The two weeks I spent in Italy with my boyfriend were magical.

While I may not be writing a guide book for Italy (yet), I enjoyed my trip so much that I wanted to put together a mini guide for anyone visiting.

During our two weeks in Italy we travelled across a huge portion of the country by car, visited three cities, two towns, learnt basic Italian and stayed within our budget.

We learnt how to order a double espresso, that the bread basket often costed two euros and that saying “Grazie” and “Prego” with a smile could get us anything we wanted.

How to Budget:

• Flights: Check flights through expedia and easy jet if you are in Europe.  If you are flying from France, Air France offers discounts if you’re under 25.
• Hotels: Most of the hotels we booked were double the price in the summer.  Visit during an off season and you can save a lot of money.  We booked a couple of hotels through Hotwire, but we lost faith in Rome when they gave us a three star hotel when we had booked a four.  Wanting something special for our first few nights, we were less than impressed.  We ended up finding some great deals scouring reviews on Tripadvisor and other travel sites.
• Food: Italian portions are big.  We found most of the time we were happy sharing a starter and a main dish along with a cheap, simple house wine.  Unfortunately the house wine in Italy isn’t great, so we also resorted to buying our own wine and requesting glasses in our hotel rooms at night.  We had many picnic dinners (bread, cheese, nuts, salads ect.)  and found that buying big cases of water at the grocery store saved a ton of money.
• Shopping: Keep your priorities straight and splurge on some nice oils and vinegar to take home with you.  I kept my eye out for the perfect leather jacket, but was happy just taking home some nice food gifts.

Getting Around:

• Subway: We used the subway a few times in Rome and found it incredibly cheap and easy to maneuver.
• Hotel shuttle: Always check if your hotel has a shuttle from the airport as the taxis will often charge you triple.
• Rent a car: You can rent cars quite reasonably through Expedia, the only drawback is paying for gas and insurance.
• Taxi: Always ask how much a taxi is going to cost before you get in.  Sometimes it’s not worth it or you’ll get ripped off for being a tourist.

What to Bring Back:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Modena Balsamic Vinegar
• Truffle Oil
• Truffle spread
• Biscotti
• Panforte (A delicious cake made of dried fruits and nuts)

Where to Visit:

ROME

• The Vatican- Worth visiting to see the expansive grounds and artwork inside.
• Trastevere- Charming neighborhood of small streets and quaint restaurants.
• Tiber Island- This small island in the Tiber River is the perfect place to stop for gelato.
• Freni e Frizioni- A trendy bar with a happy hour from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. that includes a wonderful buffet of salads, pasta, vegetables and homemade dips and sauces. (Located between Piazza Trilussa andLungotevere Rafaello in Trastevere, Rome, right next to Ponte Sisto).
• Campo dei Fiori Market- Colorful food market every morning with fruit, nuts, pasta, oils and souvenirs.
• Cafe Grecco- Steps away from the Spanish Steps as well as all the luxury brand stores like Chanel and Prada.  Cafe Grecco is elegant and the espressos are perfect.
• Hotel Pulitzer- A very modern, stylish hotel outside of the city centre.  This hotel was very posh for the price tag and only a short subway ride into the city.

SIENNA

• Nannini- Gorgeous bar/bakery where you can choose from a vast selection of pastries before sipping a great espresso at the bar. (Piazza Del Paglio)
• Chianti- If you have a car you can venture off into the wine region and stop in small wineries are walk through the vineyards.
• La Taverna di San Giuseppe- This restaurant is warm and has a a magnificent wine cave.  The food is delicious and the truffles are unforgettable. (Via G.Duprè, 132)
• Osteria Castelvecchio- An intimate restaurant where the owner is happy to serve you a bottle of house wine and serve you up some dishes that taste like mama’s cooking.  We loved the bruschetta and roasted chicken, and the pine nut cookies with sweet liqueur finished the meal perfectly.  (Via Castelvecchio, 65)
• Villa Elda- One of the best rated hotels in Siena, this boutique hotel has few rooms and is very elegant.  We loved our room and the fact that we were allowed to admire the view from the rooftop upstairs.

VENICE

• Concerts- Try to catch some live music in Venice.  The violin concert we heard in the church was one of the most moving concerts I’ve ever been to.
• Piazza San Marco- A central landmark in Venice that is stunning to see.  It also leads to Chanel and all the high end boutique stores.
• Rialto Market- A daily market with the most beautiful artichokes and radicchio I have ever seen.
• Vino Vino- Elegant wine bar specializing in Venetian cuisine.  Enjoyed some great Chianti, fish and roasted chicken.
• Hotel Molino Stucky- It may be a Hilton but it is worth stopping by this hotel that used to be an old flour factory.  The large brick building is stunning, and I’m sure the rooftop pool and bar are buzzing in the summer.  The prices are steep, so maybe stop for a glance and move on.

IMPRUNETA (just outside of Florence)

• Castello di Caffagio- This magnificent building overlooking a lush landscape of olive trees, vineyards and a forest sells some of the best olive oil I’ve ever tasted.
• Hotel Bellavista- The cheapest and most charming place we stayed in Italy.  The owners are incredible and very accomodating.  We loved the large outside terrace on the top floor and the restaurant downstairs was delicious.

FIUMICINO

• Hotel Seccy- If you have an early flight to catch don’t miss the harbor town of Fiumicino.  It is a great place to spend the night and the Hotel Seccy is a perfect hotel to rest your head.

For a city full of history and high fashion, Rome has been welcoming in every way.

And even though I hate it admit it, I probably stared at the leather three-inch heels in Prada longer than I did at the Colosseum. I love that Rome is strewn with pieces of history, but I also love a well designed shoe.

Prada has always been one of my favorite designers for it’s sleek simplicity. It began as a leather goods shop in Milan owned by Mario Prada.  He did not believe in women working in his business, but after his death his daughter-in-law. Miuccia Prada, took the helm of Prada and made it the luxury brand it is today.

Beyond the fashion I have also been won over by Italian food and drink. The dark roast espresso and soft pastries laced with almond and lemon appeal to me more than the bitter coffee and plain butter croissants of Paris.

Our hotel had a decadent breakfast buffet and I found myself filling my plate with mini chocolate and raisin pastries, croissants doused in icing sugar and sweet apricot tart.

In the evenings I allowed myself to be seduced by sweet Amaretto over ice with a slice of orange.  One night we found ourselves in a crowded bar with a rich buffet filled with all of my favorite foods: chickpeas and tomatoes, couscous, vegetables and dip and colorful cauliflower and mushroom salads.

The bar was young and hip and I was amazed with the ease of the people around us.  Everyone was fashionable in an easy way, dressed in sneakers and jeans and tightly bound scarves. As good as they looked, they all seemed more interested in having good conversation and a plate of good food than anything else.

I thought Italy would be intimidating and pretentious.  I thought the men would be aggressive and the women over the top.  But the overall feeling so far is friendly and easy going.  People seem to wear what they feel good in with a bit of glitz and glamour here and there.  And while the men don’t hide their stares, they never say anything or come too close for comfort.

The devil may wear Prada, but the Italians seem to wear whatever they want and are closer to being Saints.

“Always the problem with wanting to do structure is to do them in a way that still moves and is still comfortable, not really stiff,”

Miuccia Prada

Stay tuned for a taste of Tuscany…

Question of the day: Where do your favorite fashion designers come from?