So, you have finally decided to go on the trip of your dream and you just have to book the flight, the hotel and leave. This is a post to help you with your itinerary, covering the must see location in Italy. I'll make an itinerary of about 3-4 days per city, but you can adjust it on your own needs.
What to see in Italy in 2 weeks? You'll visit Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples and Pompeii. Let's start!
DAY ONE - Arrival at Venice and first tour of the city
Arrive in Venice. I strongly suggest you to arrive in the morning to make the best out of your time, but if you arrive during the afternoon or evening i suggest you to find your hotel and just relax, maybe stroll around and soak in the unique atmosphere only Venice has, maybe enjoying a gelato.
If you arrive during the morning you can start your visit in the afternoon. Venice is a pretty small town so you'll be able to visit the main attraction in a afternoon. Walk to Piazza San Marco and enjoy the unique atmosphere only Venice has! In this square there is lot to see: first of all the St Mark's Basilica, the Piazzetta dei Leoncini, the Clock tower and near the square the Ponte dei Sospiri.
The St. Mark's church is an example of Italo-Byzantine architecture, ordered by the Doge (the supreme authority of the Republic of Venice) and completed in 832. Destroyed and rebuilt two times, the one we see now was probably built in 1073. On the balcony above the portal there are a replica of the Horses of Saint Mark, while the originals are kept in St Mark’s Museum inside the basilica. You can book a ticket to visit the basilica, the baptistery and the Zen chapel; price of the guided tour 18 euros that you can book here.
To enter in any church there some dressing code, basically not too much skin exposed so no shorts, no sleeveless shirts or deep necklines.
In the square you can also see the Doge's Palace built in Venetian Gothic style, once residence of the Doge and now a museum. With a 16 euros ticket you'll be able to visit the Doge's Palace, the Correr Museum and the National archaeological Museum.
In a corner of the square there is the St Mark's Campanile, the bell tower. In the north side of the square there is the Clock-tower an early renaissance building that you can visit with a 12 euros ticket that you have to book in advance.
I then suggest you to visit a famous bridge, the Bridge of Sighs (Ponte dei Sospiri). The name comes from the fact that this bridge leaded to the prison, so the prisoners would sigh by seeing their last view of Venice. This is near the square so you don't have to walk much. I would finish this tour with a visit at the Guggenheim museum, not far from St. Marco Square. It was the private collection of Peggy Guggenheim and it includes artworks by Picasso, Kandinsky, Dali and Pollock. The ticket is 14 euros and they are closed on Tuesdays.
DAY 2 - Venice and isles of Burano and Murano
Today you will visit the isles of Murano and Burano. We start with Burano, the farther one then go to
Murano and then go back to Venice.
To reach Burano you can take many water-buses or ferries, here's a link with all the line to reach it. Burano is famous for its colorful houses, for its leaning campanile of the St. Martino Church and for the school of laces. So i suggest you to just stroll in the little streets, enjoying the view, visiting the Church, have lunch and then spend the afternoon in Murano.
Murano it's famous for its glass making. There are many glass-makers shop and some of them are open to the public so you can see how the lamps, chandeliers and other objects are made. There also is a Glass Museum founded in 1861 located in the Gothic Palazzo Giustinian. After visiting the museum and strolling around you can go back to Venice (about 10 minutes with ferry).
BURANO
MURANO
DAY 3 - Last day in Venice, leaving for Florence
If the first day you arrived in the evening and you couldn't do you tour, you can do it today, before you leave for Florence. If you already visited Venice, i suggest you to take the day to relax and soak in the unique atmosphere Venice has. Take breakfast in a bar with a cappuccino and a cornetto, stroll in the little streets looking at shops and people, eat a gelato and then you will be ready to leave this wonderful city.
DAY 4 - Arrival at Florence and first tour of the city
Welcome to one of the most important artistic and cultural cities in the world! Start with the Galleria dell'Accademia, a museum where you can find the famous Michelangelo's David. As always, to avoid to wait in line, book your ticket in advance by asking to your hotel or b&b or book directly here. Take now via Cesare Battisti that will lead you to the Basilica della Santissima Annunziata.
