I’m prepping for a trip to Greece later this Summer and as I get ready for that vacation, I can’t help but think about the amazing mother-daughter trip I took last year to Italy with my momma. We explored the beautiful cities of Venice, Florence, took in the Cinque Terre, and stopped briefly in Milan. I’m covering my recommendations for Venice in this first part of my Italian City and Styleguide.
VENICE CITY AND STYLE GUIDE, PART ONE
I have two key principles when it comes to traveling:
1. Pre-plan!
This is first and foremost when it comes to tours/popular sites. Chances are you won’t be going back to that specific city or location again soon, so you want to be sure you determine which activities are “must see.” We booked all of our tours in advance. This made figuring out what to do while we were there super simple and it was less stressful. I have also found that tickets tend to be more expensive when you buy them on the day you see the exhibit or site versus purchasing in advance. This mantra is even more critical when it comes to packing. I normally try to travel abroad in just my carry-on bag, so that doesn’t leave a lot of room for “extras.” You don’t need five pairs of shoes and you don’t need more than 2-3 bags, I promise you.
2. Savor the moment!
All of your pre-planning helps you be sure that you don’t miss out on anything you want to do while you’re on your trip. So, while you’re there – really live in the experience. I like to do this by taking lots of pictures, drinking local wine and practicing the local language. It may seem annoying to take pictures constantly, but for me – it’s how I relive the vacation later (my senses are overwhelmed otherwise while I’m in the city for just a few days!).
Another recommendation I can give you is to keep a journal. This may remind you of your teenage years and get you waxing nostalgic. But, my mom suggested we each keep journals when we went to Italy. Although I have a pretty good memory, the journal has all these little details that without writing them down would be lost by now.
So, with that said – on to my Italy City and Styleguide…
We started our trip in Venice and had just about two full days to see and do everything we wanted. We stayed at the NH Palazzo Barocci and I would go back in a heart beat. The room was modern and luxurious, and the breakfast was delicious. The property is located right on the Grand Canal, but not in an overly busy area. There is a nice big patio out back for the breakfast as well.
The key to acclimating to the local time zone is to get right in the swing of things, so we booked our first tour of St. Mark’s Cathedral for the same day we arrived in the city. We booked through Veneto Inside and our tour guide was really knowledgeable. I’m not always in favor of getting a guided tour (sometimes I just don’t need all those miscellaneous facts), but this was well worth it. We got to see side rooms and portions of the cathedral that are otherwise blocked to visitors with a standard entry ticket.
The style in Italy is definitely fashion-forward and very tailored. But, Italians always look like they threw their look together easily. To do that while I traveled, I brought a few staples – like a great denim jacket. I used mine that I bought on eBay multiple times. Since I knew we’d be walking a lot, I brought a pair of strappy brown sandals and classic white sneakers. I also only brought two bags, one of them being a crossbody by Tory Burch.
We spent a full day on the islands of Murano and Burano.
Our hotel offered a complimentary, exclusive boat ride over to the Murano and that was spectacular. You can certainly take a public ferry as well. But this perk gave us a more private view of the floating city on the way to see a scheduled glass blowing at a preferred store. It’s great to shop and look at the glass that’s for sale. However, the glass blowing itself will blow your mind. You need to get up early to see that though, so again – planning is key.
I knew I wanted to see Murano and purchase some great pieces to take back. I singled out a series of different long-stem glass flowers that I could use to create a bouquet once I was back home. The jewelry is also beautiful, but I already had a bracelet from a previous trip and wanted something for my home instead. We spent between 3-4 hours just looking at the various shops and walking around Murano by itself. We checked the ferry schedule in advance to see how long it would take us to get to Burano. So, when the last ferry left from there back to Venice to be sure we’d have enough time in both locations.
Style
I wore a light maxi dress the day we visited the islands and it was perfect. I love this updated, striped version and am thinking about getting it for my Greece trip now! To accentuate my waist, I added a wide belt.
I didn’t originally have Burano on my list of to-do’s, but I knew it was important to my mom. Once we got there, I was so glad we went. The island has beautiful lace in all forms (clothing, scarves, doilies, table runners, you name it). They also have the most gorgeous cashmere goods and linen clothing. I’m kicking myself now for not buying an oxblood cashmere scarf I saw and a linen shirt for my boyfriend (nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy…).
I knew the pizza would be so tasty in Italy and I loved the pie we got in Burano at Principe Pizzeria. We said we were only going to have a slice each. But they don’t do “slices” in Italy so we ate the whole thing!
Making the trip to both islands was a highlight of our trip. Although it took a full day, I’m so glad we did it.
We went to Italy in September, so the days were nice, but the night was a little chilly. I brought an infinity scarf along with me to keep me warm and it paid off. One of my favorite looks was my black bodysuit and pink, pleated skirt from Zara (this JCrew skirt would be my pick now). The chic look blended right in with the locals.
My last recommendation for things to do in Venice is to see the Doge’s Palace. I highly recommend the Secret Itineraries Tour through Viator. Again, it gave us access to the trial chambers and the famed attic prison where Casanova was held. The groups with Viator are small which is really nice.
Lastly – when in Italy you must eat, of course! You can’t pass on the gelato. On average, we had gelato 1-2 times per day. You’re walking so much that you get hungry and it’s totally justifiable! We also loved the restaurant we ate at the first night, Acqua Pazza. The pasta was out of this world and they gave us a tasty dessert of raspberry liquor (so strong!) and vanilla cookies.
With that, we took the train out of Venice and headed towards Florence for more adventures…
Look 1: Dress: Splendid // Belt: Old Navy // Sandals: Franco Sarto (also love these) // Jacket: Guess (similar here and love this one) // Bag: Tory Burch (old, similar here and here)
Look 2: Bodysuit: H&M (old, similar here and also like this one) // Skirt: Zara (old, similar here and here) // Sandals: Franco Sarto (see above) // Scarf: JCrew (old, similar here and here)
