Classic Italian Icons Covered In 60 Seconds: Rome, Florence & Pisa

Well, that’s what it felt like by the end of it. In reality we only had about 3 days between all 3 cities so we didn’t fit in everything we wanted to see, but here’s a quick rundown of what we squished into a fun-packed family trip.

Roaming Rome

We flew into Rome with just over 1 day before our Mediterranean cruise started. After being on the go constantly in Turkey over the previous 17 days, we had originally planned just 1 relaxing day at the hotel in Civitavecchia. However, when an opportunity came up to do a food tour in Rome on that day, we couldn’t say no.

 

When the food tour was over the kids were tired, but knowing this would be the only chance we’d get to explore Rome, we pushed through. A short train ride brought us to the iconic and awe-inspiring, Colosseum. One bizarre jinx followed us throughout southern Europe. It seemed like almost every single famous monument we saw was undertaking some sort of renovation, which resulted in it being covered in scaffolding. This happened in Athens at the Acropolis, here in Rome at the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine, and the Pisa Cathedral, just to name a few. Argh!

 

We considered taking a several kilometre walk to reach Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, but decided not to since we were all worn out and jumped back onto the train followed by a 75 minute drive back to our hotel in Civitavecchia.

Fabulous Florence

On our first afternoon in Florence, we met with Erin’s parents and walked around town. The statues in the perennially packed Piazza della Signoria were exceptional, including the draft of the famous “David” by Michelangelo.

A short walk away was the illustrious Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore (Duomo). It is hard to describe the magnificence of the architecture – so ornate and intricate, yet so huge. In fact, I couldn’t even fit the whole building within 1 photo. We walked inside the church which was free but Erin had to cover up her shoulders and paid €1.50 to rent a poncho to cover her “indecent” shoulders. 

 

Afterwards, the kids had a ride on a nearby carousel and we just meandered around the town. It’s such a gorgeous city, there’s so much to see and do. The pedestrian walkways were very smooth so pushing the pram was easy. But as you would expect, most things are relatively expensive. I spied some genuine Italian gelato, which was a scrumptious break after all the walking. 

 

We spent most of our time in our hotel, Villa San Michele, on our 2nd day in Florence and enjoyed an adults-only dinner in town. The kids were being looked after by a babysitter at the hotel. The food at the restaurant we chose was mediocre, but it was a very memorable meal with Erin’s dad ordering a 1kg Florentine steak (2 pounds, 3 ounces). 

 

We also watched the sun set over the river, standing in the middle of the Ponte Vecchio – a famous, yet small, bridge spanning the Arno River with historic buildings still standing on it to this day, mostly housing jewellery thus giving it the nickname “Golden Bridge”. If you value your money though I’d shop for the jewellery elsewhere.

Picturesque Pisa

The next day we had planned to drive from Florence to Nice, France, which was going to take 4.5 hours, but I couldn’t let myself leave Italy without seeing the most iconic building of all – the Leaning Tower of Pisa. It was a slight side-track but it was well worth it.

We drove straight to the tower and pulled the car over on the side of the road (in a no parking area), and I jumped out and grabbed a few photos before we got back in the car and continued to France. The whole visit lasted no more than 15 minutes. Now that’s fast. I got what I went there for, and it wasn’t just photos of the tower, but witnessing a strange demented form of yoga spontaneously overtaking tourists on the grassy plaza. Weird!

 

It seems like Italy flew by too quickly but we are sure to go back in the future to savour the flavour, it’s just a question of when. Mumma Mia!

Italian Roadtrip: Alberobello To Perugia

Still recovering from the insanely scenic sunrise in Matera, we headed back on the road in pursuit of our next Italian scalp – the famed trulli houses in Alberobello. This town is situated in the most eastern region in Italy, known as Puglia. For the geographically-challenged, that’s the “heel” part of this the boot-shaped country. 

Once we met up with Erin’s parents, we stopped at a café to catch our breath and for a peach melba that was worthy of a photo.

Although trulli houses are scattered throughout the region and around Alberobello, there is a particularly high concentration in one area just a short walk from the centre of town. This has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1996.

You could be mistaken for thinking that gnomes live in these cone-shaped dwellings, but we didn’t spot any. Rather they are strewn with tourist shops offering a strange variety of knick knacks from new age crystals to cheap, plastic Chinese-made kids toys. Nevertheless it was a delight to walk through the streets and admire the unique architecture and soak up the Italian vibe.

Erin’s parents bought Mia and Caius cute wooden slide whistles and they tooted to their hearts content.

Heading back to the car, we continued north onto the Molfetta Outlet Mall a short drive away and stopped for lunch. It seemed strangely deserted there and we didn’t do any shopping, but grabbed a bite to eat and trucked on.

Later that afternoon we reached our hotel in Termoli for our overnight pitstop. Exhausted from a long day in the car, we ate a glamorous dinner of ham sandwiches in the hotel room. The following morning, breakfast at the hotel was surprisingly tasty and after checking out, continued further up the eastern Italian coast.