Go now in Via dei Servi until you reach the the Florence's Cathedral, the Duomo (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore), where you can appriciate the Giotto's Campanile (bell tower) and the Baptistery. The entrance to the Duomo is free. Now to complete the experience you just have to climb to the top of the cupola! There are 463 steps with no elevator but the view is amazing. Also, you can see the interior of the dome where you can admire Giorgio Vasari's frescoes.
You can then take Via dei Calzaiuoli until you reach Piazza della Signoria, with the Palazzo Vecchio overlooking the square. There are many sculputres here, among them a copy of the Michelangelo's David. You can also see the Loggia dei Lanzi, an open-air sculpture gallery where you can find the famous Cellini's Perseus. In front of the Palazzo Vecchio you can see the Fountain of Neptune. Visit then the Uffizi's Gallery. If you want to visit the Uffizi book your ticket first, so you don't have to wait. There are booking fee but it will save you a lot of time. Make sure to book at the official site of the Uffizi or ask your hotel or b&b to book you some tickets. Absolutely avoid people on the street selling any type of tickets (I suggest you to use the third day to visit it though, you will have more time. But you can visit it the day 1 if you just want to relax the 3rd day).
Take now Via Borgo dei Greci and go straight until you reach Piazza Santa Croce with the Basilica of Santa Croce which was the burial place for the great and good in Florence. Here are buried Michelangelo, Machiavelli and Galileo Galilei. In front of the Basilica there is a marble statue of Dante Alighieri. The entrance costs 5 euros.
DAY 5 - Tour of Florence
Let's start with the San Lorenzo Church, one of the largest churches of Florence burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family. We now go in Via del Giglio until we reach Piazza Santa Maria Novella with the Basilica di Santa Maria Novella with frescoes by masters of Gothic and early Renaissance. Go in Via dei Fossi until you reach the bridge, turn left and go until the Ponte Vecchio. Cross the Ponte Vecchio and enjoy all its jewelry shops.
Continue to walk and you will find Palazzo Pitti which houses several minor collections in addition to those of the Medici family, and is fully open to the public. The ticket costs 7 euros and will allow you to visit the magnificent Giardini di Boboli, the fountains and museums in it.
As the last thing to do i think it would be nice a view of all Florence and the Arno valley by reaching Piazzale Michelangelo. You can reach it walking but it's on the top of a hill so, if you are too tired to climb it up, you can go by bus (n.13). A large par of it is a parking lot, because from here you can only enjoy the breathtaking view. There are, though, some bars, restaurants and vendor. It's a nice place to visit to take with you an amazing image of Florence!
DAY 6 - Last day in Florence heading to Rome
For the last day i suggest to spend the morning visiting the Uffizi Gallery where you can admire paintings by Botticelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Rembrandt and many others. You can buy tickets here to skip the line. Spend the rest of the day walking in this beautiful town, enjoying the city and relaxing.
DAY 7 - Arrival to Rome and first tour of the Eternal City
Welcome to Rome! We start our tour with the must see attraction of the Eternal City. If you arrive in the afternoon just use your last day here to catch up!
Start with the Colosseum (also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre) that you can reach by walking, by bus or the underground depending on where your hotel is. Built in 70 AD it is estimated that it could hold 80.000 spectators. You can buy a ticket that will allow you to visit the Coliseum and the fori imperiali for 12 euros. I suggest to book them before visiting Rome, to avoid to wait in line, here is the website where you can buy them. Be careful with the centurion-dressed guys outside the coliseum, if you will take a pic with them you will have to pay them.
Go now on the Via dei Fori Imperiali that will lead you to the Fori imperiali (Imperial Fora), the square of the Roman Republic built between 6 BC and 113 AD. Take your time and enjoy the ancient roman atmosphere! Not far from there, following Via Petroselli, there is the Mouth of Truth mostly known for the its appearance in the 1953 movie "Roman Holiday". and the Circus Maximus, the first and largest stadium in Ancient Rome where chariot races took place.
