milan and was always talked about as someplace everyone should see. However, I was extremely disappointed. It is cool to see a city on water, but Venice is just a giant tourist trap. Everything is priced way too high, a meal alone will probably cost you $100. It is also extremely crowded, and the crowds are mostly tourists. When I was there you could tell it was no longer cultural and locals no longer went there, unless they were trying to sell tourists stuff
- Pisa- Pisa was by far the most boring place to visit. It is around 2 hours out of the way from everything and literally only has the tower of Pisa. Everything else is just a normal town and tourist shops to trap everyone who came there to see the leaning tower.
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