Italia

Planning an Italian vacation is the ultimate dreamy bucket list destination. Imagine ALL THE pasta, pizza, wine and gelato you can get your hands on! I’ve always wanted to go to Italy to eat all of the amazing pasta dishes and see all of it’s bustling history! What better time to go than our babymoon. Ben and I are not your typical travelers. We don’t sleep in and we love to maximize our time to see as much as we can. Don’t get me wrong, a few days of lounging in the sun sounds nice, but we get bored after a day of lounging on the beach unless there’s some sort of active activity involved. This trip was catered to us and our type of babymoon, very different from what many others would be into, but we embraced every moment of it. Yes yes, everyone says to take it easy and relax. Friends asked how I walked so much while being pregnant, but that’s just how we travel, and PLUS during my 2nd trimester, I had a huge burst of energy and enjoyed walking A LOT! Comfy shoes is the upmost importance. I wore Teva shoes a lot walking around, they’re not cute but they make it easier on the feet (take photos ankles up!). Our 2020 plans of visiting Italy obviously crashed and burned, so I was pretty damn excited to go on this trip!

We planned for 3 days in Rome, 3 days in Florence and 1 day in Milan, which I think is the perfect amount of time in each city. We had a few days flying through London from Seattle, then flew to Italy, and ended our trip in Frankfurt to catch a direct flight back to Seattle. One day I’ll be back to see the rest of Italy but since this was my first time, these are the top cities to visit to get a glimpse of Italy and learn all of it’s history. See below for our day by day itinerary and recommendations:

Day 1 - Roma

Our first night arriving in Rome, we took a cab from the airport to our hotel, at the Navona Style booked through Expedia (YAY employee discount). This little bed and breakfast was centrally located, within a few minutes walk to the Roman Forum, and Pantheon. Pros - nice and clean, friendly service offering a contact number to text with any questions, and great location. Cons- elevator is tiny, only took it once to bring luggage up, other than that we used the stairs.

We arrived to our hotel, settled in and walked to a really late night dinner in front of the Pantheon at Tonarello where I had the best Cacio e Pepe. I typically feel like restaurants right in front of a main attraction are tourist traps with mediocre food and you’re just there for the ambiance. I found that completely false in Italy, every pasta I had was amazing, no matter where you go. Its a great spot to enjoy a drink and scarf down pasta while people watching.

Day 2- When in Rome Again

Must see attractions:

Vatican City - The smallest country in the world, yet so much to see. We started off early in the morning, I purchased the first Vatican Museum ticket times (make sure you purchase the skip the line tickets, or you’ll quickly regret it waiting in line for hours). Whether you’re an art or history lover, there’s just so much to see here so dedicate a few hours to explore. We explored the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter’s square). Unfortunately I didn’t go inside St Peters to climb to the top, but I will have to come back and do this one day. My husband did it when he was 18, but with his fear of heights, he definitely didn’t want to do it again. Plus I wasn’t so sure how it would go since I was pregnant.
Trevi Fountain - Another must see attraction in Rome and its quite glorious despite the large amounts of people around it. Recommend going early, more on this later.
Roman Forum - I purchased tickets for the Colosseum, Roman Forum and the Palatine Hills all in one.
Colosseum - An obvious must see when in Rome. It is the largest ancient amphitheater in the center of the city. Recommend going first thing in the morning if you can to avoid the crowds.
Piazza La Spagna - the best designer shopping in Rome. There’s Dior, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, YSL, you name it, they’ve got it!
Spanish Steps - the famous Spanish steps and stairs at Piazza di Spagna built between 1723 and 1726.

Best Restaurants:

Al 42 by Pasta Chef - after touring the Colosseum, this restaurant is about a 15 min walk and so worth it! We came here for lunch and it was seriously the best pasta of my life and very affordable. I still dream about this place from time to time. As soon as we walked up, there was a big crowd of about 20 people or so waiting around for a table. As guests arrived, It seemed like an array of some disorderly fashion getting people’s orders in and seating them, but the owner knew what he was doing and was so good at keeping track of who came first. As soon as I walked up, he looked at my pregnant belly and quickly ushered me to sit inside and avoid the heat. I felt bad looking behind me at the 25 something people I just cut and who knows how long they’ve been waiting for a table. One of the many perks of being pregnant, and I so appreciated it because I was burning up and starvng! We ordered the tonnarelli alia carbonara (HIGHLY recommend this), fettuccine al ragu bolognese and burrata.
Ristorante Trattoria Antonio al Pantheon - a wonderful dinner spot!
Mr 100 Tiramisu - a must try for tiramisu with over 100 different flavors! We loved coming here for cocktails and dessert
Breakfast at the Pantheon at Ritorno al Passato - I love Corentti e Cappuccino (croissant and cappuccino) - the best breakfast combo that is offered anywhere in Italy

