Italy Summer MMXXI
Summer 2021 was the first time I took vacation time off from work since 2019, and it was my first major trip in a post lockdown world. With international travel and traveling between countries still complicated and filled with many PCR tests and required documents, I decided to just stay in one country. And there’s no better choice than my favorite country on Earth, Italy, where I spent close to a month city hopping and making the most of my time.
Although the world opened up more during the summer of 2021, this doesn’t conceal the fact that there’s still a serious and on going global pandemic.
In 2020, Italy had one of the worst outbreaks of covid 19 in the world at one point. This was followed by one of the harshest lockdowns for months. So it should come as no surprise that Italy takes restrictions extremely seriously. While I was there, masks were mandatory on the metro, traveling between cities, and when entering museums and indoor establishments. Additionally, establishments will ask people for a “green pass” which is basically a phone app that proves a person has taken at least one shot of a EU approved vaccine. Failure to comply with any of the rules and you will be denied access to major attractions, and locals will yell at you before police intervene.
Once all rules and precautions are abided by, a hint of pre pandemic normalcy can be felt and you can have a really great time in Italy.
Here’s how my trip went.
Rome
My first stop was the capital and most beautiful city, Rome. This was my third time visiting Rome, and I would be just as excited if this was my 300th visit. Where do I begin? The atmosphere? The restaurants? The history??
The entire city is an open air museum. As a history buff, I find it remarkable walking around just thinking that this was once the center of the known world in ancient times.
Using a modern lens, Rome is as metropolitan and bustling with life as any other major capital city. One of my favorite things I discovered are the ride-sharing e-scooters scattered all over the city. This simple mode of transit puts the entire city within reach in minutes (although the ride is extremely uncomfortable on cobblestone streets).
Last but not least…. The food. Every day I was in Rome I had two breakfasts, two lunches, and a big dinner. My ultimate go-to place was Antico Roscioli Forno, where I’d go early in the morning for croissants then back again around noon for freshly baked pizza.
Being in Rome is September was perfect. The weather was sunny during the day - but not unbearably hot - and it used to get a little chilly at night. Although the city was busy and filled with many people, the amount of people was not nearly as close what it was like when I was there in 2016 and 2018.
According to legend, throwing a coin into the Trevi Fountain means that you’ll one day come back to the eternal city. This is a tradition that I practiced twice before and a third time on this trip. I really love Rome a lot and cannot wait to be back again.
Amalfi Coast
There’s a song that was released in 1987 with the title “heaven is a place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle…. And I’m 100% convinced this song is about the Amalfi Coast.
Beautiful towns with pebbly beaches, the most down to Earth locals, perfect weather, and a landscape of mountains and lemon trees. The beauty of the Amalfi Coast is unlike anywhere else.
Adventures began before I got to Amalfi. I was on the train from Rome to Salerno to then switch to a ferry that would take me to Amalfi. I was sitting next to a couple on their honeymoon and overheard them making plans to also get to Amalfi but they were considering taking a car. I was sitting anxiously and my blood was boiling and had to tell them that it was much more convenient and safer to take a ferry. We ended up going together as ferry buddies and they turned out to be the nicest people ever.
I spent a full week in the area with the town of Amalfi as my base. The entire region gets its name from this town because it was once the capital of the old maritime republic known as a Duchy of Amalfi.
Fast forward to the present day, Amalfi is a place to throw yourself on a beach bed then ordering a pizza by the water and take in the epic views all day. That was more or less my schedule every day for a week. Bed-beach-pizza-repeat.
One of the best things about Amalfi is that it is located in the center of the region, and other towns are just a short ferry ride away. This made it easy for me to do day trips to Positano and the island of Capri. Average ferry tickets cost 9 to 12 Euros.
The only small regret I have is not staying in the island of Capri for at least one night. There’s so much to see and do there, and I was extremely pushed for time because the last ferry out of Capri was at 6pm so my eyes were constantly on the watch. Definitely going to go back there again, and this time I’ll spend at least one night to experience getting a boat tour around the island and experience the nightlife.
