By Madelynn Loring, Staff Writer
I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to study abroad for a year in Montpellier, France. I have tried to make the most of my first time in Western Europe by traveling around to neighboring countries to try to see all that there is to see. I am no tour guide by any stretch of the imagination, and I am only a travel blogger in my wildest dreams, but I figured I would take the opportunity to share some insights with you about my travels in various countries, as well as some opinions about what is worth the visit, and what’s just a tourist trap. So, without further ado, here’s what to do (and what to skip) on a trip to Italy.
Packing
First and foremost, let’s talk packing. A good trip always requires good preparation, but that doesn’t mean you need to try to pack your life into a suitcase. In fact, I would recommend ditching the suitcase entirely. As I’ve mentioned previously, Europe is notoriously lacking in elevators and modern pavement, which can certainly add to its charm and intrigue to Americans. However, you lose a lot of that charm when your airbnb is on the 5th floor of an apartment building with no elevator and you are packed in a large suitcase.
In reality, you do not need the space of a checked suitcase if you pack and plan smart. And future-you will thank you for ditching the extra bulk when you are faced with the winding alleys, uneven cobblestone, and seemingly endless stairs that Italy has to offer.
I would recommend investing in a travel backpack (or backpacking bag if that suits your needs better). This will make navigating much less awkward and will also prevent you from overpacking. Like I said, it is not necessary to bring a large suitcase full of things unless you plan to go to fashion week in Milan. I will always be a proponent of traveling light to free yourself up to explore more without being bogged down with stuff.
I understand wanting to dress cute so you can get good pictures for the ‘gram, but opt for lighter clothes (especially during the summer, fall, and spring, you won’t be cold), and make a plan to do laundry abroad. Many bed and breakfasts will have places you can do laundry and even if you end up having to buy detergent, it's a small price for the freedom you’ll gain by not having to lug a suitcase around.
I spent 10 days in Italy during the fall, and I packed in my school backpack (20 liters, whereas many traveling backpacks are 30-40 liters) and a fanny pack. I am a chronic overpacker, so trying to pare down for the trip was painful, but believe me, it was worth it.
More likely than not, you won’t need the 18 extra pairs of socks and let’s be real, if you aren’t reading those seven books at home, it’s unlikely you’ll read them when you’re on a sightseeing trip in Italy (unless you’re just headed to the beach, at which point, pack away). And if worst comes to worst, you will be able to find practically everything you might end up needing (from ankle braces to cold medicine to extra socks) in any city in Italy larger than a village, so don’t bog yourself down with “but-what-if” items.
Now, onto the trip itself. There is so much to do in Italy it can be overwhelming. But it is all a lot closer than you think, especially with Italy's high speed rail system. The pace at which you want to take your trip is going to depend on your travel style and preferences, but I’ll be exploring the trip I took, which was five major tourist stops in 10 days. Now, this is definitely a lot to take on in one trip, but I definitely feel it was worth it, especially given how expensive it is to cross the Atlantic ocean and what limited time you’ll have, even if you’re studying abroad.
Rome
I left early on the Friday morning that led into my week-long fall break and arrived at around 3 p.m. in Rome. My group and I spent the next two nights there, with about two-days worth of time to explore. The question of whether or not this is enough time for Rome is going to depend on personal preference. Rome is massive, and you could spend a whole ten days there doing a deep dive into the history and major attractions and easily not run out of things to do. However, it is packed 24/7 365 days a year. This makes it easy to navigate and seek help as a non-Italian speaking tourist, but also means it's a prime place to fall into tourist traps and to be targeted for theft and scams.
Photo by Madelynn Loring
In the day and two-halves I had in Rome, I took a 4-hour tour of the Colosseum and Palatine Hill, visited theVatican City, tossed a coin in the Trevi Fountain, and spent a good time wandering through the city just to see things like the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. Even for my rapid-fire travel style, I felt like the time I had was not enough to go into as much depth as I would have liked at certain sites.
If you want to do a deeper drive into one or two sites, and then just check the rest off your list just by seeing them, you won’t need much more time than two days. However, if you want to get a real understanding of all that Rome has to offer, or you like to travel at a more leisurely pace, definitely opt to take more time in this city.
All major tourist sites are going to be packed year round, so be sure to plan ahead and look to skip the line tickets, as they will definitely be worth it in this city. Also be sure to prioritize based on your interests. The Vatican city was a must see for me, but didn’t feel as worth it for my non-religious travel buddies.
Florence
Up next, we took a train to Florence. We spent another two nights here, but because we arrived late and left early, we only had about a day to explore. This was definitely not enough time. Florence has the class and charm that most associate with Milan, but with a lower price tag and much more to explore as a tourist.
