Travel Wishlist | 6 Things I’d Love to Do in Italy

Almost two whole years ago now, I wrote a post on my 2016 Travel Wishlist. As much as I can’t believe that time’s gone that quickly (seriously, how do we stop this ageing process guys and gals?), when I look back at that post I am pretty impressed with how many places I’ve managed to travel to in that relatively short time. Since that post, I’ve been lucky enough to visit Barcelona, Florida, Budapest, Santorini and Dublin. Not bad for a girl who a few years ago hadn’t seen much culture beyond Magaluf, hey?

However there’s one place that I’ve unfortunately not managed to tick off my travel bucketlist yet, and that is Italy. Because there are so many cities I’d love to go to, I’m starting to think that the best way to visit Italy may be to do a longer trip, track down some homes to rent in Italy and visit several cities over the course of a couple of weeks. Of course I’d come back approx. seven stone heavier due to all of the pasta consumption, but I also think it would definitely be the dreamiest trip possible.

So, if I was to visit Italy, what would I want to get up to? Here are the things that are top of my list…

Go Sightseeing In Rome

Rome has been very high on my travel bucketlist for ever, and this is mainly because I’m a huge history nerd. From the Colosseum to the Sistine Chapel, there are so many things I would love to see – and yes, I’d want to take a full audio tour so I could learn Every. Single. Thing. Much to my boyfriend’s horror delight, I’m a big fan of churches and cathedrals and always drag him in one pretty ones I see when we’re away. Therefore Rome, with its Basilicas for dayz, is an ideal trip for me (he could wait outside on play on his phone or something).

Say Hiya to the Pope

While hanging out in Rome, it would be absolutely rude not to swing by the Vatican City to see my homeboy, the Pope. I mean, I have him on a fridge magnet and everything. I’m not sure I’d go as far as standing in one of those big crowds to watch him give Mass or anything, but seeing him riding around in his Popemobile* would be an utter treat.

*yes that is the proper word and everything. Proof that the Pope would be a laugh.

Go on a Gondola in Venice

I’ve actually heard mixed things about Venice, with some people I know loving it and others finding it a bit overrated. Howevs, I still think it looks like one of the most beautiful cities in the world and, no matter how cliche it might be, a gondola trip down the canals would be an absolute must for me. If I’m honest, anything that cuts down on my walking time gets a thumbs up from me, but the added benefits of being all romantic and looking fancy on the ‘gram? I’m there.

Overdose on Pizza and Pasta

Of COURSE we were going to have to mention food at some point. Italian food is my ultimate bae, so I can’t imagine much better than eating in authentic Italian restaurants every day of a holiday. Pizza, pasta and all of the carbs – oh my, I’m getting emotional just thinking about it. We also can’t forget that Italy is the homeland of my one true love, the Aperol Spritz. Actually, when I think about it, would I have any time for sightseeing or boat riding when I’d probably just be sitting around drinking Aperol and shoving pizza down my neck 23 hours a day? Debatable.

Visit the Amalfi Coast

I imagine that all of the sightseeing and carb-munching would get a bit tiring, so I think a few days to unwind on the Amalfi Coast would be another essential of my dream Italiano trip. I’m not sure there’s a huge amount of activities on offer (if you Google ‘things to do in Amalfi’ then a museum of paper comes up near the top of the list, which I think says it all…), but the scenery looks beautiful and temperatures are in the mid-2os during the summer – so what more do you really need? Oh si, just a bit more Aperol per favore.

Go Wine Tasting in Florence

Finally, I would love to visit the Tuscan city of Florence. While I hear there’s another great cathedral worth a see – point me in the direction of the audio tour immediately! – I also think this would be an amazing place to take part in a traditional Italian wine tasting session. I’ve never been wine tasting, and I imagine my experience would be similar to when the Jersey Shore cast went during the Florence season (hint: it was not classy, and I would be the Snooki of the group). However, I believe in trying most things once so I would be willing to risk potential social embarrassment in the name of culture. And wine.

So, those are 6 of my very top reasons why I would love to visit Italy. If you’ve been to any of the above locations then please let me know in the comments what you loved about your trip and what you would recommend! If I get enough recommendations then it would be just rude not to book a trip, right?

This post was written in collaboration with Luxury Retreats. All images from Pexels.