Last month, I was in Italy for a few days, and it was everything I imagined and more. I decided to write about some places I went to in Italy that I would recommend people going to, as well as some tips/tricks.
1. Rome, Italy
Rome is, of course, a place you have to go to if you've never been. It is full of so many cool attractions and historical landmarks like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican City, and St. Peter's Basilica. These places are full of history and will make you in awe. If you love history, Rome is definitely the place for you.
TIP 1: If you want to go to any of these places, you should buy tickets ahead of time. Otherwise, you may be waiting in lines to see most of these attractions and let me tell you, the lines are super long. The other thing is that most of the attractions make you pay to go see them (except for the Trevi Fountain which is open to the public), so be prepared to have to drop some cash to see these places.
TIP 2: People are going to notice that you are a tourist, and they are going to try and take advantage of you. When my friend and I first got to Rome, our cab driver overcharged us by not putting the meter on (make sure they do this always!). He scammed us by overcharging us, so instead of paying 20ish dollars, we had to be 45 dollars. Also, around the Trevi Fountain and other touristy areas, people tried to get us to buy things from them. In some cases, people try to hand you stuff and then if you take it, then they will say you "bought" it and will try and make you pay for it. So it's better to just say no and walk away when these people try to make you buy things. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me to buy a selfie stick, I would be rich right now.
TIP 3: There were so many things that I wanted to see, but we didn't have time. If you really want to have time to do everything, give yourself more than a couple of days in Rome. There's too much to cram into four days.
2. Florence, Italy
I loved Florence. It is still a touristy spot, so it was crowded like Rome, but not as crowded. Also, it is home to the statue of David, which I highly recommend going to see. The fake replicas are outside in Florence, but to see the real thing, you have to pay to go inside. There's also a lot of painters and artists on the streets, and I bought the cutest painting from one guy there.
TIP 1: Be careful of scams in transportation areas, especially train stations. We got scammed when we were taking a train from Rome to Florence. This lady in professional clothing walked up to us and asked if we needed help, we said sure why not? And then the lady pointed us where to go, but she didn't really help us. At the end of it, she insisted on us giving her a 5 euro tip minimum. Not fun.
Italy is beautiful and full of vibrant cities and pretty beaches. I would love to go back one day.
