Italy, north to south in September - Underwhelming
We are a couple M 32 and F 30 from Canada and we traveled in Italy from Sep 7 to Sept 24 so almost 17 days.
We did Venice, Dolomites, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Rome, Napoli and Amalfi coast
I will go by each area and share my experiences.
Venezia we only had our flight into Italy at Venice and I am glad we only stayed there for a day. It's not worth it imho. The architecture is good but it's very worn out and it may have had its charm in the 19th century or before but now it's a thing of the past and the worst thing are the tourists and even the locals who are the biggest POS I have ever seen anywhere I am sorry. They were very rude and not helpful at all and wth are those Vaporettos man they are so bad, public transportation is so bad here.
Dolomites:
It is a really good landscape and we are from Canada and I have seen Banff, the Himalayas and Andes and compared to those dolomites are very overrated. The money I spent here is exorbitant compared to other places and even to Banff where the facilities are 10 times better.
Seceda is truly magical and worth it at least once and also Lago di Braies which is a magical lake.
So if you have no expectations at all you will love it but I had huge expectations and I didn't get as much.
Tuscany:
Most of it was spent in Florence and it's a very artistic and culturally rich city. It's truly a heaven for art lovers and someone who truly appreciates art galleries which I am not much into tbh. I still enjoyed it and the pitti palace which is a must visit there along with piazzale Michelangelo for the view point.
Siena is sooooo underrated and a must if you are near Florence. I wish I had spent more than a day there. The cathedral is one of the best I have seen.
Cinque Terre:
Arguably the best area in Italy that we went to and love the fact that it's still not overcrowded yet. The water is still so good to swim. The people are nicer there. The transportation through trains between the 5 towns work well. And nice charming towns that should be enjoyed at leisure.
Rome:
Rome is a very historic and architecturally rich city and loved the Colosseum. But there's so much more than that in Rome and people just miss that. The whole Colosseum booking and tour is really bad though honestly and the govt should do something to improve it as it's their cash cow and they are managing it really badly even compared to a country like Peru which some people consider a third world country. But they manage machu pichu way better.
Vatican was truly underwhelming. I mean the amount of praise people give to Sistine chapel specifically and when I saw it it was just a small room. It's a masterpiece for sure but I expected way better especially after seeing pitti palace in Florence and those ceiling artwork.
Napoli:
Yes it is chaotic and honestly it is nearer to a city in Asia or South America than Europe in terms of vibe and everything but I loved it honestly. My wife hated it but I think it's a city that's wrongly criticized in terms of safety or cleanliness etc as I felt it was better than Rome or even Florence in those aspects. The people are nicer and more helpful.
The best time however that we had was in Caserta. The palace is so underrated. I would rather skip Vatican and see the caserta palace instead it's THAT GOOD. I was blown away seeing how grand it is and it's so well maintained. DO NOT SKIP IT!!!!
Pompeii is not my cup of tea, it's good but I am not into ancient ruins and seeing such places especially out in the sun. I, however liked the historical perspective it brings but still meh!
Amalfi coast:
Skip Amalfi and Positano and see the other places like Ravello , Maori, minori and even Sorrento.
Positano is sooooo overcrowded, filled with influencers who are so narcissistic I swear. Taking pictures everywhere and neglecting the fact they share the space with others. It's not that good either. Ravello is so better though. Villa Rufolo and Cimbrone are outstanding. Feels like you are not even on earth it's so beautiful. Drive around on scooter if you can and you will love it. Just skip the tourist traps.
Biggest disappointment was FOOD. As an Asian living in Canada honestly Italian food in Italy is so overrated and it's not diverse at all.
Before jumping to conclusions and telling me I didn't go to the correct places, no I went to the best places recommended by people who are locals but it's so one sided.
There are basically 4-5 things in the entire cuisine wheat, tomatoes, olive oil, ham(mostly no other meat) and cheese. Pasta, pizza, beef in Tuscany and that's it. Like whresythe diversity?? Like how can you eat the same all the time? No chicken, no eggs, hardly any rice, hardly any lamb, woww.
I swear the pizzas in New York are wayyyyy better than in Italy. I thought the Yankees were just being arrogant and self centered when they say that but IT'S TRUE!!! The pizza in Napoli I am sorry were not even better than Montreal. Hardly any seasoning and I only taste tomatoes.
These places were good however. Ristorante ZAZA in Florence, Vechhio in Rome and the best dessert I had in my life was in Pasticceria Sal de Riso in Minori. The lemon delight is to die for!! Overall the desserts and coffee are good but the main food is sooo overrated. You guys got to see the world if you think Italian and French cuisine is good.