Week 11: Italy: Milan, Florence, & Rome!

This is the start of my two week trip! From this point on I will be traveling from Italy, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

First off to start, I flew from Copenhagen (CPH) to Milan Bergamo (BGY) with my friends Mia and Aidan G. and spent around 5 hours in Milan.

Here are some pictures!

We found Milan to be a very interesting introduction to Italy. Unfortunately, the weather was not the greatest and it rained for most of the day but we still had a good time. Milan was very crowded and didn't seem to be very safe, so it made it a little harder for us to enjoy. However, there are some iconic sites to visit there, so it may be worth the visit if you are interested in shopping, architecture, and fashion.

After spending five hours in the city, we took trains to Florence. The views were incredible, and gave us a unique perspective on the Italian country side that you wouldn't normally get when staying in the city. I highly recommend traveling by train if you have the chance

Words of advice: European trains are more expensive than you think they are. Make sure to look into all of your options well in advance before your trip since there are various passes, seat classes, availabilities, and train types. Also, make sure to look into EU Rail and the passes that they offer for non-EU individuals and EU residents; as using their rail pass can save you lots of money traveling in between countries. Other options too could be FlixBus and budget airlines (e.g RyanAir, easyJet, Vueling, etc.). Overall, being early when planning things out benefits you a lot.

When we arrived it was already dark but luckily our hostel was very close to the train station. If you ever go to Florence, make sure to look into the hostel Fosteria Sociale Florence. It wasn't the best hostel but it was very cool and featured lots of Renaissance art. The location was also very very good, and was within walking distance of many places in Florence.

Florence was SO awesome! I loved visiting the city and experiencing the culture, food scene, and energy.

Here some coffee and dessert spots that I recommend:

• Vivoli

• All'Antico Vinaio

• S'Brino

• Caffe dei Fossi

Sites to visit:

• Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore

• Piazzza della Signoria

• Uffizi Galleries

• Palazzo Pitti

• Boboli Gardens

• Basilica of Santa Maria Novella

• Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze

After three days in Florence, we then headed to Rome for four days. By far Rome was one of the best cities that I've been to in Europe. We went during a very unique time since it was Holy Week of the Jubilee Year (Once every twenty-five years). With that being said it was very crowded and full, but with Rome being a huge city it didn't feel that bad.

Words can't describe how much I loved visiting Rome. We met so many lovely people and saw so many unique things. Great food, great coffee, and rich culture!

Recommendations:

• Hostel: YellowSquare Rome

• Sites:

  • Piazza di Siena

  • Musei Vaticano

  • Cappella Sistina

  • Basilica di San Pietro

  • Monument to Victor Emmanuel II

  • Foro Romano

  • Colosseo

  • Spanish Steps

• Food:

  • Trastevere Area (!!!) Great food and the culture is very lively.

  • Trapizzino

  • Ristorante Pinseria Da Massi

That caps it off for the Italy part of my trip. There's so many more photos and things that I want to go over but, unfortunately, there isn't enough storage on my part. But if you have any questions about it please let me know!

Next, I'll be heading to Switzerland!