CIAO BELLA: A SPONTANEOUS ITALIAN GETAWAY

I've just landed in the U.K from one of the most fun, girly trips ever. One of my best friends Jade invited me on a cute little getaway with her sister, and her sister's best friend and when i heard that it was going to be Italy, I couldn't wait to pack my bags and get some pesto pasta in my belly (which happened...a lot...)

We stayed in Verona, a city in the north of Italy that's most famously known as the setting for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet and from there we travelled to Lake Garda, Florence and Venice which was more than we thought we would be able to fit into a four day trip. If I've learnt one thing from travelling (and also dating josh aka Mr spontaneous), is that you can fit a lot into a day!

Some tips for getting the most out of your city breaks:

• Plan beforehand: this ensures that you don't waste time figuring out what you want to do whilst you're there. Obviously there can be some flexibility in this depending on how long you are staying and how big your group is. When I was in Paris for the day, we made sure to plan an itinerary and stick to this to maximise our time there. When we went to Barcelona for 3 days, we made a plan of what we knew we both wanted to see, and then a separate list of things we would like to do if we had time so that we could see on the day, which worked really well. This Italy trip was the first I have been on with a group of girls, and we went with an idea of which cities we wanted to visit, but we even surprised ourselves with what we were managed to fit in. We checked the weather for each city every evening and basically let the sun dictate where we visited, and that worked the best for us! We made sure to each pick at least one sight we wanted to see, and then we had at least four activities each day. I think it helps to go with a group that are all up for an adventure and to explore off the beaten path too!
• Prioritise what you want to spend money on: For us, we budgeted that Venice was going to be the city where we would end up spending the most money, so we made sure we had plenty of cash with us when we visited. We saved money by visiting a supermarket each morning to buy some fresh rolls, cheese, olives drinks and snacks for our lunch, and I'm so glad we did because it let us have more freedom with where we could eat and let us experience authentic Italy. It also meant we could spend more money on dinner and drinks throughout the day which worked really well for us. 
• Pack light: Hand luggage is an obvious go to for short trips, but even sharing outfits with your friends can save space (and leave room for buying more souvenirs)
• Get up early: I have never been one of those people who has a lie in on holiday, because I always want to make the most of the day. It sounds obvious, but getting up early lets you make the most of the day, and we managed to fit in so much more than we would have if we had headed out at lunch time. 

DAY 1: VERONA

So we arrived in Verona around lunchtime after leaving London at some ungodly hour of the morning, and when we stepped off the plane and into the sunshine, we knew it was going to be a great day! Our hotel was in the best possible location we could have hoped for, and after initially not being able to find it (took us at least 20 minutes and totally not easy to find), our cute host rushed outside to meet us and escort us to the hotel...much to our embarrassment. But he was the sweetest man and really went the extra mile to accommodate our stay- he brought us a map and marked out all the places we should visit in Verona, helped us out with train tickets and even brought us a kettle because he knew how much us Brits love our tea. So sweet.

As soon as he left, we changed out of our plane clothes, made ourselves look alive and then raced out of the hotel into the sunshine. Our hotel was quite literally outside the walls of Verona town, and so 5 minutes later we were strolling the sunny streets of pastel houses to explore the town. It's definitely a lot more modern than we were expecting it to be, but its a good balance of nice shops and old streets so you don't feel too much like you're in London. It is also very clean, which coming from London, is something you learn to appreciate.

After strolling through the town and eating our first pizza and Gelato, we walked towards Juliet's house, or Casa di Giulietta, a house originally owned by the Capello family whose name bore resemblance to Shakespeare's Juliet Capulet from Romeo and Juliet and so the tourist attraction was born. The balcony resembles the one from the play itself, and although I am not a lover of Shakespeare (My English Lit degree ruined it for me) It was quite cute to see the resemblance to the classic love story. People come and post letters in the cracks of the walls about their love life, in the hope that Juliet will bring them good luck but I mean, if there is one person I would not want to be taking love life advice from it would be Juliet. Spoiler if you haven't read the play, but they both die so...

We then climbed way too many stairs for a Sunday afternoon but it was worth it to take in the sun setting over this beautiful city. We found a restaurant with the best views and sat and chatted for ages with a cold drink and the warm sun- The perfect start to the holiday.

DAY 2: LAKE GARDA

We got up bright and early to head to the old town of Sirmione in Lake Garda: picnic, trainers and camera's at the ready. It took us a LOT longer to get there than anticipated due to unforeseen travel issues (lol understatement) but once we finally arrived, it was a better day than any of us could have hoped for!

We had a picnic at the Lake (with the nicest peaches and the best olive bread I've ever had ever) and sat for ages just taking in the view, and Jade feeding the birds. Honestly she is like snow white, wherever she is, animals just follow her. 

We then went for a stroll through the town which is enclosed in an old castle and all feels so quaint and picturesque. We ate ice creams, took pictures by the pink walls, and ate some more in the sweetest little pizzeria that had fairy lights and the yummiest food. 

Classic girls and their pink walls...

Italy really does have the BEST Gelato ever, and in Lake Garda the choices were just crazy. This picture features a Nutella, Snickers, Melon and Berry frozen Yoghurt flavours and they were all so dreamy.

When we were paying the bill, Jade spotted the sun setting gone the lake just behind us so we raced over to the water's edge to get a good view. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen, and I was too busy taking it all in to take a picture of it in its full glory, but I managed to snap this cute little pic of Jade just before the sun fully disappeared and it is the cutest photo ever. 

DAY 3: FLORENCE

Florence was just over an hour away on the train, so we decided to visit as it was somewhere that had always been on our bucket lists! The city itself is again quite modern and not what we were expecting, and it wasn't until we really got into the heart of the city, past the tourist attractions and famous sculptures and up to the far side of the town where we felt like we appreciated the city for what it is. We climbed even more steps to reach the top of a viewing platform and the views over the city were amazing! There was live street music and the atmosphere was just so chilled and calming (which is what you want after climbing 480 steps)

I also had the best dark chocolate Gelato on our way home and if that didn't end the day on a high note, I don't know what would have. 

DAY 4: VENICE

oh Venice! You stole all our hearts. We had high hopes for this floating little city and they definitely lived up to expectations. Cue eating ice cream in the sunshine, riding a gondola through the winding canals, and eating dinner along the waters edge as the sun set- we did it all and it was truly magical! The Gondola was a definite highlight of the trip, and our guide Adam was the friendliest man ever. We wondered through the streets, over the bridges and around the city for hours, taking in a new sight and a new shop on every corner. I also saw two of the cutest ever sausage dogs running with their flappy little ears along the streets too so I mean, trip made right there.

On our last day before heading back to the airport, we headed back into Verona city to grab some food and soak up the last bit of sun before heading back to England where autumn is fully setting in. We walked back up the stairs to take in the view over the city one more time, before resentfully making our way back to the hotel for the last time. There was actually a little market on in the town centre selling some really nice Italian street food, so we bought Calzone and baguettes and found some sunny steps to eat on. It was the most fun trip ever with the best girls, and I couldn't have asked for a better first experience of this beautiful country.

Italy, I love you and I will definitely be back one day. If only just to enjoy some more of the best pesto pasta ever.