(October 2025) It was never really on my bingo card to travel EXACTLY on my birthday—let alone, to embark on a roadtrip in Italy! And I’m thrilled that I’ve celebrated it with my parents and their colleagues. It was absolutely fun and incredible. ♡ For people who knows me well, Italian food is one of the ways to my heart for my love of pizza and pasta. Hence, this trip was such a treat as I ventured other parts of the country that I have never been before.
FLIGHT
I flew via Easyjet going to Rome which is the first stop of the trip. I somehow expected to earn a flight perk as I flew on my birthday but nope, there’s none! I guess budget airplanes don’t offer these 😅
Download the Airalo app then use my referral code: JULIA2362 to get £2.50 off on your first purchase! Though, you can also buy an E-sim that only works in Italy but in my case, I bought the European pack which is worth it especially if you are travelling from one EU city to another.
ACCOMMODATIONS
We mostly stayed in apartments from the cities that we went as we were a big group. I didn’t get to take a picture of each but nevertheless, all of them have a price range of £££ with very antique interior!
•Le Case di Andrea Residenza Italia
This was the most modern place that we stayed as though obviously, it’s in Rome despite the traditional structure. It’s about a 10-minute walk away from the center with the Trevi Fountain as its nearest landmark.
•Hotel Colonne-The area reminds me of South Luzon in the Philippines because of its inclined roads and nearby churches. The room was fine and typical plus its restaurant has very limited food choices.
•Magnificent Home, Firenze- This was the most antique among all apartments that we’ve lived and it’s even tricky to find it as it’s situated above an establishment. The interior of this place is so old from cage-styled lifts, huge doors and the most complicated door lock that we ever had (it felt like we were solving in an Escape/Breakout room). I like how it’s spacious and the host left us with some snacks but my parents and their colleagues got scared with the big rooms and high ceilings thinking that there might be a living spirit in the home. Well…so much for watching horror films 🙂↕️
•Torre dell’Orologio, Venezia-It has a similar vibe as to what we’ve stayed in Florence but I love this apartment’s location because it’s central to the town’s beautiful outskirts.
ITINERARY
Basically, we had a private tour from Rome to Venice which was quite a road trip as we went on an 8hr-drive from one town to another! Personally, seeing too much greenery views bore me so I tend to doze a lot during those moments. And despite the very long route, I think this might be the next lowest fare option after train rides. Plus, there are mini stopovers along the way for toilet breaks and gas station runs in which the store mostly sells interesting (and cheap) snacks! I even bought most of my stuff there that I brought back to London ;D
Anyway, here are the places that we went on each town.
ROME—you can read my previous itinerary tips here.
Beyond grateful to hear mass on my birthday at St Peter’s Basilica at The Vatican City. It was a multi-lingual mass that we’ve attended yet there’s just a few parts that were spoken in English. However, we still felt the solemnity of it and we even thought that it was the Pope’s mass!
On that night, I did the obligatory coin toss at the Trevi fountain. Even if they collect the coins for charity, I believe that a part of my wish still came true and I thank the heavens for taking me here again 🥰
One of the most beautiful architecture in the capital and the world’s largest concrete dome. It’s a catholic sanctuary on the inside so proper dress code is strictly observed (I turned a scarf into a sarong temporarily). The quickest way to skip-the-line for the entrance pass is to pay by card.
You have never been to Roma without passing by this wonder of the world!
The Whole Day Pilgrimage to Padre Pio
As we made our way to Padre Pio’s shrine in San Giovanni, we had 2 church stopovers known for their miracle relics.
Manoppello Church—Where the veil with the Holy Face of Jesus Christ is housed. Ideally, you cannot take pictures inside the church but for those who are curious what it looked like can see it here.
Santuario del Miracolo Eucaristico di Lanciano—This is the church where the holy host turned into live flesh while the wine turned into live blood during the Eucharistic part of the mass. And up to this day, these miracles are caged here which left me struck when I saw it.
Shrine of Padre Pio
Honestly, it gave me the shivers on how his body is preserved in his sanctuary. The entire shrine is so exquisite with its golden interior and sacred mosaics from different countries.
Padre Pio is the patron saint for stress relief. As his saying goes, “Pray, Hope and Don’t Worry”
PISA
Who wouldn’t mind having a quick stop-over here as this town’s along the way to Firenze?! Y’all can read my travel tips about this gorgeous town here.
FLORENCE
Known as “The Cradle of Renaissance” for its rich history, culture and breathtaking architecture. I got to say that this is my favorite city in Italy and I’m very keen to come back! 2 days is absolutely not enough to tour this place; Let alone, it takes massive time to admire the structure of Brunelleschi’s Duomo!
I loved how the color of this duomo blends into something comical. Check out tours from GYG for skip the line tickets to enter this dome and museum.
Don’t miss to try a truffle cheese pasta which was cooked in a real cheese wheel and Florentine steak! Both are heaven-sent indeed. ♡😋
And apart from having narrow outskirts stood the famous leather market. They are not just leather goods but imitations of various signatured brands. Pro tip: you can usually bargain the price if you buy in bulks as a group. Plus, there are moments that the merchant shows an exclusive design that is almost identical to the original (commonly, Balenciaga). Regardless of which brand style they are imitating, you’d know that these items are real fine leather when there’s a printed logo of Firenze.
Additionally, you can visit "The Mall Outlet Store" and it’s home to real good prices for signatured Italian products.
VENICE
We took the train from Florence to Venice which was about a 2hr ride and since this was also my first time, I was surprised that water taxis really existed to go to the city centre!
This is the most stunning water route that I’ve ever been which is located in a town. Generally, these water taxis has to be reserved beforehand especially when going back to mainland. They start to operate from 6am and the price may vary per water taxi company. Also, you might need to spare an hour travel time when going to the airport. Checking-in was a smooth process until a queue piles up during baggage inspection.
Truly, I’m very speechless to describe what Venice looks like! It’s surreal to stroll around more narrow outskirts with a mix of canal bridges. ♡ Of course, one of the most popular things to do here is to go on a Gondola ride.
I hope I'll get to experience this someday with the future loml. 🤞🏻
Besides seeing Venice's top attractions in this location, St Mark's Square is also known as "The most beautiful dining hall In Europe"! Every night, there are musical bands with al fresco diners in all corners of the plaza where each side takes a turn to perform. It was elegant and vibrant, we brought our own drinks and stood by there to listen. I believe you can also chip in a song request to them!
Make sure to pass by Rialto Bridge for the best insta-worthy shot of this town. This is also the long strand of souvenirs. And additionally, do not miss trying the town’s famous tiramisu from Tres Mercanti. ♡
For the first time, I never thought that having different flavors of tiramisu can be this delectable! I tried both original and pistachio-flavored which tasted great as the level of sweetness is well-balanced.😋
Another thing we discovered was this Italian restaurant called "Leone D'Oro" which has a secret Filipino menu! As there were several Filipino waiters working here, they come up with a list of Pinoy meals that can be made upon request which was really cool.
No European fusion added apart from that obligatory Limoncello welcome shot!
And lastly, Venice is known for Murano glass art! We went to this Murano glass museum and I was stunned on how they make it. The museum has a of course, a shop where you can buy Murano art pieces and jewelry. They are expensive especially the art pieces but the complex process on how it was formed is definitely the price. Photography is prohibited inside the exhibit to preserve the originality of their designs.
Italy is definitely one of those countries that you cannot tired of going back because there’s a lot to see in it!♡ I’ll surely come back someday and who knows, it might be another new town 😉
