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This boot, that is.
Mr. Bruschetta and I have known for some time that we want to honeymoon in Italy — in fact, we selected our wedding date to ensure it would be the optimal time — shoulder season — to visit our desired destination. And, after monitoring airline prices for the past six months, we recently snapped up our plane tickets. We’ll have one day after the wedding to recuperate, and then we’re flying into Rome for our 12 day Italian honeymoon!
While in Rome — how amazing would it be to receive a Papal Blessing, like Weddingbee reader Chela429 and her husband did? — we would like to find a balance between the “tourist” experience and one that allows us to find (and savor) the eateries favored by locals. (Inspired by Mrs. Toucan, I’ve told the mister I plan to seek out a new gelateria each day; he countered with his intention to enjoy authentic Italian pizza just as regularly.)
Following our days in Rome, we’re going to devote some time to exploring Tuscany. I love the idea of staying in a rustic villa, and truly learning about wine firsthand.
We’re also intrigued by Cinque Terre — five little villages nestled in a remote area of the Italian Riviera — which Rick Steves (our chosen travel guru) describes as “the traffic-free, lowbrow, underappreciated alternative to the French Riviera.” These small towns will hopefully provide the relaxing experience that’s most often associated with honeymoons.
We have a skeletal itinerary, but there’s still a fair amount of planning to do for our honeymoon. Have you visited Italy? Which cities/regions are your favorite? What recommendations would you pass along to the Bruschettas?
I would say don’t try to do too much! There’s so much to do in Italy, but make sure you give yourself enough time to enjoy each place you visit. Plus you’ll be exhausted after your wedding! Are you sticking to one or two regions or going all over (Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice, etc?). If you’re going to be in Rome for a few days, check out the Roma Pass.
Cinque Terre is amazing! The hike between the five towns is gorgeous and really not all that hard. The views are wonderful and when you’re done you can sit on the beach with an ice cream. You will have the best time.
Never been, but REALLY want to go there some day. Just wanted to comment on the last photo - BEAUTIFUL!
If you’re still looking for places to stay in Tuscany, last summer my family and I stayed in Castellina in Chianti for a few days at this place -
http://www.palazzosquarcialupi.com/english/albergo.htm
We had such a great time and all agreed that we would go back and stay there longer. Definitely better if you have a car though.
While we were in Castellina, we had scheduled ahead of time a wine tasting at the nearby Palazzo di Verrazzano -
It was probably one of the best days of our entire trip! We had a tour of their wine cellars and the whole process, then finished with a tasting lunch …we had so much great wine and a ton of great food - it was the “Wine & Food Experience,” and for $48 Euros/person pretty reasonable considering it lasts 3 hours.
Ahhh I’m so jealous! You’re going to have a fabulous time. PM if you want any more details from our trip, we had a lot of fun 
Yes! You are going to love it. Definately go to Cinque Terre. Definately rent a car and just drive its a great way to see the countryside (really not as scary as it sounds!) I was actually in Rome the night the pope died a few years ago and it was crazy/incredible/amazing/unbelievable, definately something I will never forget. There is also this little chapel called San Miniato al Monte that sits up on a hill just outside Florence and you get an amazing view of the city. If I think of any other tips I’ll let you know, I’m mostly familiar with the Florence area if you are going there ….AND IF YOU ARE on the main bridge (the Ponte Vecchio) couples put locks on the rails to ’secure their love’ (or something), but anyways - it could be really fun/romantic to bring your own lock and add it to the mass!!
@Miss Gloss: I forgot about those locks! That would be super cute to do, Miss B!
Oh and when we were in Florence we really just wanted to get away from the city so we took a train out to a town called Lucca - it’s actually Puccini’s hometown so they were setting up for a festival when we were there. Anyway, it’s a walled city, so quaint and the best part…there were practically no tourists there! Score! We had such a nice day there and they had some great museums that were both reasonable and practically empty.
Ok can you tell how envious I am?!
You will have a wonderful wonderful time. I recommend San Giminano outside Florence for a nice day trip to a medieval walled town. In Rome, there is SO much wonderful stuff to see, but a trip to the Borghese Galleries to see the Bernini sculptures is absolutely worth the effort (must book tickets online in advance). Haven’t been to Cinque Terre but have only heard positive things about it. In Rome, avoid staying near the train station - it seems like it will be “central” but it’s actually sort of like the red light district! Not scary, but not exactly romantic!
if you have time, go to the amalfi coast. it is just WONDERFUL. we stayed in a little in just outside (and way above!) Positano, and rented vespas to get around in. the view are absolutely breathtaking.
If you find yourself in Florence, you have to go to the Boboli Gardens, behind the Pitti Palace. Without exaggeration, it’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen. I wanted so badly to go to Cinque Terra while I was in Italy, but I found out that January isn’t the best time to visit there, so I decided to hold off until another trip. I’ve been trying for months to talk myself out of going to Italy for our honeymoon, because I know that the classicist in me would drag my husband all over the place while I rambled on and on about column orders and Constantine. While that sounds like heaven to me, I think that my fiance would disagree. I can’t wait to live vicariously through you via honeymoon recaps!
