Venice; We arrived by train. Having chugged through the beautiful scenic track from Basel in Switzerland, we felt slightly stressed when we arrived at the station and exited into a crowd of hundreds of tourists. It is July however, and we come to expect it. We manage to find our hotel (thank goodness we picked the one right next to the station) and crashed for the night in a cute little private room after feasting on my first meal of squid ink pasta and deep fried vegies.
Must does in Venice; eat gelato for breakfast - every day. Get lost - this is kind of a given and even if you don't want to, I promise. You WILL GET LOST. Maps are a waste of time and the best advise I can give is just walk and enjoy the beauty of where you are at every moment. It's like no other place on earth and the locals will help you when you need to get back. A trip to the glass blowing island of Murano and the island famed for it's lace, Burano are a must. Don't feed the pigeons - they attack.
Pisa; sit in the shade of the leaning tower and hope it doesn't fall on you if an earthquake happens to strike. Take the quintessential photo of 'holding up' the tower with your pinky.
Cinque Terre; Eat all the pesto you're able to shove into your drooling mouth. In all forms, from gnocchi or spaghetti coated in pesto to out of the jar. From pesto pizza, sandwiches and Arancini (they are meals here) you will not get enough of it. This is the area from which the green beauty comes from! Walk between the five towns but DO NOT walk up the steps to Corniglia with a heavy backpack. Lesson learned.
Florence; Save for accommodation - it's very expensive here! A beautiful city with the best gelato I've had. Ricotta, pear and white chocolate was dream worthy. Just keep your belongings safe.
Naples; keep your belongings even safer. A run-down city with the best pizza and mozzarella you'll find on this planet. We ate a whole pizza every day for lunch and dinner at Antonio's and Antonio's, overlooking the harbour and an old castle, jutted out into the gentle waves. Eat buffalo mozzarella, it's made just down the coast and can't be had much fresher - unless of course you visit the farms themselves.... A day trip to Pompeii is also a must.
Amalfi Coast and Capri; The Amalfi Coast is stunning. Capri is breathtaking. Pretend your a celebrity and window shop in the town itself or head up to Ana Capri for sensational views of the islands sheer cliffs, super yachts, small beaches and magnificent sun set. Make sure you visit the Blue Grotto. A magical cave formed by the ocean which glows florescent blue like you're on the avatar move set. Ask where the best swimming spot is and you'll end up diving off large rocks, into the ocean with the locals.
Rome; Pasta. Gnocchi in a triple cheese truffle sauce and baked until golden. Perfection. This and the colosseum of course. Rome was my favourite city to explore. At every turn, you're confronted with another familiar icon of the city. There's no escaping the history of Rome, you're walking amongst it and it will take your breath away.
