Pics from our Italy vacation! We had an amazing time.

[bbhaag]

Just got back from a 20 day once in a life time trip to Italy and wanted to share some pics. Overall we had an amazing time visiting this wonderful country! The cities we visited were Rome, Venice, Florence, Siena, Pisa, the Cinque Terre region, and The Lakes region. This may seem like a lot to see in just 20 days and it was but we made it work. lol

Here is a link to our itinerary. This was NOT set in stone and did evolve as the trip went on but it did help keep us on track. Also a special thanks to @DigDog. He had some really great suggestions sent via PM that were very helpful. He knows his stuff and I would not hesitate to ask him for advice.

https://1drv.ms/w/c/8a50d0e262ba2097/ETP9i90HIjNIobLVv4M-ou0B0FtFfqNjApClZDyFF6wNFg?e=ft7Gvm

Just a quick comment before the pics. We are not photographers or even hobbyists. All of these pics were taken on either my P7P or my wifes S24+ and ripped straight off the phones with no editing or touch ups.

So lets start with the big one......Rome. What an amazing city with a great vibe. We both loved our time here.

The Pantheon


The Trevi Fountain lit up at night. We did throw a coin over our shoulder in the hopes that it brings us back to Rome.


Here I am taking a drink from the fountain at the bottom of the Spanish Steps.


This is the ancient Roman bath site known as The Baths of Caracalla.


This is a pic of the Roman Forum from the top of Palatine Hill. We did walk through the Forum but this is a nice view from above.


Needs no introduction. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.


The Colosseum lit up at night was so pretty pics don't do it justice.

 

[bbhaag]

Venice is hard for me to put into words. It was very pretty and unlike any city we have ever been to but it was at the end of our trip and we were tired by this point.

View of the Grand Canal atop the Rialto Bridge

A side canal or river as they are known by the locals


This mask shop was INSANE. One of the craziest stores I have ever been to.


The Rialto Bridge.


Next up is Pisa. We all know what to see here.




Florence is another city which is hard for me to describe. It was so crowded but at the same time the sights were amazing. We went to MANY more sights in Florence.

Waiting to get into the Duomo.


Michelangelos statue of David was impressive.


The Birth of Venus was also really cool to see.

 

[bbhaag]

The Cinque Terre region was HANDS DOWN our favorite place of the entire trip. It has beautiful views, friendly people, and more relaxed vibe. If we ever go back to Italy this region would be at the top of our list.

The beach at Monterosso al Mare

A view of Vernazza from the Azure Trail leading down into the city. One hell of hike from Corniglia!

Riomaggiore is the prettiest little town I ever did see

Siena is last and it was a beautiful city like so many other Italian cities.

Here is a pic on the stairs leading down to the city center.

The Duomo in Siena was the prettiest out of all the ones we visited. Pics do not do it justice. It has to be seen in person.

The city at night

Obligatory souvenir pic.

 

[Fenixgoon]

The Cinque Terre region was HANDS DOWN our favorite place of the entire trip. It has beautiful views, friendly people, and more relaxed vibe. If we ever go back to Italy this region would be at the top of our list.

Awesome trip!

Cinque Terre is one place I am DYING to visit.

 

[bbhaag]

Awesome trip!

Cinque Terre is one place I am DYING to visit.

I'll post some pics in a little bit. For some reason I can't right now. I think my username got locked down for spamming. It was really pretty though and stood out as a gem on our trip.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Outstanding. Thanks for sharing the pics so I can live vicariously through your experiences.

Bummer you did not Sparta kick a pickpocket into traffic for me though. 😛

 

[Chaotic42]

Did you get to meet Ollie the Olive?

 

[DigDog]

had to get into TOR to view the imgur links because that asshole Keir Stramer made it so it's blocked to us in the UK.

i'm glad they were sensible and understood that trying to cram too much shit in can really ruin your holiday, and instead took the "let's see what we fancy doing today" approach.