You should look in to seeing some Vespers. I don’t remember the name of the church where I saw them, but it was really beautiful and moving.
I’m so jealous; you’re going to have a wonderful time.
Since you already know about Rick Steves, I’ll just add that my husband and I did a fourth anniversary trip last year. Here are our posts on the places you’re going:
http://theworldasmeditation.wordpress.com/2008/06/07/innocents-abroad-cinque-terre-and-tuscany/
http://theworldasmeditation.wordpress.com/2008/06/10/innocents-abroad-umbria-and-rome/
I’ve never been to Italy but I bet it’s a ton of fun! The pictures look gorgeous!
if you end up wanting to do a tour for a day in florence, i highly recommend the best of tuscany tour with sandra. it was so much fun!
I went to Cinque Terre a few years back. It is the most romantic and laid back place ever! You MUST go there! I saw a couple on their honeymoon and was so jealous (this was before I even met my fiance). I recommend not only doing the hike, but also getting a kayak and kayaking to the next town and back. The ocean there is so clear and there are all these cool caves to see! That was my favorite part. Plus, there are cute mom and pop restaurants. It’s just totally where you need to go. I would go for 2-3 days. Because after that you may run out of things to do, since it is so small. Have SO much fun.
Here are my suggestions for my favorite citites…
Florence: Hike or take the bus (#13) to the Piazzale Michelangelo. It’s a great place situated on a hill on the south bank of the Arno river. It’s not in many tour books, but it’s the best view of the city! When in Florence, have some gelato as you walk around the markets. 
Also, climbing the 400+ steps to the top of the Duomo is worth it!
Pisa: Climb up to the top of the leaning tower! They say it might not be around for much longer. I went at sunset, and it was an amazing experience! Also, to take a picture of you holding the leaning tower, you have to stand on top of the white posts sticking out of the ground across from the tower. It took me about an hour to figure out how to do it.
Venice: Pay to take a gondola ride! It’s a once in a lifetime experience and you won’t regret it (Plus, you get the best photos). Be sure to ask your driver to sing (like in the movies!)
Rome: Pay to go inside the Colliseum!
Cinque Terre comes highly recommended from anyone I’ve spoken to. So I definitely plan to include it in our European honeymoon. Looking forward to your recaps because we plan to visit the same time, next year!
we just got back from venice last week. we flew to venice, took a cruise to croatia and all around greece then back to venice. I can’t say anything about the rest of Italy but Venice was so much fun. Tons of BEAUTIFUL churches, awesome archidtecture. We got lost all the time but it’s okay because it’s an island, that’s the way we found awesome little restaurants, took beautiful pictures and just explored! We wanted to go all over Italy but just didn’t have enough time, so pretty though!
Oh! Tons. I LOVE Italy and have been a couple of times now.
-For Rome, look up the hostel called The Beehive and stay at the owner’s guest house (not the hostel). They’re American but seem like such a cool couple and can give you great recommendations for Rome.
-For Tuscany, I highly, highly, highly recommend Torraccia di Chiusi. It’s an agriturismo with an amazing restaurant, vineyard. You can walk into San Gimignano from there on an old pilgrimage road through vineyards and drive to all of the local Tuscan towns from there.
-Go to Bologna if you can for the food. It’s unreal.
E-mail me for more info, if you want!
-For Cinqueterre, rent a house on the water in each town. When you arrive in each town, go into a local coffee shop and ask if they know of a place to rent. That’s how we found ours. It was owned by a vintner who sold us bottles of his personally-made wine and gave us a tour of his vineyard.
oh gosh! I’m so jealous… and I was just there last year!
We did Venice, Florence, and Rome and spent “1 day extra” in each place (ie we could have seen Venice in 2 days but spent 3 there). It was really nice because we got to take our time, relax, and enjoy being newlyweds!
I’m jealous, too! I love the South, but since you have only 12 days, it’s probably too far.
About an hour’s train ride north of Rome there’s a tiny little mountain village called Casperia. There are no cars allowed, you can just walk around the medieval walls. It’s beautiful - and there are lots of hiking trails.
Cinque Terre is absolutely AMAZING…they even have this little hiking trail called Via dell’ Amore between Riomaggiore and Manarola. Absolutely beautiful!
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Mrs. Bruschetta, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 25, Communication Professional Fiance's Age and Occupation: 25, Physical Therapy Graduate Student Engagement Date: November 30, 2007 Wedding Date: August 2009 Venue: St. Thomas of Villanova Church & the F.U.E.L. House About Me: I’m a self-proclaimed grammar geek who loves singing (like, really belting it) in the car. My mister and I are planning a vibrant summer soiree celebrating our passions – including food and Philly – and when we make it official, we’ll have been together for eight years! Being super competitive is in my nature, and talking excessively is in my genes. I’ve got a terrible sense of direction, but can always easily find my way into Mr. Bruschetta’s arms.
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