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I get it, you're strapped for time. You work a lot, but you still want to visit Italy. What do you do? Well, fear not. I put together a list of the only three Italian cities you should visit. Leave all those others behind and visit these three essential places. Three Italian cities, one epic trip. Let's make every moment count.
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Italy. Where are these three gems in the land of pizza and pasta? Well, I'll get to that. Stick with me. And why should you trust me? Well, I've been here on the ground for many, many years, and so you can consider this local knowledge. And for all you haters out there saying I don't know anything about Italy, you and I are going to have a talk later in the [Music] video.
The Eternal City, Rome. The epicenter of Italian eimo and the capital of this great country. I'll get to those other places later on, but for now, let's get to Numero Uno on the only three Italian cities you need to visit. Why Rome? Well, the reasons are numerous. It's easy peasy to fly in and out of the city, and it's southern Italy, so you get that true Italian vibe. It has everything you want, especially when you're strapped on time and you come so far to make this trip happen. Monument runs, restaurants, galatas, yeah, it's got it all. Give yourself a minimum, minimum of two nights in Rome. Nothing less. Remember, Rome wasn't built in a day, but I'll show you how to conquer it in three.
What to do? Well, get yourself down to the Coliseum bright and early, 7:00 a.m. if it's the summer time, maybe earlier if you can do it, or 8:00 a.m. if it's the winter time. Get your photo outside of this iconic place. This is going to be the photo that's framed at home for many years to come, so make it count. It's worth it. After you got those perfect shots, get inside the Coliseum. You'll book your ticket weeks or months in advance if you haven't done so. Find one of the tour guides outside, book with him, and make sure you have a ticket that'll allow you to skip the lines and get inside for the tour. It's money well spent. Also, at that same ticket, you'll likely have a tour of the Roman Forum next door. Historic places.
Then, from there, from the Roman runs to the Pope's Palace, maybe not on the same day, but if you have your ducks in a row, you can do it. You're going to go to the Vatican. Now, if you have a guide, things will become easier, and they can whisk you away over to the Vatican. If not, jump into a taxi. Maximize your time. I don't suggest you take a bus in the Metro System in Rome. It's pretty bad over there. Admire the Sistine Chapel, all the art, all the history, all the stories. Remember, you're in another country, and this is the Vatican. It has so much influence not only over Italy but over the entire world. It used to be more so, but still today, it has a lot of power, even if I don't agree with it. And if you're a bad boy like myself, I think you can still appreciate the beauty there at the Vatican.
Rome's big ticket items. Check on another morning or somehow fit it into your schedule. Hear me out. This is what you do. Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona. Okay, get up before dawn. Get up very early. Get to the steps, the Spanish Steps. Get your photo there. Hardly anyone will be there, and you'll get the perfect shot. That's it. After that's done, get over to the Trevi Fountain because this is the big ticket item on this day, and you want to be there early because the place gets packed, and this is another great photo opportunity. First, throw some coins into the fountains. This is the only fountain you should throw coins into in Rome. Do it. I suggest for the photo, the best spot I found is off to the right-hand side at the top, but work your way around, get some different photos, and enjoy the moment. Soak it all in. The water coming in, it's an amazing, beautiful sight, but you want to do it early because in the afternoon, it gets crazy crowded.
After that, only a few steps away, a few blocks away, well, that's the Pantheon. Before you get there, at this point, if you're hungry and you need a coffee, duck into a bar for a cappuccino and a cornetto. Though, don't mess about. Slam it down and get on your way. Remember, at the Pantheon, dress appropriately, or they will not let you in. This is a former temple to the gods, and it's the world's largest reinforced concrete dome, and it's quite an architectural site to marvel at. Also, it's one of the most preserved pieces from ancient Rome. Nowadays, it's the burial site to famous artists and kings. After you've walked around there, in the oculus, you see the circle up in the sky that's open as well in the dome, make your way over to Piazza Navona. Commissioned 2,000 years ago by the Emperor as a sporting place, it could hold 20,000 spectators in there, and they would hold events, and sometimes they would flood it for boat events as well. It's a Baroque masterpiece. Admire the fountains that are in the center of the oval-shaped piazza. Walk all around, and bonus, go back there at night and get some drinks. Or another idea, make your way over the river to the neighborhood at Trastevere. It's a pretty cool area. Get dinner there and even more drinks, and then wander back over to the Piazza Navona area, all around that piazza, and the piazza in the surrounding area. Super cool for drinks and just exploring.
