Italy Travel List

4. Activity Recommendations

• Please note that there are non beaches in Sorrento. The nicest beach resort about 20 min drive is “Bikini Beach”
• There is a small beach in Positano and a tiny one in Amalfi

THINGS TO DO IN FLORENCE:

• Academia tour – Michelangelo’s David
• Visit the new indoor market called Mercato Centrale 1 piano (First floor) open every day from 12am to 12pm. Restaurants, food shops ect. At the bottom floor of the Mercato Centrale there is a conventional food market.
• Academia gallery
• Pitti Palace
• Bell tower
• Duomo ( get tickets in advance it’s slot system gets sold out )
• Visit the new museum Opera Del Duomo
• Get a professional guide for 1 day or half of a day who can get advance tickets for museum avoiding lines.
• Visit the hill of Fiesole and eat at the Restaurant Vinandro Piazza Mino. Take a walk to the top of the hill. 
• Visit the trendy shop Luisa Via Roma in Via Roma at the shop of : luisaviaroma.com
• Climb to top of Duomo
• We went to Tuscany, to San Gimignano – a walled fortress. Very cool Ate the greatest simple country lunch there at La Terracotta on via San Giovanni
• Romi The Foodie – “If you wanna be a little adventurous in Florence, Romi does food tours in the market. You go stall by stall, eating over a dozen different things. Walking tour / food tour / wine tour over 3 hours. She knows everyone in that market and has friendly banter with them and you get to ask them about their stories. She is also theatrical and has some performance type elements sprinkled in. This was, by far, one of my best experiences in Florence.”
• Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio- this place gives some of the best options being the heart of the historic center and a free open-air sculpture exhibit. Many famous sculptors and artist have left their impression in this place.
• Ponte Vecchio - built in 1345, was Florence's first bridge across the Arno River and is the only surviving bridge from Florence's medieval days (others were destroyed in World War II). The Ponte Vecchio is still lined with shops selling gold and silver jewellery. You must walk down here and peek into the shops.
• The Uffizi holds thousands of paintings from medieval to modern times and many antique sculptures, illuminations, and tapestries. 
• Galleria Accademia holds Michaelangelo's David, probably the most famous sculpture in the world. You can spend quite some time just admiring the statue and being amazed by the flawless work. It is a must-see, although it shouldn't take more than an hour of your precious time. You can pre book tickets on the link.

CATHEDRALS TO VISIT:

• Santa Croce, in Piazza Santa Croce, is the largest Franciscan church in Italy and holds the tombs of several important Florentines including Michelangelo and Dante.
• The Baptistery of John the Baptist, from the 11th century, is one of Florence's oldest buildings. Sit on the steps and gaze across to the bronze doors of the Baptistry. Get a look at the detailed doors.
• Duomo-Florence's most popular site is its Duomo (cathedral), the Cattedrale de Santa Maria del Fiore. The huge Gothic duomo was begun in 1296, consecrated in 1436, and holds 20,000 people. Its exterior, made of green, pink, and white marble, has several elaborate doors and interesting statues. Climb the 463 steps to its top to get a beautiful view of Florence. It is truly stunning.

Off The Beaten Path:

• Visit Tuesday morning's Cascine market
• Visit the original "secret bakery" located on Via delle Brache. You can try their italian pastries "le paste calde"
• Shop for world famous brands at unbeatable prices, or just browse at the la Spacio.
• For the adventurous meat–eaters, try the variety of tripe on offer form the local tripe carts at all the piazzas.
• In the neighborhood from the Pitti to Santo Spirito are hundreds of shops where you can see the traditional crafts being still performed to this very day. You can see Pietre Dure being made ("paintings" made from semi precious stones)
• Haggle at the leather Markets.
• Make a wish by putting in a coin at the boar head in the leather market

In Rome:

• Walk up to Porta Princiana gates
• Inexpensive private (8-10 ppl) tours through Viator.com. There was a Vatican 3 hour tour at 8:15am that gets you in before everyone and is skip the line with an English speaking guide for $120 including entrance fee. Also one for around $72 without 8:15 get in before everyone feature.

