11 Things You Need to Buy When You're in Italy

Italian markets and stores are some of the best places in the world to shop at both for food and other goods. You can't beat true Italian pasta or Italian leather! And when it comes to that Italian leather/products made in Italy, nothing is of better quality than a "Made in Italy" find. It's never, EVER easy to under-pack when going on vacation (right? I mean, I can't be the only one?!) but if you're planning a trip to Italy, I highly recommend leaving some space/weight to bring back allll of the amazing Italian things that you could possibly think of!

How to Travel Like a Local in Italy

It's fun to be a tourist, but it's also really fun to experience a country like a local does in their home on the daily! I like to think that Italy is basically my second home - I go there as much as humanly possible every year and part of me really thinks I'd love to live there 24/7. The atmosphere is completely different than it is in America - there's no real "busy" time of day, or day in general for that matter. Everything is so laid back; the people are relaxed and honestly I find myself feeling so calm and not stressed in the least bit when I'm in Italy. It's such a beautiful country and there's so many things to see, do and experience - and if you want to do things as the Italians do, here's how:

Travel Guide to Taormina + Messina, Sicily

This summer I went to my favorite place in the entire world - Italy. I put together a travel guide to Sorrento, a guide for the Amalfi Coast and some international travel packing tips that definitely saved me a few hundred dollars at TSA! I've said it before and I'll say it again and again; Italy is THE most breathtaking country and there's *so* much to see which is why it's completely necessary to take multiple trips. ;) That, and because the food alone will bring you back time and time again!
Out of all of my trips to Italy, this summer was the first time I went to Sicily. It was incredibly beautiful and to my surprise, much different than I had ever pictured it to be.

Italian Gem: The Amalfi Coast

This summer I got to travel to Italy after a few years too long after being there last. All of the touristy spots and museums, paintings and churches in Northern and Central Italy provide an amazing experience - Rome, Venice, Milan, Pisa, etc. - but one thing I hadn't done before is see the majority of the Amalfi Coast... And let me freakin' tell you guys, it's breathtaking. And now every time I go, I will most definitely be making it a priority to drive the coast line. There's a ton of places to start and ways to go, and driving the Amalfi Coast is a bit time consuming - but it's the best 2-3 hours you'll ever drive! With every look-out spot and every small fruit stand you pass along the way comes a new endless view pure beauty. Every time I'm asked where to go in Italy, the Amalfi Coast will be my answer!

Must See Spots in 48 Hours in Sorrento, Italy

Ciao d’Italia - hello from Italy! The past few days have been crazy; I landed around 11 PM (EST) which is 5 AM in Italy on Wednesday and I feel like I haven’t stopped since! I flew into Naples and have been exploring the stunning Amalfi Coast ever since. Picking a hotel in a foreign country really can be difficult; especially if you haven’t been to it before, but I’m so lucky with the one we picked and you’ll see why in some of these pictures… Literally jaw dropping and breath taking! Any way, since I’ve done so much in the past two days here, I wanted to share some of the best tips for traveling around Amalfi in a short period of time. As you may have heard me mention before, we have a family home in Southern Italy that’s been in my family for hundreds (yes, hundreds…) of years. Pretty awesome to get to say, and it’s pretty awesome to have! It’s old but beautiful and in good condition - although I would LOVE to have the Property Brothers do a European spin-off and renovate the entire thing! ; ) Can you imagine?!
I’ve already almost filled up an entire 16 GB memory card of pictures on my camera in the matter of two days, that’s how beautiful this place is! There’s something about the Italian lifestyle that is just SO insanely relaxing and let me tell you - SO different than in the United States. The majority of the roads are steep, narrow and windy and no matter how much traffic there is, you can guarantee that there will be dozens of vespa’s beeping their way in between traffic! It’s sort of insane, but it’s awesome to see and experience such a different culture/atmosphere.
Even though there’s more to do along the Amalfi Coast than you could ever do at once, Sorrento is definitely one of the most beautiful spots in my opinion and I just can’t stop staring at the views! In fact, I’m sitting on an ocean-view terrace as I write… I mean!!! The other awesome part of the Amalfi and Italy in general is that you really can easily dedicate one day to each place and be perfect with it; there's so much to see but there are so many spots to visit too, so fitting a lot in is easier than you'd expect. Before I ramble any more, I’ll dive into my travel experience and tips for seeing as much of Sorrento as possible:

7 Stunning, Must Visit Italian Beaches

You may or may not know by now that Italy is one of my favorite places in the entire world - my family is from Italy, I have family who still live there and if I can get there for a trip, you better believe I'll be on the first plane available! The lifestyle is incredible and the way that Italians live their lives is ideal. I love everything about the beautiful country that is Italy and with so many tourist attractions to see, history to learn about and amazing locations to share; Italian beaches are what you may not hear as much about. There's the touristy spots of Capri and even near Rome in and near Ostia, but beyond there - there's SO much more. I love tourist spots just as much as the next travel bug, but I love visiting places that aren't so crowded too, or spots that you wouldn't commonly think of visiting or come across. Here are the 7 most stunning beaches to plan on visiting on your Italian trip: