My Italy Travel Recs

by yourceliacguide | May 10, 2026 | Uncategorized

I highly recommend NOT doing Venice in June. It’s so overcrowded, I believe you now have to pay an extra tax in Venice to travel during the summer. The locals are begging people to go on the off-season instead of summer. Plus you got plenty of other things to see! 

Where to Stay: 

Rome:

My recommendation: Stay near the Piazza Navona. 

You’ll be right in the center of all the great spots to visit in Rome as well as within walking distance of so many great restaurants!

(Note: I have NOT stayed at any of these hotels. I usually stay near the Vatican but these hotels are way more central)

• Budget Option: Locanda Parlamento
  (No star rating available)
  8.4 Hotels.com Rating
  Approximately $84 per night during the summer (and winter)
  • 2 minute walk to Ciao Checca
  • 10 minute walk to Pizza in Trevi
  • 12 minute walk to Risotteria Melotti Roma
    

• Moderate Option: Navona Gallery Suites
  (No star rating available)
  9.6 Hotels.com Rating
  Approximately $180 per night during the summer ($148 during the winter)
  • 4 minute walk to Risotteria Melotti Roma
  • 8 minute walk to Voglia di Pizza – Gluten free
  • 11 minute walk to New Food Gluten Free
    
    
• Luxury Option: Domaso Hotel

★★★
9.8 Hotels.com Rating
Approximately $490 per night during the summer ($150 during the winter)

• 5 minute walk to Voglia di Pizza – Gluten free
• 7 minute walk to Risotteria Melotti Roma
• 8 minute walk to New Food Gluten Free 

Florence: 

• Hotel: Hotel Degli Orafi
  I LOVED this hotel when I went solo 2 years ago. Their rooftop bar is amazing and I met a lot of American couples there. It can get very pricey during the weekends and in certain seasons. If it’s expensive when you guys are going I recommend booking a hotel near there. It’s in such a great area of town.
  

Sorrento/Positano:

I havent stayed in Sorrento or Positano but both are the hottest destinations on the Amalfi Coast. Friends of mine have stayed here ​​at Hotel Puppeto in Positano and they loved it. 

• Capri:
  • I’ve never stayed in Sorrento, but I’ve stayed on Capri twice and it’s INCREDIBLE. Capri is divided into two parts, Capri and Anacapri (upper Capri). There’s so much to explore there and easy to get from the upper and lower parts. The nicer hotels are in Ana like this one I stayed at.
    
    You can get to Capri from Sorrento via the Hydrafoil (fast boat). It runs like every hour. Info here
    
  • There is also a Hydrafoil from Naples. That’s the one I usually take. I take a Frecci train from Rome to Naples, then taxi to the ferry terminal. 

• If you are going to take a train from Rome ALWAYS take a Frecciarossa, ALWAYS book ahead of time, and ALWAYS book a business class ticket that ensures you get a seat, and have space for your luggage. Trust me it’s necessary and worth the extra 15 euro 
• https://www.trenitalia.com/en/frecce/frecciarossa.html
  

Tour Recommendations:

Avoid tours between 11 am – 2 pm. It will be HOT in June!!

Rome:

• Borghese Museum Tour 

This is my favorite museum in Rome. Its way less overwhelming and overcrowded than the Vatican Museum. You’ll see some incredible masterpieces there!

• Morning Tour: Colosseum VIP Access with Arena and Ancient Rome Tour (2.5 hours)
  I recommend booking this tour as early as you will be able to manage to handle it. Remember, tours will ALWAYS leave without you. So if you can’t manage 8:30 AM, book a little later time
  
• Evening Tour: Walking Tour in the Heart of Rome (1-2 hours)

Florence: 

• Tours: (Basically) Free Tour of Florence History

This is one of my favorite tours of all time! It cost me $5 and I tipped the guy a $20 because he was so great. It gives you a great overview of the history of Florence, the influence of the Medici on the Renaissance, and art.

Speaking of the Medici, watch the Medici special on Netflix before you go! It 

gives you a greater appreciation of the city of Florence and all the Renaissance!

• Uffizi Gallery
  I did this tour with Marco on Airbnb Experiences and he was fantastic! The Uffizi Gallery is one of the most famous art museums in the world and home to incredible Renaissance art. 

Sorrento/Positano:

I’ve never stayed in Sorrento or Positano, but I’ve stayed on Capri twice and it’s INCREDIBLE. Capri is divided into two parts, Capri and Anacapri (upper Capri). There’s so much to explore there. You can get to Capri from Sorrento via the Hydrafoil (fast boat). It runs like every hour. Info here

This sounds incredibly bougie but TRUST ME, it’s worth every penny. If you can, do a private boat tour around Capri. I got lucky when I went solo my Airbnb arranged one for a few guests to split so I did a private boat tour with 3 others from the Airbnb and it was an incredible experience. Dylan and I also did one on Lake Como for our Honeymoon. It was the most expensive part of our honeymoon but SOOO worth it!
I found this one on Viator that leaves from Sorrento    

Transportation: 

• If you’ve never traveled to Europe before take caution. There are many scammers and pickpocketers you need to watch out for in Rome. One of the biggest scams in Rome are the fake taxis. This is what official Rome Taxis look like. 
• 

All Roman taxis will have this logo on the door. DO NOT get into any taxi that does not have this logo. There are many scammers outside the airport who would love to rip you off with a fake “taxi.” (All taxis wait in a long line directly in front of the airport)

My Advice: Book a Private Transfer ($12 more than a cab!!)  