In Lake Como:

• Lake Como is so small. Hop on a boat and hop around - depending on where your hotel is can see restaurants as no taxis at night.
• Do take a boat trip to’ Bellagio and have a wander.
• Villa Carlotta is also worth a visit

In Sardinia:

• Go to WOW the World of Wine. Owned by a Ypo. And visit one of the port places as well.
• Have a drink in the Yeatman Hotel. Also same ypo owner. Amazing view.
• Walk from Porto across the bridge to wow. And take the cable car.
• We rented a car in Olbia and drove around, easy to get around and beautiful.
• From the Su Gologone hotel, do several hikes (Gorropu is a challenge but well worth it), go kayaking down the river from the falls…
• the Taylors Port Cellars visit, with a tasting at the end, including some old ports. (All YPO and next to each other - Taylors, Yeatman, World of Wine)

Exclusive Tastes:

•  La Giostra – via Borgo pinti, 12/r Florence. #=39-055/241341. Private and cozy, the restaurant La Giostra is intentionally difficult to find. Outside the front door there is no sign. The street on which it is found is far away from the typical touristic routes. Yet it is only a few hundred meters from the Duomo, in the very center of Florence, in Borgo Pinti at number 12, near the San Piero arch.
• Osvaldo (or Club Culinario Toscano da Osvaldo)- Piazza dei Peruzzi, 3r (angolo Via dei Benci) Open for dinner nightly, closed Sunday. It serves creative Tuscan food in a small restaurant in the historic centre of Florence. La Reggia degli Etruschi, Via S.Francesco, 18
• Fiesole (Firenze) Ph +39 055 59385.
  This is an exclusive restaurant with a breathtaking view over Florence and its monuments. It is located on the green hills of Fiesole with a panoramic view over Florence. Fiesole is situated on a hill only 7 km to the historic centre of Florence and has a lot of other lovely bars and restaurants and is wonderful to walk around.

Small Local Finds:

 As you walk around near the Duomo, head to via dei cimatori (centrally located, few minutes from the duomo) which is a quiet non descript street which always has a bunch of people huddled around a hole in the wall sandwich joint FRATELLINI, an extremely popular local joint and you stand on the street eating your yummy sandwich which costs just 5 to 6 euros!!

• Enoteca Bar "Fuori Porta" - Traditional Florentine snack bar, with crostini, assorted cheeses and salamis and preserved vegetables. Try local Firenze specialities. These include steak (bistecca alla fiorentina) and tripe (trippa).
• Try the Pastarito Pizzarito chain, select your own combination of pasta and sauce, or pizza and dressing, at reasonable prices.
• Try up to 42 flavors and remember to go on an empty stomach to the Gelataria Dei Neri – a highly recommended gelataria.
• Gelato is a must-try when one comes to Florence but avoid gelato that are beautifully presented; the higher the gelato is, the more chemicals and preservatives are present in it, making them not as nice. Drop by Vivoli which is in a quiet corner of Florence (Via Isola Delle Stinche) between Piazza Della Signoria, where David is and Santa Croce. Ask the shopkeepers and they will be able to lead you there and when you see many eating ice-cream outside a humble looking shop, you are at the right one.
• SAN GIMIGNANO ​A hilltop Tuscan treasure crowned by no less than 14 tall, medieval towers, the skyline of San Gimignano is instantly recognisable and very hard to miss. Locals in Tuscany often refer to the town as San Gimignano delle Belle Torri, which literally translates as 'of the Fine Towers'. The towers were symbols of the power and wealth of the city’s medieval families. A number of central public squares lie in the heart of San Gimignano, such as both the Piazza della Cisterna and the Piazza del Duomo.

Things to do/see:

• Piazza del Duomo the town church's square, is surrounded by thousand-year-old towers.
• SanGimignano1300: The visit to the museum is an ideal opportunity to learn about the architectural, social, and historical aspects of the middle Ages in Tuscany. Located in the heart of the city itself, the museum offers a massive reconstruction of the city of San Gimignano dated between the 13th and 14th Century.
• The Collegiata, the nearest to a duomo (cathedral) in this small city, is beautiful and contains a splendid series of frescoes on Old and New Testament subjects.
• The Piazza della Cisterna, a beautiful piazza with an old stone well (no longer used) in the middle.
  Local Joints
  ·       The traditional pasta called pici served with mint-leaf pesto, and crème caramel flavored with coriander are specialties along with the town’s own version of panforte at any of the cafes.
• Vernaccia di San Gimignano is Toscana’s premier white wine and the pride of the town.
• Restaurants Il Trovatore and Latini are great for Tuscan food. Try La Vecchie Mura for a great view with your meal.
• Gelateria di Piazza is famous for its pistachio icecream
• Beppone is a good pizzeria just off the main street
• Try Trattoria Chiribiri if you’re feeling adventurous enough to try boar meat
• Pasticceria Armando e Marcella has some good pastries and rolls for a small snack

  SIENA

A particularly enchanting city bounding with Gothic architecture and Tuscan cuisine, Siena is home to an impressive medieval centre, which is filled with eye-catching buildings. Tuscany is the heart of Italy and Siena is the heart of Tuscany. Siena, built on three hills and surrounded by well preserved walls, is filled with fine examples of Gothic architecture and has one of the world's most unique piazzas - Piazza del Campo - (shaped like a shell with scalloped edges).

