16 Jul 15 days in italy! Rome, Cinque Terre, Florence, Dolomites and Venice

Almost a year ago, Joanne and I took our very first trip to Europe. It was our ninth anniversary and I wanted to surprise her with something special, so we took a five city adventure through Italy. We journeyed from Rome, to Cinque Terre, to Florence, up to the Dolomites and finished our adventure in Venice. We traveled miles and miles on planes, trains and automobiles to get to our destinations, but it was worth every effort.

Trying to figure out what to do in a new country can be extremely difficult, so my first call was to Marissa Grad at Travel Happier. Marissa, helped us book our travel from Honolulu to Rome and back home from Venice and gave us an idea of the best ways to navigate throughout Italy. After figuring out how to get to Italy, we grabbed some travel guide books from Rick Steves and Lonely Planet and checked out travel blogs and found Italy vlogs on YouTube… but there’s only so much you can learn from other peoples’ experiences. For me, a big part of exploration is getting lost and finding your way, so though we figured out a basic itinerary for each city, we also left a lot of time for roaming aimlessly.

Rome
Speaking of Roaming, Rome was the first stop on our trip, where we visited the Colosseum, the Forum, Trevi Fountain, the Vatican and all the other “Must See” stops for tourists. Rome is filled with tons of beautifully constructed buildings and historical ruins, so it was amazing to step back in time and experience what it must’ve looked like during the Roman Empire.

Cinque Terre
Our second stop was the coastal city of Cinque Terre. There is always some debate over which coastal city to see when visiting Italy… the Amalfi Coast or Cinque Terre. For Joanne and I, it boiled down to location. Amalfi was further south, and our journey took us north, so it was a much more convenient one-day detour to squeeze in Cinque Terre on our way to Florence. I knew Italy was full of beautiful aerial opportunities, so I researched some of the rules before going and found out that Italy is a drone friendly place. I thought it would be a great opportunity to capture some once in a lifetime visuals, so I brought my DJI Mavic Pro and recorded some of the most breathtaking views I’ve ever experienced.

Florence
After Cinque Terre, we booked a train to Florence… home of the Renaissance. The Boboli Gardens and Uffizi Gallery were remarkable places to wander and take in the artwork I had only seen via my art history text books in college. Being surrounded by such significant artistry was overwhelming at times. As a gazed at the analog, original work of masters, I recounted my digital, repeatable processes of the present and was both humbled and encouraged to make every project I work on to be something I am proud of.

Dolomites
Taking a little break from the cities— we traveled through Bolzano where we rented a car to drive deeper into the remote and tranquil Dolomites. Surrounded by magnificent mountain ranges and the peaceful silence of nature, I knew this would be an opportunity like no other to capture the landscape from an aerial perspective. Seeing everything from a bird’s-eye-view really allows you to enjoy and appreciate the place with a much different perspective.

Venice
After spending a few days in solitude in the Dolomites we made our way to Venice. We had heard/read so many mixed reviews on what to expect in Venice. People commenting that it was so full of tourists that it wasn’t worth the trip. Some proclaiming that it was the best part of their Italian experience, but there was no way we would visit Italy without experiencing Venice for ourselves. Venice is the first place my mind goes to when I think of Italy. Streets made of water, seafood everywhere you look. and the sweet and romantic sunsets Italy is famous for.

It was a bittersweet moment leaving Italy but I’m so grateful for my time and experiences with Joanne on our 9th anniversary and can’t wait for our next adventure.

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Planning of a trip? Here are some of the references we used:

Travel Agency: Marissa Grad at Travel Happier
Rick Steve’s Italy Guide Book
Lonely Planet Italy Guide Book
Lonely Planet Website
Vatican Tickets
Things Not To Do in Venice
Sienna Hill Top Town Day Tour – Viator
Drone info

GEAR I USED: 
Primary Camera: Sony A7iii
Primary Zoom Lens: Tamron 28-75
Wide Lens: Tokina 20mm Firin
Portrait Lens: Sony FE 50mm / F1.8
Drone: DJI Mavic Pro
Shotgun Mic: Rode VideoMic Pro Plus
Compact Carbon Fiber Travel Tripod: Sirui T-025x Carbon Fiber Tripod
Backpack: RVCA Zack Noyle V1
Laptop: Apple 15” MacBook Pro
Storage: SanDisk 2TB SSD
FULL VLOG GEAR KIT