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It doesn’t get much better than an Adventure to Italy! Beginning in Rome and making our way up to Florence, our Italian Adventure was full of gorgeous cathedrals, mom and pop shops, delicious pasta, and too many Italian dogs to count, and not to mention topsy turvy buildings (hello Pisa), fairytale towns, and papal gardens. Join us and our friends at Skyscanner as we explore Rome and Tuscany. Did we mention the pasta?
What began as a castoff space for foreigners and outsiders barred from Catholic burial is today a beautifully cultivated haven, rich in history and – thanks to the large population of interred creatives – artistry. Great poets and sculptors lie beside storied scholars, scientists, and diplomats, mingling with meticulously manicured vegetation and statuesque cypress trees. If you find yourself inspired by a stroll through the garden, you are in good company – countless writers and thinkers have made pilgrimage to try and capture some of its spirit. Perhaps you, too, will want to stay for good.
We often forget just how incredibly old Egyptian civilization is – until we remember that in the late first century BC, the “ancient” Romans were having an ancient Egypt phase (don’t worry Rome, we’ve all been there). Roman conquest brought Egyptian culture to the wider empire, where it quickly became all the rage – everyone wanted cats, and for a time, Rome even had two pyramids. Just a few miles from the tomb of Caius Cestius stood another, larger pyramid, with the pair long said to house the fabled Roman founders, Romulus and Remus. Like all fads, however, Egypt-mania faded. One pyramid was excavated and restored to its rightful owner, and the other was repurposed to build the stairs of St. Peter’s Basilica. The cats, predictably, remained in Rome, with several colonies spread across the city. You can often find several felines lounging under Cestius’ pyramid, next to an appropriately-placed “for the cats” donation box.
Lions and tigers and… warships? Oh my! Not many know that in addition to housing gladiatorial duels and vicious man-versus-beast challenges, the Flavian Amphitheatre – the iconic Roman landmark we now know as the Colosseum – also performed full naval battles for a short time. The ground level could be flooded with up to five feet of water, transforming dirt and dust into a specatular nautical stage. While it was eventually discontinued (removing and replacing the entire floor being an understandable nuisance), the stadium’s underground “backstage” remained in constant use; a complex system of tunnels and elevators allowed both performer and predator to be released into the arena with typical Roman flair. As a note – this does mean that, in theory, the Colosseum could be reopened as a giant swimming pool.
Perched handsomely at the top of Rome’s illustrious Spanish Steps, Hotel Hassler‘s grand panoramic views and world-renowned service have earned it the nickname “Stairway to Heaven”. Featuring a Michelin-ranked restaurant and a star-studded “Golden Book” of notable guests, Hotel Hassler is the quintessential luxury global forum – in large part thanks to its current Manager, Roberto Wirth. Heir to a veritable dynasty of Swiss hoteliers, Wirth always knew he wanted to follow in his family’s footsteps. Born deaf, he overcame the challenges of the industry and the concern of his family and peers to take the Hassler from great to amazing. In an increasingly globalized market, Wirth has thrived in providing attentive and individualized care to each guest’s needs. Perhaps the Spanish Steps should be renamed “Stairway to Hassler”.
Though Vatican City is a landlocked country entirely surrounded by Italy, its guards are neither Italian (nor Vaticanese?) but Swiss. The Swiss Guard has been protecting the Pope since 1506, when it was established by Pope Julius II. Their role seems especially fitting, as they are often referred to as “the world’s smallest army,” a title that aligns well with their duty of guarding the world’s smallest sovereign state.
Learn MoreWhile some sources disagree on whether St. Peter’s Basilica is actually the largest church in the world, it is certainly the most well-known (and is probably still the largest). Many important Catholic figures (including a good number of popes and what are said to be the remains of St. Peter himself) are interred beneath its floors, forming an extensive underground catacomb. Among the scores of Catholic relics and art scattered around the Basilica, one monument stands out – an Egyptian obelisk stands proudly outside in the square. It took 900 men to transport it into the city, meant to represent a triumph over paganism – but it feels like Rome may have just not really gotten over Egypt-mania.
Piazza San Pietro, 00120 Città del Vaticano, Vatican City, Italy
After visiting places like the Colosseum or the Vatican, which stand out in their own dedicated spaces, it might be a little jarring to be roaming from piazza to piazza and then just happen upon the Pantheon. It’s tucked neatly within the shops, restaurants, and homes in central Rome, immaculately preserved, especially considering it is over 2,000 years old. Building such a structure would be difficult even today, and the architectural exactness – such as areas of acoustic manipulation and its perfectly spherical inner proportions – are baffling to the trained and untrained eye. As if proof that you should never mess with ancient Roman engineering, when in the 17th century they decided to add two bell towers onto the building, the people made fun of them for two full centuries – calling them the “ass’s ears” – before they were finally removed.
