Guest post by brownc
Map tips: each color represents a different day. Click a marker to learn more about the spot, and click the star in the map header to save the entire map under Your Places in Google Maps.
Day 1: Rome
- Spanish Steps
- Victor Emmanuel Monument
We spent the first day walking around getting to know the area. We didn’t go in any of the places, just admired from the outside. We stayed at a flat that was close to the metro, which made it easy to get to central areas.
Day 2: Rome
- Colosseum
- Roman Forum
- Pantheon
- Trevi Fountain
- St Peter’s Square
The inside of the Roman Colosseum was a great experience. We opted to walk around ourselves. If you purchase a tour you can pay a little extra and be taken underneath. The Roman Forum “next door” was one of my favorite places in Rome. The architectural engineering that went into the Pantheon (really all of Rome not just the Pantheon) was awesome to experience in person. The Trevi Fountain was my other favorite part of Rome. Unfortunately it was under construction but still amazing.
Day 3: Rome
- Vatican Museums
- Sistine Chapel
- St. Peter’s Basilica
The Vatican Museum had so many amazing sights. I was surprised by the Sistine Chapel. I thought “The Creation of Adam” would be much larger than it actually was and assumed it would be more of a centerpiece. It was in the center but it was one of a hundred or so other paintings just like it that were just as beautiful. St Peter’s Square was beautiful and the fountain there was refreshing to dab on our faces and heads. It was almost 100 degrees out.
We drove to Venice, almost 6 hours
Day 4: Venice
We spent much of the day just enjoying the shops and layout of the city. I really enjoyed Piazza San Marco and the tiny alleyways that opened into large squares with plenty of food and beverage everywhere. We took a nighttime gondola ride that was another fun way to view the city.
Day 5: Driving to Naples
We drove through Tuscany on our way to Naples, about 8 hours. We didn’t make any stops, just enjoyed the scenery.
Day 6: Naples
We took a day off to just relax with some friends and not worry about plans. Although experiencing so many wonderful sights and tastes was a once in a lifetime opportunity, it was great to have a day of R and R.
Day 7: Pompeii
We took half of the day to wonder around the ancient city of Pompeii. This city was once a coastal hub but was covered in meters of ash and pumice by the neighboring volcano, Mt. Vesuvius.
Day 8: Santa Maria Capua Vetere
The coliseum where Spartacus fought (called the Amphitheatre of Capua) was much smaller that it’s Roman counterpart. It was however, much less crowded, cheaper, and we could go underneath without having to pay for a tour.
Day 9: Ischia Island
We rented a boat and rode around the island snorkeling and cliff diving. The water was incredibly clear but I was disappointed about the lack of fish. I was hoping to see a lot of species of fish I had never seen before. The only ones I saw were really small and fairly plain. We also went to the hot springs on one side of the island. The hottest spring was too hot to put more that your feet or legs into. There are various cliffs around that you can climb and jump off of. The highest one that we jumped was approximately 40 ft.
Traveled to Italy in August 2015
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