What to avoid in Italy? I fell into a tourist trap

It was the best to organize the culinary tour after Bologna unrivaled.

Bologna is a place called the culinary capital of Italy. It was here that dishes such as Ragù or Mortadela were born, which is why we decided that it is best to get to know this city through the prism of food.

The more I was looking at the offers of organized culinary trips, the more I was convinced that I prefer to do it in my own way. Your own plan was not only more affordable, but also allowed to match the route to his own tastes.

We started the day by visiting Paolo Atti & Figli, where we tried Di Riso, or rice cake. Then came the sandwiches with Mortadel in Crock, classic tagliatelle Antica Ricetta in Ragū and ice cream in Cremeria Santo Stefano.

In the evening we finished the culinary tortellini journey in Sfoglia Rina, leaving Bologna with full stomachs and a list of dishes that we must try next time.

A bicycle trip around Tuscany was a great decision

Tuscany is famous for the hilly landscapes and the wine of Chianti, a dry red drink.

Wanting to get to know the countryside better, we signed up for a bicycle trip with the company in Like Tuscany. They offered various routes – from easy to multi -day trips – and some of them also contained stops in local vineyards and restaurants.

This experience allowed us not only to enjoy nature and try local wines, but also to get off the tourist trails and … move a bit.

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I am glad that we left ourselves time for free wandering around the city

It is easy to plan everything on trips to the minute. I know from experience, however, that leaving free hours works miracles.

Planning with a “error margin” avoids fatigue and pressure, and often leads to the most interesting surprises.

One of the best moments of this trip happened spontaneously. In Florence, we ate dinner in the Mirò Ristorante pizzeria published by the locals and we came across sunset with music on the Ponte Santa Trinita bridge.

Such time to “wander” allows you to really absorb the atmosphere and better feel the atmosphere of the place.

It's good that we connected large cities with more distant towns

I like to visit different regions of a given country, because each of them has different customs, character and attractions.

In larger cities, the pace was faster and days filled with museums and monuments. In the province, in turn, we rested, walked and tasted local wine.

Thanks to this combination, our trip was not monotonousand we have gained a fuller picture of Italy.

What will I not do next time? I will definitely skip the pizza

The tower curve in Pisa is a classic of Italian tourism, but today it is rather a tourist trap.

It was my first time in Pisa, so we wanted to “tick off” and visited the tower, several museums, we twisted around the city. But honestly? Next time I will visit Siena again.

There we climbed the fourteenth-century Torre del Mangia tower and rested at Piazza del Campo. A great idea was also a visit to Lucca, where we went on the city walls and ate one of the best meals of the whole trip.

Cinque Terre? Only outside!

Cinque Terre is a place created for contemplation of nature, walks on a cliff, hiking along trails and rest on stony beaches.

Italy is full of museums and monuments, but If you go to Cinque Terre, let go of the interior. This is not there the magic of these five towns.

Instead, it is better to focus on what really makes this place exceptional – the landscape, breathtaking views and unhurried walks. Thanks to this, experience will be truly authentic.

The above text is a translation with American Business Insider edition