It’s hard to argue that any Adventure in Rome is complete without a visit to the magnificent Piazza di Trevi. The largest and arguably best known fountain in a city that has somewhere in the range of 2,000 fountains, you’ll inevitably find crowds surrounding it, but it’s hard to miss, standing at 85 feet tall, and 160 feet wide. Should you pass by, it’s worth swatting your way through the selfie sticks to behold one of the world’s great masterpieces.
Learn MoreThe design mind games going on in the Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola take “add a mirror to make the room look bigger” to a completely different level. The divinely talented painter Andrea Pozzo created two incredible optical illusions within the church, the first of which being an enormous mural that spans across the entire ceiling of the church’s main section, appearing to remove it entirely as you gaze up into an open sky full of saints and angels. And if your eyes roam to the nearby dome and you think, “I didn’t see a dome outside”, you’re correct. Pozzo painted a fake dome on the ceiling, supposedly after the Jesuits ran out of money to build one themselves.
On the edge of the Piazza Navona in central Rome, the church of Santa Maria della Pace draws crowds of visitors to admire its architecture and Raphael’s famous fresoes, but it was not always like this. In the 15th century, the church of Sant’Andrea de Aquarizariis was in bad shape. It is said that the new church was commissioned after reports of an image of the Virgin Mary began to miraculously bleed. This inspired the rededication of the church to Saint Mary of Peace after its restoration.
An eerie reminder of Italy’s troubled past under Mussolini, the Palazzo della Civiltà looks a bit like someone tried to make the Colosseum in Minecraft. Aptly nicknamed “the square Colosseum”, it was built in the late 1930s as a symbol of the new fascist regime. It is said that the number of arches are meant to reflect the letters in Mussolini’s name, but we can just choose to remember it as the current headquarters for Fendi.
Learn More“Turducken” may be a an inelegant description of Florence’s Odeon Cinema, but what better name is there for a bookshop within a theater within a palace? We will also accept “Russian Doll.” This Renaissance-era marvel has undergone several changes since Brunelleschi’s original design, each one better than the last. Converted from palace to cinema in the 1920s, the Odeon was one of the early theaters to screen foreign films in their original language with subtitles. A century later, it continues that legacy, but with the added twist of a 25,000 book collection, bringing new meaning to the term “mixed media.” International films are still shown every night at 9pm, always in their original language – a reflection of the global city it serves.
Considered to be the world’s oldest pharmacy, Santa Maria Novella’s influence has reached across both borders and centuries. Dominican friars founded the apothecary in 1221 to serve the community with handmade remedies and tinctures, often relying on perfumed waters and herbal essences. Though rosewater (shockingly) was not a successful plague deterrent, the friars did find success in developing their scents for cosmetic purposes. Today, the brand flourishes with little to no marketing, relying on a dedicated cult following of history buffs and fragrance fanatics – where else can you get the same perfume that was made for a queen in the 1500s?
Amongst the sea of red-tiled roofs, the dome of Florence’s cathedral rises prominently above the rest of the city, reminding Florentines of the higher powers that be. Though the 463 steps to the top of the dome alone may remind a visitor of their mortality, the structure also symbolizes the genius of the human mind thanks to a Renaissance engineer who created this massive dome and left no trace on how it was done – thus maddening scholars ever since.
Learn MoreFrom humble beginnings as a latteria (dairy) in 1929, Vivoli has come to reign as a Florentine gelato institution. Their menu now ranges from traditional gelato to cakes and pastries, but we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention their famous affogato. A staple on their menu since the 60’s, the silky espresso-gelato confection has since become their most popular offering. You can even ask if they’ll serve it to you through their buchetta – a little stone window normally used for wine, but which works just as well for gelato!
The oldest scientific museum in Europe, La Specola, contains a massive, compellingly eclectic collection of flora, fauna, and fossils collected and commissioned from far back as the Medici Family. Its most famous collection (other than the Hall of Skeletons) is the incredibly realistic assembly of anatomical wax models, depicting everything from the effects of disease and plague to an entire human figure stripped of his skin. The combined scientific sophistication and awe-inspiring artistry of this wax exhibit walked so that the modern “Body Worlds” exhibit could run.
