Postcards from Italy: Our Travel Guide To A One-Week Perfect Adventure
By: Ainara Bouzas and Tyler Lai
Ciao tutti! Benvenuti to our Italian Travel Guide–where we will fill you in on the best sights, bites, and buys in Italy. We, Tyler and Ainara, recently had the opportunity of a lifetime: one week in Italy with the WOHS. We visited 3 major cities, spent one too many Euros, and nearly overdosed on carbs. From averaging 20,000 steps a day wandering the streets of Rome, to eating our body weight in gelato, we can confidently say a trip to Italy is a must, and we’re here to tell you everything you need to know.
First Stop: Florence: The Origin of the Renaissance; Days 1-3.
Our first stop after touching down in Florence was the Giotto Ulivi Scientific High School in Borgo San Lorenzo, where we met local students and got a taste of what it’s truly like to be a high schooler in Italy. Thereafter on our second day, we spent time at the Galleria dell'Accademia where we saw Micheangelo’s statue of David before watching the Duomo’s Palm Sunday Mass. On our departing day we left Florence and dove deeper into the Tuscany region, stopping for a Tuscan farm lunch and exploring the historical town of San Gimignano.
Best Sights:
The Duomo
Galleria dell'Accademia
Ponte Vecchio
Michelangelo’s statue of David
Stradivarius Violins
Best Food:
Gelato — specially from Gelateria dei Neri or Vivoli.
Tuscan farm lunch: penne, bruschetta, chocolate mousse, charcuterie
THE Bite: Ainara’s bite is the first Italian pizza we had here, from a ristorante located in Centro Storico. Tyler’s bite was the bread with balsamic and oil in Tuscany.
Special Moments:
Meeting high schoolers at Giotto Ulivi Scientific High School. We were able to form meaningful connections and bridge the overseas barrier with these students. We even bonded over Italian and American internet memes—a typical Gen-Z way to bridge language barriers.
Mamma Mia! We took a cooking class at the Apicius International School of Hospitality- a culinary institute in Florence that taught us how to prepare pasta from scratch and Italian style meatloaf. Though cooking may not be some of our callings, it was pretty tasty.
Visiting a leather store: We stopped by Leanardo’s Leather and Gold, received a wonderful presentation on authentic leather—a staple of florence—and had the opportunity to shop after.
Palm Sunday Mass: We watched the Palm Sunday Mass at the Duomo.
Recommendations:
We recommend bringing a rain jacket, umbrella or a couple of Ponchos for the very rainy weather we experienced.
We recommend bringing the best walking shoes for purchase, preparing to trek across miles of cobblestone roads.
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Second Stop: Rome: A Walk Through History; Days 3-5
Our second stop on the trip was the historic capital of Italy: Rome! Here we saw iconic sites like the Colosseum, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain, and the Pantheon on various walking tours. We also got some free time to explore the ancient city, and fully immerse ourselves into Roman culture. One could say that we ate like gladiators, and shopped like Etruscans.
Best Sights:
The Colosseum
Vatican City
St. Peter’s Basilica
The Last Judgment, spanning an entire wall in the Sistine Chapel
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
Pantheon
Chiesa di Sant’Ignazio di Loyola
Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva
Best Food:
Roman pizza — I’d highly recommend a 5 euro pizza sandwich from any corner store: a thin and crispy dough
Gnocchi from Colonna, Rome
THE Bite: Tyler’s bite was the porchetta sandwich from the Piazza. Ainara’s bite was the gnocchi.
Special Moments:
A guided tour of the Colosseum, one of the seven wonders of the world!
The Basilica di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which according to junior Joey Palumbo was “the most beautiful church that [he’s] ever been to.”
Climbing to the top of the Spanish Steps–a tiresome, yet rewarding climb, met with an incredible view of the city of Rome.
Shopping! Three hours roaming around the famous Piazzas of Rome and experiencing the joys of a tourist with too many Euros to spent
Recommendations:
We recommend bringing more Euros than you think you’ll need. We promise you, you will run out (speaking from experience) and the international Credit Card fee is anything but friendly.
Comfortable shoes! The most we walked was in Rome—the city where everything is just close enough to walk and not far enough to take a taxi (even if it tempts you).
Overall Rating: 4.5/5
Third Stop: Sorrento: Stunning Sights and Coastal Charm; Days 5-7
Our last and final stop of the trip was the beautiful coastal town of Sorrento, with a day trip to the Island of Capri and the footsteps of Vesuvius at Pompeii. Here we learned to dance the Tarantella, explore the coastal towns, and experienced the culture of the religious processions.
Best Sights:
Views off Capri
The Amalfi Coast
The streets of Sorrento
The ancient ruins of Pompeii
Best Food:
Limoncello and lemon-flavored everything
Lunch at a rooftop restaurant on Capri: Caesar Salad, Club Sandwich, Lemon Sorbet
Lasagna!
THE Bite: Tyler’s bite was Caesar Salad on Capri and authentic gelato. Ainara’s bite was lasagna and bruschetta.
Special Moments:
Day trip to Capri: This day was definitely the best day of the trip. Not only did we see beautiful views of the coast, but we got to roam the streets of Capri for hours, and get lost in the streets. We definitely ate too much lemon, but it was amazing.
Watching the Good Friday Processions: A unique experience, getting to see the whole town come together.
Seeing the ancient ruins of Pompeii: We got to see some of the first “restaurants”, parking systems, and sliding door mechanisms all in the ancient ruins of Pompeii.
Rating: 5/5
All in all, Italy was an experience that we will carry for the rest of our lives. It wasn’t just about the sights, or collecting historical monuments, but about the memories. From being woken up at 6 am every morning with a loud knock on your door with a “BUON GIORNO,” to exploring the streets of Sorrento with your best friends until 10:30 pm at night, every moment was truly remarkable. So, if you ever get the chance to go to Italy, take it, without a doubt—and make sure to bring some comfortable shoes.
P.S: Some last travel tips: always get the aisle seat for long flights, and bring tons of lactaid.
