Rome (https://www.viator.com/Rome/d511)

Arrive at the train station “Roma Termini”. Rome is breathtaking and an experience worth at least 2-3 days to get a glimpse of its majesty. Besides the well-known plazas and fountains (all free access!), we recommend visiting the Colosseum and the Roman Forum (ticket to avoid the line at https://www.coopculture.it/en/products/ticket-colosseum-roman-forum-palatine_24h/) and the Vatican City. You can reach the Vatican City through the metro line: take the RED metro line from Rome heading to “Battistini” and get off at “Ottaviano” stop to visit the Cathedral and at “Cipro” stop to visit the Vatican Museums with the Sistine Chapel.

The entrance to the St. Peter Cathedral in the Vatican City is FREE and no ticket is needed, however you will need to purchase a ticket if you decide to visit the Dome (in Italian only https://www.basilicasanpietro.va/it/vivi-la-basilica/visite/visita-libera.html).

The Dome has a total of 551 steps, but you can purchase a ticket with an elevator ride that will leave you 320 steps to do.

Tickets to visit the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapels at https://m.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani-mobile/en.html.

Although walking is an option, Rome is huge! And you might want to consider using the metro to move around. Here is the link to the Italian website for the metro where you will find the metro maps, hours and also ticket options (i.e., single tickets, bundle of 10 tickets, 24-48-72h passes). Remember to keep your ticket till the end of the travel on the metro as you might need to validate it again at the exit.

Cinque Terre (https://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/ or https://www.lecinqueterre.org/eng/)

The Cinque Terre (Five lands or towns) are five small old fishing villages on the coast of Liguria. They offer a variety of breathtaking landscapes with wonderful colorful houses. Checkout some online pictures to see what we are talking about, and you won’t be disappointed!

The best way to visit the Cinque Terre is by train: all the five villages are very efficiently connected by local trains to make your journey smooth. It is possible to purchase a multi-day ticket valid on all the local trains connecting the villages as well as the major train station close by (called “La Spezia”). Those tickets are available at https://www.parconazionale5terre.it/page.php?id=158, just remember to validate the tickets at the first ride. From “Milano Centrale” train station you can get to “La Spezia Centrale” train station with a non-stop train in about 3 hours (https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html). Then from “La Spezia Centrale” you can catch a train to all the five villages according to your preference.

When we visited, we booked an hotel in La Spezia and travelled each day to a different village so that we got to explore everything without carrying luggage around all the time.