How to Semana Santa Right!

Semana Santa was the trip I was most looking forward to during my study abroad experience; however we definitely bit off more than we could chew. Our trip consisted of Italy starting at the top and ending at the bottom. We were going to hit Milan, Venice, Florence, Tuscany, Rome, Naples, Pompeii, and Sorrento in seven days. You heard me right, eight cities in seven days. So let's dive into this mess of a trip as well as dos and don'ts about Italy.

Dos

• Definitely go to Florence, Rome, and the coast (Sorrento is technically not on the amalfi coast)
• Pick four cities max for seven days so you are actually able to enjoy the trip and soak in the culture of each city
• Go to Pino’s Sandwiches in Florence
• Go to All'antico Vinaio in Florence (the rival of Pino’s)
• Go to Osteria da Fortunata in Rome for the BEST CARBONARA
• Get some traditional Pizza in Naples on your way down to the Amalfi Coast!
• Try the lobster tail pastry and gelato of course!
• Do not skip the inside of the pantheon, go early and buy tickets it is super cool inside
• Go see the statue of David, it is incredible!
• Try Hugos and an Aperol Spritz
• Get a Florentine Steak
• Try Gusta Pizza in Florence for a whole burrata on your pizza!

Don'ts

• Plan AirBnB’s last minute, I would plan at least a month in advance
• Book morning trains, you will be exhausted the rest of the day. We constantly had to take naps
• Go to 8 cities! Not worth it!
• Book tour tickets a day in advance, the colosseum needs to be booked long before you arrive
• Get scammed by a Naples taxi driver, use taxi apps or Uber
• Separate as a group and do different things, make sure to stick together!
• Go into a city without a game plan, half of our group was not even able to make it to the David
• Get scammed by open air markets, make sure to barter
• Walk into a restaurant with a party of 7 with no reservation

Overall, if you want to have a good spring break, make sure to plan it. The group that I traveled with was notoriously lazy with planning to the point of which we all had to get into a room and force people to do certain things. Having an itinerary is key to make sure you hit the hotspots of each city or it will leave you wondering, Have I even experienced Italy? This was my third time in Italy as I traveled there with my family and it was definitely my most chaotic trip by far. Structure is very important to a trip even though some people may want to go with the flow. Make sure that there is a good mix of free time between museums and activities so you are able to explore as well. Seven days definitely feels much longer and is much more tiring as well so make sure you plan for sleep correctly as sleeping on the train was NOT a viable option and DID completely exhaust us everyday. Make sure to plan either night trains or mid morning trains!

That's all for now! Start planning spring break NOW.