Italy
Italy, in a few days
Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Sicily linked by high-speed rail: the day-by-day route, the sights worth booking ahead, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.
- Day by day
- 1 Venice Days 1-2
- 2 Florence Days 3-4
- 3 Rome Days 5-7
- 4 Naples and Pompeii Days 8-10
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
Day by day
Venice
Built on 118 islets from the fifth century onwards, and queen of the seas for much of the next thousand years. Saint Mark's Square, the gondolas and the Grand Canal.
- Gondola ride30 min · from €40Thirty minutes on the small canals, where the city looks the way it was designed to be seen.
- Doge's Palace, guided2h · from €35The seat of the Venetian republic, its council rooms and the bridge that took prisoners out of them.
- Saint Mark's Square
- Rialto Bridge
- Murano and Burano islands
Florence
Where the Renaissance and the Medici began. Brunelleschi's dome, the Uffizi and Michelangelo's David.
- Uffizi Gallery, skip the line2h · from €30Botticelli, Leonardo and Caravaggio in one corridor. The queue outside can run to two hours in summer.
- Chianti tasting in TuscanyHalf day · from €60Half a day among the vines between Florence and Siena, with the wine and the food that goes with it.
- Duomo and Ponte Vecchio
- Piazzale Michelangelo
- San Lorenzo market
Rome
The Eternal City, capital of an empire that lasted a thousand years. Colosseum, Forum, Vatican and the Trevi Fountain.
- Colosseum and Forum, skip the line3h · from €45The arena that held fifty thousand people, then the square where the empire actually ran itself.
- Vatican and Sistine Chapel, guided3h · from €55Four kilometres of galleries ending under Michelangelo's ceiling. Go early or go late.
- Trevi Fountain
- Pantheon
- Trastevere
- Spanish Steps
Naples and Pompeii
A city that argues with itself, and the buried town next door. Pompeii was sealed under ash in 79 AD and dug out almost intact.
- Pompeii, guided visitHalf day · from €45A Roman town frozen mid-morning in 79 AD. A guide is what turns the stones back into streets.
- Capri by boatFull day · from €70A day on the island the Roman emperors kept for themselves, and the blue cave under its cliffs.
- UNESCO old town
- Real Neapolitan pizza
- Chiaia seafront
Worth sorting before you go
The high-speed trains · Italo and Trenitalia connect the cities in one to three hours. Book a few weeks out and the fare roughly halves.
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Compare the agencies before you land.
Compare · Booking
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
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Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Neapolitan pizza: soft dough, wood fire, and best eaten in Naples.
- Regional pasta: carbonara in Rome, ragu in Bologna, and never the same twice.
- Gelato: artisan ice cream. Walk past the tubs piled high and glowing.
- Aperitivo: a spritz and small plates at the end of the afternoon.
- Espresso: standing at the bar, and no cappuccino after a meal.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Restaurants with photo menus and a man outside waving you in, especially near the monuments.
- Check the bill for coperto and service before you add anything.
- Cappuccino after midday marks you out. An espresso works at any hour.
- Shoulders and knees covered in churches, and that includes the big ones.
Words that help
English ↔ Italian
| English | Italian |
|---|---|
| Hello | Buongiorno |
| Thank you | Grazie |
| Please | Per favore |
| Yes | Sì |
| No | No |
| Excuse me | Mi scusi |
| Goodbye | Arrivederci |
| Do you speak English? | Parla inglese? |
| I don't understand | Non capisco |
| How much is it? | Quanto costa? |
| Where are the toilets? | Dove sono i bagni? |
| The bill, please | Il conto, per favore |
| Help! | Aiuto! |
| Cheers! | Salute! |
The practical page
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/italy
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.