We had intended to catch Erin’s parents for lunch but failed to meet each other at the planned location so we just made a couple of Vegemite sandwiches and drove onto our hotel in Perugia.

After checking in, we finally met Erin’s parents at their hotel and drove into the centre of town in Perugia for a pleasant evening stroll and dinner of classic Italian fare.

Perugia is known as the home town of famed Renaissance artist, Raphael, and for manufacturing and exporting Baci chocolate.

We covered 3 Italian towns in 2 days and had even more adventures in store at our next road trip stop – Florence

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Southern Europe Road Trip: 18 Days Across Italy, France & Spain

Follow our 18 day journey across 3 countries: Italy, France and Spain (4 including Monaco). Also along for the ride were my parents which made this an extra fun time. If you’ve ever thought about taking a road trip around southern Europe, here’s the ultimate guide to get you started.

Tip #1: Each day below contains links to our posts which cover each location in much more detail.

Tip #2: We had two cars and communicated by walkie talkies. This saved on purchasing 3 different SIM cards for each country we visited. 

Tip #3: Read more about car leasing. If you decide to go longer than 17 days it will probably save you money compared to a regular car rental. Let’s go!

Note: tolls & fuel have been converted from EUR to AUD.

The route of our southern Europe road trip through Italy, France, Monaco and Spain

Day 1 - Italy

Pickup car in Rome drive to Praiano

Accommodation: Hotel Margherita, Praiano (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $22.90

Fuel: $73

Our car collection from Citroen was smooth and easy. We really enjoyed our trip to Praiano except when we got to Positano. You can read all about that trip here.

We found a wonderful place to stay, high up on the hill and settled in for a few days. To finish up we enjoyed a dinner overlooking the ocean at a cliff-side restaurant that sported a small kid’s playground.

Day 2 - Italy

Praiano

Accommodation: Hotel Margherita, Praiano (check prices in area...)

The car stayed in the garage and we took the bus to Positano today. Wow, what a hairy adventure. Check all the details here. Got our laundry done next door for €15, and spent the afternoon swimming in the hotel pool. 

Picturesque Positano. The colourful town proudly sits on the steep slope, touching the wispy clouds.

Day 3 - Italy

Praiano

Accommodation: Tramonto D’Oro, Praiano (check prices in area...)

We were going to drive to Amalfi, but ended up going by bus. Our plans to visit Capri were spoiled by bad sea weather. Enjoyed a lovely dinner and watched the sun go down from the top floor ofHotel Margherita.

Day 4 - Italy

Praiano to Pompeii to Matera

Accommodation: Hotel Sassi, Matera (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $2.80

Back on the road, we left Praiano and headed to Pompeii which was a bit of a let down for us. Afterwards we headed to Matera, which was an absolute surprise – stunning.  We booked into a cave hotel, didn’t have anything on our Turkish ones, but was comfortable and large.

Day 5 - Italy

Matera to Termoli

Accommodation: Hotel Mistral, Termoli (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $17

Fuel: $86

Josh did a sunrise photography tour around Matera before we ate some breakfast and headed down the coast to Alberobello. This little town was mysterious and a must-see in Italy. 

After Alberobello we visited the Molfetta Outlet before heading to Termoli.

We arrived late and simply bought ham and bread for sandwiches that night. It was nice to have plain food after rich Italian most nights and it was good to stay in and get a proper sleep. 

Day 6 - Italy

Termoli to Perugia

Accommodation: Albergo Nyers, Perugia (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $21

Fuel: $121

The breakfast at our hotel was delicious. We didn’t stick around in Termoli, opting to head straight to Perugia. We were meant to meet my mum and dad for lunch, but couldn’t find them so headed straight to Perugia.

Perugia was just as surprising as Matera, a beautiful part of Italy that needs to be visited. We enjoyed a walk around the city and dinner in town. 

Day 7 - Italy

Perugia to Florence

Accommodation: Villa San Michele, Fiesole Firenze (check prices in area...)

Our GPS directed us down some dangerously narrow roads to the wrong location, but we eventually made it to our hotel. 

After we had checked in at the amazing Villa San Michele we took a taxi to Florence and had a walk around town vising the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio and riding the carousel.

As the sun went down we opted to return to Villa San Michele for one of the best meals of our life.

Day 8 - Italy

Florence

Accommodation: Villa San Michele, Fiesole Firenze (check prices in area...)

Following breakfast we went for a swim in the pool. The kids went to kids club while Josh and I enjoyed a leisurely lunch by the pool, did some writing and booked some flights.

The kids came back for a nap and play. We had organized a babysitter to watch the kids and headed back to Florence via the hotel shuttle for a double date with my parents.

After my Dad attempted a 1kg steak we headed to a gelati store taking another walk around the city.

Day 9 - France

Florence to Pisa to Nice, France

Accommodation: Little Palace, Nice (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $48

After our delicious breakfast, it was a sad farewell to Villa San Michele.  Josh could not leave Italy without seeing the Leaning Tower of Pisa so we headed off early that morning for a quick stop at Pisa.

