What’s “The Obvious”?

The name of this blog is “Italy: Beyond the Obvious“, because in my years of guiding, organizing, and coaching people on trips and travel to Italy, I’ve noticed there are a few things that pretty much nobody wants to miss, which I’ve listed below.

I highly recommend visiting all of these things, and they are famous for good reason.

So if you’ve only got a week to 10 days or it’s your first trip to Italy, definitely see and do this stuff – you’re not really going to be able to fit much more in, and anyway it would be a fabulous trip.

So here’s what I consider to be (and I think most people would agree) Italy’s “obvious”, often referred to as the Big Three, with a day trip to Pisa from Florence:

• The Colosseum, the Forum, the Vatican Museums, and St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome
• The Uffizi Gallery and the main square, Piazza della Signoria, in Florence
• St Mark’s Basilica in Venice
• The Leaning Tower of Pisa

You can still visit those sights and have a Beyond the Obvious experience, by going at a less busy time of year or a less busy day of the week. Or you can put just one or two of the Big Three in your trip, and balance the rest of it with some countryside hiking or seaside activities.