When your tour is over go to Piazza Venezia. Keep walking on Via del Corso then turn to Via delle Murate which will lead you to the Fontana di Trevi. The baroque fountain, built between 1732 and 1762, is one of the most famous fountains in the world. Don't forget to toss a coin in the fountain, so you will visit Rome again for sure.
DAY 8 - Rome
Take a bus or a metro to St. Peter's Square just in front of St. Peter's Basilica. The square was designed by Bernini, as well as the colonnades. At the center of the square there is an Egyptian obelisk, brought there in 1568 but that is 4000 years old. Enter now the St. Peter's Basilica, the entrance is free. Remember that is a religious place, so you are not allowed if too much skin is exposed. I suggest to the ladies who wears sleeveless shirt and shorts to bring in their backpack a pair of light trousers and put them on before enter the church and cotton shrug to cover the top, same for the men. Or use a long, light dress with a shrug.
You will spend almost all day here. The church contains the tombs of many popes, sculptures such as Michelangelo's Pietà . The interior is very big, take your time and admire all the treasures in it. Then climb up the 551 steps to the cupola (ticket 5 euros) or take the elevator and climb "just" 320 steps (ticket 7 euros).
Go then to the Vatican Museums that includes the Vatican Art Gallery with paintings by Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and other artists, several Sculpture Museums and the famous Sistine Chapel, which ceiling was painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. The ticket for the Vatican Museums is 16 euros.
Walk to Castel Sant'Angelo, originally a mausoleum for the Roman emperor Hadrian, then converted in a castle for the Pope and also used as a prison. where Giordano Bruno was held for 6 years. The ticket costs 11,50 euros and you can buy them here.
DAY 9 - Rome
Start from the Pantheon, a circular building with a portico. Built about 2000 years ago is still well preserved and always used throughout history. At the dome's apex there is a oculus which is, with the entrances, the only source of light. The sunlight through the oculus moves around in a sort of reverse sundial effect.
Walk now to Piazza Navona a famous square where you can admire examples of Baroque Roman architecture, such as the Fontana del Moro, Fontana del Nettuno and the most famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers), built in 1651 by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. At the top of the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi there is the Obelisk of Domitian brought here from the Circus of Maxentius. This fountain also appears in Ron Howard's Angel and Demons. Take Via Zanardelli and reach the Tevere river. Turn right and proceed walking along the river. Then turn in Via Tornacelli that will lead you to Piazza di Spagna, at the bottom of the 135 Spanish steps. In the middle of the square there is the famous Fontana della Barcaccia sculpted by Pietro and Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
DAY 10 - Last day in Rome, heading to Naples
As always i suggest you to use your last day in a city relaxing, preparing for your next train trip and seeing something that you may have missed in the previous days. It's also a good moment for buying souvenirs! Two weeks to visit Italy isn't a easy task, but remember you are on holiday. So try not to stress you and just enjoy the atmosphere of such an ancient city. Try to go to the must see places and choose the others that I suggested you according to your taste, if you don't manage to see all of them well, you can always come back next year!
Reach the Duomo of Naples (Naples Cathedral), widely known as St. Gennaro's Cathedral in honor of St. Januarius, the city's patron saint. It's a Roman Catholic cathedral completed in the early 14th century and inside you can find the Royal chapel of the Treasure of St. Gennaro with many frescoes, the high altar by Francesco Solimena, the bronze railing and many others artworks. In this Cathedral there is a vial containing the dried blood of St. Gennaro and it is brought outside the first Saturday of May and September 19th when the blood liquefies. If that doesn't happen the legend says great disasters will strike Naples.
Near the Duomo there is the Museum of the Treasure of St. Gennaro where a collection of artworks is kept. The treasure consists in artworks and donations made by Popes, kings and emperors throughout 7 centuries. The ticket to visit the Museum costs 5 euros and you can find more information at the official site of San Gennaro Museum.
Keep walking in Via Tribunali and you will find Napoli sotterranea (Underneath Naples), an underground tour of the city (2 hours, the ticket costs 9,30€. For more information about time and days click here). The tour will take place 40 meters (about 130 feet) underground, in the caves used to extract the tufa of which the city is built. These caves have been used for many purposes since 400 B.C., for example as cult sites, catacombs, or shelter during WWII. The legend says that if you hear someone crying is just Munaciello, a ghost of a monk that sometimes appears in the underground Naples!
