Rome was the last of the 6 stops I’ve visited in Italy. I spent 2 nights there, on a relaxed schedule. Again, I never really wanted to take a shot at everything mentioned on google. What I only had in mind was to see the Vatican, hear the Papal speech, see the Colosseum, the Pantheon, people watch and have good Pizza. For this post, I am featuring the one day DIY walking tour I did around the city centre.

Rome has an efficient Metro Train but the best way still is to experience the city centre on foot. It was also a plus that I stayed along Via Cavour near the Roma Termini (Main Railway) as the Colosseum is considerably walkable by 20 minutes from there. From the Colosseum, other architectural spots are not too far, that a day of walking around would be enough to cover Roma city centre. Aside from that, walking is free =)

Anyways here is how I spent a day of leisurely walk with stops for pizza and some Italian sweets =)

Fun Fact: Modern Rome has 280 fountains and more than 900 churches (aroundrometours.com). At every street end, you will most likely find a church. Here is one I took, giving a peek of Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore, just two blocks away from were I stayed. This church was also the landmark for me to find my Hotel.

The Colosseum. As expected, the ticket line to get in was already long even that early. Still, getting inside the this declared “Wonders of the World” is worth the effort. As recommended by some blogs, I bought my entrance ticket at Forum Romanum entrance with lesser people in line. Packaged entrances to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hills are at 12 Euros, valid for 2 days.

The Colosseum as long been recognised the symbol of Roman empire. This architectural landmark, back in its glorious days, used to be covered with white marble claddings, and embellished with marble sculptures. Upon the fall of paganism and the conversion of Rome to Christianity, the Colosseum has lost its significance. It was said that all of its valuables have been stripped off, and then used to beautify the Vatican Palace.

Ruins Roman Forum and the Palatine Hills which is just beside the Colosseum

From the Forum Romanum, I did a leisurely walk to Via Novembre IV, and straight to Fontana de Trevi. This took me around 40 minutes as I did some eating along the way. There are cheap souvenirs and shirt shops along the way. I bought my ref magnets here for 1 Euro. Pizza is also cheap in this area.

From Fontana de Trevi, the Pantheon is a mere 20 minutes walk. Getting inside the Pantheon is free, as it is a functioning Catholic church. The tomb of Renaissance artist Rafael stands inside the Pantheon.

Fun Fact: Concrete was a Roman invention used on many structures such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, which are still standing today thanks to the development of Roman cement and concrete. The Romans first began building with concrete over 2,100 years ago and used it throughout the Mediterranean basin in everything from aqueducts and buildings to bridges and monuments (aroundrometours.com)

Another 15 minutes walk from the Pantheon is Piazza Navona, known as the artist’s district of Rome. It is ideal to visit the Piazza in the late afternoon. This was my last stop for the day, where I stayed until 7 pm, and just people watch. =)

Accommodation:  Stayed at Sandy Hotel(Sandy Place) along Via Cavour (Cavour Street) for around 30 Euro (P1500) per night + 2 Euro (P100) city stay tax per night. Its the cheapest dorm type I found through Hostelworld.com with a very good location and the staffs are nice and very helpful. Other hostels are too far from the city centre.

To get there from Central Train Station (Roma Termini), get the exit 22 and walk down Via Cavour for 7 blocks. The hostel is on the left side (Find Building #136, Sandy Hotel is on the 5th floor). This will take around 7 to 10 minutes walk.

Food and water: 20 Euro budget per day would be enough for meals and water. Meals are cheap in Rome as compared to other Italian cities I’ve visited, specifically the restaurants and pizza places around Roma Termini. A decent meal of 1/2 Chicken and 2 sides costs 5-6 Euros. A Big slice of Pizza or Calzone at 2-3 Euros. Water is also cheap as there are a lot of mini groceries on every streets. In addition, Rome has drinking fountains on most corners and even inside the Colosseum. The whole 3 days I was in Rome, I only bought mineral water twice. I just kept refilling and I was fine.

Transportation : Metro Trains are at around 1.5 to 2 Euro per way.  Buses at 3 Euro ( Ideal for going straight to Vatican from Metro Termini)

Staying in Rome, I’d say 70-80 Euros per day would suffice.

