This blog will be a summary of an unforgivable time I’ve spent in Italy in September last year. My idea is to list what I did on 6 full days passing by Rome, Naples, Florence, and Cinque Terre.
It was such a great time!!! I hope it will help you to sort out what to do in these cities in case you are short on time.
3 Days in Rome
Explore Rome in 2 full days and reserve an extra one to visit Naples and taste their delicious pizza!
Colosseum.
1 Day in Naples
On our third day in Rome, we took a full day to explore Naples and have the BEST PIZZA I’VE EVER HAD!
Naples Harbour.
3 Days in Florence (link)
My favourite city in Italy so far. Explore Florence for 2 full days, and reserve the third day to visit Cinque Terre.
View from Piazzale Michelangelo
1 Day in Cinque Terre (link)
Either for sigh seen, or to go on an amazing hike, Cinque Terre is a must. In case you are in Florence, 1 full day is enough to get to know these five villages.
Many people believe Italy is THE carbohydrate land. Pasta, pizza, and gelatos everywhere, all the time. Indeed, if you want, it can be true.
However, Italian Cusine is much more than pasta! There are a huge number of dishes with amazing flavors and combinations, just waiting for you to delight yourself with a great low carb feast!
I’ll not lie, I had pasta, pizza, and gelato. Innumerous time to be honest, but I also had other amazing meals throughout my almost 8 days in Italy, full of salads, gorgeous meats, and nutrient-dense ingredients. That’s why I decided to share here with you a few ideas from all the meals I had there.
Trattoria da Valentino • Rome I had a three-course lunch at this place, which includes salad (or pasta), meat, and a dessert (that you can skip).
A bird’s-eye view of everything you can do in 3 days in Florence!
Florence was the third city we stayed during our holidays in Europe, and I can honestly say it got a special place in my heart since the very first day.
Differently from Rome, I found the city much calmer, organised, easier to navigate around, and with a great modern vibe (even with all the historical buildings it has).
I had 3 amazing days there, which I’ll be happily sharing with you now.
If you want to get straight to the point, here you canget my Google Mapswith all the main attractions conveniently marked for you.
Keep reading if you would also like an overview of these attractions.
Day 1
Mercato Centrale In case you’re a foodie like me, this is THE place to be.
Stroll along a good number of stalls feature local products and produce; and don’t forget to visit the upper level full of yummy restaurants.
Perfect place to sample the best Italy has to offer.
After having lunch in Vernazza, we decided to get the train back to Manarola to take some extra photos of the area.
But I might also say we had a second goal in mind: try a gelato from 5 Terre Gelateria.
We found very good reviews online about them, and early in the day, while we were exploring this little town, this place was always super busy.
They also have a selection of brioches (which can combined with ice cream to please the most demanding sweet tooth 😜) and crepes, but we only tried their gelato at the occasion.
So, after all this walking, why not have our gelato of the day there, right?
My order
Their selection of gelato covers the most traditional flavours, so we decided to follow the idea and stick to the classics!
Mine: Amarena and Cremino.
Hubby: Dark chocolate and Tiramisu.
Amarena and Cremino.Dark chocolate and Tiramisu.
The verdict
Everything was super creamy and delicious! Rich in flavour and great texture!
Totally worth a visit to refresh yourself after a day hiking around the Cinque Terre. 🤗
I also noticed they have another shop further down the street, just closer to the beach.
By our observations on the day this one was usually less busy, but you have two options in any case. 🙂
I couldn’t find it on Google Maps though, maybe it was a temporary store?
After spending all morning exploring the smalls towns of Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Corniglia, we decided to stop at Vernazza for lunch, before heading to our last stop, Monterosso.
Caprese salad – Tomatoes, mixed leaves, basil, fresh mozzarella, olives, and capers.Spaghetti al sugo.Grilled beef with rockets and tomatoes.
Salad and pasta were gorgeous! Nothing to add or remove, great choice.
On the other hand, our beef was a bit disappointing, bland and tasteless, although correctly cooked.
Anyways, I understand that Hubby and I were a bit naive with our choice. Let me explain you why.
They are well-known for their servings of seafood, so asking for a beef steak sounds quite wrong, right? 😜
But at the same time if a restaurant puts it on their menu it should be prepared as good as the others dishes, in my opinion.
In a nutshell, the restaurant is good, overall; it also has amazing views.
Just play safe and go for a seafood dish instead. 🙂
The verdict
Considering that we were a bit unlucky with of our choice, the place has great options (we loved our salad and pasta), good service and amazing views.
It is also incredibly popular during lunchtime, so if you can make a reservation or get there as soon as it opens (like we did).
Sin Athina Restaurant • Athens
