One Wednesday morning during term two of my second year at uni, I received a promotion email from Ryanair – the kind that would usually be sent to my bin, but the subject grabbed my attention before I swiped it to junk: 'Buy One Get One Free flights until 1pm today'. It would have been rude to ignore.
All it took was a message to my friend and by 12:54pm our flights to Italy, for £32.50 each, were booked. Set to take place just after our deadline season, this trip was certainly needed. With a return flight for the price of roughly three double vodkas, it's safe to say we were beaming. We'd spoken about going to Italy for a while and this was the perfect opportunity to just make it happen. Scrapping the barrels of our student loans, we made the rest of our trip as cheap as possible, splitting the price of reasonable air bnbs between us. Days before we left, another friend booked the last available seat on the plane.
On Thursday 19th May, after an early alarm, two hour drive, two hour queue at Bristol airport security, and a two hour flight, the three of us arrived in Milan. We took a train from Milan Melepasa airport to Milano Central, and our Bnb was a ten-minute walk from there.
Milan
We stayed at Teranga Suite, which I booked through booking.com. I'd certainly recommend this place if you're looking for a short stay close to Milano central train station. As we were only in Milan for one night to begin with, and were travelling by train the following morning, the location of this clean and beautifully decorated apartment was perfect.
Setting the tone of our trip, our first night under the Italian setting sun was spent admiring Milan cathedral, drinking mojitos, and drooling over bowls of pasta. On our walk into Milan centre, we admired the high-end shopping scene of the city, strolling through streets lined by the very best, most luxurious brands in the world. Think Balenciaga, Giorgio Armani, and Rolex. The many windows of the Cartier store on Via Alessandro Manzoni were hooded by branded canopies. We window shopped clothing price tags that were higher than our university fees.
Milan Cathedral, the 'Duomo de Milano' dedicated to the Nativity of Saint Mary, stands as one of the most impressive, intricately designed buildings I have ever seen. Considering its size and detail, it is no wonder that it took nearly six centuries to complete; construction began in 1386 and the final details were completed in 1965.
Verona
Being the setting of one of Shakespeare's most famous plays, it was inevitable that I was going to like Verona. Beyond its Renaissance romance kitsch, Verona is a quaint, architecturally creative, and bustling town.
We stayed at Maison Eufemia where we were greeted by Ruggero, a friend of our host, who was an expert on the history and attractions of Verona, offering us some great recommendations. Following his advice, we headed straight over the Adige River via the Ponte Pietra, a Roman arch bridge, to reach the steps leading up to Castel San Pietro. This Romanesque fortress offered panoramic views over the city. The following images speak for themselves.
Next stop: Juliet's House. Via Cappello, 23, Verona is a gothic-style 1300s house with a stone balcony, said to have inspired the Bard; hence, this became the iconic setting featuring in one of his most populous, renowned tragedies. The small square surrounding the balcony was busy with phones in the air, snapping in every direction.
A few steps up the road from Juliet's House lays a market square called Piazza Delle Erbe, where we spent the afternoon gandering trinket stalls and returned for our evening meal at Osteria Alla Torre. I had a spinach and mozzarella, which was up there as one of the best meals of the trip. The strawberry daiquiris can't go without a mention here too.
Venice
Our third town of the trip was Venice. To save £££ we stayed on the mainland area of Mestre, rather than in central Venice, at a relaxed hotel called ao hostel (it's called a hostel but was definitely more hotel vibes). We had a private room with two singles and two bunk beds, so there was plenty of room for the three of us to sprawl. The hotel was just a six-minute walk to Venezia Mestre train / bus station, and from there a ten-minute train ride, costing €2.50 return, planted us on the main island of Venice.
There's no denying that Venice is heavily over run by tourists, but that didn't put us off. It's a crazy island, yet loaded with character. Through the web of narrow streets in Venice, you often stumble upon pretty piazzas, elaborate buildings, or tasty restaurants.
Our first lunch spot in Venice was spectacular. We dined at a restaurant called Ristorante Roma, which practically floats on the Canal Grande right next to the Ponte deli Scaizi. Here I devoured salmon tagliatelle, which was another of my favourite meals. We spent the rest of the day strolling along canal-lined streets with mango daiquiris from Frulalà in hand, crossing cute metallic bridges, and drinking Aperol Spritz at Campo Santa Maria Formosa.
Home to St. Mark's Basilica and Campanile, and an array of overly priced restaurants, Piazza San Macro is a top tourist attraction in Venice. With peach patterns covering its facet, tons of figurines, and golden backdrops St. Mark's Basilica was my idea of architectural perfection. Although we didn't have time to join the long queue to the top, St Mark's 99-metre-high Campanile was also impressive.
On to the highlight of my entire trip: Librairie Acqua Alta, in other words, the most beautiful book shop in the world, where you will find heaps of flood-tarnished books piled up on shelves, in gondolas, and stacked into a stair case. 'Acqua alta' means high water; hence the library gets it name from the fact that for a few days each year Venice's water levels rise, flooding parts of the city including the library. After many attempts at saving the books, the people of Venice decided to leave the floods add character to the library. Although the ruin of so many books hits a heart string, the library is a mesmerising place to visit.
Just outside the library we stumbled upon the most lovely arts and crafts shop called Armonie di Anna Rizzato. This shop is run by a mother and daughter who handcraft a range of ornaments and home decorations filled with tiny books. Disappointed that I had less than centimetre-squared spare in my luggage and worried about how safety I'd be able to get anything home, yet unable to leave without making a purchase, I came away with a nut shell decoration, which now hangs from a shelf in my bedroom.
Lake Como
Our last day in Italy was spent at Lake Como. Lake Como gave me activity vibes, and I spent the whole day dreaming of returning there to spend days hiking and water sporting. It was a shame that we were burdened by our heavy luggage (if only us girls knew how to not overpack) on our final day as this held us back from exploring Como to its full extent. Nevertheless, we strolled around the lake, ate delicious poke bowls from Ammare, and drunk lemon gins while admiring the Cathedral of Como. I will definitely go back and stay at Lake Como for a longer time one day.
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