Italy
- Emily Patterson
- Oct 9, 2020
- 8 min read
Updated: Sep 30, 2021
October 1-10, 2019
Ever since our first trip to Europe in 2016, we have been drawn back by the beauty of the grand mountains, quaint towns, and, of course, the food! It probably comes as no surprise that scrolling through Instagram, I first laid eyes on Lago Di Braies, and this Instagram famous spot is what sparked my interest in planning a trip to Italy. By June, Chad had already been to Europe three times (for work) and gone on various other family trips, so it took a little convincing to make this trip happen in the same year. Little did we know this would be our last big trip before the events of 2020 would unfold, and it was a great one to end on!
We originally booked flights for September, flying in and out of Rome, before we had even planned out our trip. For multiple reasons, we decided to reschedule our trip and flights so we could start in the Dolomites and end in Rome. We rebooked flights to Venice, which was only a 2-hour drive away from our hotel (FIORI Dolomites Experience Hotel). We loved our stay at FIORI and would highly recommend it if you are visiting the Dolomites. It is newly renovated and was one of the cleanest, coziest, and treat-filled stays. The only downside was there was no AC, but for most people, this probably isn't an issue, especially at this time of year.
We spent our first full day in the Dolomites hiking at Tre Cime di Lavaredo. The loop around the peaks is a relatively easy 6 miles. There was snow on the ground, which made for a pretty hike, with only one small icy section, where I managed to slip, even with hiking poles. And there may have been a few tears halfway through the hike, not from falling, but from realizing I had lost the tripod mount that attaches to the camera (on the very first day of our trip). I likely dropped it less than a mile into the hike, so we weren't about to backtrack to try to find it.
Along the hike, we got to see horses, a little church, and took a side hike up to a WWI tunnel carved into the side of the mountain. After completing the loop, we stopped in at Rifugio Auronzo for a lunch break where Chad enjoyed a nice hot bowl of soup before we started our next shorter hike just south of the Rifugio. (Thanks @pressonexploring for helping us find this one!) This second and seemingly less traveled hike wasn't too long, but had amazing views!
There didn't seem to be too many options for food (a lot of hotels and restaurants start closing around this time of year) when we got back to town, so we had pizza for the second night in a row (which we weren't complaining about). For dessert, we had Oreos dipped in Nutella (which turns out is a delicious combination) back at our hotel, which we had randomly picked up at the grocery store while getting some water for the next days hike.
The next morning we started to question if Lago Di Braes would live up to the hype, especially after spending the previous day at Tre Cime di Laverado. We even entertained the idea of not going and doing a different hike. As soon as we laid eyes on this unique Instagram famous mountain lake that had been the inspiration for our trip to Italy, we understood. We arrived just before the sun peaked over the mountains and enjoyed the tranquilness before the crowds rolled in. While we were there, we walked the easy 2.2 miles around the lake before deciding to rent a canoe to go out on the water. (Canoe rentals were 19 Euros for 30 min or 29 Euros for an hour mid-May-October.)
We grabbed lunch at a little cafe with a view of the lake before heading on to hike Lago di Sorapis. Lago di Sorapis is a moderate 6.6 mile out and back hike about an hour from Lago di Braies. We lucked out on this hike and had the trail mostly to ourselves except for just a few other hikers here and there.
Two days in the Dolomites flew by, and the next morning we were Venice bound. We would never have guessed we would get to go to Venice twice in one year! Had it not been a good launching point for us to get to the Dolomites and fly to Naples, we likely wouldn't have stopped here again. It was far more crowded this time of year, which made it less enjoyable than our trip in March, but getting to eat at Rossopomodoro and Farini again was worth the stop.
The next morning we flew from Venice to Naples, where we then caught a shuttle to the Amalfi Coast. There was a bit of a language barrier with the shuttle driver, which resulted in us getting off a stop or two earlier than we should have and having to walk up a LOT of stairs with our luggage. It was moments like these where I was glad I had opted for the hiking pack this trip instead of a rolling suitcase (unfortunately, this wasn't the case for both of us, not saying any names). As soon as our Airbnb host, Gerardo realized what happened, he met us on the stairs and carried Chad's suitcase the rest of the way. The rest of the day was a lot more leisure- eating and walking around Amalfi.
Our only full day in Amalfi, we hiked the Path of the Gods, which connects Bomerano to Positano. (From Amalfi, we caught a Sita bus to Bomerano, about a 40 min drive.) You can start the hike in either town, but we found the views, especially from the upper trail, and walking down approximately 1500 steps instead of up them to be preferable! We tried to be as encouraging as possible to those starting the hike from Positano, walking up all those stairs, asking if the end was near when they were just a few hundred steps into this hike.
