Italy 2026: Lake Como, Rome, & Sorrento
Going to Italy has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember. Growing up in an Italian family outside Hartford, Connecticut, I didn’t realize how lucky we were to be surrounded by delicious Italian markets and bakeries. I took Italian as my language course in high school and have always envisioned what a trip might be like. Since Steven and I had gotten married during the 2020-21 years, international travel was not on our radar for a honeymoon. After years of navigating different financial goals, we decided 2026 was the year we would go.
From my research, I knew September was the time of year I wanted to visit. It was still warm enough for beach days, but not so hot that we would be struggling in the cities. Some people describe September as ‘shoulder season,’ but it was very much still peak from my experience. If you are visiting in September, don’t expect it to be any quieter than the summer months. But I can recommend it for the weather!
As we began planning, it was such a challenge to narrow down which cities to visit on this trip. We didn’t want to spend all our days commuting between regions, so ultimately we decided on Lake Como, Rome, and Sorrento for a little bit of everything in this first visit!
We began our trip visiting Lake Como. We stayed in Bellagio, and while it was incredibly gorgeous, the steps to get there were quite involved. Flying into Milan, we then needed two trains and a ferry across the lake to get to our hotel. It was a long day of travel. My best advice is to stay longer than two nights to make all that travel worthwhile. Once we got to our hotel, it truly felt like a serene retreat tucked into the lake. We were enclosed by lake and mountain views on all sides, providing the perfect place to unwind as we began the trip. I made sure to bookend our trip in restful places, putting the more intensive itinerary in the middle. This allowed for a few days to embrace the jet lag and move at a slower pace as we adjusted.
From our base in Bellagio, we enjoyed a lot of the town’s sights and wandered the streets. It also was a great hub to take the ferry across the lake to some iconic villas. For our full day, we took the ferry to Tremezzo to see Villa Carlotta and then hopped down to Lenno for Villa Balbianello. We spent some late afternoons by the pool enjoying the views and sipping our go-to drink of the trip - limoncello spritzes.
From Bellagio, our next stop was Rome. I think this became my favorite stop of the entire trip! There is something so special about this city. The incredible architecture, the rich church history, and the art around every corner made for all of my favorite things. Plus this was home to the best food we ate the entire trip. Our home base in the city was the incredible Casa Monti, appropriately nicknamed The Home of the Artist. It was truly a designers dream! In a maximalist, almost bohemian style, it reflected the beauty of Rome in a fresh way. Not only was the design impeccable, but the hospitality (at all of our hotels) was wonderful. We felt so taken care of the entire time.
My Rome itinerary was ambitious, and we really did a lot in the three days we had. I’ll share some of my highlights below.
Day 1: Lots of sightseeing. We started at Mamertine Prison, stepping into the cell where Paul was held and where he is believed to have written 2 Timothy. This was such an emotional experience and one I will never forget. From there we put in the steps. Borghese, Palazzo Altemps, shopping through lots of streets, Colosseum, and ending with carbonara at Da Fortunata. It really is worth the hype.
Day 2: We crossed the river to begin the day at the Vatican Museums. One of two guided tours that we did, and well worth it to see the Sistine Chapel. Every inch of this place was art - from the tiling of the floors to the pieces hanging on the walls and painted on the ceilings. There was so much beautiful work to take in with so much meaning behind it. This night we did a Trastevere food tour, which was the only other tour we signed up for. I am so glad we did this because it became a highlight of the trip. We stopped at a range of different spots for aperitivo bites, pasta, wine, suppli, and desserts. There were some incredible stops that feature great Roman history and even better bites. Ending the tour at Fior di Luna for gelato was probably my highlight (but let’s be real, we ended most nights with gelato).
Day 3: While only a partial day before heading to Sorrento, we made the most of the time we had. The Trevi, Pantheon, and Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli - this church has the chains that held Peter in prison, as well as Michelangelo’s Moses sculpture. Of course we couldn’t leave without a stop at a local favorite pasticceria, Regoli.
I am already dreaming of the next time we can return! I still have a (growing) list of things to see and places to eat.
After walking 20k+ steps a day in Rome, we were ready to relax. Our days in Sorrento were spent at the beach clubs and pool. We spent one afternoon in a cooking class, led by the sweetest chef. We made gnocchi, ravioli, and tiramisu in a lemon grove and can’t wait to recreate some of the recipes. Our last day we took a day trip out to Capri. While the views were beautiful, I can’t lie, I wish we spent it back at the pool. We spent more time in lines to get up and down than anything else that day. To be fair, by this point of the trip, I had done the least amount of research and was really winging it. We still had a beautiful day and enjoyed the views!
This trip was truly a dream come true and could not have come at a better time. I am so grateful we had the opportunity to visit, stay in such special places, and experience all the beauty that Italy holds. Already dreaming of the next time!
