General
- Beware of pickpockets! Keep your purses and belongs secured with you and if you see a sign that warns about pickpockets, don't go looking for your wallet since you're just giving away the info.
- Bargain with street vendors. I haggled a fake painting from €25 to €3...
Food
Florence
Food
- Rosticceria Chinese Jian Jian - Hah! This was my first meal studying abroad so it's just nostalgic to me. But also, the only place still opened as of 2024.
Things to do
- Piazzale Michelangelo - Great panoramic views on top of the hill
- Galleria dell’Accademia - The David is worth seeing; Security guard is watching to prevent photos. Not a very big gallery
- Brunelleschi’s dome
- Climb to the top for a view
- Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore
- Campanile di Giotto
- Piazza della Signoria
- Main square, hard to miss. There is a replica of the David here and many other marble sculptures.
- Uffizi Gallery
- Loggia dei Lanzi
- Ponte Vecchio - Iconic bridge
- Basilica di Santa Croce di Firenze - I passed by a lot along the way to the university and there were always events going on
- Piazza della Repubblica - There's a so-so merry-go-round here
- Mercato Centrale - Haggle if you shop
Venice
Shopping
- Venetian Mask - The nicer ones look very different and are usually handmade, fitted and go for €1000+
- Murano Glass - Manufactured on a small island close to Venice.
- Wooden Toys
Things to do
- Basilica di San Marco - The basilica is nice. I read it's illegal to feed the pigeons now.
- Gondola ride - When I was here, they had boats on the side canals that went for a cheaper rate. It was flat rate per boat.
- Doge’s Palace - I didn’t get to go inside
- Rialto Bridge - Iconic bridge
Rome
- Saw Pope Benedict XVI
Food
- Alla Rampa - Food was so-so. It’s here for my memory purposes.
Things to do
- Colosseum - Much cooler in person!
- Fontana di Trevi - The Fontana’s wish is to toss a coin backwards so you can return to Rome one day. I threw one in but haven’t been back haha. It's very crowded here.
- Pantheon - Temple was much bigger than I thought
- Piazza Navona
- Spanish Steps
- Looks cool at night
- Piazza di Spagna - At the bottom of the steps
- Castel Sant’Angel
- Ponte Sant’Angel
Vatican City
- Sistine Chapel
- Absolutely worth the visit!
- Highly recommend a guided tour for context
- St. Peter’s Basilica - Don’t forget to climb the Cupola (Dome) for the view
Pisa
- I took the train from Florence for a day trip
- Leaning Tower of Pisa - Don't forget the silly photos!
- Cattedrale di Pisa
Prato
- I took the train from Florence for a day trip. My art professor at the time said that this city was like the Chinatown of Italy. Interesting NYT article back in 2010 about the fashion industry.
- Lots of interesting graffiti
Siena
- I took the train from Florence for a day trip but it felt rushed
- Piazza del Campo
- Torre del Mangia - Famous tower that took a decade to build. It’s very tall, if not the tallest thing in town so it’s hard to miss. Use this as a guiding reference if you're lost in a random alleyway.