I unfortunately did not have time to visit the Galleria Accademia Firenze, which hosts some incredible works from the Italian Renaissance. However, I did get the chance to visit the Florence Duomo, as well as the Ponte Vecchio. You’ll see plenty of churches and cathedrals during your time in Italy, but the Florence Duomo is not one to skip out on. It is massive, truly a feat in terms of engineering, and a spectacle to behold. It also hosts some more of the painted ceilings characteristic of Italian cathedrals. The lines can be long, but believe me it is worth the wait.
The other place we visited, Ponte Vecchio, is less of a tourist destination you stand and look at, and more of one that you have to explore. It is lined with various shops and places to grab food (including gelato and cannolis). You’ll also frequently see street musicians performing here, so it's a great place to go poke around.
Then we headed north to Venice for one night.
Venice
Photo by Madelynn Loring
This was probably my favorite day of the trip. The weather wasn't perfect, but it didn’t hinder my experience of the day whatsoever. Just to wander Venice was a timeless experience in and of itself. There are no cars in Venice proper, and there are endless alleyways and little stories to explore. It is a very touristy location, but I definitely still feel it was worth it, especially the standard tourist activity of a gondola ride.
It will cost 80 Euro as a flat fee and you can put up to five people on the gondola. Of course, this is only something that tourists do, but you can’t truly experience the charm of this floating city without getting on a board that can navigate through the tighter, more quiet canals. Venice is not something you should skip on your trip to Italy, but it is quite small compared to the other locations I visited. You could easily operate at quite a leisurely pace and still see all of the major sights in two days.
Milan
Milan duomo Photo by Madelynn Loring
Finally, we spent the last four nights of our trip in Milan and used it as a springboard to take a day trip to Lake Como. In hindsight, I honestly would have reversed the time allocations. In fact, when I return to Italy, I plan to skip Milan entirely. Milan unfortunately does not have the high class, bougie-air that is typically associated with it by Americans (much like Paris, but more on that in a later article). Instead you’ll find a pretty standard bustling city with some notable tourist attractions, but when you compare it to the other popular destinations in Italy, it falls short.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Photo by Madelynn Loring
The first of the two major attractions I looked into in Milan Was the Duomo di Milano, Milan’s cathedral. It certainly would have been impressive if it had been my first stop, but after almost a week of exploring cathedrals, including those in the Vatican, it failed to impress. Not to mention being incredibly crowded even during the off-season, and surrounded on all angles by an unholy amount of pigeons. It wasn’t a bad experience, but when you have all of Italy to explore, I would recommend passing on this particular cathedral.
The other famous area of Milan I looked into was the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Italy’s oldest active shopping mall. It holds the world's first Prada store, which we stopped into on the request of a friend of mine, who is very much a designer girly. It was my first and only trip to a designer store ($800 bucket hats aren’t really in my budget) so I don’t have much to compare it to. However, my friend said that our experience at the flagship Prada was the worst she’d had at any “high-brand” store, so take that as you will if you are a designer person as well.
Lake Como
Photo by Madelynn Loring
Lake Como, on the other hand, lived up to expectations entirely. With the gorgeous mountain views and beaches and the multitude of quaint Italian villages to explore, it's no wonder that celebrities such as George Clooney have chosen to make Lake Como their top choice for vacation homes. The pictures of Camo can honestly speak for themselves in terms of its value as a lovely place to spend a beach vacation. The one thing to note about Lake Como however is that there isn’t a whole lot to do in terms of sightseeing. This makes it a great place to wrap up a sightseeing heavy trip to Italy, but plan to bring something to do and be sure to check that the weather won’t interfere with your beach days.
All in all, I wouldn’t change much from the trip aside from some timing allocations, and even though there were things I enjoyed more than others, all that I saw of Italy was incredible, and left me wanting to come back for more.
Rome? Timeless, but very touristy
Colosseum? Timeless
Trevi Fountain? Touristy, watch your valuables
Vatican City? Touristy, but worth it if you are into art and/or religious history.
Florence? Timeless and you’ll want more time.
Florence Duomo? Timeless, one of the prettiest churches I saw in Italy.
Ponte Vecchio? Timeless.
Venice? Timeless, but you won’t need longer than two days at most.
Milan? Too touristy unless you're into lots of pigeons and designer shopping.
Milan Duomo? Too touristy. Impressive, but not if you’ve spent the last week looking at cathedrals.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II? Too touristy, and not a great shopping experience if you aren’t super wealthy.
Lake Como? Timeless vacation spot, but not a whole lot to do in terms of sightseeing.
To learn more about studying abroad, contact the Regis University Office of Global Education at oge@regis.edu or online at www.regis.edu/academics/global-learning-opportunities/study-abroad.