One of the most visited art museums in the world, the Uffizi Gallery came into existence when the House of Medici saw its dynasty end. The prominent Italian banking family and political dynasty gifted their large art collection to the city of Florence under negotiations by Anna Maria Luisa, the last Medici heiress. One of the first museums to display the Medici collections was the Uffizi Gallery…
Learn MoreIt may not be a surprise that Italy, where you can walk any direction blindfolded and run into a historical building or monument, holds the record for the most UNESCO World Heritage sites. Though the Boboli Gardens are just one of the chart-topping 60, it may be one of the most unique, with its art and artifacts open to the elements and completely explorable. From sculptures built into the walls of caves to a real Egyptian obelisk (it seems Florence was not immune to Egypt-mania), the gardens are a treasure trove of history and art. You’ll even find giant historic refrigerators, kept cold using imported mountain snow!
Two euros and a bit of patience get you the traditional strip of four black-and-white photographs. For younger generations, these serve as vintage curiosities. But for those who visited the originals, the Fotoautomaticas offer the sensory memory of cramming inside a booth, closing the curtain, and waiting with suspense and expectation. Taking your cue from a blinking light, you’d smile, make a funny face or two, then maybe—if you were lucky—exchange a kiss, a bacio captured in time.
Learn MoreNot to harp on how old everything is in Italy, but when there is a bridge simply named “Old Bridge”, it’s got to be extra old. No one knows just exactly how old it is, but records of the bridge (and its various reconstructions) can be found as far back as the first century AD. Even its “newest” iteration was built in the mid 1300s, bringing with it the addition of several dozen shops. Ponte Vecchio was the only bridge in Florence to survive WWII, and to this day visitors flood the ponte (no pun intended – well, maybe a little) to browse the various jewlery shops, leatherworkers, and other businesses .
Wandering the streets of Florence, it’s hard not to notice a smattering of small doors and windows suitable in size for an average house cat. Carved into walls of alleyways and pedestrian thoroughfares, these pocket-sized portals were not created to allow passage for your four-legged friend, but rather designed to distribute something subjectively more delightful; vino, one glass at a time.On the corner of via dell’Agnolo and via Giuseppe Verdi, in the midst of Florence’s nightlife and within earshot of Piazza Santa Croce, sits a kiosk of pure nostalgia.
Learn MoreIf you saw Rome’s pyramid and thought you wouldn’t get another ancient Egypt fix, fret not! The Chiesa di San Michele has its very own mummy – though it is not, admittedly, actually from Egypt. San Davino Armeno, respectfully displayed under the high altar, is one of the oldest of Italy’s surprisingly large record of mummified saints (at least 25, if you were wondering). He was said to have journeyed from Armenia to Jerusalem to Rome, finally getting a well-deserved rest in Lucca where he died sometime in the 11th century. Interestingly enough, San Davino isn’t even Lucca’s only mummy – Saint Zita, patron saint of the town as well as of servants and lost keys, lies in the nearby church of San Frediano.
Just when you think Italy might be running out of “the oldest [blank] in the world”s, let us introduce you to Pisa’s Orto e Museo Botanico – the oldest university botanical garden in the world (though if you want to get picky, it was technically not always located in this exact spot, shifting the title to a Paduan garden). In addition to the scattered ponds, greenhouses and groves cultivating plants from almost every continent, the museum features various rotating exhibitions as well as portraits of famous botanists. Entry is free every Sunday for “Green Sundays” (but if you miss it, you’ll only be out €4).
Before Italy was one united country, many of its kingdoms were global powers in their own right. The influences they picked up over years of conquest can be found all over – if you know where to look. Pisa’s monumental cathedral, at one time the largest in all of Europe, was revolutionary in its composition. It borrowed heavily from Islamic and Byzantine design elements, creating an entirely new style, named “Pisan Romanesque.” Not every part can be accounted for, however. See if you can find the “Devil’s Nails” on the outer facade – it’s said that the small holes were the work of the devil, trying to destroy the building. Compare your tally before and after you enter – the number of holes will supposedly change every time you count!
For those who visit Pisa’s Piazza del Duomo but are eager to escape the scores of “holding up the Leaning Tower” tourists, a quiet and solemn refuge can be found in the Camposanto Monumentale. Literally meaning “holy field,” the historic cemetery has certainly earned its name, having been built atop a shipload of earth transported from the Holy Land in Palestine in the 12th century. Today, painstakingly maintained and restored frescoes adorn the walls and archways that surround the verdant courtyard. Local legend says that bodies buried there will decompose after only 24 hours – so if you visit, maybe best not to linger for too long.
The phrase “Quit slouching!” might make most of us wince as memories of childhood dinners dance through our minds. But this time around it’s Not your parents yelling at your posture. That’s what the city of Pisa shouted at their Leaning Tower for eight centuries before accepting its fate as an imperfect beauty.