After this tour I suggest to take lunch. You must taste a classic Neapolitan pizza in one of the many restaurants or pizzerias in the area.
After lunch take via Nilo and then via De Sanctis and visit San Domenico Maggiore Church situated in the historic center in a square with the same name. In the square there is an obelisk on the top of which there is a statue of Saint Dominic, erected in 1656. Inside the Church you can admire many frescoes and near the church there is Cappella Sansevero built in 1590. Inside the chapel there are late-Baroque sculptures like the famous Veiled Christ.San Domenico Church is situated in the street known as Spaccanapoli (Naples splitter), a narrow street of Greco-Roman origins.
Take now via Croce, then Calata trinità maggiore and turn left in via Monteoliveto. Proceed in via Medina and you will reach Castel Nuovo known as Maschio Angioino, a medieval castle built in 1279. Inside the castle there is a museum that you can visit with a 5 euros ticket and that will show you some castles chambers and artworks. Proceed in via San Carlo and see the Royal Palace of Naples, one of the residence of Bourbon kings. In 1888 King Umberto I of Savoy had niches be built with statues of kings of dynasties. Go now in via Chiaia and reach Piazza Vittoria where you can take a bus or a metro to go back to the train station. If you have some time left, take a walk along via Caracciolo and enjoy the beautiful panorama!
DAY 12 - Naples
Today you will start from San Lorenzo Maggiore Church, easily reachable from the train station by underground. Situated in the historical center of the city it's a big church with a museum where you can admire artworks and frescoes of the 13th century. Underground you can see the old Roman and Greek Naples. The ticket to visit the museum costs 9€.
You go then to the Naples National Archaeological Museum, one of the most important museums in Italy with a large collection of Roman artifacts especially from Pompeii and Herculaneum. The museum was built in the 1750s and has a great collection of marbles, bronzes and mosaics as well as Egyptian artifacts. The ticket costs 8€ and they close on Tuesday. After visiting the museum you take a metropolitana and reach Castel Sant'Elmo a medieval fortress and it's now a
museum that you can visit with a 5€ ticket.
Take now the underground and stop at Toledo and keep walking in via Toledo until you reach Teatro San Carlo, the famous opera house opened in 1737. With a 6 euros ticket you can take a tour.
Take now via Cesario Console, then via Giordano and reach Castel dell'ovo (egg castle), the oldest fortification in Naples, situated in the Megaride peninsula. Its name comes from a a legend about a Roman poet, considered a sorcerer. The legend says that Virgil put an egg as a foundation to support the castle and if the egg had been broken, the
castle would be destroyed and disasters would strike Naples. It is open from 09.30 to 19.30 and the entrance is free.
DAY 13 - Naples
The last day you can chose to visit Pompeii or to visit Posillipo Hill, a residential area in Naples from where you can enjoy a wonderful view.You can reach it from the train station or from any metro station taking metro n.2 to Mergellina stop. From there take the funicular to reach Posillipo enjoying the panorama while moving. This area is residential so there aren't many attraction, but you can take a walk looking at the panorama. Across the Gulf of Naples you can see Mt. Vesuvius. There are also many restaurants. If you want to visit some attraction i recommend you the Posillipo Archaeological Park, reachable from Viale Virgilio interesting for its history and views. You can see the Grotta di Seiano an artificial 770 meters long tunnel that passes through a hill, at the end of which there is an archaeological area with an ancient villa and the remains of Odeion, an ancient theater.
Or you can choose to go to Capri instead. In front of the Maschio Angioino there is a harbor where a hydrofoil will take you to Capri in about 40 minutes with a 19 euros ticket. There you can visit his grottoes and Roman villas and, of course, enjoying the amazing view of the sea!
DAY 14 - Last day in Naples, return home
Here's your last day in Italy. Use it to relax, buy souvenirs, go to the lungomare to take with you one of the most beautiful views in Italy. I hope you enjoyed this tour and contact me for any question or suggestion.
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