Last September, my boyfriend and I went on a little road trip through several popular cities in the Tuscany region and beyond. Italy has always been one of my favorite vacation destinations; I’ve always loved the culture and nature in this country. However, the times I had previously been to Italy were always with my family and when I was still a child. That’s why I was really curious to see how I would experience Italy this time, at the age of 23. In this post, I want to share some of our experiences as well as honest opinions about the cities of Pisa, Lucca, Bologna, Florence, Siena, and Rome.
Pisa
Before the trip, I thought Pisa would be the city we’d be least excited about. Part of this was because it was the first city we arrived in, and for the first six hours we had to keep ourselves entertained before we could finally check into our hotel. On top of that, we had chosen a very early flight, so we weren’t exactly at our best. However, my boyfriend and I were really pleasantly surprised by this city. Online, I had read stories from people saying that there isn’t much to do in Pisa and that it’s not particularly special. Now I understand what they meant; I wouldn’t want to spend an entire week in this city, it’s too small for that. But during the two days we spent there, we really enjoyed ourselves. I found the Leaning Tower of Pisa impressive to see. Of course, it was very crowded and touristy, but that’s something I had already expected.
On the first evening, we also had the best meal of the entire trip at Pizzeria Il Borgo 21. If you visit Pisa, I really recommend it! I had the carbonara pasta, and my boyfriend ordered the pizza capricciosa. It was absolutely delicious, and the portions were very big.
On the second day, we visited the Cathedral of Pisa, the Baptistery, and the Camposanto Monumentale. The cathedral was very beautiful and impressive, and I found the Camposanto Monumentale surprisingly interesting. In my opinion, the Baptistery wasn’t particularly special; it felt quite empty inside. You can buy tickets online, and for just €11 we could visit all three complexes, which I definitely thought was worth it. We didn’t go up the Leaning Tower of Pisa because the line was just too long. Of course, these complexes (including the tower) are the main highlights of Pisa, but there are also plenty of nice little restaurants and cafés where you can spend your time.One last tip: if you’re looking for a good sandwich (which can sometimes be hard to find in Italy), Panimo is a great place to visit. They offer a wide variety at reasonable prices.
All in all, I would give Pisa a 7.5/10.
Lucca
Lucca was the second city on our trip. I have always found Lucca to be a very charming city, full of atmosphere. We stayed at a very nice and quiet accommodation, within cycling distance of the city. Of course, there is the Piazza dell’Anfiteatro, which is very atmospheric and cozy. Here, we tried some nice wines. In Italy, wine generally costs between 5 to 7 euros per glass, so it’s comparable to prices in the Netherlands where i live. On the first evening, there was also a kind of small festival going on, with multiple stages where bands or artists were performing. During our walk through the city, we happened to pass a square where several couples were dancing, which was also very beautiful to see. Anyone in the audience could join in. We spent most of our time here exploring the city, drinking wine, and enjoying tasty snacks. Finally, we visited the Guinigi Tower. You have to climb a set of stairs first before reaching the roof, where you get a beautiful view over the city. I definitely thought it was worth it. The only “downside” of Lucca is that it’s fairly small, so you see everything quite quickly. If you only want to explore the city itself, I think two days is more than enough. But if you have a car and can explore the surrounding area, there’s, of course, more to see.
I would give Lucca an 8 out of 10, because I really loved the atmosphere.
Bologna
Bologna was the city that disappointed us the most. Neither of us had been there before, so we didn’t really know what to expect. Bologna felt like a “real” city, and in my opinion, there was less beautiful architecture and culture compared to what you see in other Italian cities. Online, we had read that Bologna is also a true culinary city, where you should be able to eat very well. To be honest, we didn’t really experience it that way, the food was fine, but not better than what we had in the other cities. By the way, in many Italian cities it’s common to add a “coperto” to your bill when you sit down to eat or drink. This is a charge for using the cutlery, table, and sometimes the bread that comes with your meal. The amount usually ranges between 1 and 3 euros per person. What I noticed is that this charge was added at basically every restaurant in Bologna. I think it’s just the usual practice there.