Now, all you Naples fans, come at me in the comments down below because we're skipping your city. Sorry, but we can only include three cities in this list. And for me, Florence is a must, a must-visit city on any trip to Italy. But before we get that, I want to ask you a favor. If you're enjoying this video, please make sure to give it a like down below, a thumbs up. It helps out so much. Also, a lot of you aren't yet subscribed, so if you want to get more of this content and you want to help me get these videos out to a much wider audience of travel lovers like you and I, click the subscribe button. Thank you.
An easy train ride up north from Rome, Florence deserves your undivided attention, and along with the other two cities, comprises the only three cities you need to visit here in Italy. Florence, where every corner feels like you're stepping into a Renaissance painting. And yes, the gelato is as good as it looks. And stick with me, we'll get to the third city that's on our list, and it's a bit of a controversial one. But first, let's talk about Florence. Florence has everything: Renaissance art, Chianti wine, gallons of gelato. Florence is a must-visit destination. So, what to do? Give yourself a minimum of two nights in Florence. Nothing less. You want to book in advance for those big ticket items: going up to the top of the main Cathedral, seeing David at the Accademia, in the Uffizi art museum. Those are the big ticket items.
Now, what I think should be on the top of your list is getting to the top of Florence, to the top of the Duomo at the main Cathedral. So make sure you've booked those tickets. Get there at the earliest possible hour. Book at the 8:15 time slot, get up there, and you'll get the whole view. You'll see all of the Renaissance cradle. Soak it all in, and you can admire the architecture of the Duomo on your way to the top. After that, you have options, and that's the good news. You can spend a couple of hours roaming through the Uffizi Gallery, or you can eat your way through the Mercato Centrale. For example, spend two hours in the Uffizi Gallery, and it's like you time travel back to the Renaissance, and spoiler alert, it's mind-blowing. High on the list, I would put wine tasting. This is the land of Chianti. Eating pasta with wild boar sauce, and as it's the birthplace of gelato, go wild. Eat gallons of gelato. On one of the evenings, make your way up to Piazzale Michelangelo, the hill above the city. There, admire the sunset. And if you want, on the way up, pick up a bottle of wine or takeout pizza and just enjoy. There are tons of great places out there. Bologna, it's tasty. Verona, that's for the lovers. And Milan, of course, fashion and food. But remember, you're strapped for time in your short stay in Italy, so these are the only three places you need to visit, according to a local. Throw all those other towns out of the way. And remember, I said this last one's a controversial one. Well, here it is.
Venice. It must be on your list, especially if you're pressed for time. You can get by spending just one night in Venice, but make sure you give yourself enough time to wake up at dusk and roam this unique, carless city full of canals. And yeah, Venice. Well, you want to get there, and you want to get those iconic photos. Get your photo on a gondola. Get a gondola ride. If not, get your photo with gondolas behind you. Get your photo in St. Mark's Square, ideally if it's flooded with water and you're standing there knee-deep in water. And get your photo at the Ponte di Rialto bridge. Remember, get up early to get great photo opportunities at these spots. These are the photos that are going to be framed back home for many years to come. You're not coming here for the food, though the Venetian food is quite delicious. You're coming to this iconic town that was once a maritime and financial superpower before it sinks or before they ban tourists outright. Unique in that it's carless, it's an island crisscrossed with canals. You'll get lost, trust me. So much so that they put up signs all around leading you to the Rialto Bridge or to St. Mark's Square. Venice, it's a city where getting lost is part of the plan, and where every alley leads to a postcard-worthy view. And as a bonus for you, if you head south over the Accademia bridge to that island there, head out to its easternmost part across the main canal, you'll get a beautiful view of St. Mark's Square. Be warned, however, Venice gets super crowded, so book in advance and plan accordingly. Also, keep your eyes out for scammers and scams. If you need help spotting those, stick with me, and I'll explain to you how to do so. Also, if you need all sorts of other information on how to get to and from Italy, how to get around Italy once you're here, where to stay, hotel or Airbnbs, what to eat, what to do, well, I put it all together in one PDF. A simple PDF that you can download, have in your pocket, offline on your phone for when you're traveling around Italy. There's a link to download it below.
Now, what about that message to the haters out there? Well, here it is. Drop some comments down below. Let me know why does your city or some other city deserve to be on this list? The Holy Trinity. The only three cities you need to visit when you're here in Italy. Or better yet, drop some comments down below. Let us know what should we see and do when visiting these three cities. And worry about scams, how to avoid being cheated when you're here in Italy? Well, it's a lot to unpack, and I made a whole another video about it. Check it out here.
3, 2, 1. Anywhere I'm at, turn the city up. I can flip down to a million. I don't like to brag, but I'm bilon. 3, 2.