Well hello to you my reader chums! Italy is my favourite country ever, it's like a second home to me and a country I'll forever return to. I've been lucky enough to travel to many destinations throughout Italy and I'm eager to see more locations and experience more of the incredible food scene.

If you're a newbie to Italy and unsure what to expect, here are 10 things to know before your first time in Italy.

Don't order a cappuccino in Italy afternoon

Italians are massively passionate about their coffee. Coffee is a way of life for Italians and this means when ordering yours, abide by the coffee rules of the land. Italians generally begin their day with a cappuccino and pastry, and this is consumed before 11am. It's frowned upon to order a cappuccino in the afternoon especially so avoid doing this.

Learn a little bit of Italian

It's never essential to learn a language when heading abroad, however, it's always helpful to get around. When it comes to Italy, I would recommend learning a few words as Italians can find it quite rude if you don't know the general Italian phrases to greet them.

Be prepared to dine later

Italians eat late at night. They don't generally dine in the evening until about 7pm onwards. If you spot a restaurant open before then for dinner, it's typically catered for tourists and mean, the food is less likely to be authentic. With that in mind, prepare to dine a lot later at night, even as late as 10pm/11pm at night. Dinner time is a huge social occasion after all.

Remember to validate your train ticket

Train travel is an absolute dream in Italy and one of my favourite ways of venturing around the country. Not only is it cheap, but it's also efficient, and simple and all train journeys offer great views. If you're not a fan of driving or flying, it's a fun way to explore Italy. Although one thing to remember is to validate your ticket before getting on the train, otherwise, you can get in trouble with the guards.

Coperto charge

The coperto charge is the norm in a lot of restaurants throughout Italy, which is typically around 1-3 euros. The charge covers the bread, olive oil and vinegar they provide you with during dinner or lunch.

The north and south are completely different

I didn't realise how different the north and south of Italy were until I visited them both and compared them. The north and south food are completely different, with influences from its neighbouring countries in the north, whereas the south is influenced by Mediterranean cuisine. For example, the north is all about cured meats and ragu, whilst the south is about pizzas and arancini. The north is richer and has a more industrialised vibe, whilst the south is a lot more laid-back and welcoming.

 Well hello to you my reader chums! As many of you know, Italy is my favourite country and I love to visit, as much as I can. The food, the warm and inviting culture, the characteristic buildings, the cobbled streets and the friendly locals make it a trip of dreams. One place I've always wanted to visit is Switzerland, but due to how expensive it is, I've steered away from visiting, picking cheaper locations to travel instead.

One experience I wanted to have in Switzerland was the train journey between northern Italy to Switzerland, witnessing the mountain scenery along the way. If you're keen to explore northern Italy and the mountainous villages with Switzerland's best lakes, here's my 2-week itinerary to Italy and Switzerland. 

3 days in Parma, Italy

Parma is a gorgeous destination you'll fall in love with and you can either fly from London to Milan and get the train to Parma or fly directly into Parma. The beauty of Parma is the incredible food scene; I can assure you everything you eat will be heaven, from the fresh tortellini, cured meats, parmesan, and gelato to ragu. 

Parma isn't a massive city, however, you can see all the best sights in two days, from the Duomo, Palatine Library, Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Steccata, and Baptistery to the quaint piazzas you can roam around. The city also has some quiet green spaces to lap up the sunshine and read a book, from Parco Ducale to the green space around the Palatine Library. 

As Parma is renowned for its food, ensure you spend those days eating as much fresh pasta, gelato, cured meats and parmesan as possible! Restaurants, classic cafes and gelaterias come in the bucket load across this city.

3-5 days in Lake Maggiore, Italy

After the wonders of the city and exploring the highlights, it's time to relax in the glory of Italian lakes. You have two options Lake Maggiore or Lake Como. For this itinerary, I'd recommend Lake Maggiore as one, it's quieter and has plenty to explore and two, it's an easier route to the locations in Switzerland I've laid out. 

Lake Maggiore is huge and has plenty of towns scattered from the south to the north, as the lake weaves into Switzerland. You have your fair share of locations to stay at but I'd recommend Laveno or Stresa, depending on what you're looking for. Laveno is smaller and quieter but a key location to visit other areas in Lake Maggiore and head over on boat trips. Stresa has a more direct port to the iconic island destinations across the lake, yet is a lot more touristy.

The train journey from Parma to Lake Maggiore takes over 3 hours with a couple of changes but is easy to follow. You'll travel from Parma to Milan Central, Milan Central to Milano Bovisa Politecnico and then the third train to Laveno. 

Lake Maggiore is one of those destinations where you could spend weeks mooching around different lake towns, going on boat trips, eating good food and generally relaxing. We only spent 3 nights there but I could have happily done another two, hence saying 3-5 in the itinerary. In Laveno, the town doesn't have loads to do but you can spend your time roaming around the lake and going on the Funivia del Lago Maggiore Cableway.

The other days in Lake Maggiore, take a day trip to the Borromean Islands, visiting Isola Bella, Isola Madre and Isola dei Pescatori. From Laveno, you can take the boat over to Stresa and get a hop-and-hop-off pass to visit each of the islands, Isola Bella and Isola Madre are the largest with beautiful palaces and gardens to explore. Spend the rest of your Lake Maggiore days, exploring Cerro and the beaches there and Luino, the famous market town. Embrace lake life, the sunshine and fresh seafood. 

