For as long as I can remember Italy has been on my travel bucket list. I appreciate every country I travel to and I have not been disappointed thus far, however it’s always such a surreal experience when you get to finally cross off a destination that’s on your top 10 must-visit places. In October I got the chance to accompany a friend to Italy and even though it was a little last minute I knew that it was an opportunity I had to take! I’m definitely a hardcore researcher so it was a little overwhelming trying to research what I could before the trip and I will be honest and say that this Italy series may not be as informative as some of my other blog posts but I’m still very excited to share my perspective and all the fun stories from this epic girls trip abroad! This was also my first girls trip in another country and I already can’t wait for more! Most people tend to think of Italy as a romantic couples destination, and while it is definitely perfect for couples, it is also the perfect destination for a girls trip! The history and culture, gorgeous variety of landscapes, delicious culinary delights, friendly locals, and the most charming streets and architecture for your girls photo shoots 😉 It truly was the best time!
As mentioned before, we went in October and this was a perfect time to go! The weather was still very sunny and warm (hot enough to swim!) but not overwhelmingly hot like in July and August and the crowds seemed to be much thinner than what I’ve seen online during peak season. We started our trip in the Tuscany region for 4 days and made our homebase in Florence. We stayed at this beautiful Airbnb tucked away in a little neighborhood and we really enjoyed our time there. The Airbnb was very spacious inside and had its own little private courtyard area where we enjoyed dinners and multiple glasses of wine most nights. On the corner of our street was a little cafe with very friendly owners and delicious coffee. It was never too busy and really added to that small neighborhood charm. We really enjoyed getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city center after a long day of exploring and coming back to our quiet little retreat. We ended up walking to most places (probably about a 25-30 minute walk to popular spots) and using public transit which was near our Airbnb. Unfortunately I mostly took video of the interior versus photos but I’ll share the link below to book the Airbnb. The photos on the listing are a perfect representation of how the Airbnb was in person.
Unfortunately we didn’t get to fit in a ton of activities during our stay and I know that we missed out on a few must see’s while there because of how short we were on time. I definitely plan to go back one day soon with Joe and explore Florence and the greater Tuscany region more in depth. We also plan to rent a car next time to explore other towns and villages. Below is our 4-day timeline and I hope this information will be helpful to someone out there!
Day 1: Arrive via train from Rome, get settled into our homebase, a night out in Florence
My girlfriend and I flew into Rome to meet up with each other as it was cheaper and we also planned on spending 2 days there at the end of our trip before flying back home. We booked our train tickets ahead of time on Trenitalia and the total cost as of October 2019 was 54 Euros for 2 people. We also got to reserve our seats. The train ride was only 1.5 hours and was very comfortable. We printed our tickets out at home and we also had them electronically on our phones just in case. The tickets online are time and date stamped already and have a bar code so you don’t need to validate it (there should be fine print on the ticket that states this as well). If you buy your ticket in person at the train station you MUST validate it before getting on board. There are little green validation machines in the train station. Ask for help if you can’t find one! In my research I read about how strict they are about this but I also witnessed it in person. A couple did not validate their ticket and the train attendant told them they would need to get off at the next stop or pay a penalty of 60 Euros each so definitely remember to find that machine and validate the ticket!
We arrived in Florence a little after 1:00 P.M. and walked to our Airbnb to check-in. We ended up finding a little restaurant near our Airbnb that had the nicest servers and amazing food. Definitely recommend this little spot if you’re in the area!
After settling into our Airbnb and resting up we decided to go out that night. In our college days my girlfriend and I were pretty wild together but now that we’re approaching our late twenties we both don’t go out very much anymore. We knew we had to take advantage of this opportunity though and to our surprise we can definitely still hang, ha! It was a great time and we managed to stay out until 4:00 A.M. which apparently was still early in Italy! It was so much fun exploring the streets of Florence late at night, especially during those wee early hours of the morning when the streets were dead except for some stragglers leaving the bars. I was also amazed watching locals and international students walking around and drinking on the streets during dinner. We decided to join in on the fun and ordered a cup of prosecco and little vodka bottles at an outdoor stand to pre-game with.
Unfortunately I can’t remember the names of the clubs we went to but the first one that we visited we didn’t really like and we ended up getting a suggestion from a local who heard that we liked hip hop music and we had a blast at the next club. It was fun meeting and talking to locals and we felt safe most of the time. That’s not to say there were not aggressive men, and not just the locals either but other foreigners as well. Always be sure to keep your guard up when out at night anywhere and watch out for your fellow travel partner if you have one! Overall it was a pretty fun night! The next day we were unsurprisingly pretty hungover and decided that we would be taking it easy the rest of the trip and opting for nice dinners and glasses of wine instead but it was still fun to check out the Florence nightlife, even if just for one night!