Day 3- Roma

Maternity Shoot - I’ve always dreamed of doing a fun destination photoshoot. Months before my trip, I searched throughout instagram to find an photographer to shoot our maternity pics in Italy, and I found Polina. I highly recommend her if you’re looking to do a photoshoot in the area. She met us at 6am in front of the Trevi fountain and we got some of the most beautiful photos with nobody in them. However, so many photographers and instragmers try to come early to shoot at the Trevi fountain, we had to wait our turn a few times to make sure no one else was in the photo, but so much better than going during the daytime.

Must see attractions:

Roman Forum and Palantine Hill- walked around and listened to the audio guide on our phones that is also included with our ticket
Piazza Novona

Food/Drinks/Dessert:

Al Tre Tartufi - Breakfast near Piazza Navona

Two Sizes - The best Tiramisu in Roma, with runner up Mr 100 Tiramisu. Its a small little hole in the wall with a pretty long line but well worth the wait
Marriott Pantheon Hotel - A friend had recommended us to go to the rooftop for some views and amazing cocktails/mocktails and it didn’t disappoint. Walk through this elegant hotel and take the elevator to the rooftop to enjoy the lovely drinks and views
Venchi for Gelato - you will see a Venchi almost everywhere in Italy and its known for its gelato

Day 4-Florence

Train to Florence - we took the train from Rome to Florence and it was a relatively quick and easy train ride

Lunch at La Madia near Hotel - great pasta and pizza spot that was reasonably priced. We met this cute american couple that were there to send their daughter off abroad and they sent us a free appetizer. We had WAY too much food, but it was amazing.
Ponte Vecchio - with its hanging houses and shops, the Ponte Vecchio is one of the most famous bridges in the world, and what's more this "Old Bridge" is the oldest stone bridge in Europe. The Ponte Vecchio is Florence's most legendary symbol. We loved walking through here and exploring all the vendors on the bridge.
Braciere Malatesta for dinner - great pasta and pizza

Day 5- Florence

Gucci Museum - I wouldn’t recommend this, but I’m not really into modern art museums. There were some cool fashion showcases, but then there’s some immersive futuristic galleries that wasn’t my thing. However since we were here, and I wanted to check out the Gucci Garden Store, I figured it was worth a stop and we did it in under an hour. I enjoyed the restaurant and shop more than the museum itself.
Officina Profuma Santa Maria Novella - One of the oldest pharmacies in the world that has now transitioned to perfumery and soap store. This was a really awesome walk through history with all the old architecture and wonderful scents throughout each room. I went here because my sister is a pharmacist and thought it would be cool to find something for her to bring back. A great spot for souvenirs!
Catch the Sunset at San Miniato al Monte at Pizalle Michaelangelo - we walked here and it was worth every step, although a lot of steps! But once you climb up to see the views, its well worth it!

Restaurants

Gucci Giardino 25 - located right in front of the Gucci museum, its a great place for cocktails and afternoon tea. AND everything is served off of fancy Gucci chinaware ( I wanted to take it all home!)
All’Antico Vinaio - THE ABSOLUTE BEST sandwiches you will ever have in your life. My mouth waters just thinking about this place. Its well known and super popular. There is always a line but it surprisingly moves super fast and they’re very efficient.

Day 6- Florance - Milan

Climbed the Duomo - Highly recommend climbing to the top of Duomo for the views. We purchased the skip-the-line ticket that included entry to the Florence Cathedral, Access to Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, Opera del Duomo Museum & St. John’s Baptistery. We were one of the first one’s up the Duomo in the morning so it was really amazing to have the views to ourselves for a bit.
Baptistery also known as Baptistery of Saint John is a religious building in Florance right by the Duomo. Our tickets included this so we went in to check it out
Opera del Duomo Museum - this museum is located just east of the Duomo, and is definitely worth a stop
Train to Milano

Day 7- Frankfurt

We mostly came to Milan to pass through and get to Frankfurt for a direct flight home to Seattle. Only spent about a half day in Milan, and got to see Frankfurt for a day and a half