When in Rome!

Hey everyone my name is KJ and I am currently an exchange student in Manchester. Recently however I made a short trek over to Italy and have come up with a few words of advice for any of those planning to visit while abroad. I stopped first in Venice for a few days and then headed straight over to Rome to finish off the week.

 Venice

 Venice is probably one of the most relaxing cities I have visited. While it is often extremely full of people due to its popularity everyone there is definitely there to chill out. The first word of advice I can give you t is try to arrive in Venice during the day if you can. As you will find out quickly the city is quite a labyrinth. Regardless of your sense of direction and savvy with maps you are guaranteed to get a bit lost trying to find your way around. Try to enjoy the experience and don’t hesitate to ask for directions. While your in Venice I also recommend that you search the backstreets as thoroughly as you can. Venice is full of tourists and so a lot of the better experiences are off the main pathways. This holds especially true for restaurants and cafes. The easier they are to find the more expensive and less authentic they will be. Finally, while you might enjoy weeks exploring the city you really only need a solid day or two to get a real feel for the place.

Rome

First things first, Rome is humungous.  You could spend days and days trying to see al there is to see while you’re here. Luckily the city is equipped with a pretty decent subway system. It is comprised of two main lines that will take you to most notable sites within a few minutes. Another aspect of Rome was that it had a much better nightlife than Venice. If you head to the northeastern end of the city you can find some great places to spend a night out. Furthermore, its not a bad idea to go revisit some of your favorite sites during the night as well. Most are lit up beginning at dusk and provide for some pretty amazing pictures. The impressiveness of some of the fountains and buildings is more apparent at night. The main drawback of Rome is that the center of the city is a drive away from Rome’s main airport. That being said it might prove wise to set up a shuttle before you venture over. Overall, Rome has a lot going on so it is a great place to go with a large group. A final thought on Venice and Rome is that you must eat as much of the food as you possibly can. The food, wine, and deserts are all some of the best I have ever had.