Day 2: Exploring Florence
The next day we woke up groggy and tired but we knew we couldn’t waste the day away! We decided to walk around Florence and at least walk near all the hot spots, even if we didn’t go inside some places. Some of the spots we checked out we got to see the night before but it was fun to see the difference in the day time. The original plan was to wake up very early to avoid most of the large crowds but unfortunately that plan fell through due to our night out. We did get to check out the Piazza del Duomo, the Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, the Palazzo Pitti, and a few other little spots around the city before the crowds overwhelmed us. Florence is truly a stunning city with the most beautiful and intricate Renaissance architecture and streets. The Duomo was definitely the star of the show though and my favorite area of the City. We had a lot of fun walking around but we were definitely wiped out by the end of the day!
Day 3: Tuscany wine tour via Airbnb Experiences
We had the most amazing time on our Tuscany wine tour that we booked through Airbnb experiences and I can’t recommend this tour enough! It was half the price of most wine tasting tours that we saw online, our group size was only 4 people total (including us), and our host was this delightful local woman named Chiara and she was so much fun and so knowledgeable about the region. The other people on the tour were an older couple from the UK and they were super friendly and fun to chat with. We first stopped at San Miniato Al Monte which is a beautiful church with a white and green marble facade. The church is located on a hill and has amazing views of the Florence skyline. It was also great because there were hardly any people here so we got to enjoy the view in peace and quiet.
We then drove through the gorgeous Tuscany countryside to a small family owned Chianti winery where we met the nicest older couple who had so much passion for their craft. The vineyard was gorgeous and the wines and the appetizers were very delicious (I will never get over not sending some of their truffle oil home). We were also the only guests there during our tasting so it truly is private! The winemaker was so friendly and entertaining and it was fun to watch him sing opera songs and to watch our host and the other couple on our tour join along after the wine started flowing through them (side note our host was not drinking since she was driving, but she still sang her heart out!).
Afterwards we went to visit the tiny and beautiful town of Montefioralle which had the most charming little cobbled streets and a stunning view of the Tuscany countryside. After Montefioralle we visited a butcher shop in Greve in Chianti where we bought prosciutto & parmesan cheese to accompany our wine for dinner that night. Lastly, we went to Chiara’s little secret bar (no tourists at all!) and enjoyed an aperol spritz on the balcony while taking in the glowing sunset and chatting with the other couple on the tour. On the way home we all jammed to Queen on the radio and our hearts were full of content. It was such an amazing day and so much fun learning all about each other’s cultures and connecting. I love that so much about traveling. It doesn’t matter the age, where you are from, or even what language you speak, there are always many ways to connect and it is always a blast. It was definitely an experience that I’ll never forget and one of my favorite moments of our girls trip.
If this tour interests you at all here is the link below for booking!
Tuscany Wine Tour via Airbnb Experiences
Day 4: Exploring Siena
Siena came up quite often during my brief research for this trip and it was definitely on my mind when we first arrived in Florence. We weren’t sure we would make the day trip out there but our host from our wine tour exclaimed to us that we must go and that Siena is such a wonderful city to explore. Her excitement pretty much sealed the deal for us! She also gave us great advice because we were originally going to take a train there but she recommended the rapid bus to Siena which is cheaper and will drop you off pretty much directly in front of the city. The bus station was near our Airbnb so it was a very easy process. We went to the station around 10 A.M. and looked at the rapid bus time table, went to the counter to pay for a round trip ticket, and hopped on the bus (don’t forget to validate your ticket when you hop on)! The bus was not crowded at all and was very comfortable. The drive was also very pretty and we got to drive past the countryside again. The trip took about 1 hour and 15 minutes and really flew by.
I really loved Florence and I know I’ll be back to see more but something about Siena really won me over. Maybe it was the welcomed respite from the inevitable crowds in Florence which was heavily reduced in Siena, or its rustic medieval brick buildings and alleyways, or the gorgeous white marble cathedral with so much to explore inside, or enjoying lunch at the Piazza del Campo which is the medieval square that seemed to breathe so much life into the town. Our truffle oil pasta and aperol spritz somehow tasted even better sitting in this town and enjoying the slowed down vibes. After enjoying lunch we walked around through the streets and then finally purchased an Opa Si Pass to explore the Piazza del Duomo complex. The pass allows you to visit the Cathedral, the Piccolomini Library, the Crypt, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, and the Museo dell’Opera. The pass is valid for 3 days from the date of purchase but you can easily fit in everything within a couple hours. My favorite was definitely the Piccolomini Library which has the prettiest ceiling!
Well that wraps up part 1 of my Italy girls trip! I hope this helps you with planning if you’re headed to the Tuscany region anytime soon. Next up in this series will be all about our time in Cinque Terre (my favorite area of the trip!) and then finally our short time in Rome so stay tuned! Let me know in the comments if you’ve been to any of these places and if there are any spots I have to check out when I return in the future!
Until next time,
Kelsie