Italy by Rail - Natalie Watson
After a short flight and smooth check in, we enjoyed our first Italian pizza on a cobbled side street before taking a must do tour of the Colosseum.
The next day we hopped on and off the city tour bus, exploring the sites of Rome. Making a wish at Trevi Fountain, walking up the Spanish Steps. Onto Vatican City and enjoying gelato sat outside St. Peter's Basilica. Later that evening we cheered along with other guests after watching a proposal on the hotel’s rooftop!
On day three the weather was glorious and with the rest of trip still ahead of us we decide to lay around the pool before spending our last night dining right outside the Colosseum and watching the sunset on Palatine Hill.
The next day we left Rome and headed to our next destination, Florence, by Italian rail. Traveling first class, we enjoyed the complimentary lunch whilst looking out at Italy’s countryside. Arriving in Florence, ahead of check in time we dropped our bags off and strolled down Arno river towards Piazza della Signoria and wondered over Ponte Vecchio Bridge.
We woke up to Hotel Home’s pastries and Italian coffee, we then jumped on the hop on hop off bus to higher grounds for a view of the city’s iconic landmark, the Duomo. After a stroll round The Boboli Gardens, the bus drove into Fiesole, a small town just outside Florence, which is a must for anyone wanting to see incredible views of the whole city.
With Pisa only a 40 minutes train journey away we couldn’t come to Tuscany and not see The Leaning Tower of Pisa. We didn’t quite manage to get a decent photo of us holding it up! Back in Florence, we spent our final night eating more pizza and drinks on the hotels terrace.
From roads to canals. Arriving in Venice we were picked up from the train station by the hotels private water taxi. Staying in Murano, we checked in and walked all around the island, in and out of shops where locals sold glass items that were made on the island.
The water taxi dropped us off in Venice where we mooched around the alleyways and over the many bridges. It’s true what they say, get lost in Venice. We drank beers on St Mark’s Square, went up San Marco Campanile for stunning views of the city. Before heading back to Murano, we walked over the Rialto Bridge and enjoyed pasta in a lovely restaurant on the Grand Canal.
Back in Venice we walked around Doges Palace, through the Bridge of Sighs and stopped off at Venchi for more gelato. Running low on euros, we stopped by an ATM machine, as we really couldn’t leave Venice without experiencing a famous gondola ride down the grand canal.
One last trip on the water taxi to the airport brought our trip to an end and we said ciao to Italy.