These posts should have been finished months ago, seeing as I went on this trip in June – but here they are anyway!
Venice
After seeing beautiful Switzerland, we went on the second half of our trip and set out to explore Italy. We took a bus from Engelberg, Switzerland to Lake Como. I’ll admit that I had higher expectations for Lake Como (it was very dirty and filled with litter). After a lunch stop in Lake Como, we made our way to Venice and stayed at the Anda Hotel in the Mestre area. It was one of my favorite places we stayed throughout the whole trip. Some of us then took the bus to the main area of Venice, down by the iconic canals.
We had dinner at Trattoria Povoledo Venezia and it was surprisingly inexpensive for the waterfront view. The shrimp scampi was so good – but I was a little in shock from the giant shrimp sitting on top of the pasta, eyes and all! Afterward, we wandered around the streets, looking at all the Venetian masks and blown glass in the store windows. We found a Frulala stand with fresh fruit frozen cocktails and they were so good. I don’t like wine so this was a good substitute 🙂
The next day, we started with another walking tour. After walking around town, we ended the tour at St. Mark’s Basilica. The dress code required pants and covered shoulders, so I just wore my Athleta pants under a dress so I wasn’t dying of heat the rest of the day. It was definitely a good choice because it was around 97 the entire day and several of my friends were wearing jeans the whole day! I don’t think it was worth it or necessary to go inside – it’s definitely beautiful, but the mosaics on the outside are just as pretty. Afterward, we saw a glass blowing demonstration and then looked at the gorgeous (but crazy expensive) pieces.
Next, we got to explore the island of Burano, with all the fun colored buildings. We took a boat to get there and most of us ended up being rocked to sleep! We ate at Trattoria Locanda and had a full meal of seafood lasagna, risotto and a fish filet. We then spent the rest of the time walking around and taking photos. If you want good photos here, I would go much earlier in the day to avoid the heat and the other tourists. It’s a small island too and doesn’t have much to offer, so I would keep your time short there.
Once we got back to the mainland of Venice, we went for a gondola ride. I honestly didn’t enjoy it – the gondolier was purposely rocking the boat the entire time and kept messing with us, making me so nervous with my camera! We then got pasta at Dal Moro’s, a to-go pasta place. Only in Italy! I then got my first (of many) gelatos of the trip at Boutique del Gelato. It was so good! Because of my nut allergy, I did a lot of research in advance to figure out the best places for me to eat along the way. Hazelnut is very popular here and they often used the same scoops for multiple flavors, which was risky. This particular gelato place was known for its allergy-friendliness and was even on a popular travel food show called Somebody Feed Phil.
I wrote in my journal here that I could end the trip here if I truly had to. I wasn’t homesick, and I wasn’t sick of traveling, but I was realizing that I was always tired and was looking forward to a routine again. I’m so glad I didn’t end the trip there – some of my favorite places were after this!
Bologna & San Gimignano
We took the same bus from Venice to Bologna for another lunch break. I noticed that Bologna was very modernized, with a strong mix of history. You’d have the Disney store and McDonald’s on the left and a basilica that was thousands of years old on the right. There were some smaller market streets that we took advantage of and I had the best cherries of my life there!
After a few more hours of driving, we made it to our campground in Florence. Yes, campground – we stayed at Firenze Camping in Town. Many people had campers but we had our own little bungalows in groups of three. They had a really nice restaurant as well as a pool. After dropping off our things and getting ready, we went to San Gimignano for a few hours. It’s a small medieval town that looks a lot like a fortress on a hill, with a gorgeous view of the Tuscan countryside and vineyards below.
I had the BEST gelato of my life here at Gelateria Dondoli, which has won the world gelato championships several times. San Gimignano is known for its Vernaccia, a sweet white wine. I don’t love wine but I had their Vernaccia-flavored gelato. It was so good that I got it twice within the hour and a half that we were there!
We then drove to La Tancia, a third-generation family-owned vineyard. They bottle up to 9,000 bottles of wine a day! We had a big homemade meal, starting with penne with the freshest tomato sauce I’ve ever had. Next, we had an incredible bruschetta with onions, olive oil and fresh mozzarella. I then learned that the course went backward and regretted not eating more pasta and bruschetta while I could (I thought it was the appetizer!). Last we had a panzanella, which is a kind of bread salad. The entire meal was incredible and I couldn’t ask for a better experience.
Florence
Florence was one of my favorite cities we visited. The walking tour was one of the best we had on the whole trip. We learned that Florence was built only 7 meters above the Roman ruins, so you can look into some of the shops with glass floors and see the ruins below. It’s incredible how much history is in this city – it’s almost tangible. The Duomo is absolutely stunning and was my favorite big monument so far. The pink and green marble stand out so well and it’s so elegant when the light hits it just right. We ended the tour at the Leonardo leather and gold market. I didn’t buy anything, but they had some gorgeous pieces.
The ruins under the shops 
Some of us then went to Mercato Central for lunch, an indoor Florentine food court. There were so many great options for local food at a fantastic price point. I think my gnocchi was only 6 euro. We then walked about twenty minutes across the river to get gelato at La Carraia. There are two locations in Florence and if you’re here, you MUST go! I had the best dark chocolate gelato. It was my second-favorite of the whole trip, after the Vernaccia.
We then waited in line for the Galleria dell’Accademia, where the David is housed. It was in direct sunlight and so hot, so I would definitely recommend bringing a little hand fan if you can! I studied some art history in college and I was in awe when I saw the David – it was much bigger and way more detailed than I had pictured it in my head. We wandered around and saw the rest of the art. One of my art history classes was Italian Renaissance history – I hated it at the time because it was incredibly tedious, but I was so thankful I had that education when I got to see the art in person.
After the museum, we went across town and made our way up to Piazzale Michelangelo, with the best view of the Florence skyline. It was worth the hike up the stairs. We then walked back across town to get dinner at Il Cavallino, splitting bruschetta then I got some of the best pizza of my life. It was located in Piazza della Signoria, the square in front of the Palazzio Vecchio, which held replicas of some of the most famous sculptures. It was also great for people watching. We ended the day with gelato at Perche No – which translates to Why Not? – a perfect name for a gelato shop. Florence had beautiful art and architecture and I can’t wait to return.
xo, Hannah
