ITALY🇮🇹
Israel ➡️✈️ Italy
My next stop is Italy. While work brought me there, curiosity convinced me to stay longer and explore. As a first-time visitor, I want to see as much as possible and create the perfect itinerary to experience the best of Italy.
Lets create an itinerary for two weeks in Italy.
Capital: Rome
Currency: Euro
Affordability: $$$/5
Total Budget: 3000€/18 Days
Main Intention: To enjoy great food and explore lesser-known parts of Italy while keeping the trip budget-friendly.
My Expectations
Work and traveling solo
I am really excited to travel to Italy for the first time and, believe it or not, that is not even the best thing about this trip. The most thrilling part is traveling to a foreign country by myself. I know that at this point solo travel is pretty normalized, but for me it still feels really special.
Although this is not my first time traveling solo to Europe, I would be dishonest if I didn’t admit that I feel nervous—especially as a female independent traveler and a person of color. I want to transform that anxiety into courage, something that will help me be confident, careful, and open-minded in a strange country.
Additionally, the first part of this trip is work-related and sponsored by my institute. I am very grateful for this opportunity and I’m looking forward to showcasing my work in front of experts in my field.
Planning and buying tickets
I would recommend buying all inter-city travel tickets at least a month in advance. I had a pretty good idea of which cities I wanted to visit during my three-week stay, so I bought all of my bus and train tickets a month before the trip. Italo and Trenitalia were my main train companies, and I had a good experience with both.
I even bought a 15-min cruise ticket in advance that I eventually missed due to my silly navigation disability lol. Still, if you are more of a planner than a spur-of-the-moment person, I would suggest buying tickets for museums or tours in advance as well, since they usually get more expensive closer to the date. I already knew which museums and tourist spots I wanted to visit, so I used official websites or GetYourGuide.com to book all of my tickets.
In retrospect, I’m glad I pre-booked the major things, it took a lot of the headache away.
If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like pre-booking everything and prefers to decide based on the day and your mood, I might have a suggestion. I also didn’t want to overbook my days and then feel pressured to going places unwillingly, so I made a rule for myself: one touristy thing per day.
So if I wanted to visit a museum, I would do that in the morning and keep the rest of the day open. That way I wouldn’t overwhelm myself and still had time for impromptu plans.
Yes, it means I don’t check off every historic place listed in the guidebooks. Instead, some days I just slept in at a Roman BnB or went out for drinks with new people I met. And honestly, I’m perfectly fine with that compromise.
Final Itinerary
Milan–> Lake Como–> Padua–>Florence–>Rome–>Naples–>Milan
Milan
Two things were high on the list in Milan: eating authentic Milanese risotto and making the most of the work conference. Safe to say—it was a success.
There were definitely nerves going in, especially around talking to people and communicating my work. But it turned out to be more than just presenting—there was networking, meaningful conversations, and even a few new friendships by the end of it.
Most of the time in Milan was busy with conference events, but the final night stood out. The grand dinner featured saffron Milanese risotto, which felt like the perfect way to wrap it all up.
Staying near the central station before leaving turned out to be a great choice. The area had many Asian and South Asian restaurants run by immigrant communities, which made for some incredible food experiences. Sichuan beef, xiaolongbao, and Pakistani korma all made an appearance—and I was in heaven!!!
One of the unexpected highlights was a bike tour through a quieter part of Milan near Turtle Lake. Unused land had been transformed into agricultural spaces maintained by locals, and it was such a refreshing, different side of the city.
Lake Como and Bellano
I stored my luggage at Stow Your Bag in Milan and left to explore Lake Como. After the conference, a train ride led to Bellano, located at the top part of the lake.
Bellano turned out to be a great alternative to Lake Como itself, more budget-friendly, less crowded, and still offering the same beautiful views. The bed and breakfast was a super cute house overlooking the lake, with incredibly kind hosts. The village was peaceful and perfect for slowing down and recovering after the busy conference days.
Padua
From Bellano, the journey continued through Milano Centrale to Padua. This stop was planned for one reason only: visiting my former colleague and dear friend, Lan. She was a PhD student visiting my lab from an institute in Italy, and we became great friends. She had recently had a daughter, so I was excited to meet little Norah.
Lan was incredibly kind to offer me a place to stay with her family. To be honest, this was the best part of my trip because I felt like I had found a home away from home.
She had recently welcomed her daughter, Norah, so this visit felt extra special. The afternoon was spent catching up and playing with Norah, followed by an evening visit to meet the grandparents, who were incredibly warm and welcoming.