Florence, the capital of Italy’s Tuscany region, is the cradle to Renaissance art and architecture. Although this capital is much known for being the gateway to a rather more iconic Italian city of Pisa (which is 45 minutes away by train), Florence is also a charming destination on its own. A day of walking around Florence is still worth experiencing, for its iconic churches, as well as seeing the Original Statue of David by artist Michaelangelo.

Florence, as the capital of the Tuscan region, is easily accessible by train from all other key cities of Italy. Upon reaching Florence, touring around on your own is easy, as the city is relatively small, and all the iconic spots are within city centre. In case of limited time, I would recommend seeing Florence in the morning, and Pisa in the afternoon. A half day in Pisa is good enough.

I am a self confessed lazy traveler and I really don’t push myself to see everything on google. Usually, I only pick a few landmarks to visit, mostly the architecturally recognised, and find a comfortable corner there and just people watch. haha. Anyways, here was how I spent a half day walking around Florence.

Visiting the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore (Florence Cathedral) which is among the recognised examples of Renaissance Architecture in Italy. Renaissance facade tends to be more artistic and expressive, and embellished with classical styles, as opposed to the preceding dark Gothic period. Florence Cathedral is by far the most beautiful church facade I’ve seen in Europe. The picture didn’t do any justice.

Another church worth visiting is the Basilica of Santa Croce, where the tomb of Michaelangelo stands. Unfortunately, the church was still close when I got there. Churches around Italy usually open at 9 AM.

Walking around Florence downtown,which is fairly clean and polished.

Visit the sculptural displays at Piazza della Signoria is also worth doing. These centuries old sculptures date back the time of the Medici governance, when Florence was at its most glorious renaissance days.

The Mercato (Market) of Florence is also worth visiting. The second floor has a well maintained food court with loads to offer.

I stayed in Florence for two nights at Hostel Paola, an affordable dorm type, around 50 meters from the train station. A night costs around 1400 pesos, the usual price of cheap dorms around Europe. The hostel also offers shared tours, at rates lower than what is offered online. The hostel is clean and worthy of a recommendation.

One of the highlights during my visit to Italy was an unplanned day trip to Cinque Terre.

Cinque Terre (the five lands in Italian) is the collective name for the five charming fishing villages seated between the narrow coastal strip and the mountain chains of Western Italy. These five old style villages along the Mediterranean coast are also declared as one of Italy’s Unesco Heritage Sites.

I had a day to spare that time in Florence, so I opted to join a shared tour to see this popular cluster of villages in the Liguria province, which was 2.5 hours away by bus. The shared tour cost me 75 Euros. DIY options to see Cinque Terre have been mentioned by some blogs, but doing so was impossible for me since I had limited time and getting there from Florence was a bit complicated. A bit pricey (actually the priciest ‘one day spend’ I had), but still, spending on such experience was a worthy choice, as the drive from Florence, crossing the Tuscan countryside, and towards the Italian Riviera (coastline) was indeed picturesque in every way.

I booked the shared tour though Hotel Paola, where I stayed in Florence. Tour lasted 7 am to 6 pm.

Here are some of the shots I took around the villages of Cinque Terre =)

Maranola

Manarola is the calmest of the five villages, and is a bit more rustic and less polished than its northern neighbors. This was our first stop for the day trip. If desired, packaged trekking tours often starts here, with Via della Amore (The Lovers Path), which is a very scenic and easy path that leads the next village Riomaggiore.

Tourists can also go swimming here in a little cove on the coast, as shown in the picture.

Cinque Terre is part of the Italian coastal province of Liguria, and Pesto is one of the famous contributions. As such, tourists can find pesto topped on almost all local dishes. This pesto pizza slice was a bomb!

Vernazza

Vernazza is probably the most charming of the Cinque Terre villages, as it’s right on the water and there’s a lovely church tower built in 1318, on a rock right in front of the sea. The ruins of a castle are on one of the hills overlooking Vernazza. This is the village that tends to be most visited by people carrying Rick Steves’ guidebooks.(Lonely Planet.com)

Monterosso

Monterosso is the largest,most modern and resort like of the five, and the most visited, especially by the young crowd. It’s the only village of the cluster with a nice long span of beach.