Things to see

• Piazza del Campo- the unique shell shaped piazza at the centre of the city.
• The Cathedral Of Siena
• Torre Del Mangia
• The Baptistery
• Palazzo Publico- Siena's City Hall for almost 800 years, contains (amongst many other things) the famous frescos
• The Duomo, Siena's magnificent black and white Italian Romanesque cathedral including the Libreria Piccolomini, Baptistery and an attached Museo dell'Opera del Duomo.
• Art Museum (Pinacoteca Nazionale)
• The Civic Museum

  Local Eat & Drinks
  

• Try the Ribollita, a traditional Tuscan soup and the “Tagliata di Manzo” a traditional beaf steak from this region.
• Try the Chianti wines, especially, Chianti Classico, Chianti Colli Senesi, which is usually lighter and younger than the Classico, but also Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. White wines worthy of note are Bianco Vergine della Valchiana and Vernaccia di San Giminiano.
• Osteria Le Logge famous for its fabulous Brunello di Montalcino
• Trattoria Fontenuova for its homemade pizzas
• Tea Room, popular with the locals. Try the Torta of the day
• Take a break in the famous confectioner’s store Nannini La Conca D’Oro in Via Banchi di Sopra, just a few minutes from the square, between one visit and another. You can be served excellent coffee and a few handmade Siena sweets here. Ricciarelli, Panforte, Cantucci and Cavallucci. Ricciarelli are soft mandel biscuits, Cantucci are hard biscuits with entire mandels, Cavallucci are semi-hard biscuits with nuts and spices and Panforte is a big medieval cake (you ask for a slice) with various spices, candied fruits, almonds, honey.

PISA

Pisa, located in western Tuscany, is known throughout the world for its famous Leaning Tower, but there is so much more to Pisa than just this striking landmark. Today, Pisa is crammed full of wonderful, historical monuments and buildings dating back many hundreds of years, and much of the city has managed to retain its medieval appearance.
·       Pisa has a centuries-old tradition as a university town and swarms with students. Visit the Duomo the most famous cathedral in Pisa. Enjoy a fun filled walking trip on these squares and buying souvenirs from the shops lined around this place.

Must do

• Piazza del Duomo, the Cathedral, the Baptistery and the Cemetry is a World Heritage Site and a must see! The splendid cathedral, contains artwork by Giambologna, Della Robbia, and other major artists.
• Piazza dei Cavalieri- a small town square with many historical buildings that hosted the political powers of the city in the middle ages and Renaissance
• National Museum of San Matteo-, a small history and art museum, but one of the biggest for Tuscan Renaissance art, hosted in the rooms of the San Matteo monastery
• Santa Maria della Spina- a very small Gothic church built in 1230 to house a thorn from Jesus's crown, it's considered one of the best expressions of Italian gothic.
• Pisa's Botanical Garden is one of the oldest in Europe
• Piazza Garibaldi
• Don’t leave without sampling local biscuits, cheese and olive oil
• The central shopping area is centered around the Corso Italia, between the railway station and the Ponte di Mezzo (the central bridge) and also in the Via Borgo Stretto, north of the bridge. However, many specialized shops are sprinkled around the city.

Florence

Local Eats and Drink
·       Monte Pisano olive oil, Pecorino cheese, Parco di Migliarino lamb, Pisan beef, San Miniato truffle, pine nuts, mushrooms, Pisanello tomatoes and much more are all local specialities and must try’s.
·       Tuscan bread, made without salt, is an essential element of Pisan cuisine and the base of many canapé which introduce every self-respecting meal.
·       For dessert, Castagnaccio based on chestnuts, Pinolata with pine nuts, Torta Pisana, Torta coi Bischeri, full of chocolate and pine nuts, and lastly, oil and wine biscuits are all local specialities!
·       The area around Pisa is wine growing region: so don’t forget to try some wine. You could try Chianti delle Colline Pisane, Bianco Pisano di San Torpé, Rosso Toscano.Vin Santo is an excellent passito wine which goes does down well with Cantucci dry, almond biscuits.
·       For authentic Tuscan cuisine try Il Campano on Via Cavalca or Trattoria S. Omobono for traditional Pisan recipes
·       Must try dessert at Salza in Borgo Stretto
·       Try La Spigolatrice for simple but amazing pizza on Via Cagliari or Pizzeria Funiculi which is very popular with locals.