Learn MoreA stone’s throw (or should we say, a meatball’s throw?) from the iconic Leaning Tower of Pisa, a charming hand-painted sign invites you into a restaurant that is every bit the classic Italian bistro. Red and white checkered tables huddle together amidst brick archways and exposed stone walls in the family-owned spaghetteria. The Bizzarri family is passionate about using fresh, local ingredients, as well as prioritizing a welcoming and friendly experience for everyone. If you’re feeling adventurous, check if the wild boar ragú is on special – it’s wild-ly popluar!
Walking along the Terrazza Mascagni, your attention might be captured by the sweeping pattern of tiles, or the waves crashing against the balustrade. A chess player, however, might just see the board of their dreams. The terrazza is made up of over 34,000 black and white tiles – or, at least 531 full chess boards. Though the area at one time was home to an amusement park and later a bustling military fort, the peaceful expanse of checkered tile seems a more fitting companion to the rolling tides. If your pawn (you) makes it to the end of the board (terrazza) without being eliminated (turning around), you’ll can visit the acquarium or enjoy some beach concessions. Your move.
Do you want to party like it’s 1899? The port town of Livorno may be overshadowed these days by more popular Tuscan destinations, it used to be the spot for Italy’s wealthy back in the 1800s and early 1900s. The Grand Hotel Palazzo, built in 1884, was among those luxury seaside resorts that played host to artists, royalty, and other influential figures. The Italian king and queen themselves are said to have stayed there, and the small pair of towers atop the resort turned out to be the perfect place to test what would become the world’s first radios. Though the aftermath of WWII left the town very different than it used to be, the Grand Palazzo Hotel is clear evidence that the rich elegance of days past is still alive and well in Livorno.
You’ve heard of hot yoga, puppy yoga, and even goat yoga, but Villa Albertina has us wondering why vineyard yoga isn’t more popular. Nestled happily in the hills of the Chianti region, this holistic resort offers Vinyasa in the morning and vino in the afternoon. Bring a group on a wellness retreat, take a cooking class, or just wander the sprawling grounds to reconnect with nature. If you’re really missing civilzation, a day trip to Siena or the village of Chianti is well within reach – as long as you stretched beforehand!
Taking one look at this idyllic spa town, there is no argument that Saturn was the perfect choice of deific patron. If you think that the stunning, rejuvenating hot springs in Saturnia can’t be signify anything other than divine intervention, local legend will agree with you. The story goes, Saturn grew exasperated with makind’s seemingly endless conflict and strife, and so sent a thunderbolt down to Earth that became the hot spring. It is said to have magical qualities that bring peace to whoever visits, which is a little on the nose but we certainly won’t complain. The steaming, sulphurous waters do have healing and restorative qualities – you could say that patrons are too “blessed” to be stressed!
This perfectly pink pharmacy is located in Castel Gandolfo, a little Italian town on Lake Albano most notably known for being home to the summer residence of popes (see: religious leader, big white hat) going back centuries. Considered one of Italy’s most scenic towns, it’s no wonder the pharmacies are so adorable.
Learn MoreSince the pope’s summer palace was converted into a museum in 2016 and is unlikely to revert back to an official residence, the number of babies born in the pope’s bedroom will probably always outnumber the popes who have slept there. During World War II, the palace’s neutral status as an extension of Vatican City allowed it to be used as a sanctuary for over 12,000 Jewish and other refugees. The pope’s bedroom, being the most private, was converted into a delivery room for at least 36 babies – and only 15 popes have ever used the palace. Since then, it has hosted philosophers, theologians, and religious leaders of all faiths, fostering open and varied dialogue. Visitors can now tour the halls that hold history both in the frescoes and artifacts that remain, and in the long-gone faces that have passed through. If you listen closely, you can still even hear a baby cry – though it is probably just the family that walked in behind you.
Palazzo Pontificio, Piazza della Libertà, Castel Gandolfo, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy
In a place like Italy, where the modern and the ancient are inextricably rooted together, you can round a corner and step outside of time. Museums, ruins, and monuments invite us to imagine a time long gone by. The late Pope Francis, in opening his historic summer home and gardens to the public, takes a different approach – while giving us a glimpse into the past, we are also encouraged to be stewards of a better future. The Borgo Laudato Si’ is not just an immaculately maintained garden; it has been transformed into an environmental education and conservation center. Along with guided tours and youth activities, training programs for the horitcultural and ecological trades are offered to those in marginalized communities. The idea of integral ecology lives at the project’s core, showing visitors that caring for others starts with care for our planet.
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