Italy | July 2025

Italy:

Airports:
We flew in and out of Rome airport and took trains to the other major cities.

Weather:
The weather was hot and sunny, somehow didn't get sunburned. TYH

Amalfi Coast

Transportation:
We landed in Rome, took a train to Naples, and hired a driver to take us to Sorrento. +39 339 220-8831

We took a ferry to Capri.

We hired a driver for the day to take us to the different coastal towns (Positano, Amalfi, Maiori, Minori, and Ravello). Same phone number as above.

Accommodations:
Syrrenton Home - cute boutique hotel in Sorrento. The host, Giacomo was so nice and drove us to the port to take the ferry to Capri. Otherwise, it would be a 20 minute walk in the heat. You can message Giacomo directly +39 334 330-8034

Kosher Food:
There is a restaurant in Capri - Capri Kosher. They also host Shabbos meals. Other than that, survival mode.

Activities:

Capri - we took a ferry to Capri from the port in Sorrento.
Went to Capri Kosher for lunch.
Then we walked to the Augustus Gardens which are beautiful!
We then took the funicular (cable car) down to the port.

Then we met our boat driver, we hired for an hour and a half. We cooled off in the sea, saw some cool coral and rocks. Book Vincenzo +39 349 092-0134

Coastal towns - We hired a driver to take us through Positano, Amalfi, Maiori, Minori, and Ravello. 
Positano - full of shops, tourists, black sand beach
Amalfi - our driver, Katya, was adamant that it's too trafficy and we shouldn't spend time exploring Amalfi

Emerald Grotto - beautiful cave with sparkling blue waters. Highly recommend this stop on the coast!
Maiori & Minori - I'm forgetting which is which, but it's much quieter than Positano or Amalfi and we ate lunch on the benches overlooking the water.

Ravello - we walked to the Villa Cimbrone. Beautiful gardens and views. There's also Villa Rufolo which we didn't check out.

Lemon Tour - you can do a lemon farm tour in Sorrento and other towns.

Florence & Tuscany

Transportation:
We hired drivers for day trips to Tuscany. I'd recommend renting a car next time. Just make sure to get an international drivers permit and bring the physical copy along.

Accommodations:
We stayed in a different place every night #wanderingjews
They were all small, clean, and I think less than $200/night.

Airbnb #1 - I think it was a 7 minute walk from the train station.

Airbnb #2 - allegedly located on the coolest street in Florence. Lies;)

Hotel Embassy -  a couple minutes walk from the train station, super convenient.

Kosher Food:

Ruth's - in Florence, dairy and vegetarian food.

Terra di Seta - in Tuscany, vineyard/winery tour, wine tasting, and dinner

Cantina Giuilano - in Tuscany, pasta making, truffle hunting, and dinner. We took the train to Casciana and then hired a driver to drive us to the restaurant.

Activities:

Florence Synagogue - absolutely magnificent shul and museum

Piazzale Michelangelo - a square with a panoramic view of Florence

E-Biking - we had an incredible time biking through the vineyards and castles of Tuscany. Valentina was the best guide, thank you!

Terra di Seta - fascinating tour of the vineyard and winery. 

Cantina Giuilano - they have pasta making and truffle hunting activities

Venice

Transportation:
Waterbuses are the way to go. Buy a day pass for 25 euro at any tobacco shop (the shops with a blue sign with a big T).  The private watertaxis are like 120 euro and the tourist trap gondola rides are 90 euro for a half hour.

Accommodations:

Arcadia Boutique Hotel - Located around the corner from the Jewish Ghetto. Super Shabbos friendly. They only have 2 floors and they give you a physical key for the door. The main door at the entrance is automatic, but if you stand there, the security guy will see you on the camera and open the door for you. There's also a waiter at the restaurant next door that can help you. But always ask your LOR, I ain't a rabbi.

Kosher Food:

Gam Gam - The Chabad-run restaurant in the Ghetto. They have meat and dairy. The meat restaurant is also the place for Shabbos meals (in addition to Chabad and Ba'Ghetto). The dairy Gam Gam Goodies serves pizza, falafel, gelato, etc. 

Activities:

Gondola Rides - Duh. It's more expensive night, learnt the hard way. (90 euro during daytime, 110 euro at nighttime.)

Murano - glass making island. We went to the Original Murano Glass OMG factory and watched them make a glass horse in like 90 seconds. We then walked around to the different glass shops. The glass items are so creative and pretty.

Burano - lace making island. Also known for its colorful houses. Great photo op.

Venetian Mask Making - paint and decorate your own Venetian masks. 

Jewish Ghetto - The Jewish Museum offers a tour which takes you inside a few of the shuls & explains the history of the Jews of Venice.

Doge's Palace - in San Marco, didn't get a chance to visit, but heard people talking about it.

Rome

Transportation:
We used Ubers and Lime scooters to get around.

Accommodations:

CitizenM - highly recommend this hotel. Located right outside the Jewish Ghetto, it's clean, cheap, and looks new.

Kosher Food:

OMG the food in Rome. I'm still dreaming about the lasagna.

Definitely start with the food tour and then come back to your favorite places.

These are the restaurants we tried in our short time in Rome. You can just walk down the main street in the Ghetto and try them all (obvs check the kashrus)

Casolina - the lasagna is amazing.

Yotvata - the sdrufolone dessert, omg.

Burnt Bread Bakery - historic bakery, over 200 years old I believe. There's no name on the shop, it's just an iconic bakery at the street corner, across from Chabad's tefillin stand.

Renato al Ghetto - gotta try the artichokes, of course. 

Bona - amazing pizza

Marlene's Gelateria - the only kosher gelato in Rome. Non-kosher gelato has gelatin, so this is the ONLY kosher option and it tastes GOOD.

Activities:

Neman's Food Tour - we had an awesome time with Ami, trying different foods at the kosher restaurants in the Ghetto and learning some history too.

Cooking Class - we made artichokes, pasta, and tiramisu at Casalino's. Shoutout to Rabea;)

Gelato Making Class - we had such a fun time learning how to make gelato at Marlene's. Lowkey, it was laughter therapy too. And best part, we got free gelato til our flight back home.

Great Synagogue of Rome - magnificent shul and museum

Holocaust Museum - free entry, learn about the concentration camps and the history of the Italian Jewry during the holocaust. Graphic warning.

Scooters - Super easy way to get around and visit the main spots. Rent a Lime or Bird scooter and check out the Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain

Night Market - alongside the Tiber river, a bunch of shops, restaurants, air hockey and foosball tables, etc. Great night vibes.

Collosseum & Arch of Titus - Definitely get a Jewish tour guide so you can appreciate the history. We used Jews of Rome +39 339 705-9603

Da Vinci Interactive Museum - Underwhelming museum near Vatican City. All the cool inventions that make noises say "Do Not Touch" although we only realized that after we touched them;) oops.