Tag: Daytrips in Italy

Venice in a Day?

Photo by the author
Photo by the author

By Monica Humphries

Venice is full of little nooks and crannies but often the beautiful, wider bodies of water are overlooked. This shot was taken from a gondola. The contrasting blues from the water and sky along with the architecture of the buildings and windows captured my vision of Venice. To fully understand Venice you have to be on the water, which is why it was important for me to have a photo from a lower perspective and angled up towards the sky and windows.

Travel Tips:

Known for its gondolas and seafood, Venice feels like a must-do if you’re spending your summer in Florence. But when I opened my map and my budget, I had to ask: one day or two?

Venice is a small city made up of over 100 islands, and although it may seem small from the scope of a map, there’s a lot to do in Venice. Highlights of Venice include watching glass blowing in Murano Island, taking a gondola ride, viewing the contemporary art museums and sipping a Bellini next to the water.

With Venice being so small, one of its challenges is finding a place to stay. If you’re on a student budget there aren’t a lot of options within the city. However, just outside the city there a quite a few places with differing budgets. You can find everything from a typical hostel to a campsite. So pick a place and factor the added time a train ride to the city will take.

Also consider price. Venice is known for luxury. Being a college student, it might be a little more difficult to spend €80 on a boat ride or €30 on dinner.  It’s important to consider food and activities when making a decision on how long to stay.

Finally, know what you want to do. Are you planning on getting there at the crack of dawn and staying to see the sunset? Will you venture to any of the farther islands? Are touring the churches important to you? In order to know what you want to do, you have to know a little about the city. Venice is known Biennale, a six-month art festival. Each year it switches between art and architecture (this year is architecture), and it’s held from May to November. But even if you don’t go during festival months, there’s always an open contemporary museum to discover. Another favorite form of art for Venetians is food. Being on the water, indulging in seafood is a must. Outside of seafood, Venice has wonderful Tiramisu, pasta and drinks to enjoy. Finally, Venice is home to Saint Mark’s Basilica. This and a huge piazza are in the heart of the city. You could spend weeks in Venice and still have a full list to do, so if you’re planning on going just for a day, do your research and make a list of the key things you want to get done.

In a city so beautiful you can spend as much or as little time there. I spent only the afternoon, but I felt rushed. I wish my trip could’ve been more relaxed and the commute not as long, however I was satisfied. Just know that you might not accomplish everything in a single day, but you’ll get a wonderful taste of the city.

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Tuscan Day Trips: Going West

leaning tower of pisa
Photo by Davide Raguda via unsplash.com – Leaning Tower of Pisa

By Morgan O’Reilly

When studying abroad in as beautiful an area as Tuscany, the opportunities for rich history and scenic views lie just outside Florence’s city walls. Students can find three unique towns within the area between Florence and the coast.

Pisa

Students from Florence can easily catch a 50 minute train ride into this small city for a full or half day or history, art, and great food. Marta Russo, an FUA faculty member who lived in Pisa for 19 years, has kindly provided a local perspective on this famous little town. Aside from the infamous Leaning Tower, some other beautiful sites include the Piazza dei Cavalieri and Piazza Martiri della Libertà. She recommends a nice stroll along the Lungarni (sidewalks along the river), where one can see the Chiesa della Spina, originally built on the river bank of the Arno and later rebuilt on a higher level. Two other churches visitors can visit are Chiesa Santa Caterina and Chiesa di San Francesco.

All of the good restaurants in Pisa are located near the market squares Piazza delle Vettovaglie and Piazza Sant’Omobono, according to Russo. These include La Mescita and Il Campano, among others. For a good panini, Il Crudo in Piazza della Berlina (aka Piazza Cairoli) of Il Montino in Via Monte; where the local specialty is focaccia con la cecina, a traditional dish made with chickpea flour, water, and olive oil, which is baked and stuffed into a flour focaccia bread.

For those interested in art, Russo recommends checking out the current exhibition at Palazzo Blue, the venue exhibiting the major art shows of great painters of the past (like Picasso or Modigliani.) One thing visitors don’t know is that there is a Keith Haring mural painting on the side of the Chiesa di Sant’Antonio, so there is even some modern art in this culturally rich city.

Lucca

A small town to the west of Florence, Lucca radiates rich history, art, scenic views, beautiful churches, and plenty of greenery. High walls surround the city, eluding military history dating back to 200 A.C, now provide visitors with a beautiful walking path, picnic spots, and playgrounds for a relaxed afternoon under the shade of their chestnut trees.

The beautiful churches of Lucca include the San Michele in Foro Church, the San Martino Cathedral, and the Church and Baptistery of San Giovanni and Reparata. All originally built before the 14th century, these Romanesque monuments are not to be missed.

The Piazza dell’ Anfiteatro, a former Roman amphitheatre, now holds restaurants, cafe’s, and shops along its oval-shaped frame. In July, the piazza makes a perfect venue for open-air music performances.

To end a day of sightseeing and strolling around the city’s walls, visitors can climb the Guinigi Tower’s 130 steps for spectacular views of the historic city.

Livorno

An understated small port city on the western coast of Tuscany, Livorno holds great seafood, majestic panoramic views, a Venetian-style neighborhood, and a short train ride from Santa Maria Novella.

Piccola Venezia, or little Venice, is a fun pocket of Livorno crossed with small canals built during the 17th century using Venetian methods of reclaiming land from the sea. Whether via foot path or by boat, the canals provide picturesque scenes of the city with nice waterside cafes interspersed.

The Terrazza Mascagni is a popular spot in the city where guests can discover panoramic views of the beautiful city. Built in the 1920s, this dazzling terrace captivates its visitors with the seafront as well as the cityscape, perfect for sunset after a long day of exploration.

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