In the 16^th century, Monterosso defended itself from vikings by erecting 13 towers, of which only three remain today.(Lonely Planet.com) One of these remaining buildings, the Aurora Tower, is definitely a must see. The tower offers a great view of the Ligurian Coast and the Mediterranean sea.

There are also quite a few unique churches to explore like the Abbey and Church of San Francesco, which was once transformed into a hospital, and then into a warehouse in the 1800s. But  in 1894 it was restored, and now houses important art like The Crucifiction (attributed to the painter Van Dyck).  (Lonely Planet.com)

Monterosso is also famous for producing the highest quality Limoncino citrus wine. Local shops are generous to share free tastes of wine, as well as home made pesto.

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore, slightly different from its neighbours, is relatively large and spreads inland towards higher grounds. Local vineyards, and tomato gardens line up the paths of this village.

Here you will find cool bars and pubs sitting on top of the cliff. A beer here would cost you 7 Euro per bottle.

Among the five villages of Cinque Terre, the tour only included four, since we got short of time to see Corniglia.

Getting to Cinque Terre can be quite tough when plotting a day trip on your own by train, as the trains to La Spezia, which is the gateway to Cinque Terre, has limited daily schedule. From La Spezia, another train transfer is required to take you to Maranola, which is another hour and a half away. When planning a DIY trip, I would recommend staying a night or two in any village of Cinque Terre, with train tickets booked ahead of time. If I only had longer time to spare in Italy, I would have had it that way. A Day trip to these charming UNESCO protected villages definitely isn’t enough.

Revisiting is definitely on my thoughts. And perhaps that time, I’ll have along with me someone special, to share a bottle of Limoncino, while waiting for sunset. That would be sweet. =)

Touristy as it is, having an epic-blockbuster shot with the Leaning tower of Pisa is still a ‘must do’ when visiting Italy. Built during the late 12th Century, the tower has become one of the recognisable (if the most recognisable) symbols of Italy today, for its unique, but rather unintentional tilt.

Just a short trivia, the tower started to sink (causing the tilt) as early as when the second floor was being constructed, due to unstable soil and bad foundation ( 3 meters lang daw during the ancient times sabi nung presentation dun. imagine?). If based on plans, the completed 8 storey tower is actually curving, so as to compensate the tilt of the lower floors. The tower  took around 200 years to complete all in all, including the decades of fall of the Pisan empire when all developments came to a stop. During the 90s, modern day restorations for the foundation have already been secured, so this means the tower will last (hopefully) ’til the next generation of eager tourists and visiting backpackers. =)

For tourists short of time, it is really not super necessary to stay overnight in Pisa. As per my personal itinerary, I stayed at a hostel in Florence (which is the biggest Italian City nearest to Pisa). Florence is only 30-40 minutes by train to Pisa Centrale Station, for only 16 Euro (800 Pesos) round trip, scheduled almost every 30 minutes ’til as late as 10pm. Both Florence and Pisa are part of the province of Tuscany. As such, travelling between these cities pass through scenic farmlands, typical with Italian outskirts you see in movies.

Visiting Pisa was the easiest day trip I had. Upon arriving by train at Pisa Centrale from Florence, there are public buses in front of the station to take you to the leaning tower complex for around 1.2 Euro per way. Otherwise, you can just have a leisurely  30 minute walk. Pisa is just a relatively small city and the complex is around 1.3 Km away.

Entering the tower complex(also known as Piazza dei Miracoli) is free of charge. Going inside the Cathedral is also free of charge, you just have to secure a ticket from the main museum lobby. Climbing the tower however will cost you 15 Euro (750 Pesos) + the long cue. Di na ako umakyat actually. Ok na ako sa ground shots. Museums also have separate tickets.

As per the local staff, the complex usually goes jam packed at 9 am to 3 pm. So for DIY tourists, a late afternoon visit would be Ok, since the are still trains to take you back to Florence until 10pm. Securing RT ticket however is advisable. Given the limited time, I just spent around 2 hours in the complex, did a leisurely walk back to the station, and headed back to Florence around 7 PM.

Trivia : Italy has an estimated total of 100,000 monuments of all varieties (museums, palaces, buildings, statues, churches, art galleries, villas, fountains, historic houses and archaeological remains) – behindthetower.com