Italy Itinerary

Hello all! I know it has been a hot minute since I have posted on Fold Out Foods. If you haven’t noticed from Instagram or chatting in person, the past month has been a fun yet crazy time. I wrapped up my externship in Audiology in Florida, and we actually made a big move 1,200 miles to Northwest Arkansas. Also, both my sister and I graduated from the University of Tennessee. That’s right, I am now Dr. MC! You can still call me MC, though. After making it through what we have coined Manic May, we ended the month with a glorious ten day vacation in Italy. This country has been at the top of my bucket list since graduating high school, and I am incredibly grateful to have to time and finances to take a trip like this after graduating graduate school. 

While I have been trying to visit this country since I was seventeen years old, what really sparked going to Italy in 2023 was one of my best friends, Anita. Last year, Anita was selected to teach English at a high school in Italy through a super elite program called Fullbright. As soon as she announced she was going to be living there for a year, I knew I wanted to visit her. After several Zoom meetings and WhatsApp messages, flights were booked to Rome. We were so fortunate to be able to lump in seeing a friend and being a tourist in this beautiful country. 

While showing way too many photos to family and friends following our trip, there are many people that have expressed they would like to go to Italy. I know planning a vacation out of the country can be overwhelming and time consuming. That being said, I would love to lay out a few details of the trip that could help or inspire others who want their Lizzie McGuire dreams to come true. Over the course of the next several weeks, I will share with you everything I learned before and while in Italy. I am by no means an expert on Italian vacations, but we did learn through trial and error along the way. First up: the itinerary!

Day 1: Travel

It is no secret that it takes a long time to get to Europe. It can also take longer if you need to connect flights. That being said, I highly suggest taking at least ten days if you are going to Italy or any country in Europe. This will give you time to see the country and also adjust to the time difference. We ended up finding the best flights out of Nashville, Tennessee, but they were certainly not direct. Our flight schedule included layovers in Newark, Copenhagen, and then landing in Rome. I would also make sure to allow yourself at least 3-4 hours in between flights. This came in handy when we had delays on the way back, but also, we never felt rushed trying to go through customs. 

Another travel and organization tool that we ended up using for the trip was both Trip Advisor and Expedia for booking excursions. We got the Expedia app on our phone so that we could see the tour bookings and details including length, addresses, tour guides, and trip expectations. Trip Advisor also has this option, but we landed with the Expedia app because we could receive cash back with our type of credit cards. This is always something great to check on with your credit card benefits.

Day 2: Travel+Termoli

We arrived to Rome around 1:00pm and immediately hopped on a train towards Termoli. We had gone back and forth whether to do Rome first, or knock out all of the travel out of the way and go to our farthest destination to Termoli. In the end, we decided to go see Anita first, and I am very grateful for that decision. We were able to see a lot of the Italian countryside riding the trains and spend the first couple of days relaxing. Anita was the absolute best host and had pizza and pastries waiting for us at her apartment. Seriously, AirBnB should get on her level. We had a lovely evening walk through this small town and enjoyed each other’s company. 

It is always fun catching up with old friends! No matter the distance or how long it has been, the friendship stays the same.

Day 3: Termoli

After being able to sleep in and get over our jet lag, we spent a restful afternoon on the beach and exploring the old town of Termoli. Anita gave us some fantastic pointers on ordering in Italian and cultural tips surrounding dining etiquette. We ended up getting some seafood sandwiches, Peronis, and enjoyed chatting and reading on the beach. We also explored the old town where the highlights included an old fort, St. Timothy’s grave, and the smallest road in Europe. We ended the night with a four course dinner including fresh seafood pasta and being absolutely stuffed. Of course, there’s still always room for gelato.

While I don’t think many Americans have heard of the small town of Termoli or have it first on their Italian bucket list, I think it is a fantastic representation of touristy verses non-touristy Italy. Regardless of where you choose to vacation in Italy, I can not recommend enough getting off the beaten path and immersing yourself in true Italian culture. Get good lost and don’t be afraid to speak broken Italian. You will not regret getting out of your comfort zone and having a more in depth experience.

Squeezing in to snap a photo in front of the smallest road in Europe. A few bags might have been harmed trying to get them through the tunnel.

Day 4: Travel+Caserta

After spending a slow morning in Termoli with our friend, we boarded the train to head to our next destination. Caserta is a town right outside of Naples that is home to a world heritage site. The Royal Palace of Caserta was constructed in the 1700s and was modeled after Versailles. Besides the rich history, it was also a filming location for the Star Wars prequels. That personally sold it for me. We were ecstatic to find that it was not ridiculously crowded and spend several hours wandering the castle and the the gardens. I honestly believe this was one of the most underrated historical sites we visited on the trip, and I highly recommend carving out the time to visit. Going through the palace I felt like I was in Bridgerton, and exploring the gardens was like being in a Narnia type fantasy land.

Afterwards, we boarded a train to get to our AirBnB in Naples. I highly recommend traveling by train in Italy, because it is nice and relatively cheap. We downloaded the Train Italia app to get our tickets at a reduced cost. Another small tip is that the trains can be delayed from time to time, so I recommend if you have a transfer to another train to allow yourself 20 minutes between if the schedule allows. We spent the evening exploring Naples with recommendations from our lovely AirBnB host. Seriously, she was like our Italian mother. She gave us snacks and everything. Nothing felt better than coming in during the heat of the afternoon to rest and have a few cookies. 

