It’s time for another travel guide!! This summer I shot a wedding in Italy so, of course, I had to turn it into a little vacation with my husband. We took 10 days and made it to Rome, Florence, Tuscany, Bacoli, Sorrento, Positano, and Capri! This guide will list all our stops, favorite eats, things we wouldn’t do again, and all of the things we LOVED (there are a lot!!) yay! If you want to learn more about my photography, head over to my inquiry page. But if you want to see what I got up to in Italy, keep reading!!
6/10: Rome
Landed at 7:00AM local time
We took the public bus from airport to the neighborhood our bnb was located, then walked the 15 min to our bnb (not terrible with luggage but also not ideal lol BUT I will say Beis held up very well! 360 wheels are a game changer for cobblestones!) We chose to stay in Rome’s Historic Center because of it’s convenient location in the heart of Rome surrounded by many of the attractions we knew we’d want to see. After dropping our things off at our Airbnb we grabbed a Cappuccino and walked to all the close attractions like the Piazza Navona and the Pantheon. There are tours of these but we chose to just explore on our own and google facts when we were curious (very roman of us, no?)
For dinner we walked to the vibrant, artsy neighborhood of Trastevere (a must-see) where most of the top bars and restaurants are located. We wanted to eat at La Botticella but there was a line an hour before they even opened LOL so we went to Carlo Menta for Pizza and honestly you can’t go wrong with pretty much any place in Trastevere!
6/11: Tour of Vatican City
We used Get Your Guide for our tour of Vatican City and it was great. Any of the ‘skip the line’ tours for things like this are awesome because you literally get to skip the line! We chose the tour that included the Sistine Chapel and Vatican museums and it was very cool!
In the afternoon we walked from our bnb to Trevi Fountain (I had to have my Lizzie moment) and stopped for rooftop cocktails and sunset views at Rooftop Jim’s Bar – Singer Palace Hotel
And Dinner at a small spot near our bnb (still trying to find the name, it had the best meatballs) and gelato at Frigidarium.
6/12: Tour of Colosseum & train to Florence
We used Get Your Guide again for our tour of the Colosseum but if I were booking again, I would choose the shorter tour option. This was 3 hours and the only really interesting part was the Colosseum itself, not all the surrounding gardens (Giardino degli Aranci) although still cool if you have a lot of time.
Said goodbye to Roma, and hopped on a train to Florence. The train system is pretty reliable and fast for the cost and made our cross-country trip possible. But delays, skipped stops, and the language barrier obviously complicate things so you need to be prepared to figure things out on the fly.
Snagged a bnb with a rooftop view! Seeing the sun set over the Duomo was worth the splurge.
Had a late dinner at Trattoria ZaZa and it was one of our favorite meals of the whole trip!
6/13: Tuscany Vespa Tour
We wanted to see Tuscany but didn’t have a ton of time, so we used Tuscany Bike Tours where you can ride vespas along the countryside and do a wine tasting. It was SO fun, I highly recommend this. They shuttle you from Florence out to Tuscany, teach you how to ride the Vespas, and they were super knowledgeable about the history and landmarks. And the wine was really good.
In the afternoon we shopped along Ponte Vecchio (where all the nice jewelry is) and literally the best Zara I’ve ever been to (I would go to arguably the fashion capitol of the world and only shop at Zara)
And at night we watched the Sunset over Florence and drank the wine we purchased from the tour!
6/14: Florence
Saw David at Galleria dell’Academia it was cool to see in person (and I am an art nerd) but I wouldn’t classify this is a must see.
Walked around Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens. Paid for Garden entrance only (I’m sure the inside is cool too) and it was stunning, felt like I was in a Jane Austen novel. And if you are new here, I ride hard for my girl Austen. Especially loved the Lemon House.
Pasta making class! There are tons, we did The Art of Pasta. Highly rec, so so much fun and my favorite pasta in all of Italy. And free wine of course.