I'm not seeing any photos from the top of the St Peter cupola, and worry that you may have gotten so close and yet so far?

also we'd like to see more photos of the food !

How were the trains? and the public transport?

Did you try the wine, in Tuscany?

 

[bbhaag]

had to get into TOR to view the imgur links because that asshole Keir Stramer made it so it's blocked to us in the UK.

i'm glad they were sensible and understood that trying to cram too much shit in can really ruin your holiday, and instead took the "let's see what we fancy doing today" approach.

I'm not seeing any photos from the top of the St Peter cupola, and worry that you may have gotten so close and yet so far?

also we'd like to see more photos of the food !

How were the trains? and the public transport?

Did you try the wine, in Tuscany?

Didn't make it to the top of St Peters Basilica. Just not enough time.🙁 Also not a lot of food pics either. It just didn't dawn on us to take pics of the food. We did try the creamed cod in Venice though. I saw your link to traditional Venetian food in the pizza thread and had to try it.

We did try the wine in Tuscany and it was good. We actually went to a wine tasting class in Siena that showed us some of the different wines and grapes from the region. It was pretty cool.

Public transport was really good. 99% of the time we used either trains or buses and had a great experience. The Trenitalia app for train service was an invaluable tool. It gets mediocre reviews in the app store but once you get it dialed in it is really good.

 

[bbhaag]

Also sorry about the Imgur links in the last few pics. Forum is acting wonky and won't let me upload them directly so I had to find a work around. 🙁

 

[DigDog]

more than wonky - it's been down for a day.

 

[thestrangebrew1]

Awesome pics! Looks like a great time!

 

[drnickriviera]

How did you get pics inside the Sistine Chapel? Our guide said no pics, and they even had guards inside scolding people when they took out their phones.

 

[BoomerD]

Did you bring back anything...seeds or ?? for the garden?

 

[bbhaag]

How did you get pics inside the Sistine Chapel? Our guide said no pics, and they even had guards inside scolding people when they took out their phones.

The only person who scolded me for taking a pic inside the chapel was my wife. She let me have it so hard for taking a couple of pics that I swear she was working for the Vatican as a secret agent.🙂

Did you bring back anything...seeds or ?? for the garden?

No we did not. While we did visit a few gardens like the Boboli Gardens outside the Petti Palace we didn't really come across anyone selling seeds or plants.

I don't know if I would want to be caught by customs bringing that type of thing into the country without proper documentation. I know people do it but.....yeah so many issues can arise from it that we didn't want to.

 

[bbhaag]

The glass piece that we purchased on the island of Murano was just delivered! This was our big souvenir purchase and we are so excited that it arrived intact and so quickly.

We collect art when we travel and we were very excited to add this to our collection. This is our first European art purchase but will not our last.

The gallery lighting did not do this piece justice. When the natural sunlight illuminates the precious metals infused within glass it looks so pretty.

 

[RossMAN]

You really lucked out with great weather, what are your future plans to visit Europe?

Are there any particular cities/regions/countries you have that itch to visit? Thanks for sharing your experiences and amazing pictures, please keep 'em coming.

 

[bbhaag]

You really lucked out with great weather, what are your future plans to visit Europe?

Are there any particular cities/regions/countries you have that itch to visit? Thanks for sharing your experiences and amazing pictures, please keep 'em coming.

We could not have asked for better weather especially in the "shoulder" season when it is usually a little cooler and rainy. The sun was shining every place we went and even when it was cloudy or cooler it never rained. Future plans for Europe will probably be in the fall of 2027 with a trip to either France or Greece but being so far out that could change.

For 2026 we want to focus more on the domestic side of travel. There are so many great places in North America that we have not been to that we would like to see. Now that our two children are all grown up and moving on into their own lives that opens up a space for my wife and I to travel while we are still youngish(46 & 45).

 

[nisryus]

Wonderful pics and glad you guys had a great time there!

