For 2 weeks my mum joined us for a whirlwind tour of Italy’s many sights – Venice, Florence, Sienna and Rome.  With so much to see, it was a busy trip, so here are just a few of the highlights.

The Venetian lanes and canals

Arriving in Venice is breathtaking.  All of sudden there are houses rising right out of the water, and tiny alleyways need to be navigated, along with plenty of bridges.  We arrived by train and opted to walk the 2 km to our accommodation.  Even with heavy bags and crossing over 10 bridges in 36C heat, the walk was a great entry to the city.  Buzzing crowds and little shops, bars and restaurants everywhere.

Free Walking tour Venice

Free walking tours continued to be a hit, with a 3 hour tour of Venice taking us off the tourist path and providing some insights into the history of Venice, and the residents. We found Marco Polo’s house, learned about the beautiful Venetian masks seen in all the stores, and saw the thinnest house/ island in Venice, all the while entertained by our incredibly knowledgeable guide.

Murano

There’s no denying that Murano is touristy, however a visit is still a great way to spent an afternoon.  The main canal is lined with glass shops offering the option to purchase anything from small trinkets and jewelry through to massive intricate chandeliers – we opted for the former! We’d read mixed reviews of the many tours of Murano, so instead chose to catch the ferry and meander ourselves – and it was a great idea.  We weren’t hassled to buy anywhere, met friendly shop keepers and with few people around it made for a nice break from the hustle and bustle of Venice.

St Mark’s Square and the Doge’s Palace

The Doge’s were the rulers of Venice and their incredible residence is right in the heart of Venice, at St Mark’s Square.   We opted for a skip the line tour, which was another great win.  Walking past all the people queuing in the heat and going straight in was worth it alone, and the commentary was pretty interesting too.

The palace is connected to the Dungeon by the Bridge of Sighs one of the most photographed spots in Venice.

These two look at home in the Dungeon…

Rugby in an Irish Pub in Florence

We arrived in Florence all of 2 hours before the All Blacks were due to kick off against South Africa, and weren’t that hopeful of being able to watch the game. But of course every city has an Irish pub, and Irish pubs tend to play live rugby, and we were in luck.  Finnegan’s was just around the corner from our apartment! A very pleasant afternoon spent watching the ABs win over a few ice cold Magners.

Wandering Sienna

A few days in Sienna gave us plenty of time to experience the relaxed side of Italy – shopping, eating and drinking featured heavily!  We arrived just before the Palio, the horse race which sees the Sienna districts compete by racing around the Piazza Del Compo in the centre of town (below). Fiercely competitive neighbours in each district hung flags of their area around creating a carnival feel.

We also visited the Duomo di Sienna, a beautiful cathedral in town which also houses an old library with ornately decorated books, and the accompanying museum.

Tuscany wine tour

No visit to Tuscany would be complete without visiting some vineyards.  We opted for a full day tour encompassing the beautiful towns of San Gimignano, Monteriggioni and Montalcino, as well as visiting two vineyards for copious tastings of delicious wines.

Italian cooking class

The host at our Sienna accommodation recommended a wonderful cooking class in the home of an Italian Contessa.  The home and host were both beautiful, and the meal was fantastic.  A feast of 6 courses had us rolling back to our accommodation many hours later.

The Vatican

We took a 3 hour tour covering the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica.  The art work is incredible and hearing about how long much of it took to do, and the hidden stories in many of the pieces is fascinating. The area at the front of the Basilica is also beautiful and at night is far less crowded than during the day, making for some great photos.

A note on Airbnb: For most of the trip we found our accommodation through Airbnb and stayed at some great apartments with lovely hosts that shared information about their local neighbourhoods.  In Florence we had a 4th floor apartment looking directly out at the cathedral, in Sienna our apartment included hidden tunnels that used to connect the whole city, and in Rome we had a wonderful home less than 10 minutes walk from the Vatican. A great way to stay and really experience a city.