When we arrived in Positano, it reminded us of Oia, Greece, which has been one of our favorite destinations. Everything is within walking distance- food, shopping, the beach, places to stay, and more. We found a restaurant close to the beach to eat lunch, and then we walked around the village and shops before taking a ferry back to Amalfi around sunset.
If you plan to visit the Amalfi Coast, we would recommend staying in Positano. Amalfi was more spread out, and we had at least a 10-minute walk with some portions on the busy road to get to the main square. Even though we did think we would have enjoyed staying in Positano more as far as food options, shopping, and other things to do during the day, we met our favorite Italians while staying at Villa Orleans in Amalfi. Gerardo and his wife were the most hospitable hosts. They made sure we were taken care of, from the time we booked our stay with them till we left.
Our last night in Amalfi didn't allow for much sleep. It was so windy that everything on our balcony and the surrounding balconies got knocked over throughout the night. Luckily, by morning the windstorm had mostly moved out in time for us to enjoy one last breakfast overlooking the water before Gerardo graciously drove us to town (so we didn't have to walk with all of our luggage).
We caught a ferry to Naples, where we then took a train to our last stop of the trip, Rome. Within just a few hours of arriving in Rome, we had seen about everything we came to Rome to see; the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the Colosseum, among other sites that we passed along the way. Seeing just a few of these historical sites had well exceeded our quota for crowds for the day. (So much so, we considered traveling outside of Rome for our last day.)
Dinner that night was so good it influenced our decision to stay in Rome. It turns out that we booked an Airbnb right above a popular restaurant, Osteria da Fortunata. It's one of those places where you can watch them make fresh pasta, and there is a continuous line to get a table all night long. Their pasta was some of the best we've ever had, as was their tiramisu!
We ultimately decided to stay in Rome for our last day so we could tour the Colosseum. Like riding a gondola in Venice, we concluded that touring the Colosseum was a once in a lifetime opportunity we shouldn't pass up. We went early in the morning to try to get tickets, but the lines to get in were already so long. We ended up finding a tour company online where we purchased same-day tickets for that afternoon. We aren't typically big fans of tourist-packed attractions, but the rich history of the Colosseum was worth making the exception. And staying in Rome also meant we got to enjoy more delicious pasta!
This trip felt like four vacations in one! We went from the grand mountains of the Dolomites to a city built on water, to the beauty of the Amalfi coast, to the history-rich, bustling city life of Rome. We can't wait for the opportunity to go back one day to see even more of Italy!
Itinerary:
Day 1 Flew RDU - JFK - VCE
Day 2 Arrived in Venice / Drive to Dolomites / Pizzeria Mackenzie
Day 4 Pragser Wildsee / Lago di Sorapis / Ristorante Pizzeria "Paradiso" - San Vito di Cadore
Day 5 Drive to Venice Airport / Ferry to Venice / Rossopomodoro / Farini / Sight See / Osteria Da Nico
Day 6 Drop off rental car / Fly to Naples / Shuttle to Amalfi / Silver Moon / Gelato Artigianale / Sight See / Ristorante Lido Azzurro
Day 7 Bus ride to Bomerano / Path of the Gods to Positano / Buca di Bacco Restaurant / Ferry back to Amalfi / Pasticceria Savoia
Day 8 Ferry to Naples / Train to Rome / Piazza Navona / Trevi Fountain / Spanish Steps / Pantheon / Colosseum / Altar of the Fatherland / Osteria da Fortunata
Day 9 Numbs Campo de Fiori / Roman Forum / Gelato / Colosseum Tour / Osteria da Fortunata / Major sites again lit up at night
Day 10 Flight Home Rome - Paris -RDU
Food Recommendations:
Pizzeria Mackenzie (Dolomites)
Rossopomodoro (Venice)
Farini (Venice)
Silver Moon (Amalfi)
Ristorante Lido Azzurro (Amalfi)
Osteria da Fortunata (Rome)
Accommodations:
Things to Note:
-October is considered the shoulder season where you won't face quite the crowds of peak season. However, some hotels and restaurants, especially in the Dolomites, were already closed for the offseason.
-When we book overseas flights, we learned from a booking agent to choose the outside seats of the middle row (if it's three across) with hopes no one will book the middle seat. It doesn't always work, but on this trip, we did get lucky on the way to Italy. And if it does get booked, like on our return flight, we've never had someone complain about switching to an aisle seat.
-Italy requires an international driving permit if you plan to drive. We were able to get one very quickly through a local AAA.
-Driving in the Dolomites was not a big deal. However, we stand by other's advice to use public transportation or walk instead of renting a car in Amalfi, unless you just like a challenge, it's just not for me.
-Make sure to have coins to pay for parking and bathrooms, especially at Lago di Braies.
-If you have never seen the Alps, GO!
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