Question from the wife.... Did you meet the Pope!?

After showing the wife the pics, she was like maybe we should go during Late September or early October like you guys . Plus it will be roasting here in Texas and we could escape the heat by tripping to EU!

 

[nOOky]

Great photos, thanks for sharing. Only one comment, I thought Superman straightened out the leaning tower of Pisa...? I fell asleep during that movie.

 

[bbhaag]

Wonderful pics and glad you guys had a great time there!

Question from the wife.... Did you meet the Pope!?

After showing the wife the pics, she was like maybe we should go during Late September or early October like you guys . Plus it will be roasting here in Texas and we could escape the heat by tripping to EU!

We had an exceptionally great time. Every place we visited was just wonderful. Cinque Terre was the sleeper standout of the trip but if you can only do a couple of cities and are limited on time then Rome and Venice are the go too.

So to answer your wifes question. No we did not get to meet the Pope. We do not have enough money or influence to get within 500 meters of him 🙂 but we did visit the Vatican and I did get bitched out by the Swiss Guard while trying to find the Popes house. LOL

Anyway, you and your wife should really make it a point to visit Italy no matter what time of year. It is a really wonderful place filled with new and different experiences around every corner.

 

[RossMAN]

Wonderful pics and glad you guys had a great time there!

Question from the wife.... Did you meet the Pope!?

After showing the wife the pics, she was like maybe we should go during Late September or early October like you guys . Plus it will be roasting here in Texas and we could escape the heat by tripping to EU!

So to answer your wifes question. No we did not get to meet the Pope. We do not have enough money or influence to get within 500 meters of him 🙂 but we did visit the Vatican and I did get bitched out by the Swiss Guard while trying to find the Popes house. LOL

Did you meet the Illuminati?

 

[nisryus]

So a question for you bbhaag... Did you bring several luggages for the trip? Or each with one backpack for the whole trip?

We won't be buying lot of stuffs, maybe a magnets or two just like poor neighbor tourists 😛, so were thinking of backpacking light for the entire trip.

The one I have been using for all of the trips in the last 10 years...

https://amazon.com/Miramrax-Tactical-Backpack-Military-Daypack/dp/B0CN11TP51

The wife is thinking either buying similar backpack like mine, or bring the 21inch Swiss carry on which the kid had left at home.

Amazon.com

Did you had problem with your luggage when going around?

 

[bbhaag]

So a question for you bbhaag... Did you bring several luggages for the trip? Or each with one backpack for the whole trip?

We won't be buying lot of stuffs, maybe a magnets or two just like poor neighbor tourists 😛, so were thinking of backpacking light for the entire trip.

The one I have been using for all of the trips in the last 10 years...

https://amazon.com/Miramrax-Tactical-Backpack-Military-Daypack/dp/B0CN11TP51

The wife is thinking either buying similar backpack like mine, or bring the 21inch Swiss carry on which the kid had left at home.

Amazon.com

Did you had problem with your luggage when going around?

We originally left O'Hare with two backpacks similar to yours and two checked suitcases also similar in size to the one you linked to.

Iberia Airlines lost my suitcase in Madrid so the only clothing I had for the 20 days I was there were the items I packed in the backpack which was not much. A few t-shirts, some socks, a couple pairs of shoes, my dopp kit, a pair of pants, and of course what I wore on the plane.

Thinking back if we had to do it over again we would pack much lighter. We would still keep the two backpacks but instead of two suitcases we would just share one suitcase.

This only applies if you have easy access to a laundry service but expect to pay around 20 euro for said laundry service. Keep in mind we were their for 20 days so with the limited clothing I had and even wearing the clothing multiple days without washing I still needed to do laundry.

I can wear a pair of jeans for several days without washing them as long as I don't get them to dirty but items like socks and underwear are harder for me to go multiple days without washing. Especially when you consider we were walking an average of 10 miles per day.

 

[Gizmo j]

Bread and circuses.