Something I got to do for the first time was hike the Path of The Gods hiking trail between Amalfi and Positano. This 8km (5mi) route will take 2 hours to complete and is filled with breathtaking views. For non experienced hikers, this route shouldn’t be too bad as I saw both older people and children (9yrs +) on the route. For experienced hikers, this route is a breeze. If you finish the route on the Positano end, there’s a small shack at the end that serves fresh and cold lemonade to reward yourself after hiking.
I definitely see myself moving to the Amalfi Coast after I retire to just grow old eating pizza by the beach for the rest of my life.
Florence
The birthplace of the Renaissance and capital of Tuscany. The only city that can match Florence in terms of the grandeur of its architecture is Rome.
Visiting Florence and being there for a couple was important to me because I’ve only been there once before on a day trip and didn’t get to properly experience the city at all. This time, I got to take in the city by visiting all the important sites, getting lost wondering the streets, and eating until I couldn’t move. Being there this time also made me realize how big the city is. The University of Florence alone has a student population of more than 50,000, and I can imagine the city being a dream to live and study there especially for Art History and Architecture students.
A structure that will never cease to amaze is the Florence Cathedral, formally the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. The cathedral can be seen from any point in the city during the day and is lit up at night. It took 142 years to fully complete the construction of this cathedral, and the dome which was engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi rewrote the norms of architecture and design during the Renaissance.
I could go on and on about the history and architecture of the city, but something stood out the most to me…. Out of all the cities and towns I visited in Italy this summer, Florence hands down had the best food. I had the best lasagna of my life at Trattoria Za Za, and the Rigatoni at Trattoria 13 Gobi almost brought me to tears from how good it was.
Any trip to Italy must include Florence. If you’re not a history buff or architecture enthusiast, then you’ll be more than satisfied just going there for the food.
Ortisei
As much as I love big cities, I appreciate and love spending time outdoors in nature just as much. I’ve only ever seen pictures of Ortisei online, and couldn’t believe such a place existed and had to see it for myself.
Ortisei is a small town in the Dolomites region and very close to the border with Austria. The people there are mostly German speakers, because the town was originally part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and was awarded to Italy by the allied powers after the Second World War.
Someone can do an entire PhD dissertation on this town because I feel most people in Ortisei have an identity crisis. From what I got (and I could be wrong) Ortisei-ers are too German for the Italians and too Italian for the Germans…. But generally the locals are extremely nice.
I mainly went to Ortisei to go on the biggest hike I’ve ever been on. I decided to hike a mountain registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Seceda.
I specifically chose a hotel that was a few minutes walking distance to the cable cars that would take people to the halfway point. I was in Ortisei for only 2 nights, and the day I arrived I decided to check out the halfway point where the cable cars dropped people. It was an eye opener for two big reasons, the first being the beautiful views, the second being that when I looked at the people around and what they were wearing I realized I didn’t have the proper mountain hiking gear at all.
After discovering I was incredibly unprepared and didn’t the have proper gear for a mountain hike, I found a sports shop close to my hotel. The saleswoman asked me what sportswear I brought with me and I pointed at what I was wearing and said “this”. I had on a simple t shirt, shorts, and a pair of shoes with the thinnest soles. The saleswoman put her hand on her forehead and said “oh Dio” or “oh God”. She began to navigate me to everything I needed from proper hiking boots, a jacket because it can get windy, a container that could fit plenty of water, and a tub of sunscreen which I didn’t realize was extremely important so the sun doesn’t cook my skin while I’m up in the mountain.
Hike day came and this time I was prepared. The hike was organised by the hotel I was staying at and everyone with me in my group were fellow hotel guests. The group size was 20 people and ages of the people ranged from 13 year olds to 73 year olds.