One of many beautiful waterfalls that were part of the Royal Palace gardens. Also, thank you Drew for holding my bag.

Day 5: Naples+Pompeii

Of course most of us have read about Pompeii in the history books at school, but seeing it in person was actually incredible. I never realized how large the city was and how advanced the city layout was prior to 79AD. We ended up signing up for a walking tour throughout the city, and I would highly recommend it. Our tour guide explained so many things about the ruins I would have never known, and made sure to weave us through and avoid the crowds. We spent the entire morning at the ruins, and then took the afternoon to explore the Naples Archeological Museum. One important thing to note is that all of the artifacts found from Pompeii are primarily in the museum. We personally liked getting a full picture of the city before diving deeper into the intricate artifacts, but you can’t go wrong either way. 

Exploring Pompeii with the great Mount Vesuvius in the background.

Drew likes to read all the plaques in museums, so I had to do something to pass the time.

Day 6: Naples+Capri

While I wish we had even more time to explore the area around Naples, I am very thankful we were at least able to take a boat to the island of Capri. We ended up taking a boat tour around the island, which was absolutely breathtaking. The water was crystal clear, and the cliffs were magnificent. I kept singing ABBA songs because it felt a little bit like Mamma Mia, but Italian! We then had a very adventurous outdoor dining experience, but more details will be told on that event later. 

In all honesty, the area around the port in Capri, we found extremely touristy. We tended to avoid that area and found ourselves hiking around other parts of the island where there were beautiful homes and stunning views. After getting back to the mainland, we had such a fun time getting lost in the streets of Naples and stumbling on a street with outdoor markets. We still felt extremely adventurous and ended up trying some local seafood. I’m talking fish heads and all. Just trying to make Anthony Bourdain from No Reservations proud.

This photo was taken when I had the realization and told Drew, “This is it. I have peaked.”

Day 7: Travel+Rome

After having a relaxing morning sleeping in and having some pastries, we departed Naples on the fast train to Rome. We enjoyed some lunch and checked into our hotel, the Hotel Bolivar. We picked this hotel because it was a Choice Hotel, and it was actually covered by points! Never sleep on hotel points and and airline miles people. It was very quiet, yet centrally located so we were able to walk to a lot of the main historical sites.

We spent the afternoon putting in the miles walking to the Colosseum, Arch of Constantine, Palentine Hill, and the Roman Forum. It is incredible the amount of history that is in this one location, and we were constantly amazed thinking about the historical and Biblical figureheads who had been there. We enjoyed a lovely rooftop dinner that overlooked a church with the Rome skyline. It was honestly one of the best meals we had in Rome, and the sunset was exquisite.

Admiring the Colosseum and doing our best to stay away from the crowds.

Day 8: Rome

We had a busy day planned in Rome the second day, starting with a tour of the Vatican. We signed up for a skip the line guided walking tour. I am also grateful that we took the tour at 8:00am because there was a little bit less of the crowd, but there was still a long line to get in if you didn’t have the skip the line tour. The museum aspect of the Vatican was highly impressive, and the architecture was magnificent. I truly stood in awe of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel knowing I had heard about it almost my entire life. Unfortunately, we were unable to go into St. Peter’s Basilica because it was Wednesday morning, and the pope was leading a service. We tried to stick around to go in, but it eventually became too crowded, and we opted to go get lunch.

After a delightful lunch, we headed over to the Gusto Restaurant where they had a pasta making cooking class. We spent the next three hours learning how to make tiramisu, fettuccine, and ravioli. After all of our hard work, we were able to sit down and enjoy the meal we created together paired with delicious wine and fun conversation. Personally, this was one of the highlights of the trip, and I would recommend anyone going to Italy to take at least one cooking class.

One of the many beautiful frescos that adorns the ceilings in the Vatican Museum.

Drew was very proud of his homemade fettuccine. No machines were used during this pasta making class!

Day 9: Rome

On our final full day in Rome we set out on another tour, but this one was a little different from our previous walking tours. After a quick pit stop at the Trevi Fountain, we joined an e-biking group tour on a four hour excursion that took us to the outskirts of Rome. Our guide taught us so much about how the Romans built their water systems and roads. We even were able to ride on the Appian Way, which was quite the bumpy ride. Once again, the group dynamic was fantastic, and we enjoyed chatting with the people and the guide tremendously. It also helped he made sure we stopped for a coffee and cake break. We ended our day by stopping by the Spanish Steps and with a lovely dinner, but not without eating gelato first.

Note to self: don’t go biking in wide legged pants. Regardless, the e-bikes were so fun!

Day 10/11: Travel+Long Layover in Stockholm, Sweden

We were very sad to leave Italy, but I truly felt like we got the most out of this Italian summer adventure. However, not all of the exploring was limited to one country. When we were scouring through flights, we ended up intentionally picking one that had a long layover in Sweden. Although we didn’t get the full twenty-four hours in Stockholm due to delays, we were still able to have dinner and explore the beauty of the city. We found Stockholm to be an incredibly green, clean city and especially enjoyed getting lost in the old city. 

Gamla Stan is the old town part of Stockholm and has such colorful architecture.

Now that we are back stateside, I know that we will reminisce on this trip for years to come. Many people have stated that it is a trip of a lifetime, but I am hoping it is just the start of many more adventures. In Italy, ciao can mean both hello and goodbye, but for now I will just have to say see you later Italia!