Through the international travel foundation, EF Tours, I visited Italy this past summer for 12 days with my family and a group of over 30 from places such as North Carolina, New Jersey, and Michigan. Considering we had only 12 days to travel over 10 cities in Italy, there was never a dull moment. We had a layover flight from Charlotte, North Carolina to Munich, Germany.
The day we arrived in Germany, we discovered Italy had gone on strike and shut down all transportation systems. Fortunately for us, EF Tours set up a private bus to drive us from Munich to Verona, Italy. Unfortunately that cancelled out our stop in Milan and, considering the bus ride took seven hours, our tour in Verona. On the ride, we passed through Austria and the Swiss Alps. I had never seen mountains like that before in my life, and for some reason, I had always thought the Swiss Alps would have snow on them year round. Once we arrived in Verona, I automatically knew I wasn’t in the United States anymore. Every car looked like a smart car- there wasn’t one SUV or truck to be found. Young children were playing with their friends out on the streets until 11:00 at night, water was never served with ice, and who knew it’s considered unfashionable to order a cappuccino after 12 pm?
After traveling through Verona, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Assisi, Pompeii, and the Sorrento Region, we finally reached my favorite destination of all time, the island of Capri. We took a trolley to the peak of Capri, where you can see all the way to the bottom of the mountain and admire the beautiful scenery of the Tyrrhenian Sea. In Capri, I had the best pizza I had ever had during my stay in Italy, and although the heat was unbearable, it was definitely worth it. I also received my first glass of water that actually contained ice. After our guided tour, we had free time for about three hours, and one of our optional choices was to go to the beach. Now, usually when you think of a beach, you picture an ocean, beach blankets, lifeguards, and sand.
However, when we arrived to the beach in Capri, I discovered the complete opposite. There were no beach blankets, no lifeguards, and worst of all, no sand. The entire beach was made up of rocks, including enormous rocks that stuck out of the water. So if your child were to get hurt, my guess is that it would be entirely up to you to save them. It was so impossible to walk, that crawling was definitely one’s best option. Since we were only in Capri for half of a day, I did not get to enjoy and explore all of it. If I ever go back to Italy in my future, Capri is definitely where I will be staying. Not only is it beautiful, but the shopping is excellent. It was so different and much more diverse than the other parts of Italy I did get to explore. After Capri, we continued our journey to Naples and Rome. This trip was definitely the trip of a life time, and I hope the opportunity to travel to Italy again in the future with my own family arises.
Dear Reader: This page may contain affiliate links which may earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. Our independent journalism is not influenced by any advertiser or commercial initiative unless it is clearly marked as sponsored content. As travel products change, please be sure to reconfirm all details and stay up to date with current events to ensure a safe and successful trip.
