If Italy is on your 2025 vision board but don’t know where to start, this article is for you. As a recent traveler to the peninsula, here are some tricks and tips I wish I had known before I made the trip to Europe, organized by city.
Venice:
The iconic floating city, and also a city with literally no roads. In an effort to fight the cobbled walkways, make sure to pack a variety of sneakers. In Venice, there are a multitude of iconic buildings to visit from Rialto Bridge to St. Mark’s Cathedral. However, there are some hidden gems of the city that I fell in love with, especially food-wise.
SUSO: SUSO gelato remains my mother’s favorite ice cream location to this day. If you come here, the “Caramel Suso” gelato flavor is the one to get. Other flavors pictured here are their watermelon and stracciatella. Their gelato tastes fresh and is rich and creamy. The gelateria is about a 15 minute walk from St. Mark’s Square, the location where most travelers begin their day. The walk is a scenic one, where you will pass by many artisan shops with unique glass and lace designs. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado)
Concert in San Vidal Church: For those fans of classical music, you can purchase tickets to watch an orchestra quintet perform a variety of music. The most commonly offered show, and the one I saw, is a performance of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. The romantic architecture and atmosphere of the cathedral add to the enchanting environment, and the lights changing for each “season” in the music further add to the experience. Here is the link to purchase. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado)
Teatro La Fenice: A stunning architectural marvel, La Fenice is the one building I recommend you do not miss on your tour of Venice. The gorgeous opera house is named after a phoenix, as it faced destruction in a 1836 fire. However, the house rose from the ashes, better than ever before. Now adorned with gold in almost every balcony seat, the teal and gold aesthetic of the theater make it, in my opinion, the most gorgeous building in Venice. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado and Marisol Colarte-Delegado)
Ristorante Trattoria Cherubino: I ate the best pasta of my life in this trattoria, and they had a very good tiramisu here too. A local Venetian recommended the restaurant to us, which is how we knew it was good. I ordered paccheri “nonna pina,” which was essentially rigatoni with fresh-made tomato sauce. The real star of the dish, however, were the pieces of fresh mozzarella placed with the freshly-made pasta. The mozzarella stayed fresh and its flavor was sharp, while also melting due to the heat of the sauce. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado)
Florence:
Moving on to the heart of the Renaissance movement, Florence is home to the iconic Statue of David by Michaelangelo, while also offering a variety of shopping and dining options more dispersed throughout the city. I recommend traveling by train to all the cities in Italy, it remains one of the fastest and most affordable options.
Tour to Siena and Pisa: Florence is conveniently placed between multiple top cities that are great for day trips. Travel to Siena, Naples, San Giovanni and Pisa in this tour from Trip Advisor. I recommend this tour with Noemmi; it even has a wonderful stop at a Naples vineyard for lunch with very fresh bread and meals. In San Giovanni’s, you get to learn about how the city was originally built as a fort and can try gelato from the world’s best gelateria (but I think it was overrated). In Siena, you can see the iconic photo of Romulus and Remus feeding from a wolf, as Siena is said to be founded by their children. They also have a bi-annual horse race (Paoli) between the 17 neighborhoods of Siena, an event to not miss. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado and Ella Colarte Delgado)
Cinema Teatro Odeon: An unsuspecting building with a gorgeous interior, this book store also plays movies while you shop. A three-in-one study area, library and theater, the Cinema offers free admission to all with no cost, unless you buy a book. I saw many visitors come in to do some work in the upstairs balcony, and others sat in the reclining chairs near the front of the library to watch some movies, free of charge. Iconic films like “Pretty Woman” and “Space Jam” were playing when I stopped by. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado)
Vivoli: We followed TikTok’s recommendations for this one, and it did not disappoint. Vivoli is known for its affogatos (a shot of espresso surrounded by ice cream). Vivoli has two flavors, a pistachio one and a classic vanilla. We tried both of these flavors and both were delicious. The rich espresso meshed perfectly with the sweet, light gelato. The gelato acted as creamer and sugar, making the espresso shot taste more like a latte. A flakey croissant created the perfect breakfast to start the morning off on the right foot. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)
All’antico vinaio: Spoiler alert, these sandwiches are better here in their original location than in New York. We ordered the same tomato mozzarella pesto sandwich in both cities, and the Italian one was overall fresher and less salty. It was a breath of fresh air and vegetables in between the mix of pizza and pasta in Italy. (Photo/Marisol Colarte Delgado)
Rome:
The most touristy city on this list, Rome features lots of basic attractions that take lots of time. It’s harder to find more niche areas here, and reservations are much harder to land. However, despite these setbacks, I still managed to find a few hidden gems.
