Don't take the honey out of honeymooning in Italy!
Simple tips to make your vacation through Italy effortless!
I grew up next door to my Italian grandmother, Pasqualena, eating homemade pastina, coconut macaroons, and heartily laughing with a very loud extended family. I spent much of my childhood dreaming of walking the Amalfi coast in a floral sundress, holding hands with the love of my life. Many years later, off I went with my new husband on a honeymoon to experience the best of Italy, only to be heavily disappointed and ready to return home after only six days.
Wedding planning can be stressful; however, add catching Covid, the death of my uncle, who was to walk me down the aisle, a fallout with my sister, who was demoted from maid of honor to bridesmaid, and finish with my mother, who didn’t feel “up to coming” to the wedding one week prior to our honeymoon. I was exhausted and ready for a much-needed vacation!
We arrived in Florence tired from running between terminals at the Brussels airport to catch our connecting flight, only to find out our private transfer to the hotel arrived an hour earlier. We made it to the hotel, which turned out to not have an elevator, and our first night on honeymoon would be spent lying on two twin beds pushed together.
Florence was amazing, but exceptionally warm for October! I quickly realized all the fall sweaters I packed were not going to be used, and my Birkenstocks should not have been the main shoe. Getting eaten by bugs had not even crossed my mind, but here I was on this dream honeymoon with swollen bites up the front and back of my arm!
Traveling by train between cities in Italy is ideal. Dragging a large roller bag topped with a carry-on bag through crowded cobblestone roads in the heat is less than ideal, and while the train is clean and runs frequently, there is no space for those large bags!
It was on the 6th day of our ten-day trip when we arrived in Monterosso, climbed four flights of stairs, and asked the concierge for a dinner recommendation. Both of us at this point weren’t able to admit how we were really feeling but kept the honeymoon fake smile going.
Internally, I had hoped the beautiful candlelit table on the side of a mountain overlooking the expansive waters would be the turning point on this so-far lousy trip. I could hear soft Italian music and feel a light breeze moving across our table; the setting couldn’t be more romantic. What was not so lovely was an atypical silence between us. Our meals came, and while the gnats pooled in my husband's glass of wine, I sheepishly asked, How are you feeling? and he looked me right in the eyes and quietly said, "Despair." My stomach dropped; it was not the response I was expecting. I knew it had been an exhausting trip, but despair?! Thankfully, when I offered to fly home the next day, he declined and said, Let's push through.
Looking out over the water, we laughed at how miserable we were initially and took inventory of what went wrong and what we wished someone would have told us. Here are our top 12 tips to keep the honey in the honeymoon:
Eat a gelato at least once every day! Guaranteed to put a sweet smile on your face!
If you rent a car in Florence, make sure you know the driving rules. A year after we returned, we received a certified letter from the Netherlands with two traffic violations. A day later we received an additional two violations which occurred a minute after the first two. They are real and it’s not uncommon.
Forget the Babbel subscription, Italy is built upon tourism. After the mishap with our private transfer to the hotel, we easily found another ride conversing with a local resident using a combination of broken English and Google Translate.
Invest in a really good pair of walking shoes! Unless you are on a daily bus tour, Italy is mostly cobblestone roads, narrow streets, and hills, especially in the Italian hill town of San Gimignano!
Pack clothes in layers and keep them light! If you are planning on visiting multiple cities and hotels, take an overhead bag only. I’d highly recommend Monos Carry-On Pro and plan on mixing and matching and getting your clothes laundered.
Pack a deet-free bug spray and a steroid cream just in case you get bitten, although having your sweetheart rub it on you could make it more tolerable.
Plan your meals! Outside of big cities, restaurants and shops close by 2 p.m. Town after town, we would arrive, and everything was closed! No one was outside, not even a child on a swing! You will also need a dinner reservation in most cities. I recommend researching instead of asking the concierge who will recommend you to their friend or family’s restaurant.
If you want a queen-size bed, ask if the mattress is in fact queen and not two twins pushed together. We had a couple of rough nights of sleeping with the gap in the middle. Less than fabulous for honeymooners.
Book your indoor tours ahead of time. The Duomo Cathedral in Florence and the Vatican in Rome sell out. If you chose a guided day tour, e.g., the Tuscan Jewels: Siena, Monteriggioni, San Gimignano, and Pisa, be sure to clarify that your guide can share knowledge about each region; otherwise, your guide is just driving not guiding you.
Have a backup plan planned for scheduled tour days. We missed out on a sailboat tour called “The Azure Day: Sailing Along the Cinque Terre Coast” since the captain on the day decided there weren’t enough people to run it.
If you decide to hike the “Five Towns of the Cinque Terre” to see the spectacular view of the Italian Riviera, you must know it is quite steep, narrow, and rugged! Wear hiking boots, and be sure to pack a bag with water, sunscreen, bug spray, and money, as you will be charged a fee to hike.
Even if you don’t love to cook, schedule a cooking class. It’s fun; you eat an amazing meal and have the opportunity to meet other interesting travelers. We had a wonderful time in Levanto at a pesto-making course!
We went on to visit Positano, Capri, and the Amalfi Coast, which were stunning and as amazing as I had always dreamed they would be. We were so glad we continued.
I once asked my grandmother why she never wanted to visit Italy and see where her parents were born. Her response was, "Why do I need to go there? They've got trees; we've got trees; this is where my family is!"
Will we return? Very likely, and with a much more insightful plan!
Be well,
Tracey
I love this list! Europe is wonderful and a little mad. I live in Finland, so very north and very different from Italy but equally quirky things can happen when touristing here. (I'm from Australia). I've learned to travel light and recently spent 5 weeks in the UK with only a small carry on bag. Charity shops are gold!