Say Ciao to Italy!

Effortlessly blending an undeniable freneticism with some of the most significant western culture in the world, it’s impossible not to be intrigued by Italy. 

Food and wine lovers will have a hard time tearing themselves away from everything Italy has to offer, and even those who don’t live and die by their next meal are likely to be drawn in by the flavours and freshness of food on offer. And for history and cultural travellers, it’s hard to think of another country that offers as much as Italy.

We’ve visited on a few different occasions, focusing all of our time in the Rome and the lovely north. Spending two weeks in Rome, we felt we got to dig a bit deeper into what makes the city tick, and realized understanding this city is the key to understanding so many things about modern life in the west.

We hope to start visiting the south of Italy on future trips…there truly is so much to explore.

Posts About Italy

• Where to Stay in Rome — From the postcard-perfect Centro Storico to the upscale Monti, the hip and lively Trastevere to the Vatican-adjacent Prati, Rome has loads of areas to choose from. We found a local expat to help outline the best neighborhoods and places to stay in Rome, no matter what your travel style.

• Things to do in Rome — Rome has such an imposing presence, it’s almost overwhelming to figure out where to start. We asked a Canadian expat in Rome for help deciding some of the best things to do in Rome. For another perspective, Marta Nightingale-Styczen (also an expat in Rome), gives her Local’s Tips for Rome.

• We also wrote down our own Best Travel Tips for Visiting Rome, with the hope that others can learn from our experiences (and have a better vacation as a result!)

• Tours of Rome — We spent 2 weeks in Rome with our friends at Context Travel, exploring the city with the help of their ‘docent’ tour guides.
  • The Caesar and Empire tour took us through central Rome with a restoration architect as our guide.
  • The Fall and Rise of Rome tour helped us see Rome as a millienia-long recycling project, visiting some of the most interesting churches in the city.
  • Our day trip to the ancient port city of Ostia Antica (with an actual archaeologist as our guide) helped us imagine the everyday lives of ordinary people under the Roman empire.

• Where to Stay in Florence — If you’re heading to the birthplace of the Renaissance, start with this guide to this Tuscan beauty. We reached out to a former Florentine to give us the lay of the land, and explain the best areas to stay in Florence, as well as some insiders tips on what to do while you’re there!

• Where to Stay in Milan — If you’re heading to Italy’s fashion capital, start with this guide to the city’s coolest neighborhoods and best places to stay. As with our other guides, we hired a local to outline the best areas to stay in Milan, including tourist favorites and some cool, local areas we wouldn’t have known about.

• Things to do in Milan — While we’ve been to Milan ourselves, it was only for a quick visit. To get a better feel for the city, we asked Margherita Ragg, a born-and-bred Milanese, for help figuring out the best things to do in Milan.

• Finally, we have a few old posts, including posts about visiting the Milan Duomo and visiting Milan at Christmas and one about the Italian Cafe tradition.