La Romana: My top pick for gelato in Roma is La Romana, as it checks all the boxes for what professionals warrant as “good gelato.” The dessert is kept in vats sealed with silver lids and colors are muted, hinting at quality gelato made with real ingredients with no fake preservatives or colors. The reason the gelato is kept in the silver tins is so that it doesn’t melt, due to it being made with real milk. This was my favorite gelateria in Italy, and I recommend trying the Biscotti della Nonna flavor. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)
See the Pope speak about world politics: With Pope Francis’s dwindling health, this seems less and less like a possible opportunity, but in times of health, Pope Francis will address the crowd at around noon every Sunday from his Palace, and on Wednesdays, he comes down to St. Peter’s Square to deliver a homily. When these activities are to return, we don’t know, but as 2025 is a Jubilee Year for the Catholic Church, the Vatican is bound to have some exciting events this summer. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)
Go on a Roman Holiday (for free): Near the Pantheon, there is a freelance photographer who offers to take traveler’s photos and print them out: for free. He uses the same “Roman Holiday” template for everyone, but it can serve as a sweet reminder for your trip. He also printed four copies, one for each member in my family. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)
Sorrento:
Welcome to the Amalfi Coast, where all, locals and travelers, come to relax and enjoy sunnier weather. From Positano to Amalfi, Sorrento remains in the middle of all these tropical cities, making it the perfect place to stay. Beach clubs like Leonelli’s provide the perfect place to rest and tan before diving into the Mediterranean. The most relaxing area of all of Italy, these cities remain my favorite vacation locations to this day.
Fresh Lemonade: Famously known for their delicious lemons, my trip to the Amalfi Coast started off strong when our taxi driver pulled up to the side of the road. Nothing gets fresher than hand-made lemonade on the side of the Italian highway. I actually didn’t find a lemon sorbet better than this in Amalfi, so these cheap but quality drinks are the best way to start off your trip to paradise. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado)
La Lanterna serenade: Antonio Moccia, an Italian singer, works as a performer at the famed Sorrento restaurant “La Lanterna.” Here, Antonio performs iconic songs such as “Volare” and even some of his original songs. You have the option to buy his CDs at the end of the night. After a personal serenade from Antonio himself, I was left enchanted and this experience definitely added some extra magic to my trip in Sorrento. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado and Marisol Colarte Delgado)
Go cliff diving: To get your adrenaline pumping, climb the surrounding rocks and jump off. Italian locals often go cliff diving, and while the rocks are very slippery, with proper care, a dive off a cliff can lead to some extra excitement while swimming in the Mediterranean.
Capri:
The most iconic island in Italy, Capri is home to some of the most amazing sites and activities. Known for its lemons, astonishingly clear water and their rocky mountains, Capri is a natural site to behold. Two stops to not miss are the 3-meter-wide blue grotto with literally flowing water, as well as the chair lift to Anacapri. These activities are must-do attractions.
Blue Grotto: As you can see here, the water glows even in darkness due to the sunlight filtering through the cracks of the rocks. (Photos/Emma and Ella Colarte Delgado)
Visit the Thinking Man: On the outskirts of Capri, you can see the Thinking Man positioned on one of the last rocks of the island. You can reach him most easily by taking a boat around the island to view all the natural wonders of the island. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)
The Tram: For another stunning view of the island that’s not the chain lift, take the tram. This tram can transport you from Anacapri to the base of the island with their refreshing beaches, and show gorgeous seaside views as you travel. (Photos/Emma Colarte Delgado)
The emerald grotto: The only place in the world with emerald water, this grotto is green due to the reflection of the light in the specific cut of the rocks. This water looks gorgeous and is cool and refreshing after a day of traveling in the sun. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)
The Sea Arch: One of the only sea arches in the world, this sea arch in Capri is a must-see natural wonder. (Photo/Emma Colarte Delgado)