Lan took me around a weekend market with small stalls run by artists, craftspeople, and local businesses. We had amazing gelato together. I also spent the evening cooking with Lan’s mother-in-law, who spoke no English but communicated through gestures. She made me Romanesco broccoli because I told her it looked interesting and I had never tried it before.
My heart was so full!
Florence
Saying goodbye to Lan and her family was one of the hardest parts of the trip. After being dropped off at the station, it was time to head to Florence: the city planned for the longest stay. This leg of the trip was all about museums, shopping, and lampredotto!!!
There were plenty of tours and activities lined up. A bike tour was a great introduction to the city, along with visits to both major museums. PSA: VIP tickets are not worth it, you still end up queuing.
A food tour turned out to be one of the best experiences, not just for the food but for the people. Some great connections turned into evening hangouts, wandering and exploring the city together. Local markets were impossible to resist, and at the Central Market came the first taste of lampredotto—absolutely loved it!!! Already looking forward to having it again someday.
A wine tour in Chianti added another highlight, and getting around Florence on small rental bikes made everything feel easy and fun. Florence had this effortless charm, so beautiful, cozy, and full of life. Spending the most time there was definitely the right decision.
Rome
A special detour in Rome was made to meet a girl from Instagram, also from India, who works as a pastry chef there. After following her for a while, meeting in person felt very cute and she was kind enough to agree.
The afternoon was spent chatting and trying pastries from Roman bakeries. Another first happened here too kayaking at Pope’s Lake!! It was exciting, a little nerve-wracking, but a great way to meet new people along the way.
Naples
This was my last destination. It was reserved for food!!! The hotel I booked was very cute a bit aloof from the city center. The day was kick started by an amazing food tour that set the stage for my adventures for the next two days. All the souvenir shopping was done in Naples. I had the authentic NAPOLI pizza! and had a lot of sea food! It was one of my favorite cities. In one of the city tours I made very cute friends also solo travelling through Italy. They had some great recommendation for eating out and other activities. Napoli was chaotic but definitely had character to it.
Some places to visit
HOME DELIVERY JustEat, Glovo, Deliveroo:
Ramen in italy https://www.reddit.com/r/italy/comments/erwajx/are_there_any_ramen_obsessives_here_with/
Milan
The trip will begin in Milan where I will be pretty much busy with work for the first four days. I wish to leave Milan soon after. I am not a fan of visiting the popular tourist spots. So, I am fine with skipping travelling to Rome and Venice but I want to visit Florence and do some shopping there. First thing I want to do is download Rick stevens walking guide.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187849-d1067369-Reviews-Dongio-Milan_Lombardy.html
asian food in milan
https://www.happycow.net/reviews/little-lamb-milan-377525
https://www.instagram.com/roppongimilano/?hl=en
https://www.instagram.com/kappou.ninomiya/reels
ramen in milan https://www.reddit.com/r/ramen/comments/1m2dy4z/ramen_in_milan/
best ramen in bologna https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187801-d15450495-Reviews-Sentaku-Bologna_Province_of_Bologna_Emilia_Romagna.html
Rome
CHINESE FOOD
https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/Restaurant_Review-g187791-d1034637-Reviews-Man_Yi-Rome_Lazio.html
Lake Como or Lake Garda?
So, I was recommended to visit lake Como which is 2 hours from Milan. When I read about lake Como, I realized it is more touristy and expensive. So, I thought to visit a different lake called Lake Garda.
Naples
Centro Storico=tourist traps, coutiori spagnoli naples more locals and authentic napoli experience
https://pizzeriadagennaro.blogspot.com
Elettroforno naples https://www.facebook.com/FERMOPIZZA/
Visit – 7EUr/person, 1Hour cloister of saint chiara naples italy- Beautiful
Samia Indian Bangla Restaurant
Mughal-e-Azam Indian Restaurant – Banquet Hall
Florence
In Florence the main two companies’ TAXI numbers are +390554242 and +390554390.
Gloves – Madova gloves – Leather gloves from 1919
leather school Scuola del Cuoio Leather School of Florence https://www.google.com/maps/place/Scuola+del+Cuoio+S.r.l./@43.7684001,11.2612344,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x132a5407bb370caf:0x13415ab35aecc60!8m2!3d43.7684001!4d11.2638147!16s%2Fg%2F1tr6phwm?coh=225984&entry=tts&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDExNS4wIPu8ASoASAFQAw%3D%3D
Made in Tuscany Firenze
main gate of the Baptistry of Florence (Battistero di San Giovanni) by Lorenzo Ghiberti
uffitzi gallery pre book ticket online
Osteria Santo Spirito, dinner
Indian Palace Ristorante indiano a Firenze