Walked up to the Pizzale Michaelangelo for the best views of Florence, I loved this. We bought drinks at the top and there was live music and we watched the sunset. 10/10.
Stopped at Osteria Belle Donne wine window for an aperol spritz on the walk back, they have them all over the city, so fun n’ cute!
6/15 – 6/16: Florence to Bacoli
We had to leave early so we grabbed coffee from Mercato Centrale (cool indoor market) and wish we had more time to explore in there.
Then a 5 Hour train from Florence to Naples and a taxi from Naples to the little costal town of Bacoli.
We stayed at Cala Moresca which sits at the highest point in Bacoli, and the views were gorgeous. With it’s 360 views and rooftop spa, it was by far our fanciest stay on this trip.
Then on 6/16 I shot a wedding (the reason for this trip) all day.
6/17: Sorrento
Packed up again and took the same taxi (it’s nice to have a loyal taxi guy) to port of Naples, then a Ferry to Sorrento! We used the Ferry a lot to bop around the coast and always used FerryHopper they are pretty reliable and cheap. All my research said they were the fastest mode of transportation for the coast and I’d say that is correct. Plus the views are great!
We found a cute little bnb close to all the shops and the city center of Sorrento.
Walked down to the beach and did a sunset boat tour of the coast. Very lovely, but was sad they didn’t dock anywhere for us to jump in and swim. Very romantic and beautiful views, I say always get on a boat if you can!
Dinner at Tavern Allegra and there was the cutest old man wearing a glitter fedora playing a guitar and taking song requests and the vibes were off the charts. There was crowd participation, at one point we both were playing tambourines. Hysterical. Would die for him. 10/10
6/18: Capri
Rose with the sun to catch the first ferry to Capri (get up early, the crowds get insane)
Made it on the first boat to the Blue Grotto (again, earlier the better bc of huge wait times) but do it if you have the time, one of those experiences I will never forget. We did a cheap group boat for this that also includes a tour around the isle. We skipped the tour and just did the blue grotto, there are tons of different boat tours, we just chose the cheapest option we found.
Then took the public bus to Anacapri which is the highest little town on the isle for the cool views. We sipped frozen Limoncello DICAPRI while we waited in line for the chair lift for 360 views of the isle. If I were going again, I would skip this part. The views are pretty but you go to Capri for the beautiful waters. I would do a semi-private boat tour and jump in and swim if I were to go again.
We walked down to a beach the locals go (Marina Piccola) to swim and sunbathe and enjoy the views. And that was our favorite part of the day! The water is just so stunning.
Ferry back to Sorrento for dinner at AZZ Italian Tavern and the wait was so worth it! Jay’s favorite meal in all of Italy. We both got the gnocchi and I still think about it to this day lol.
6/19: Positano
Took another ferry to the beautiful Positano for the day to lounge and relax.
We booked beach chairs through L’Incanto in advance but I think it would have been fine to show up and book day of.
We didn’t go into the town at all, literally just spread eagle on a chair with my kindle and an aperol spritz. But someday when we (hopefully) go back, here are some things I’d love to do!
Hopped on a Ferry back to Sorrento for our last evening in Italy and snuck into the grand hotel excelsior vittoria (walk in quickly and with confidence lol) and wandered through the gardens eating gelato and taking in the views.
For our last dinner in Italy we went back to AZZ because we were obsessed haha. And also every place we went for gelato was good. If there’s a line, you know it’s good. But if we had more time to eat our way through Sorrento, here are some places we’d like to try.
And that was the end of our fabulous trip! We flew out the next day from Naples (ferry from Sorrento to the port of Naples, bus to Naples airport, then layover in Munich) and just so full of pasta, Aperol, and love for the beautiful Italia!
Forever grateful that I get to come into your worlds and document your most important days, and when that includes travel it’s extra special! For more travel blogs & full galleries check out my website. And if you want to see what coffee I’m drinking or what book I’m currently reading follow along on insta! Love ya, mean it!!