Italy Tour: Milan, Venice, San Remo

Hi loves! Are you ready for my Italy tour? It will be a 3 part series. Too much beauty for one post. I spent a whole two weeks without my parents, without knowledge of the language and without proper cell coverage. It was the best two weeks of my life! I can’t begin to explain the amount of growth and independence I went through. I truly was living and felt like it was the start of an unwritten chapter.

Looking Back

Only 22 when I left to explore a new country. To experience a new culture and to take in all the history Italy has to offer. Honestly, I learned a lot about life in general and myself. I couldn’t rely on Mom and Dad bailing me out or figuring out everything for me. It was such an amazing moment for me to realize I can handle whatever life throws at me. How to communicate with people from a different language.

If you ever have the chance to travel out of the US without your parents I highly recommend it. It helps you grow as a person. You see the world differently and learn about yourself. My Italy tour involved a lot of different cities so I’ll be breaking up this trip into three different blog posts. So let’s start the Italy tour shall we?

Milan, Italy

The first city to begin my Italy tour was Milan. The fashion capital of Italy. After my 13 hour flight from Miami and then figuring out how to buy a train ticket from the airport into the city center, I was excited to begin! Flying on Tap Portugal was smooth, easy, and relaxing. Plus my flight was an overnight flight, and I slept through the night to wake up fresh and relaxed. I was meeting my best friend who was already there and honestly it wasn’t as hard as I thought.

The airport makes it super easy to find everything as most of the signs are in English as well. Once I met my friend we took another train to our hotel to freshen up and hit the ground running. One of the most beautiful sites this city has to offer was the Duomo di Milano. The stunning Gothic architecture is a must see and it’s the largest church in Italy as well. Looking at this beautiful cathedral you can see why it took nearly six centuries to complete.

We only had that night in Milan because we were on to our next city, but walking around the city you see beautiful sites as this one. This is literally just as we walk down one of the streets in Milan. Milan is so busy, like New York City, there are many train stops to get you from place to place. We even had an amazing view from our hotel, since the breakfast buffet was on the rooftop! Milan is so busy and people are always going but it’s a beautiful city to see.

In Milan we went to explore the Castello Sforzesco which is a huge park that has many monuments and works of art. There are many museums to explore here which is fun for both families and adults. Definitely a must see place for any new explorers and families to have a fun historical day.

Venice, Italy

Milan was a such a site to see and a great way to start our trip. The next stop on the Italy tour? Venice! We took the train to Venice which is actually really nice and the best way to move from city to city and very affordable, the one-way trip cost us like 44 Euros. Insane?! Considering a train ride in the US is like hundreds of dollars. The trains are clean, have charging stations for your phone, and even Wi-Fi. Once we got off the train station this was the first sight we had of Venice. It literally took my breath away. The Grand Canal is just a sight to see and the air was so fresh and clean.

To this day Venice is the most beautiful city I have ever been to and it’s my dream to own a little apartment in Venice. One thing about Venice is everything is connecting bridges and walking up and down the stairways. So for all those fitness people Venice is a great place to work out naturally or go for a run early in the morning.

The Rialto bridge is the oldest bridge across the canal and a sight to see even at night. Many people are taking selfies from the top of the bridge and its history makes it a sight to see.

As we explored Venice, we decided to get a boat ride pass for all day which was about 22 Euros and worth the money. If not you’d have to get a pass each time you take a boat to each stop which is about 5 Euros. One of the places we had to go see was Murano and the world-renowned Murano glass. The factory was closed by the time we arrived there but they were many stores selling the beautiful Murano glass. This is what I would recommend as cute little gifts for family members or friends. This is the view as we went to the island.

One of top things to do in Venice has to be to ride a gondola, since we were in Venice the last week of June the weather was HOT! So we decided to pay the extra 20 Euros to ride at night. It was about 170 Euros for both of us. It is a bit expensive for a 30 minute ride but its Venice? How can you come all this way and not ride a gondola?

They have one during the day and at night and unless you have an umbrella I recommend the night ride. The gondolas are made of wood so after being in the sun all day they can become quite hot to sit on. The tours are amazing and informative as well. During our tour, we actually got to see the home of Marco Polo, the famed Venetian traveler. The city at night is just as magical and the Grand Canal has so much beauty.

San Remo, Italy

My best friend is Italian and was also visiting family on this trip. That being said the small town of San Remo was a stop on our Italy tour which is west of Milan. We explored the beautiful small city and it was just adorable. The city is so modern and right on the water so it’s very tropical almost reminded me of being back in Florida.

One amazing thing about San Remo is that it is about 30 minutes from Monte Carlo and her family took us to Monte Carlo for the day. Monte Carlo is all you expect it to be: beautiful, elegant, and extravagant.

Monte Carlo, France

Even though Monte Carlo isn’t in Italy, I’m adding it as a fun stop for the day if you’re in San Remo. An Italy tour with a splash of France, I’m here for it! The infamous Monte Carlo casino is a must if you’re into gambling, we could not go in, because we had minors with us and they are very strict on letting anyone of age in only.

Next to the casino was the well-known Hotel de Paris, where many films have taken place. The hotel itself is beautiful and Monte Carlo is definitely the elite of the elite, but there are many sites to see from churches to the people who discovered the city.

Plus you can drive up to the top to overlook the whole city. Minus the fact I could not find any macaroons to buy, Monte Carlo was such a bonus for us. We quickly realized the south of France is a trip we have to take soon to spend more time here.

Where to Next?

All of these cities are in the north of Italy and is why I picked to showcase them this way in the Italy Tour series. Seeing how many people live in these cities we dream about is truly amazing. It’s a culture shock for sure because everything is different from home, but it’s an enriching experience. One quick tip is to pack light! I was the typical American girl, who had to bring so many outfits for certain occasions and be comfortable while walking in the heat all day that I naturally over packed. I had a 40-pound suitcase and a 25 pound carry on.

Not the smartest way to travel around Europe, but lucky for me the Italian people saw me struggling some times and were always very helpful to carry my bags. I now know why so many Europeans travel only with a small carry on. So for your next trip to Europe, make sure you pack only the essentials!

Stay tuned for my next blog which will explore the most famous city in all of Italy. The history of this place, culture, and sites are truly amazing and it’s easy to see how the famous saying, “Rome wasn’t built in a day” came to be.

XOXO

Karen Giuliana