If it’s your first trip to Europe, book yourself a private car transfer and save yourself the stress of getting a cab. 

I used Sergio with Rome Fiumicino Transfer Company last time I went to Rome and I loved his service! I booked everything online, the communication was fantastic, and it was so easy! 

The cost of the private transfer was $60 (in 2021). A taxi was $48. It was only $12 more to book a private transfer! 

The best $12 you could spend in Rome! It will ensure your safety and save you so much stress!

My flight even came in 2 hours late and Sergio was not able to pick me up because he had another pick up scheduled. However, he had another driver pick me up and he was great. 

I highly recommend the Rome Fiumicino Transfer Company and will continue to use them whenever I travel to Rome!

To book with them click here!

Trains:

The high-speed trains around Italy are incredible. 

• Rome -> Amalfi Coast
  Take high-speed train from Rome to Naples. Then switch to local train or water taxi to coast. This website outlines how to get from Rome to Sorrento!
  
• Amalfi Coast -> Florence
  Take local transportation back to Naples. Then high speed train from Naples to Florence
  
• Florence -> Rome

High speed train from Florence to Rome. 

Day 1:

 Fly out of EWR (Overnight flight into Rome) 

Day 2:

Land in Rome
(you’ll be exhausted this day so take it slow)

Day 3:

Rome

Day 4: 

Rome -> Amalfi Coast (Sorrento or Positano)
This website outlines how to get from Rome to Sorrento!

Day 5:

Sorrento/Positano

Day 6: 

Sorrento/Positano

Day 7:

Naples -> Florence

Day 8:

Florence

Day 9: 

Florence -> Rome

Day 10: 

Fly home

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Michele + Cori Ireland Recommendations

by yourceliacguide | Mar 28, 2026 | Uncategorized

Dublin

Where to Stay

Zanizbar has probably the best location in Dublin!

Tours

• You need to start your Dublin trip with this walking tour. Dylan still talks about how good this walking tour to this day. It was fantastic. I recommend doing it at the start of your trip because it’ll help give you a good layout of Dublin!
• If you REALLY like Irish history this is my absolute favorite tour. It takes an hour max and it really is a beautiful tribute to the Irish Rebellion against the British. And yes, it’s at the Dublin Post Office lol.
• Most people say this is the best tour in Dublin but it’s only my second favorite it’s the prison where most of the Irish rebels were executed. If you do both do the post office first and then the jail 2nd so you get a good chronological order of the events in the rebellion. Jail tickets
• Definitely do a music pub crawl!!! (I think this is the one I did)
• And of course the Jameson factory is so great!
• We also did the Irish Whiskey Museum and it was on par with Jameson!

Food

• The #1 Restaurant in Rome in my opinion, hands down. Millstone Restaurant
• Our #2 Restaurant is totally different (only good if you love Indian-type food) – Monty’s
  
• Next to Temple Bar Dublin there is “Temple Bar Whiskey Bar” WAY less crowded and a nice chill vibe for drink before dinner.
  

Galway

Galway is literally my favorite place in the world. It’s so happy and exciting. Everyone is pleasant and welcoming. The music and the vibe is incredible! Worth at least two days.

Where to Stay

​​The Leonardo Hotel was always my family’s favorite when they used to travel to Ireland with me! If it is in your budget I highly recommend staying here!

I’m all about staying in Airbnbs and Vrbos, but for Galway I don’t recommend it unless you can get a few blocks away from city centre and NOT on the same block as a pub. I’m ¼ for sleeping well in Galway because every Airbnb I stayed at was LOUD outside because they were within a block or two of a pub and at 3 am it’s not ideal haha.

Tours

• Galway Hop On, Hop Off Bus Tour – my dad and I loved this! It was a great way to see all of the city and get your bearings. 
• We did Lally Tours for the Cliffs of Moher from Galway!
  

Where to Eat

• Our biggest regret of Galway was not eating here – Ard Bia. Reservations book WAY in advance and we missed out. 
• Dough Bros has great pizza
• Pratai on the main drag has fantastic french fries!
• Dylan loved Xi’an Street Food!

• Dail Bar – you HAVE to go here. It’s so much fun!
• Tig Goili – you HAVE to go to one of their twice daily trad music sessions. Idk how it is off season, but during the summer you have to go a half hour early to get a seat. 
• Taafees is amazing at night. 

Killarney

I HAVE to recommend it. It’s so out of the way and a bit of a drive but if you have the time it’s SO worth heading over to. Killarney national park is one of the most beautiful places Ive seen. 

I rented a bike and thought Id ride for 2-3 hours…40 miles and 6 hours later I didn’t want to go home! Haha. It’s INCREDIBLE. I also loved the town itself.

• Genting Thai – we ate here 3 different times in one trip haha. 
• Irish Whiskey Experience – enough said haha

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