In Bologna, we took a walk to the Santuario di Madonna di San. You first have to climb a very large number of steps uphill before you reach this basilica. I’m not really into hiking myself, but my boyfriend really wanted to see it. On the plus side, it was a good way to burn off some of the calories from all the wine, pizza, and pasta we ate. I didn’t find the building particularly remarkable, but it was still nice to see. We also walked around the surrounding area, and from a distance, the basilica looks very beautiful on the hill.We also visited the Cattedrale di San Pietro, which I found really impressive, so I would definitely recommend seeing it. One thing that my boyfriend and I noticed in general in Italy is that Italians are not always very friendly. Perhaps we just met the wrong people, but it was something that really stood out to me and sometimes even annoyed me. We noticed this in Bologna as well.
All in all, I would give Bologna a 5 out of 10. If you’re planning to visit many cities in Italy or Tuscany, I think Bologna could probably be skipped.
Florence
I feel a bit ambivalent about Florence. The city itself was incredibly crowded, my boyfriend and I even said it felt like Disneyland. I should mention that we went into the city on a Saturday afternoon, which was probably the busiest time of the week. But it was just so crowded that you couldn’t even walk normally down the streets, which made the experience much less enjoyable. The city itself is, of course, very beautiful, with many impressive monuments to see. However, we weren’t really able to fully enjoy it because of the crowds.
On the other hand, the area around Florence was absolutely stunning. We had rented a Vespa and explored the surrounding countryside. When I think of Tuscany, I think of beautiful olive groves, hills, and valleys. The area around Florence is exactly that. So if you’re going to Florence, I would definitely recommend renting a car or a Vespa to explore the surroundings.In Florence, we stayed at a campsite, which was really needed. It was nice to get away from the busy city for a bit and have some time to relax.
All in all, I would give Florence an 8 out of 10, mostly because of the beautiful nature.
Siena
During this trip, Siena was our favorite city that we visited, both for my boyfriend and for me. This is because Siena itself is very beautiful, and the surrounding nature is also stunning to explore. First, we did a really enjoyable wine tasting at Castello di Brolio. We started with a tour of the castle itself, with some explanations about its history and the family that owns the castle. My boyfriend and I both found it very interesting. After that, we had a tasting of three Chianti wines produced there. Overall, definitely highly recommended!
In Siena, we also rented a Vespa and explored the surrounding area. Once again, you can see the true Tuscan landscapes here. Even though Siena is not a very large city, we still had a great time. I found the architecture of the city really special. One thing to keep in mind is that the streets are quite steep, but for us, that bit of exercise was good to have.
Of all the cities we visited on this trip, I would recommend Siena the most! For this reason, I would give the city a 9 out of 10.
Rome
And finally, we have Rome. To be honest, I didn’t have very high expectations for Rome. I had been there as a child before, and back then I didn’t find it very impressive and thought it was far too crowded. I was also curious about how friendly (or unfriendly) the people would be. Considering that Italians in the other cities had already seemed unfriendly, I expected it to be even worse in a major city like Rome. However, my boyfriend and I were pleasantly surprised by how friendly the people in Rome were. Of all the cities we visited, we had the most positive experiences with Italians here.
The city itself is, of course, very large and there is much to do. We visited the world-famous Colosseum. It was very impressive, but the line to go inside was extremely long, so we didn’t go in. We also went to Vatican City. However, there were fences everywhere, which limited the view somewhat, so that was a bit disappointing. We mostly wandered around the city, visited monuments, and enjoyed some food and drinks.
I was positively surprised by Rome and would give it a 7.5 out of 10.
Those were all the cities my boyfriend and I visited and our experiences in each of them. I hope you find this helpful if you ever go to Italy. Thanks for reading 🙂
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