How to create the best Italian travel itinerary

How to create the best Italian travel itinerary

And why you shouldn’t follow it

            Have you ever returned from a trip only to learn that you were steps away from an amazing, unmarked site?  Only a few more steps would have led to an amazing experience featured on countless YouTube channels; yet, it was missed.  Unlucky?  The Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”  Perhaps this old adage holds true today for a visit to beautiful Italy as it did back in Seneca’s time.

            Beyond airline tickets, ground transportation, and lodging, is there a need for research and preparation prior to arrival?  Is there a need to invest time beyond a quick look at TripAdvisor?  Yes, and yes.  Let’s consider Rome, a city so full of artistic riches and history that one could not see it all in a lifetime.  You might be thinking, “Been there, done that.”  Really?  Have you ever visited the Egyptian pyramid in Rome?  Yes, there is a real, ancient Egyptian pyramid in Rome, outdoors, in all of its glory.  Is it worthy of your time as a specific destination?  Probably not, unless Egyptian history is your passion.  However, you might want to see it if you happen to be in that neighborhood of Rome.  As interesting as that may or may not be, researching a trip in a way that is not overly time consuming or exhausting can be tricky.  Where to start…

            With a rough idea of our destination, Rome, we need to prioritize and narrow our scope.  Let’s say that we plan to spend four days in the Eternal City at the beginning of our trip to Italy.  The day of arrival is always a wash, despite the best laid plans.  Accepting the difficulties of jet lag and acclimating is the only real answer.  The fourth day will mean a departure to some new wonderful place Italy, meaning that there are only two full days to take in Rome, and we all know that it wasn’t built in a day, and none of us will cover even a small slice of it in two days.

            Preparing for day two, the first full day of site seeing is relatively easy, as there are countless top-ten lists of things to see and do in Rome, as well as numerous self-guided tours.  Perhaps the best way to make the most of your time is to hire a private guide for a few hours.  All of the obvious research tools from Wikipedia to TripAdvisor are useful when investigating this city a high-level. 

            Shifting from research for any old trip to research to ensure a magical trip, let’s focus on day three, our day to Rome as we would like in the city.  Start by focusing on an area of interest for your group, such as history, religion, architecture, food, etc.   Next read up on that topic as it relates to Rome, going beyond google searches and travel sites.  Find a few books and movies that deal with, at least in part your area of interest.  Next build out an itinerary around specific destinations that you would like to visit during your stay in Rome.  If you have reserved a private guide for your trip, they might have a few suggestions.  Try to learn all that you can about each stop on your itinerary and block out enough time to visit each.  Finally, upon arrival in Rome, tear-up the itinerary.

            Why?  After so much time researching the trip, why ignore the sacred itinerary?  Experiencing Italy isn’t measured by the number of stops on an itinerary, rather, it is about being immersed in the culture.   The time and energy spent researching, might, just might lead to that moment of serendipity when you are part of a magical moment in the Eternal City.  Let’s call it being lucky.

During a family trip to Rome, we opted to stay in a convent, a real convent with nuns. The accommodations were clean and beautiful, but there was a catch – 10:00 p.m. curfew. Working through the pre-dinner logistics, it was clear that our dinner reservation was not viable, given the distance and the pace, slow pace of an Italian restaurant. Scrambling for an alternative, we ate at pizzeria recommended by the nuns. The waiter was charming, and apparently charmed by our daughter, as he asked her to return when she is grown-up. The pizza was outstanding, as was the experience, an evening that we still remember years later.