Gular

I went to Pompeii roughly 4 years ago. It is definitely worth the cost of admission. As everyone (including the tours) say, BRINGLOTS OF WATER. As you’re walking ancient ruins, there is very little to no shade on the streets.

If you can manage it, get into some of the building which are open to the public and look around. The preserved frescoes are awesome and you get the feeling of being a Roman on the streets — down to the ruts in the streets from the carts.

Big photo opportunity! When you get to the center of the city at the forum, stand at the far end toward the old temple. You get a beautiful symmetrical shot of the columns from the forum, the altar of the temple and then Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

If you’re into Ancient Rome or love wandering ruins aimlessly, another trip when you’re in The Eternal City is a day trip out to Ostia Antica. The city is preserved pretty well (some places more than others). The great advantage is that it has MUCH fewer tourists. You’ll want to watch out for the more secluded areas of the site, but definitely check out one of Rome’s less rich port cities. There are apartments, a theatre and a preserved marketplace. Definitely also worth the trip.

Before even going to Phoenix, I asked a friend of mine what there is to do in Phoenix and she told me nothing within about 2 hours. There was small things to do, but for the most part she was right.

I did not have the opportunity to leave the greater Phoenix area because I was there on family business, but with the rather decent amount of free time we had, there was nothing to do.

If I was there strictly as a tourist, I would have been completely bored to tears. Anything other than business or family, not a city/area that’s worth it.

Florence has a lot to do and see in a very small area. It’s a city which is a lot smaller than Rome and would be a good first introduction to Italy. Everything within Florence is walkable: all the galleries, Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo and everything else. It’s a very small city with an intimate feel.

One thing that I would MOST definitely recommend is to go to the medieval San Miniato al Monte in the hills outside the city, listen to the monks give a mass and then watch the sun set over the city. It was a beautiful site which I can’t even adequately put to words. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can walk from the Ponte Vecchio up to the church. It takes roughly an hour and a half of straight walking, however you pass many views, villas and Niccolo Machiavelli’s villa from when he was exiled outside the city. You can also take a city bus, but the walk is nice, as well. Definitely not for the out of shape, however.

This is a city I would definitely go back to again in an instant.