6 of the 7 Continents For The Budget Traveler: The OTHER Italy

My first trip to Italy was in 2016, it was an amazing time spending two months in both the main stream tourist places, as well as the places where my family came from. After that trip I decided I would go back at least every three years if not every year for the effect the country and the people had on me. Well covid and life obviously changed that because I wasn't able to make it back until 2022, but on the return trip I had decided since I had been to a lot of the mainstream places I wanted to go more off the grid. At first I thought of the trip as Italy Unknown, but then I thought with a country of nearly 60,000,000 people, there's not very many unknown spots, rather then I dubbed the trip The OTHER Italy.

My program for this trip was easy, no regions I had already visited, Italy has 20 regions, I was fortunate enough to hit 9 my first time, through some good pre-planning I decided this trip would add 5 more to my bucket list of eventually seeing all 20. Right from the start I knew from my prior trip that being off the main tourist circuit was going to make the trip super friendly to the budget traveler. My most expensive hotel was only $70 a night and it was looking at the ocean when I woke up. The only expensive part was renting a car, and that's because I'm a stupid American that still can't drive stick, but we will get to that later. So the experience of the first trip was going to make this second trip much easier with logistics, the only thing different was the luxury of time, instead of two months, this trip would only be two weeks.

"5 regions in two weeks!? That's not enough time Joe!" Yeah, yeah, I know. But my answer is really, when is there ever enough time? I've covered this deeply already here. But short summary, it's better to spend a little time somewhere than never get to experience it. And since in the bigger picture I am going to visit Italy regularly or even live there one day, this is one of the cases where I can come back to wherever I feel needed more time.

I met a young couple at a pizzeria in Napoli on my first journey to Italy, and the man swore to me that when I came back to Italy, I had to visit Bologna, he promised it was the best city in Italy. I took his word for it and decided that since I had never been to Emilia-Romagna, that would be my starting point, I also had figured looking at the map that Bologna was going to be the target city to enter and leave from for the convenience of international flights.

From Bologna I knew I was going to be hitting some train and road hours but wanted to maximize time in the 5 regions avoiding too much zig-zagging, so I utilized the map and decided on going all the way south to Molise next with a long stop in Le Marche, then work my way back up to Bologna and Emilia-Romagna stopping in Abruzzo and Umbria on the way back. Here's my travel tips and experiences on each of the cities or regions I visited on this trip...

BOLOGNA/EMILIA-ROMAGNA

This was the most popular place on the itinerary, and when I spoke to people state side, most were somewhat familiar with Bologna which made it easier to plan.

Stay as close as you can to the city center, unless you are staying at the Il Canale hotel. I started my trip there and as the name states, it's right on the old Bologna Canal system, rather than just getting a quick peak at the "secret window" everyone knows about, I was able to enjoy the canal during breakfast over cappuccino each morning from the basement bar. And honestly it's not too far from the city center anyway.
When I got back I stayed at Hotel San Donato, this one again was super close to the center, Piazza Maggiore, and the roof deck which is almost always empty is probably the best view of the city short of the walk up the Asinelli tower.
Definitely do a Bologna Food Tour, Bologna is renowned for the cuisine, my belly certainly knew it after this trip. You want to eat all your normal favorites in Bologna but also make sure to try the foods you can't find at a typical Italian restaurant back home.
Of course as long as you are in shape for it climb the Asinelli tower as mentioned.
I decided to do the Pinocoteca Art Museum for my museum stop, it did not disappoint, trip regret at this point, while walking there I saw an art studio that had short lesson packages, in retrospect I think this would have been a nice thing to do... Maybe next time.
Bologna Nightlife was different from the big cities, this wasn't a party trip, so that was fine, bars/clubs are not big places like that of Rome or Milan, it was more the small town vibe of hundreds of people dining outside and enjoying wine or a negroni rather than bars drinking and dancing. But special mention to the Celtic Druid Pub and Soda Pops. When I finally needed a break from delicious Italian food, the burgers and beers at Celtic were top notch. Soda Pops was a cool little basement club that was dead by weekdays, but on the weekends had a pretty fun crowd.
Enjoy the vibe and walk aimlessly... This is somewhat generic city advice, but I'll add that in Bologna even at night walking in alleys was a pleasant and safe experience, there's countless beauty, so many nice spots to have a coffee, enjoy a small plate, or a large plate, drink wine, meet people, and enjoy the culture of the city.

ANCONA/LE MARCHE

Of all the regions I wanted to see on this trip, Le Marche was planned from the get go to have the least amount of time, no offense to that region. Originally I had a friend that was going to take me out on a boat ride for the day, but when that plan didn't fall through the plan B was a simple walking tour of Ancona.

Easy arrival from the train from Bologna, the walk to the old city took about 15 minutes, but well worth it from there.
My first stop was Piazza del Plebiscito, I was hoping to have lunch here but it was still a bit early,so just ended up walking around and checking out the square as well as the church.

Wine break at Guasco Cafe in front of Chiesa San Francesco, yes I had wine before lunch, it was too hot for a coffee.
My next stop was Arco di Traiano, to me this was the symbol of Ancona, and on the walk there I also enjoyed seeing the massive cruise ships being built there

Last but not least, and for me the most important reason for stopping in Ancona, the Olive Ascolane! I learned about this amazing olive snack in my pre-trip research. Huge olives, stuffed with meat, breaded and fried to absolute unforgettable deliciousness. As a guy who recently went to Corning, CA for the sole reason of olive tasting, this was a big culinary joy.

After spending about 5 hours there, it was time for the train to Termoli, in the Molise region, it certainly wasn't enough time to truly experience Le Marche or Ancona but of course I don't regret it at all! I was right there and got to do a little while there, rather than nothing at all, and of course... The Olive Ascolane memories!!!

TERMOLI/MOLISE

This was an easy choice for the Molise Region, this trip was during June and I wanted to spend a decent amount of time on the beach, the above photo, looked like an amazing beach, and that set my heart for this tiny little seaside town. This one is a pretty easy one to tour, the quick tips:

The old castle has a small art gallery, but odd hours so plan ahead.
Of course check out the old Trabocchi Fishing Huts
I chose to stay the Mistral Hotel, amazing ocean views, quick walk to the beach and the old city. If you want the best of both worlds, this is the hotel to book, and an ocean view room only ran me about $70.
At least for June, the beach had a lively scene by day but by night was a ghost town, or ghost beach? The night life all runs perpendicular on the street leading into the old city. Not many bars to just drink at, more of a cafe, out door seating, family type environment. Amazing food, great coffee, sweet gelato, maybe a food truck or two, and friendly vibe.
The supermarket or food shops are closer to the train station, so if you are staying only a short time grab your necessities on the way in. I also did laundry in town, I forgot the name of the place, but at the time of writing this, there is only one, bring Euro coins, they won't accept bills and no machine to make change.
I stayed two nights which was absolutely perfect for a taste of the town.

ABRUZZO

Abruzzo is like the region of Italy that everyone has heard of, but few have actually been. At least non-Italians. I wanted to check out more than one place here but I also wanted to have a home base so I wasn't leaving hotels every two days. Thus entered into my trip search, Pescara. Central, a bigger city, a beach, and most importantly a bunch of negative reviews I wanted to prove wrong. People said it was too new since the old city was bombed in WW2, a boring place, unassuming, no character, etc. I was recommended several other smaller towns in Abruzzo and of course since I am writing this I am very glad I didn't follow this advice! From there I toured the Mazzarossa Winery in Roseto Degli Abuzzi, and Roccascalegna Castle in Roccascalegna. Here's more go to advice for touring Abruzzo:

Hello Pescara!

A car is definitely good to have, but not completely need to have, it definitely would have helped me, but the train and bus do connect well for cities/towns. That being said, not all as I did hire a driver for Roccascalegna.
Pescara is the perfect beach town, there's some nice museums to check out, but the beach life is where this city breathes. I would recommend finding out the current motor scooter app, I did not do this and regret it, as it would have been a fun way to cruise around.
Do check out the pedestrian lined Via Battisti/Via Firenze, its an amazing chess board looking street with great restaurants, bars, coffee shops, shopping, etc. Great photo ops also for the other Italy.
Ponte Del Mare bridge another mandatory stopping point.
Nightlife here was a little more mixed between the central area around Via Battisti and the beach, but admittedly I was here Monday thru Thursday and didn't see the full potential a weekend may bring. Drinks on the beach were extreme bargains compared to most places I have been.
The Mazzarossa award winning winery was another obvious highlight here in this region, our tour was done by one of the wine makers, not just some guy who read the How To Taste Wine For Dummies. I took the train to Roseto Degli Abruzzi and from there it was about a 30 minute walk to the winery. They also paired it with local cheeses, meats, and snacks that were top notch.
Roccascalegna Castle was definitely the highlight of Abruzzo, and honestly maybe the highlight of the trip. When I visited Italy the first time in 2016 and went to the Colosseum in Rome, no doubt it was mind blowing and astonishing... But I was also one of thousands of people there. When I visited Roccascalegna Castle, I was literally, the only one there.
Roccascalegna, if you are going, rent a car, or hire a driver, I found mine on Facebook Abruzzo groups, it will definitely help you hear to speak or learn some Italian. If you want to spend some time in the town make sure your driver knows. The restaurants open around 12:30pm/1 I had got there too early and left too early to enjoy that.
I spent two hours there, about 30 minutes in the castle itself, and 30 minutes walking around the perimeter on the path for the ultimate cliff hanging view you can see. Then about an hour in the old town, along of course with a morning cappuccino at the main square.

ROAD TRIP THROUGH UMBRIA

Umbria was decided early on for a road trip rather than train, a car is pretty much necessary here. A proper trip through Umbria could easily take a month, but as a budget traveler with a full time job to get back to, I drove through over the day.

Rasgilia, great town to stop off at, it was my first stop, a river runs through the town for great picturesque views, and I also made a lunch stop out of it.
Spello was next, a very historic place, lose your time wandering in and out of the alleys, Spello like all old cities the important thing will be to park OUTSIDE the old city, you can legally drive in some of them, but it is a nightmare!
Assisi was the next stop, the Cathedral of San Rufino, Santa Chiara, Rocca Maggiore Fortress, Tempio Di Minevra, and of course a mandatory Gelato. This town and Spello both had the great feel of walking in an ancient city.
Last stop was Lago Trasimeno, I mainly came to see Rocca Del Leone Castle, which was breathtaking, I also hoped to get a swim in here as this trip was summer and it was a hot one! But time was not on my side here as I also needed to start heading back to Bologna, maybe next time!

I had three or four more days when I got back to Bologna, and thought about checking out Parma or Modena, but instead I stayed put. I am thinking about living in Italy one day, so for my final days, rather than being a tourist, I decided to live the city a bit, I checked out things people normally may no visit, the gyms, the supermarkets, laundromats (though this was necessary by this time anyway!), I also just wandered aimlessly and re-visited the beautiful spots I saw when the journey began.

I have now been to over 55 countries on 6 of the 7 (for now) continents and I am timelessly asked "What was your favorite place?" My standard answer is "To compare favorite countries is like asking someone, what do you like better, your favorite football team or your favorite pizza?" It's just a hard thing to rate and number, but that being said... Italy is a special place for me. I learned my first words in Italian from my grandmother as a child, and now speak it fluently. I have dual citizenship and I am a recognized Italian citizen, and as mentioned, I am thinking of spending considerable amount of time living there one day. So now each time I visit this wonderful country, I take piece of it home with me. I take a little memory back, and a small part of it's soul with me, but don't worry, I'm not a thief... Because one day if I can live there, I will be bringing it all back.