Solo Backpacking Europe: Week 6 in Venice & Rome, Italy

Don’t feel like reading? Here, I’ll read it to you

After leaving Catania, my last week in Italy was spread between three cities: Venice, Rome, and Florence. I’ll talk about Venice & Rome in this one, but Florence is going to get its own article.

VENICE

My weekend in Venice was very nice.

Getting there was a bit of an ordeal I must say. This was the first time in my life I had experienced an overbooked flight. My stomach dropped when they told me I’d have to just wait to see if someone didn’t show up.

What the hell?? I thought, why would they sell more tickets than seats? That ridiculous!! And didn’t they know I had important plans this weekend?!

Apparently, this is pretty common practice. From this, I learned to ALWAYS check in to your flight as early as possible. I waited until I got to the airport to check in and that’s how I ended up on the sh*t list. When you get that little notification to check in for your flight, do it right away.

Though I never wish harm on anybody, at this moment I found myself hoping and praying that someone got stuck in traffic or got sick or had to cancel their romantic trip to Venice for one reason or another (despicable, I know.) For hours I stood at the boarding desk making sure I would be the first to get an open seat. I also had to run across the airport when our gate changed three times. Luckily for me, someone missed their flight. Bummer!

Besides trying to score a seat on the flight I paid for, getting to Venice isn’t necessarily simple. Venice is a series of islands and you don’t just land right in the middle of it all. When I arrived at the Marco Polo airport, I bought a ticket at the public transportation window. I then took a bus to Piazzale Roma and from there jumped on a water bus to the stop nearest my hotel. I’m walking you through all this because I was super unaware before going and I want to save anyone from having to figure this out themselves.

Alexa is taking a picture on a bridge in Venice, Italy.

There are no roads in Venice, only canals. Which, of course, is a big part of its charm.

I remember thinking it was so cool that all the taxis, police, ambulances, etc. are boats rather than cars. It sounds obvious, but it’s just something I had never thought about until I was there.

Venice is deserving of all the hype it gets. It’s just beautiful. It even flooded while we were there (common) and they have riser walkways they set up. There are also plastic boot covers at every little knick-knack tourist shop and cart. I didn’t personally rock those as they didn’t go with my outfit, and I usually try to avoid wearing a big fat sign that says “HEY I’M A TOURIST!” But I can appreciate the practicality and the dedication to keeping one’s feet dry.

I saw all the major things to see. The Rialto Bridge, Saint Mark’s Square, Saint Mark’s Basilica, the Bridge of Sighs, Doge’s Palace, St. Mark’s Campanile, Ponte dell’Accademia, and the Grand Canal. Gorgeous. Bonus for the James Bond fans out there, you can walk through the Hotel that was featured in two films, Hotel Danieli Venice. It is quite exquisite and I felt like I was not fancy enough to be there—but they didn’t kick me out!

Near Venice are two islands, Murano and Burano. I didn’t make it to the colorful Burano but I did go to Murano, which is known for its glass art.

I also didn’t go on the classic Gondola ride. I think it would be cool, but you get to experience the canals through the water buses and taxis for a much lower price. If you’re on a super romantic getaway with your hunny, maybe splurge on the gondola but I’d wait until you get there to book it so you can decide if it’s a “must”. Personally, I’d rather spend that money on a really nice meal.

Speaking of meals, if you find yourself in Venice, go to Pasta&Pasta. It is fresh pasta to-go and it is so delicious. Plus, it’s only 5 euros! Good luck finding anything that affordable in the floating city.

Lastly, I think the most important thing I need to share about Venice is the coat I got. I’m not just talking about any coat. I am talking about the coat. It is my pride and joy. I try to avoid being that girl, but when someone tells me they like my coat, I will never not say “Thanks! I got it in Venice!

ROME

Time to hit Rome!

I never made it to Rome when I studied abroad so I was super excited. I was also stoked to be meeting up with some family; It was nice to be with familiar people. My aunt and uncle coincidentally had this trip planned to go visit their niece studying abroad and I just jumped in on the action. Crazy thing was, due to the pandemic, I hadn’t seen them in two years. We lived about an hour away from each other in Minnesota and we didn’t see each other until we were halfway across the world.

You know the phrase “go big or go home”? Yeah, my uncle went big. He rented a penthouse suite in Piazza Navona.

Three individuals striking a pose in front of an arena.

Let me tell you, that was a huge step up from sleeping middle bunk on a triple- decker in a 12-person room on a brick mattress with a paper sheet. My own QUEEN-sized bed AND my own bathroom?! I didn’t even have to wear shoes in the shower!!

I will likely never stay in something that fancy again and boy did I Soak. That. Up.

Crazily enough, I bumped into my friends Minke and Vitoria from Santorini while walking the streets of Rome. Do you understand how crazy that is in that gigantic city full of people? I took it as a sign. We got a glass of champagne, a cup gelato, and made plans to see each other again.

We visited all the big sites: the Vatican, the Sistine Chapel, the Colosseum, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, and the Trevi Fountain.

Tragically, I did not meet an Italian singer named Paolo who asked me to hop on the back of his motorcycle and become an international pop sensation overnight. I never got my onstage “This Is What Dreams Are Made Of” moment. Lizzie McGuire, you lucky b*tch.

What I did get, however, was injured. My foot had been bugging me for weeks at this point and now I could hardly walk on it. Fearing I may have a stress fracture, it was time to bite the bullet and see a doctor. I also was sick and it wasn’t going away. Given that I had two bothersome ailments, I decided I had to dedicate a day to get my health back in order. This is where travel insurance comes in babes! I had to hobble my way all across Rome to go to a private hospital that would work with my insurance (whom I had been on the phone and email with all morning). Then I had to go to a clinic even further away to get my illness figured out. I slipped into the pharmacy just before dark. All of these facilities work very differently than they do in America I must add. It took a few trains and a few buses but eventually, I made it back to the apartment to meet up with my family for dinner. It was a chaotic day, but I was surprised to find that I wasn’t anxious. I had spent the first half of the year drowning in a pool of anxiety and now I just navigated a foreign healthcare system on my own? That’s pretty big. Physically, I wasn’t feeling good. Mentally, I was feeling great!

Next, I was off to a place I once called home, Firenze. But I’ll get to that next time.

Until then, visit the scrapbook to see more pics from Italy!