My Summer Trip Through Italy

In the Summer of 2021, my sister, brother, and I went on a "Kids" only road/train trip through Italy. We started in Marseille, France and then visited Milan, Verona, Venice, Tuscany, and Rome. Along our way, We stopped to see many different historical sites and got to eat some good classic Italian cuisine. Even though we didn't have much money, we created special memories together on this trip.

Before we left, my family and I had to get tested for COVID-19; once we got the negative results, we were finally able to leave. We started our practically two-week trip through Italy on July 14, 2021. Since we didn't have much money, we decided to take a ride share from Marseille to Milan. The ride was relatively uneventful, besides the sometimes amazing views. We arrived at our hotel in Milan at 6 pm and went out for dinner. The next day, the "Kids" took a bus to Verona, and the Adults stayed in Milan.

We got to Verona rather early, so we decided to walk around and explore the local sites before we visited more touristic locations on previous days. Both cities were beautiful, with very intricate architecture. We stayed in a youth hostel in Verona for 3 days to save money. While in Verona, we visited the Verona arena, Piazza Delle Erbe, Basilica di San Zeno Maggiore, and the famous Romeo and Juliet balcony, among other sites.

After three days in Verona, we continued our trip by taking a train to Venice. We stayed in another youth hostel about 2 minutes from the actual city. On our first day, we spent most of the time just wandering around the city; in Venice, it's very easy to get lost since there are a lot of dead ends which look like main streets. The next day, we took the infamous gondola boat cruise through the city; it was cool to learn more about Venice's history. We stopped to get some authentic Italian pizza as well as some pastries and called it a day. On the last day, we visited Doge's palace, which had some incredible art, artifacts and architecture. We also managed to briefly visit Torcello island, which is known for its glasswork. On the fourth day, we took a train to Tuscany.

We could only spend one day in Florence, so we tried to make the most of it. We got to Tuscany pretty early; Tuscany felt like a perfect combination of countryside mixed in with old urban cities. We got there early and visited the leaning tower of Pisa and the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral, both remarkable in their own right. We then stopped to get dinner at the Ristorante Brandolino. I had the best pizza I'd ever eaten and some of the best wine. We stayed in a cheap Airbnb and got ready to take a bus from Florence to Rome. Florence was indeed a beautiful city with a lot of renaissance influence.

I really enjoyed this summer trip with my siblings, although we didn't agree on everything I believed it helped us bond and created memories we'll have forever. I think out of all the cities, and places we visited, Rome was my favourite. I think this is because I was interested in the history and knew enough about it to be able to fully enjoy the experience.

7 fun facts about Italian culture: Let's lift the veil!: Qeeq. QEEQ Blog. (2020, July 15). Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://www.qeeq.com/blog/7-fun-facts-about-italian-culture-lets-lift-the-veil/

A&E Television Networks. (2009, November 9). Colosseum. History.com. Retrieved November 13, 2022, from https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/colosseum