Rome, Holy See & Venice, Italy

Where: Rome, Venice and The Vatican City

Time of Year Visited: April 2018

Weather: Very warm & sunny during the day/ cool evenings

Flights:  London Stansted to Rome via Ryanair/ Venice Treviso to Stansted via Ryanair (our train from Rome to Venice was included in the holiday package price and took just over 4 hours)

Accommodation:

Rome: Hotel Turner 4*- 2 nights with breakfast included

Venice: Hotel Centrale – 2 nights with breakfast included

Price: Booked via Weekender Breaks- total price was £274 pp, for flights, the train to Venice and all accommodation.

Currency: Euro €

Getting Around: Buses, trains and cabs are all available and very affordable. Uber is also available but only in Rome and Milan.

Excursions:

Rome: - During our time in Rome we used the Grayline hop on hop off tour bus to get around as it hit all the sights we wanted to see. A 48-hour ticket was €32 which helped us get around the whole city, on our first day we visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Tickets for the Colosseum were reduced to €9.50 as it was after 2 PM when we got there; standard ticket prices are usually around €16.

Palatine Hill

The Colosseum

The Roman forum and Palatine Hill were free as the entry was included in the Colosseum ticket. If you are into history and architecture, I would highly recommend giving yourself time to explore these sites. There is so much to see and a lot of grounds to walk. They are breathtakingly beautiful and really transports you back in time.

Day two we visited the Vatican City (Holy See). We used our hop on hop off ticket to get us there and then walked over St. Angelo Bridge.

St Angelo Bridge

I would suggest you be prepared for fake ticket sellers; avoid them at all costs, they will sell you fake tickets and will hound you mercilessly, if you say you do not want to buy from them. Do not ask them for directions either as they will give you fake directions. It is just a scam to get you tired and fed up until you give in and buy a "ticket" off one of them. We got so fed up we ended up shouting at every one we walked past; admittedly not the best solution but we were tired, it was so hot, and we had been walking around following their misdirection’s for over an hour. We finally got to our Grayline official office, bought our tickets and were part of a guided tour- we also got que jump tickets for free as an apology (jackpot). The Vatican was one of my favourite parts of the trip; I have never seen art so beautiful and everything was so well maintained. I even managed to get a blessing from the priests which was an absolute highlight as I grew up in the Catholic faith. 

 

The second part of our day was spent at the Trevi Fountain.

We made a wish with some coins and took pictures. We unfortunately were not able to stay for long, as it was very crowded. There are also police who stop too many people pitching up around the fountain at once. We were moved on after about 20-30 minutes to let other tourists into the area. This helps keep a steady flow of tourists in and out of the area.

 

Venice: - Our first evening in Venice was lovely as we ventured into the city and had dinner. Our first full day we booked a tour to visit Murano (the glass making island), Burano (the most colourful island) and Torcello (the most peaceful island- also home to Torcello Basilica). I cannot recommend this tour enough; it was great to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and see the older towns and how they’re relatively untouched. 

Murano

Burano

Torcello Basilica

 On Burano we met a lace maker who was 82 and still making lace by hand and visited an ice cream shop which was 5^th generation owned. These are the things that really made my trip, speaking to locals and seeing how they live outside the touristic spots. 

Once back in the city center, we spotted an opera house and ventured in, we found out there was show that night and decided why not! We bought a ticket for €22 and watched the opera and the ballet (The Nutcracker!). It was worth every penny, I was in awe at how beautifully the dancers were and the voices of the opera singers, and it came with a free glass of red wine. To pre-book tickets click-http://www.musicainmaschera.it/ 

Venice is such a beautiful city; you can spend the whole day walking around the winding, narrow roads and getting lost. We knew we wanted one thing… gondolas! Driving a gondola is very much a traditional role, which used to be passed down from father to son (or another male family member if there was no son); now it is even more difficult, every gondolier MUST belong to the thousand year old Gondolier’s guide after attending 400 hours of study, an exam which includes physical endurance, navigational skills and also a language test NOT in Italian. With all of this just to become a Gondolier it isn’t a wonder that rides are expensive, we were quoted €85.00 for 30 minutes. As we were wandering around the city, we found a gondolier who agreed to €65.00, this was still expensive for us; however, we met a couple who were on their honeymoon and really wanted to ride too. After a little convincing they decided to share one with us, €17 each later and we were off! Of course, this is an expensive treat but one I would highly suggest doing (we probably shouldn’t have left it to our last day and to run out of money, but we got the best deal in the end).

65 euro well spent!

Food: One place I cannot rave about enough is Rio Novo Venice restaurant. Although, this was my favourite restaurant, there is no shortage of great food all over Italy!

www.instagram.com/rio.novo

Out of all the places we ate at, this was hands down the best pasta and pizza we had our whole trip (we visited twice). If in Venice, please go and try this place, you will not be disappointed. We even got a seat outside right on the canal on our last day- dinner with a view, what more could you want! 

                                                                                                  

Overall: Italy was easily one of my favourite trips; I would recommend for couples and small groups. I will be returning one day!

4 out of 5

★★★★☆