The beautiful and fair city of Verona in Italy which is well known to many around the world as the setting of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has so much more to offer than just a tragic love story. The city’s historic centre – a UNESCO World Heritage Site – is filled with historic castles and incredible architecture throughout and unlike the crowded streets of Rome, Florence or nearby Venice, Verona also feels so much more relaxed which makes it a perfect spot to explore Italy at a much slower pace. (more…)

Hidden away in the heart of Italy is the Republic of San Marino (Repubblica di San Marino) which is the fifth smallest country in the world and the third smallest country in Europe. It is somewhere that had always been on my list of places that I wanted to visit and earlier this month in March 2025 I finally got there and in turn, San Marino became the 72nd country for me to visit. (more…)

It feels like forever since I last wrote one of these blog posts but as I recently travelled to Rome for a short break, it felt only right to post another and hopefully more will follow soon now that the world is slowly opening up once again. We flew into Fiumicino Airport (also known as Leonardo da Vinci Airport) and one of the best, easiest, quickest and cheapest ways to get from Fiumicino Airport into Rome itself is to take the non-stop Leonardo Express train direct to Termini Station located in the centre of the city. (more…)

Venice is one of the most beautiful and unique cities anywhere in the whole world. This city made up 118 islands and 400 bridges is a fairytale world like nowhere else on earth and somewhere you have to visit at least once in your lifetime. However Venice has become a victim of its own popularity and in recent years has suffered from massive overtourism. Visiting Venice when busy and crowded is not fun and you could very easily leave hating the city that you wanted to visit so much. (more…)

If you have ever read any other of my blog posts you will know how much I hate organised tours. Why pay so much more money when travelling than is needed when you can experience the same and usually more by touring independently. I first became aware of Cinque Terre after seeing photos of those five beautiful villages online. Some people might say that it is impossible to see Cinque Terre in a day but I am not one of them. (more…)

In December I travelled to Pisa in Italy for a short break before Christmas. There is not much to do in Pisa apart from climb the Leaning Tower but just an easy train ride away is Cinque Terre – somewhere I had always wanted to visit from the first time I saw that iconic photo of the village of Manarola. (more…)