2 days in Spiez, Switzerland

After a week in the land of gorgeous food, phenomenal scenery and lake life, you can experience a memorable journey between Italy and Switzerland on the train. I kid you not this train journey, when leaving Italy into Switzerland will amaze you in many ways. From Laveno, there are different routes, I took the train to Sesto Calende, a bus from there to Domodossola and then a direct train to Spiez. The journey takes 4-5 hours but is completely worth it and you can spend a lot of time, especially on the last train, peering out of the window at the views.

Switzerland has endless lakeside towns to explore, however, my picks are Spiez and Brienz as Spiez sits on Lake Thun and Lake Brienz, on Lake Brienz, giving you the chance to explore both lakes. I fell in love with Spiez from the moment we came out of the station as the views were like a postcard. Spiez has a slightly residential and village feel which I adored and enough exciting activities to keep us preoccupied for two days.

Spiez has the famous Mount Niesen and honestly, getting the funicular up here had to be my favourite experience in Switzerland! There are no words to describe the beauty of the view. Other highlights include Spiez Castle, lakeside walks, swimming in Lake Thun and the vineyard adventure trail.

2 days in Brienz/Interlaken

From Spiez, Brienz is easy to reach taking under an hour to get there with breathtaking views along the way. Brienz is a lot smaller and there is less to do, however, it had the typical Switzerland village architecture I expected and it was incredibly gorgeous to roam around, especially the lake. Brienz is lovely to roam around and visit the Giessback waterfalls nearby. This town is also next to Interlaken which many people visit and this town certainly has a more 'land' feel than the other lake towns. You can enjoy a classic chocolate fondue, explore the shops and do all your souvenir shopping here, and there are more food options.

2 days in Zurich

The last stop on this itinerary is the beautiful Zurich as that's the destination you'll be flying back from. From Brienz, the train takes around 2 hours to reach, you'll go from Brienz to Luzern and Luzern to Zurich.  Zurich is a beautiful city with plenty of sights to witness, from the Lindt Museum, Lake Zurich, the quaint old town and endless chocolate shops to eat as much Swiss chocolate as possible.

I hope you enjoyed this guide! When are you planing your trip?

Thank you for reading <3

 Well hello to you my reader chums! I'm still reminiscing about my time in Lake Maggiore as I can't believe the sheer beauty I witnessed during my 3 nights there. I wish I spent longer than 3 nights as there's so much of the lake to explore and endless lakeside towns with residential charm.

If you're planning a short or long trip to Lake Maggiore, here is everything you need to know on your first lake trip.

Lake Maggiore is a huge lake/area

Lake Maggiore is the second-largest lake in Italy and the largest in southern Switzerland, divided between the regions of Piedmont and Lombardy in Italy and the Swiss region of Ticino. As it's a lake across Italy and Switzerland, it makes for an easy way to experience two countries in one trip, travelling from Italy to Switzerland by public transport. Due to its sheer size, there are plenty of spots you can choose to stay from the south to the north. On my trip, we stayed in Laveno as it was easy to travel from Parma and experience some of the lake's highlights. The further north you go, the clearer the water of the lake becomes.

You can travel between different towns 

As Lake Maggiore covers two countries, there are many hotspots and places you can choose stay, depending on what you'd like to see. Some renowned towns include Stresa (an easy port destination for boat trips), Lesa, Annobio, Cannero, Ascona, Luino (market town), Laveno and Arona. Wherever you choose to stay, travelling between the towns is easy. Depending on which side of the lake one town is, if the same side, there are train and bus options to choose from. To the other side of the lake, many towns have their own ports to choose from.

Trains in Italy are a dream

Travelling by train is a dream in Italy as you witness many gorgeous sights, whether that's the countryside or the coastline. Reaching Lake Maggiore is simple to get to by train, especially if you're coming from major cities, such as Milan or Bologna. As I've mentioned from single sides of the lake, you can catch the train, travelling to more northern or southern areas of Lake Maggiore.

The climate can vary

Due to the mountainous location, you can expect a mild and slightly cooler climate all year round in Lake Maggiore. May to September are the most popular times, though rainfall peaks in spring and showers are generally short. Temperatures rise in the spring into the summer with highs of 28 degrees Celsius. I visited in early June and the temperature was in the early twenties, with some thunderstorms.

It can be quieter than Lake Como

One of the reasons I chose to visit Lake Maggiore is because I knew it would be a quieter lake location than Lake Como. My predictions were correct and in early June, the lake wasn't bursting with visitors, it was a lot quieter, making it easier to enjoy boat rides and go to attractions without mountains of crowds. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a ghost town, Lake Maggiore was still popular but not overwhelmingly so, a good amount of tourists. 

Off-seasons can mean experiencing the lake when it's very quiet

I always say when it comes to travelling that you're better off going in the off-season to experience milder climates, fewer crowds and lower prices. This is especially true with Lake Maggiore as I experienced a gorgeous taste of lake life without the crowds and the warmth of summer in Italy. It was honestly a dream and the scenery was everything.

I hope you enjoyed this post. When are you planning to visit Lake Maggiore?

Thank you for reading <3