Italy

Gritty streets. Noisy construction. Endless traffic. Palermo definitely did not fit our vision of Sicily. After a somewhat hallucinatory overnight train ride from mainland Italy (more on that here), we figured our sleep-deprived state was skewing…

In true budget travel fashion, we opted to take a train and ferry from Italy to Sicily instead of flying. Stretching our dollar even farther, we opted to take a regional train with “reclining seats” for…

In Italy, if Rome is history and Florence is art and Milan is fashion, then Naples is people. Initially settled by Greeks in 2000 BC, Naples is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the…

Since 79 AD, Mount Vesuvius has erupted over 30 times. In the context of 2,000 years, that number doesn’t seem like a lot. Perhaps that’s why 600,000 people continue to live in the shadow of Mount…

A thriving Roman city, Pompeii peacefully existed in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius for hundreds of years. As early as 6th century BC, the city walls were first constructed. By 80 BC, Pompeii was an official…

The Amalfi Coast is undeniably one of Europe’s most beautiful and awe-inspiring coastlines. While staying in Sorrento, we knew we wanted to experience the iconic coastal drive to the quaint little town of Amalfi. Opting for…

Perched on a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples, Sorrento is a pleasant town to while away a few days. From Rome, we traveled south by train into the area known as Mezzogiorno, or Southern Italy.…

Encircled by a 2-mile border, Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. The independent city-state mints its own euros, prints its own stamps, and even has its own flag and anthem. The next smallest…

After the tranquil small towns of Tuscany, we headed where all roads lead to: Rome. Leaving sweet Volterra behind, we took a local bus to Saline. From there, we caught a tiny two-car only train to…