I found a great parking spot, Josh took a few happy snaps and we were back in our car on the way to Monte Carlo, Monaco.

This was another quick stop checking out the super impressive cars and gold star hotels before continuing onto Nice, France. Phew! 3 countries in one day.

In Nice we had a walk along the French Rivera, stopped for a terrible dinner with arrogant waiters and checked into our tiny out-of-the-way hotel.

 

Day 10 - France

Nice to Arles

Accommodation: Airbnb Apartment, Arles (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $30.20

Fuel: $91

Crepes for breakfast were better than dinner. And we checked out of Nice and headed to Cannes. Took some photos by the beach and then drove to Aix.

We had a great walk around Aix, stopped for a delicious burger lunch and drove onto Arles.

Our apartment was ready for us and was ultra-cute in a very French-loft-kind-of-way. Cooked our meal in our apartment and had a night in.

Day 11 - France

Arles

Accommodation: Airbnb Apartment, Arles (check prices in area...)

We met my parents and took a walk to the old city, visited the amphitheater, rode on the carousel and made it back home for an afternoon nap.

Lunch in the old city was not good and our Chinese takeaway was a bit average that evening. 

Day 12 - France

Arles to Creissels

Accommodation: Hericlea Hotel Sport, Millau (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $7.80

Today we drove to Saint-Guithem-le-Desert. An adorable medieval style town, easy to walk around and enjoy. Decided to have dessert for lunch and had delicious crème brulee and profiteroles. I have to admit, the French know how to do desert.

Back on the road we made it to Millau and checked into our log cabin, while my parents chose a castle. We took a walk around Millau, ate dinner and came home.

Day 13 - France

Creissels to Toulouse

Accommodation: Airbnb Apartment, Toulouse (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $2

Fuel: $105

Today we decided on an impromptu visit to the French countryside and the Aven Armand Caves. The drive was beautiful and the caves fascinating.

We headed to Toulouse after the caves, checked into our apartment and bought some kebabs for dinner, while the kids slept through. 

Day 14 - France

Toulouse

Accommodation: Airbnb Apartment, Toulouse (check prices in area...)

We took a walk around Toulouse today, found a playground and rode a carousel again. Had an afternoon nap before heading for dinner at the Hippopotamus, which was pretty good. 

Day 15 - Spain

Toulouse to Pamplona, Spain

Accommodation: Hotel Avenida, Pamplona (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $39.30

Impound: $140

Early start this morning… didn’t happen. Walked out of our apartment towards our car and there was a market there. No car. The French police stole our car.

Finally after several hours we got on the road for a mad run to get to Pamplona, Spain.

Made a stop at a highway road stop for lunch and kept going making it to our hotel late afternoon.

We decided to take a walk around town and stumbled, by chance, upon a family “running of the bulls”. It was absolutely delightful and one of my favourite spontaneous moments of our road trip. 

Josh tried boar stew for dinner before we headed back home. 

Day 16 - Spain

Pamplona to Barcelona

Accommodation: Mercer Hotel, Barcelona (check prices in area...)

Tolls: $61

Zaragoza was on our stops today and we had a fun lunch at Tommy Mel’s Diner before continuing our trip to Barcelona.

We all decided Barcelona was not made for cars and we hit up Citroen to return our car. It happened to be the same depot as my parent’s Renault so we hitched a taxi back to our hotel.

The taxi was clueless and dropped us some distance, but when we finally walked with all our stuff to the Mercer Hotel we were in awe.

The kids had left overs from lunch and I found a Chinese restaurant across the street for Josh and I to enjoy while the kids were fast asleep. 

Day 17 - Spain

Barcelona

Accommodation: Mercer Hotel, Barcelona (check prices in area...)

Today we explored Barcelona. We walked the main drag to the bus stop to get to Guell Park.

Once we finished there I headed back to the hotel with some tapas to let the kids nap, while Josh went on to the famous Cathedral.

Later that evening we walked to the harbor and stopped for some Spanish food. Dinner at El Ray De La Gamba was a disappointment. 

Day 18 - Ireland

Barcelona flight to Ireland

Accommodation: Ballsbridge Hotel, Dublin (check prices in area...)

My parents came to our hotel to say goodbye today. It was emotional. We grabbed a taxi to the airport and took our first Ryanair flight to Dublin, Ireland. Made our home at the Ballsbridge for the next 6 nights. I got to go to a Guinness Storehouse party while Josh stayed home with the kids.

And there you have it. Our 18-day journey through Italy, Monaco, France and Spain. Italy by far was my favourite, followed by Spain and with the experiences we had in France I have to say I am not a fan. Jaded as it was by the missing car incident, rude restaurant staff and disappointing food choices. But maybe it was just my English blood. In all seriousness, seeing southern Europe by road is a great way to go. There are so many little towns that exude their unique flavor and I wish we could see them all. Maybe next time.

Road Trip Tally

Total Days: 18

Total Tolls: AUD$252

Total Fuel: AUD$476

Total Distance: 3,507 km (2,179.15 miles)