🇮🇹 Italy, I’m Coming.

There is something about Italy that feels like it has been quietly calling my name for years. The art. The stone streets. The light that seems to glow even in photographs. And this March, I finally answer.

Not in a rushed, checkbox sort of way.

But slowly. Intentionally. With walking shoes, a medium suitcase, and a very open heart.

Amalfi? She deserves ten days all her own — and she will have them. Just not this year.

Portugal is waiting for me later this year, and Amalfi will be my love letter for next, followed by a dreamy adventure in Greece. But this trip? This one belongs to Rome, Florence, and Venice — the holy trinity of history, art, and beauty.

Breakfast included each morning. Trains already booked. Tickets secured.

And still… room for magic.

✈️ Arrival

Day One — Rome (~10:30 AM)

Hotel: Albergo del Senato (Pantheon area)

I will land, breathe in Roman air, and let the city decide how I begin.

🇮🇹 ROME —

Base: Pantheon / Piazza della Rotonda

Rome feels like layers of time, gently stacked on top of one another. I plan to wander them all.

🌞 Day One — “Hello, Rome”

A gentle arrival:

• Pantheon (steps from my hotel)

• Piazza Navona

• Trevi Fountain (daylight… and perhaps again at night)

• Spanish Steps

• Via dei Condotti window shopping

Tonight is for imprinting. Rome may choose dinner for me.

🏛 Day Two — Ancient Rome + Golden Hour

• Colosseum Full Experience (Arena Level)

• Roman Forum

• Palatine Hill

• Capitoline Museums or a slow wander toward Trevi

Evening: a sunset loop through Navona and Campo de’ Fiori.

⛪ Day Three — Vatican Day

• Vatican Museums

• St. Peter’s Basilica

• Dome climb (yes, stairs!)

• Perhaps Castel Sant’Angelo for one more breathless moment

And afterward? A seat somewhere quiet. Just to be.

🌿 Day Four — Layers of Rome

Wandering where the city feels most ancient and alive.

• Jewish Ghetto

• Campo de’ Fiori

  A marketplace full of color and character — herbs, flowers, voices, life.

• Tiber Island

  A peaceful pause in the middle of Rome’s heartbeat.

• Villa Borghese Gardens

  Trees, fountains, and that golden Roman light that makes everything feel softer.

• Galleria Borghese — Evening Entry at 6:45 p.m.

  An intimate, almost private encounter with Bernini, Caravaggio, and the kind of beauty that stays will stay with me long after I leave.

Rome, in her lived-in beauty.

Uneven stones, open windows, and stories everywhere.

🎨 Day Five — Poetry Day

Letting the city shape the rhythm.

• Trastevere wandering

Laundry on balconies, hidden courtyards, and that irresistible neighborhood warmth.

• Pincio Terrace

Views that lift the heart — the whole city stretched out like a love letter.

• Baths of Caracalla

Ruins that feel like time standing still. Quiet, powerful, grounding.

Less checklist.

More soul.

A day for letting Rome meet me exactly where I am.

🚄 Day Six — Train to Florence

One final Roman loop.

Then a 1:39 PM train north.

🇮🇹 FLORENCE

Hotel: Hotel L’Orologio Firenze

Florence feels like concentrated brilliance. Renaissance genius packed into walkable streets.

🌅 Day Six — First Glow

• Ponte Vecchio at sunset

• Possibly Piazzale Michelangelo (taxi up, stroll down)

🏰 Day Seven— Duomo Masterpiece Day

• Brunelleschi’s Dome climb

• Opera del Duomo Museum

• Torre di Arnolfo at Palazzo Vecchio

Evening in Piazza della Signoria. I imagine lingering.

🗿 Day Eight — David + Uffizi

• Accademia (David at 8:15 AM)

• Uffizi Gallery

• Arno River at dusk

Florence, quietly magnificent.

🚄 Day Nine — Train to Venice

1:39 PM departure.

3:55 PM arrival into water and light.

🇮🇹 VENICE

Hotel: H10 Palazzo Canova (Rialto / Grand Canal)

Venice feels like a dream you walk through slowly.

🌙 Day Nine — Venice at Night

• Rialto Bridge

• Grand Canal

• St. Mark’s Square after dark

👑 Day Ten — San Marco Power Day

• Doge’s Palace

• St. Mark’s Basilica (Complete Experience)

• Museo Correr

Twilight in Piazza San Marco. I can already see it.

🎨 Day Eleven — Guggenheim + Dorsoduro

• Peggy Guggenheim Collection

• Wander Dorsoduro

• Vaporetto ride for pure joy

🌊 Day Twelve — Imprint Day

No tickets.

Just Venice.

Perhaps:

• Accademia Bridge

• Santa Maria della Salute

• Zattere waterfront

• A late afternoon gondola

Or perhaps… nothing but getting lost.

🌅 Day 13 — Departure

A 3:30 AM water taxi for a 6:30 AM flight.

Worth it.

✨ What I Love About This Plan

With my tickets secured, it ensures I will see:

• The Pantheon.

• Piazza Navona.

• Trevi Fountain.

• The Spanish Steps.

• The Colosseum.

• The Roman Forum.

• Palatine Hill.

• The Vatican.

• Torre di Arnolfo. St. Peter's Basilica.

• The Jewish Ghetto.

• Borghese.

• Brunelleschi's Dome. Cathedral of Santa del Fiore.

• David. Galleria dell'Accademia.

• The Uffizi.

• Doge’s Palace.

• St. Mark’s Basilica.

• The Guggenheim Collection.

• Accademia Bridge.

The history. The art. The masterpieces.

But it also leaves space — the kind that matters most — for cafés, conversations, unexpected turns, and the moments that cannot be scheduled.

👜 Honey Note: Packing Like a World Traveler

I have learned to pack differently now.

Creams.

Greens.

Denim.

Black.

Gold.

A simple palette that allows everything to mix and match beautifully. One 22" suitcase. No drama.

And yes… I am already dreaming of shopping for a custom Italian leather belt. The kind that fits perfectly. The kind that feels timeless. A small, lovely souvenir that becomes part of my everyday life long after the trip ends.

There is something about adding one exquisite piece — thoughtfully chosen — that feels more meaningful than bringing home a suitcase full of things.

🌿 Alone, But Not Lonely

Traveling like this — immersing myself in a country, its art, its language, its rhythm — is perhaps its own lovely form of therapy.

To navigate trains.

To read museum maps.

To order coffee in another language.

To sit at a table for one and feel entirely content.

There is strength in that.

There is clarity in that.

There is healing in walking ancient streets and realizing how small — and yet how beautifully significant — one life can be.

I am going alone.

But I am not lonely.

I am curious.

I am excited.

I am ready.

Italy, 2026 — let’s begin. 🇮🇹✨

With love that wanders,

Honey 🍯✨

Con amore, sempre. 🇮🇹

P.S. If you happen to see a lady in Rome in creams and green, walking slowly with a cappuccino in hand and a slightly knowing smile… she’s not lost. She’s exactly where she’s meant to be — collecting beauty, choosing joy, and perhaps letting Italy fall just a little bit in love with her too. 💫