Well, here I am on the last evening of my first trip to Europe.
I am from North America and have not travelled much at all in the last 10 or so years, I live in a very popular area for tourism and visitation and I am thankful everyday to live in such a beautiful area.
10 days ago, we flew into Rome. After 9 hours, we were feet on the ground and heading from the Airport into the city centre. Immediately, everything looked and seemed so much different than everyday life in North America. We were driven to our hotel by a gentleman who was born and had lived in Rome his entire life, very friendly and welcoming and set the tone and pace for what was to come right away.
Without boring any of you reading this to death, we had went to pretty much all the major and iconic landmarks. The first night we had a night time golf cart tour that had picked us up at the front door of our hotel. We had a lovely lady as a guide how had drove and shown us to all the major spots, lit up in the darkness. It truly was an amazing sight and was very surprising how much ground we covered in our 3-hour tour. Throughout the next few days, we spent more time in Rome and went on legitimate tours of the colosseum, forum, Vatican and other areas. We were fortunate enough to have amazing and knowledgeable guides each and every time. We were part of small groups (4-6 other people) for most of these, and every single time had amazing and friendly people to share this experience with. They were from many different countries, including but not limited to: Spain, Argentina, Canada, United States and Australia.
After leaving Rome, we took a transfer to Pompeii and had a three hour tour through there. After that we took a transfer down to Sorrento and spent the remainder of the days between Positano, Amalfi, Capri and Sorrento. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful place I’ve personally been to.
I am not writing this to talk about my personal experience, but to hopefully help anyone reading to decide whether or not these parts of Italy are for you or not, there are many pros and cons and I believe it is an amazing area of the world, but after my experience, could see why it may not be for everyone.
So let me start with the Cons:
1. It is BUSY. We thought we had planned to go at a good time, outside of the summer months and outside of peak tourism season. If this isn’t considered peak, I would be scared to see what is. Every major attraction is shoulder to shoulder and very busy.
2. Be prepared for a lot of steps and stairs. This is applicable for Rome, but even more applicable for Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast. It wasn’t really an issue for us, but I encourage anyone who may have mobility issues or trouble with stairs to strongly consider this as a factor.
3. Beware of SCAMS. We had never fell victim to any of these schemes, but we did see (and intervene) a man on the street trying to take advantage of a young mother with a young child. Chances are, if you have ever looked into travelling to Rome, you have heard of how most of these scams work. Never, under any circumstances, take anything someone on the street hands you. You are NOT hurting their feelings by ignoring them, thousands of people ignore them every single day. They typically involve someone giving you some sort of bracelet or trinket and as you walk away, expecting some sort of payment. These people are not hard to spot and this should not deter you, just please be mindful.
Now for the pros:
Amazing people. Before we left, I thought going to areas that have been hit heavily with tourism, the locals would start to develop some sort of frustration or animosity, this was not the case for us. Every local we had talked to was very friendly and always willing to help. People of Italy, thank you for your hospitality and for welcoming us with your open arms.
Endless ways to fill your vacation. I promise you, you will not get bored in either of these areas. Rome has so much to offer in terms of history and culture, and in my opinion is unmatched. You could spend a week there and still not see it all. These are some of the most iconic landmarks in the world, and for the most part are all within walking distance, if you’re eager enough.
Breath taking beauty and amazing food. Let me start with the scenery, every corner of Italy is beyond beautiful. Rome, as well as the Amalfi Coast are beautiful and have a certain charm that separates them from anywhere in the world. You are never far away from good food, there are small restaurants EVERYWHERE with authentic Italian cuisine, I ate so much different food I had never even heard of before this last week. I was never let down by a meal, every single thing I ate was great.
So to summarize, if you are ever considering visiting either, or both of these areas, I highly recommend it and I believe you would very much enjoy it and it is truly a trip of a lifetime. All I suggest is to be weary of people that are obviously trying to take advantage of you, be prepared to walk A LOT and be prepared to walk up a lot of stairs (can be awkward sizing and heights).
I hope any of this helped you with your decision of if you’d like to travel here or not, I am very thankful we did. I hope to be back in the future and Italy, thank you. Thank you for your kindness and for welcoming us like you have. You are amazing people and have an amazing, beautiful country. I appreciate you sharing it with us.
TLDR: Italy is beautiful, would 100% recommend visiting. Be aware, it is a TON of walking and steep stairs, please be mindful if you have mobility issues or struggle with steep stairs. Be weary of scams, these are obvious and you are not hurting their feeling by ignoring them.
Italy, thank you. You’re amazing. I hope to be back