The cable cars took the group to the halfway point and then we were off. Since the group was made of people various age groups and physical capabilities, the initial route was extremely easy and took a longer zig-zag path up and avoided the very steep but quicker way up the mountain. After 3 and a half hours of taking a slow and easy path up the mountain, the group I was with stopped at one of the many restaurant mini lodges scattered around the area for lunch where everyone would eat then slowly make their way back to the cable cars to go back down. I wasn’t hungry and really wanted to reach the top of the mountain and asked my guide if I could break from the group and go all the way up. The hiking guide looked at me and said “you can go up, they can’t.” The hiking guide pointed me to the right direction and told me if I continued on the route he recommended, I should be at the summit ridge in an hour and a half. I later broke from my group and I was on my own heading to the top of Seceda.
After 5 hours in total of hiking, I reached the summit ridge at 2,519 meters above sea level. It was a physical and emotional accomplishment and once at the top I spent 30 minutes just sitting and observing one of the best views on Earth.
I would highly recommend Seceda for anyone who likes a challenge. The town is more popular as a skiing destination, so I would love to come back again during the winter/skiing season.
Venice
Another one of Italy’s four original maritime republics, Venice is a world wonder. After Ortisei, Venice was on the way to my last destination so I figured I should visit as a day trip since I’ve never been there before and the Venice Biennale of Architecture was going on.
Venice feels like a live action postcard. From the gothic architecture, canals, and gondolas the city is truly spectacular.
As an urban planner/transportation planner, of course the thing I enjoyed the most is that the city is entirely car-free and has zero highways in the city. The best way to get to Venice is my train and using water taxis are the best way to get around while you’re there.
As soon as I got off the train at Venice Santa Lucia, I got on a water taxi that took me close to the Biennale of Architecture building at the Arsenale di Venezia. The theme of the Biennale this year was “how will we live together?” Which focuses on social equity, inclusion, and future urban forms. Although there were many models and displays, I have to be bias and say the installation by my home country of Bahrain was my favorite. It was such a proud moment seeing Bahrain participating at such a prestigious event.
After experiencing my first ever Venice Biennale, my time in Venice was unfortunately over and I headed back to the train station to get to the final stop on my trip.
Milan
This was my second time visiting Milan, and my perception of the city completely changed. While other cities have ancient ruins and or stunning views, I found Milan to be the most liveable if anyone were to live in an Italian city for a long time for work or as a student.
Milan to me was electric. The same feeling I got when I was in Madrid or London or New York. A true global city.
The first time I came to Milan, I was only there for 2 nights and I was by myself and only did touristy things. This time, I was there for 6 days and met some of my local friends who took me under their wings and showed me an amazing time.
The main three reasons I think Milan is the most liveable are:
There are plenty of new and modern apartment buildings, as opposed to many other cities with apartments without air conditioning and outdated amenities.
Public transportation is EXCELLENT. I used the buses and metro every day I was there and I could reach any part of the city in minutes.
Like many other global cities (Madrid, London, New York etc…) Milan is a place for dreamers. This could just be me, but I thought there were much more young and ambitious people in Milan than the other places I visited.
While there, I got to visit the Politecnico do Milano University and met one of the professors at the Urbanism department. The programs at the university are very prestigious and they offer many graduate program that are completely in English. Although, I feel it wouldn’t be smart at all for a non-Italian to live in Milan or anywhere in Italy for an extended period of time and to not at least try and take a few language courses.
Another area I visited for the the first time was Milan’s Navigli district. The district is located along a canal that makes you feel like you’re in Amsterdam. Artists, shopping stalls, and restaurants are littered everywhere and it’s a perfect spot to spend an afternoon.
Having local friends in Milan with me might have been the biggest reason why perception of the city changed. Milan to me went from being dull and not as interesting as other Italian cities to it being my current favorite and where I’d personally choose to live if I had to pick a city in Italy to live for an extended period of time.
Wrapping Up
I had the time of my life this summer. I made new memories with old friends and met amazing new people who I’m sure I’m going to meet again in the future. The food, the people, the places…. Italy is a happy pill in the form of a country. My love for the country grew exponentially, and I’m already planning my next trip here.
Ti amo Italia