Jewels of Italy

We took this picture ourselves from Piazzale Michelangelo.

So I finally visited one of my dream places: Italy! And let me tell you, that place is still dreamy.
We went to 5 cities: Rome, Pisa, Florence, Verona, and Venice, but my favourite is still Florence.

I originally wanted to share every details of my journey to, and in, Italy, but I ended up with 4 pages of essay. I don't want to torture you with that. So let me just start with answering the question I got a lot regarding my trip to Italy: What are your recommendations for Italy?

Well, my recommendation is actually to quit your job, withdraw everything you have in your bank, and just move to Italy already. But since we live in a cruel world with everyone judging us, here are more realistic recommendations:

• You'll need internet there

Having internet is useful anywhere. But especially so for Italy. There are so many places to go, you could be standing next to a famous archaeological site and you wouldn't know. This is why you need to constantly check your Google Map. Also, there's thousands of great neighbourhood eating places, so whenever you're hungry, just whip up your Google, and see if there's one right next to you.

• But don't buy SIM card in the airport

We were checking the SIM card sold in the airport because we're agitated about being disconnected (and Rome airport wifi is not so reliable). But then the seller said €40. We didn't even hear how many Gig of Internet before we said "no thanks". Outside, we still couldn't find a cheap SIM card, but in the end we bought one in Termini Station for €25 that provides 3 Gb of internet. Good enough for 10 days in Italy.

• When in Rome, go to Pane e Salame

Yeah sure, go to Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, and be like any other tourists. Or, you can go to Pane e Salame and have a taste of the best prosciutto+wine you'll ever tasted in your life. It is the #1 out of almost 10.000 restaurants in Rome. It's literally 2 minutes walk from Trevi Fountain. So if you can go to the Fountain, you can go to Pane e Salame.

• Walk around Florence

Reserve at least 3 whole days of your trip in Italy just for Florence, and explore the city on foot. This city is BEAUTIFUL. Everywhere you turn is history and art and beauty. All the famous landmarks are within walking distance. The one place you shouldn't miss is Piazzale Michelangelo. This is where you can see Florence in its full glory from a hill (see picture above).
And there's of course the Florence Cathedral, the house of Il Duomo di Firenze. The beauty of it.. something you have to witness for yourself.
My only regret in Florence is that we only had barely a day there. Fret not, my love, I will come back!

• Florentine steak is the food of the gods

You don't know the meaning of delicious if you haven't tasted the Florentine steak. I wasn't even hungry when we went for the steak. But when we were served a 1.2 kg worth of meat +2 side dishes, just for the 2 of us, I licked the plate clean.
The place we went to was Trattoria Osteria Da Que' Ganzi. It's ranked pretty good in TripAdvisor, #56 of 2000+ restaurants in Florence, and they well-deserve their rank.

Look at this beauty.

Other random thoughts about Italy:
- Gelato is overrated, go for wine instead.
- Going during low season like in October is not so bad. It's less crowded and I enjoyed the cool weather.
- Don't go for restaurants, please. PLEASE. The best food (and wine!) are from the small eating places.
- Fun fact: There are ancient water fountains in Rome that still work and we can still drink the water. They also have a few of these in Venice, but I didn't see it in Florence. So there's no need to buy bottled water, just refill your empty wine bottles with these water fountains.
- Why, oh why, wasn't I born in Italy T.T

And last but not least, always remember:

 "It is a good life we lead, brother." 

"The best. May it never change." 

"And may it never change us."