The Five Places You Must Visit in Italy

There are so many incredible places to visit in Italy. It's hard to know where to start, especially if you're on a budget.

If you're there for a short time, you absolutely must visit:

Florence

The Piazza Del Duomo, Florence, or in English, the "Cathedral Square" is one of the most visited places in Europe. From here you can see the Basillica de Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto's Bell Tower among many other extraordinary buildings. This photograph does not do the architecture justice.

A charming store made of wooden items, where Pinocchio is definitely the star.

Florence is also the home of Michelangelo's 'David', the infamous statue which lives in the Accademia Gallery. You can visit the statue for a small price, but beware of long cues. A replica of the statue (above) lives in the nearby Palazzo Vecchio, which is free to visit and is almost the real deal..

Pisa

Instilled in our minds from a young age is the ridiculous notion of the leaning tower of Pisa. Yes, it really does lean. And yes, everyone visiting tries to get a photo of them "holding up" the tower. The tower now leans at 3.99 degrees, meaning that the top of the tower is 3.9 meters displaced!

One of the best parts of visiting the leaning tower is taking photos of everyone looking silly as they "hold up" the tower. 

It's also worthy to note that a lot of gypsies loiter around, trying to sell knock-off sunglasses and bags to unsuspecting tourists. The fines for obtaining knock-off brand pieces are huge.

Rome

Rome, the city of romance. There are so many things to see and do in Rome, it's almost unfair when you're on a tight schedule. The Spanish Steps is a monumental 135 steps, perhaps most well known to Western audiences from watching Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday.

The Roman Forum ruins is a site that I would go particularly out of my way to visit. Its vast history spans hundreds of years. It was for centuries the centre of Roman public life - of elections, speeches, trials and gladiator matches along with many other affairs and trade. Now in ruins, and the home of hundreds of stray cats, it is still easy to picture how life in Rome may have been as so  many of the buildings and monuments have been well preserved. The history is overwhelming.

One of the most famous fountains in the world is the Trevi Fountain. Be sure to throw your coin from your right hand over your left shoulder for good luck. It is estimated that 3000 euro are thrown in everyday, and the money all goes to Rome's needy.

 The Colosseum is the most well known ampitheatre in the world. Construction started in 70AD, and was the home of gladiator battles and other entertainment, holding 80,000 spectators. While today the ampitheatre is not in its original condition and is slowly eroding, thousands of visitors visit each day and a small replica floor has been built to reimagine that part of the ampitheatre.

Force

Force is a very small town on the eastern side of Italy. With a population of 1400, it is a town where you can really immerse yourself into Italian culture. There are no English speaking Italians around, so communicating can be humorous. Above is a photo of the backyard I stayed in - with picturesque mountainous views and locals wanting you to try all of the finest cuisine, I couldn't recommend it more.

One thing that you will notice all around Italy is the huge amount of vespas! Hire one for the day and you'll feel like a real local, with your hair flapping behind you in the wind.

Porto San Giorgio

Porto San Giorgio is on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, aka the east coast of Italy.  With 16,500 inhabitants, there are endless shops, plazas, churches and architecture to visit. Gelato in this region is a must have. The beach (pictured above) reminds me of the film The Talented Mr Ripley, but is a perfect place to relax and the surf is not too strong. The water was the perfect temperature when I visited in August.  

Fun fact: Villa Bonaparte, Napolean's little brother lived here between 1829 - 1831. 

 Until next time,

Jayne x