Rome and Florence
Italy has been a dream of ours for years and years, so it seemed fitting to give it a go in celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary in October! There were a few things I was certain of when I set out to plan our vacation:
1. We couldn’t be gone much longer than a week. Our kids’ schedules are pretty intense in October and that’s a lot to ask of our nanny and grandparents!
2. We would stick to 2-3 cities so we could relax a bit on this vacation. We ended up sticking to two and that was a lovely blend of busy adventure and relaxation :)
Here’s our agenda with links!
Day 1: Rome
We flew over night and landed in Rome around 7:00 am. This first day is all about getting on the right schedule, so our itinerary matches this goal; we don’t push it and cram tons into this first day. We checked into the amazing Hotel Artemide where they held our luggage and provided a lounge for tired travelers. We brushed our teeth, grabbed a “cup of relax” and ventured off on foot for a bit. After a lunch of pasta (duh!) we came BACK to the hotel where there is a delicious spa in the basement! This was perfection after an 8-hour flight and we had the facilities to ourselves, which was very luxurious and sexy!
After the 1.5 hour spa appointment (we didn’t book services, just basic use of the spa which includes their jacuzzi, Turkish bath, ice room, sauna, etc.) we headed to our room for a nice long siesta. Be sure to set your alarm so you don’t oversleep!
We got ready for dinner and headed to the rooftop of our hotel, where Ambrosia Restaurant is housed. This restaurant is special because it has the most gorgeous views and amazing cocktails! It was SO NICE to have everything we needed in the hotel (spa, room, dinner), especially on that first day when you’re a zombie. The hotel was in great proximity to everything and we were able to walk to all of the sites from it.
Above you see “a cup of relax” at the hotel, chilling in the lounge post 8 hour flight, visiting the Trevi Fountain, dinner with a view, and beautiful dessert!
Day 2: Rome
This was our biggest day and one of my favorites. We started in the morning with a one-hour photoshoot!! So extra I know, but it felt like a special place to get some new pictures! It was our 20 year anniversary, after all! Fun fact: the other couple in our group is now a fitness client of mine!! And THAT connection with people from all over the world is why I love to travel! It really makes the world seem smaller :)
Okay, back to the agenda…
After our super fun photoshoot, we grabbed a drink and a snack and headed to our group Colosseum tour. I love booking tours for things I want to learn a lot about. In Europe, tour guides need a ton of credentials to host groups. For example, the man who hosted our Colosseum tour was an ACTUAL ARCHEOLOGIST!!! So you can get really amazing info from an expert.
After the tour, we were exhausted from walking (plus it was HOT this day!) so we took another siesta and woke up in time to head to our Pasta Making Class with Alessandro. Alessandro is an ACTUAL chef and we cooked with two other couples in his apartment! It was so lovely. My husband replicated the recipe last night for our kids <3 Cooking classes in other cultures is one of my favorite things to do!
On our walk back home we stumbled on the Pantheon!!! It’s SO OLD and just standing in the middle of the street!! That’s how all of Rome felt to me; just super old buildings standing there like, “What??” So. Much. History.
Pictures above, left to right: Italian photoshoot, Colosseum tour, pasta making, Chris with Alesandro, gorgeous pasta, the Pantheon!
Day 3: Rome
We slept in! Like a lot!! I think we woke up at 10 thanks to jet lag. Once we were up and ready for the day we had lunch and walked around the city. Walking the cities is our #1 tip for getting to know a place. By foot is best when it comes to exploring and taking it all in. In the afternoon we had a two-hour tour of the Vatican City Museum, which included seeing the Sistine Chapel! I LOVED this tour and wanted it to continue; our guide was so informative and I was a sponge soaking it all up. My husband, on the other hand, was a fan of the two hour tour limit; it IS hard on the feet to stand and walk slowly for so many hours.
Next was our dinner reservation at Bistrot 64, a Michelin Star restaurant. We did the tasting experience after I expressed my dislike for seafood and they promised they could accommodate ;) It was one of my favorite dinners ever! Every course was stunning and so unique. I loved the whole experience.
Above you see our tour of the Vatican Museum, that staircase (swoon!!), Chris in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, nuns (my favorite!), a gorgeous few plates of food at Bistrot 64.
Day 4: Florence
Our agenda for Florence was much more relaxed. I loved the activities we did, but if I could do the trip again, I don’t think we’d need quite so long in Florence. It’s much smaller than Rome and has tons of eating and shopping, but not as many things to do. We really enjoyed all of the shopping and eating; but we didn’t need quite so much time doing just that :)
To get there, we took a train from Rome to Florence and it was SOOOOO easy! Trains in Europe are just an amazing way to get around. I found it comfortable and relaxing, plus it’s cheap! After checking in at our Air B N B, which was INCREDIBLE, we had a walking food tour. Food tours are another great way to really get to know a city fast! We used the rest of the day to relax, eat some more, and explore Florence by foot.
Above are some delicious bites from our walking food tour, and the Duomo, which is a glorious church you could see from our Air B N B balcony!
Day 5: Florence
Our entire day was spent at a Tuscan Winery! I’m linking the tour we were on, but I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them! We were driven to the winery on seriously curvy roads (pro tip: take Dramamine if you get car sick!) and visited two wineries throughout the 7 hour excursion. At both wineries we also had snacks, such as cheese and bread, and were taken to a local favorite spot for lunch too! The beauty of the landscape is just unmatched. We aren’t huge wine people, so while we enjoyed the wine, for us it was more about the experience and the place. It was a great day!
Days 5 and 6: Florence
Chris ended up getting a stomach bug on day 5, so we took it super easy and spent a lot of time in our amazing Air B N B. I luxuriously read an entire book this day and enjoyed the views out our balcony overlooking the Duomo! We also took slow strolls through the city. We still made the best of our day and are so grateful it was only 24 hours! On day 6 we did more of the same: walking, going into and up the Duomo (recommend!!), shopping (definitely buy some Italian leather while you’re there!) and eating. I think if Chris wouldn’t have had the stomach bug, we would have enjoyed taking the train on one of those days to another city. Like I said above, we didn’t feel like we needed quite so much time hanging out in Florence. It’s a beautiful city and we loved it, but we tend to be more on the active side of vacations. It depends on what vibe you’re going for I suppose :)
Italy with my love was a dream! We ate and drank all the things, experienced incredible buildings and places in history, and walked a ton! I highly recommend visiting! Reach out if you have any questions about our itinerary. And a quick note about the restaurants: everything was good! I only linked one restaurant because it really stood out to me; every other restaurant we went to was based on recommendations from locals and proximity/convenience. I also do a lot of typing into Google “Great restaurants near me,” reading quick reviews, and sorting through them that way. You can’t go wrong in Italy!!