St. Mark’s Square in Venice - just us and our fellow thousands of tourists, but what a place…
Italy 2026: Everything We Packed, and What Earned Its Spot
Jeff and I just got home from three weeks in Italy. We flew over with nothing but carry-ons, walked 18,000 to 22,000 steps most days, and came home with more luggage than we left with (on purpose, and I'll explain).
We started in Rome, then took the train into the mountains outside Bologna for a week at a wonderful cooking school and boutique inn. (It has earned its own post. More on that later.) From there we went by train to Venice for a few days, then on to Florence, one of our favorite places in the world. Dear friends met up with us halfway through our time in Florence, and we ended where we began, with a few amazing days in Rome.
This is the trip where I recharge my creative batteries. Beauty, art, incredible vistas, food that is to die for, and aperitivo hour: the time of day when you stop walking, take a seat somewhere scenic, have a drink and a snack, and remember why this place is magic. Even for someone who doesn't drink alcohol, aperitivo hour is something we are bringing home to Arizona. La dolce vita is real, and it fills me with joy. It's why we keep going back. (Although our next big trip is NOT Italy!)
Jeff and I have done a fair amount of traveling over the years, and we've learned what works for us and what makes things so much easier. Mostly it comes down to priorities. Once you know what yours are, you can travel the way YOU prefer to. Ours are pretty simple:
Carry-ons only on the way over. Navigating cobblestones from the train station to your hotel is not for the weak.
A mix-and-match wardrobe, not a suitcase of "just in case." One tight color palette keeps the bags light and the mornings easy, which leaves more time and energy for incredible meals and trying all the gelato.
Comfortable shoes, because we walk an incredible amount so we can see ALL THE THINGS.
Bringing home the things that help us remember our time there and make us smile.
Everything on this list serves one of those.
Before I write about the food and the places, I want to start with the stuff. Not because stuff is the point of a trip, but because the right things quietly made this one easier, and a few of them I would now fight you for. This is everything we bought or brought, why we chose it, how it actually performed, and whether it's coming with us next time.
A quick note before the links: the Amazon links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through one, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I can try new items and share with you what I loved. No other brand or store paid me to include anything here. These are just the things that earned their spot.
Luggage and Packing
Three weeks out of a carry-on only works if every inch is doing its job. These are the pieces that made it work.
Quince Carry-On Plus Polycarbonate Suitcase (we got dark green) We chose these because they meet British Airways' overhead bin requirements. We loved them. They held a ton, they were easy to pack, and on the way home they sat on the tarmac at Heathrow in the rain for a good long while. Everything inside stayed dry. Would buy again.
Quince Compression Packing Cubes These are how a large quantity of clothing fit into a carry-on. Awesome. Highly recommend.
Travel Vacuum Storage Bags with Pump Great for pants and anything bulky. Between these and the cubes, the carry-ons held far more than they had any right to.
Under-Seat Bag Complies with British Airways' size requirements for a personal item and slips over the carry-on handle, so you're never juggling two bags through an airport.
Jeff's Personal Item A black backpack with a strap that slips over his carry-on. Same idea as mine, his version.
Between the two of them, my under-seat bag and Jeff's backpack held more than seemed humanly possible. They saved me on the flights by keeping all the essentials within reach: our Flykitt, the travel pillow, and the plane snacks.
The Camera Bag
I'm a photographer by trade, so of course a camera came along. For this trip I put together a new travel setup, and I made a deliberate choice: lighter and smaller over bigger and heavier.
Sony a6700 (from Cardinal Camera in Pennsylvania) It isn't a full-frame camera, and for a trip like this, that was fine by me. Size and weight mattered more. It's noticeably lighter than my work cameras but uses the same menu system, so there was nothing new to learn. I could just pick it up and shoot.
Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 and Sigma 56mm F1.4 (also from Cardinal Camera) In the studio I use Sony G Master lenses. On this trip I didn't want to spend three weeks worrying about the gear on my shoulder. Sigma does a great job at this price point, and these two were the right price, quality, and weight for the purpose. They're small, too, which matters when they're riding along for 20,000 steps a day.
Think Tank PressPass 10 (from Arlington Camera in Arlington, Texas) I loved this bag. On the days the camera came along, it was my crossbody bag too, so I only had one bag to keep track of. Jeff took his turns carrying it as well, and it worked just as well for him.
On the Plane
The goal was to land in Italy feeling like people, not zombies.
Flykitt International This is the one I'd put at the top of the whole list. Flykitt is a jet-lag prevention protocol, and it worked. We subbed in caffeine pills for the coffee but used everything else exactly as directed. I had questions along the way, reached out to the company, and they were super responsive. We will never fly internationally without this again.
Travel Sleeping Aid with Eye Mask It straps to your headrest, so no head-flopping. I loved this thing. It folded down pretty compactly, and I would absolutely take it on an international flight again.
Sanitizing Wipes We wiped down every seat, armrest, tray table, and buckle on every plane and train. We did not want to pick anything up and lose days of the trip to it. Worth every wipe.
Peace of Mind
The things that meant I wasn't patting my pockets every ten minutes.
Spotminders Tracking Cards We put one in every piece of luggage and in my cross-body bag, and brought extras for the bags we bought in Italy. Eight months of battery life, slim, easy to tuck anywhere. They tracked our luggage all the way home.
Spotminders Passport Tracker A passport wallet with three years of battery life before the case needs a recharge. It adds easily to Apple Find My, and I knew where my passport was at all times. Great for my peace of mind.
Ridge Magnetic Power Bank No trouble with TSA or international security. They were familiar with the brand and waved us through. It charges fast, the charging cables are built right in, and it attaches magnetically to your phone while it charges. We loved these.
Belt Wallet Where I kept cash and extra credit cards, out of reach of anyone but me.
AM Phone Lanyard Honestly, this was a sleeper hit. I didn't realize how nice it would be to have my phone attached to me. I could grab it to take a picture or check our navigation, then slip it back into my coat's inner pocket or my purse. Everyone warns you not to leave your phone on a table or in a back pocket in Italy because of thieves, and this lanyard was invaluable for keeping mine safely on me.
Silicone Wedding Band I didn't take any expensive jewelry, and I didn't want to worry about my wedding band stack for three weeks, so I wore this instead.
Sunset over the Arno River in Florence - we loved staying in Oltrano this time - there’s a street musician playing behind us, and the whole thing is perfection.
Shoes
Italy is cobblestones, stairs, and hills, all day, every day. Our step counts ran 18,000 to 22,000 most days. Shoes were not a place to compromise.
Mine
Vionic Uptown Metallic Leather Platform Sneakers (from Dillard's) These were THE BEST SHOES. No blisters, no hot spots, even after 22,000 steps in a day.
Vivaia Cecily (wine-colored) So comfortable. I added the chenille ties, and they looked polished and pretty with skirts or pants. I even wore them without socks and still had no blisters after walking all day. Would buy again with no hesitation.
Jeff's
TOPO Vista Walking Shoes (from The Hike Shack in Prescott) These were Jeff's MVP through day after day of 18,000 to 20,000 steps.
Cole Haan 2.ZeroGrand Laser Wingtip Oxfords His dress shoes. Comfortable, and they looked really nice for dinners out.
What Jeff Wore
Most of Jeff's travel wardrobe came from Quince.
Quince Ultimate Commuter Pant, Classic Fit He got these in three colors. Super nice, they travel well, and they're comfortable with just the right amount of stretch.
Quince Tech Merino Short Sleeve Tee This tee is awesome. It breathes well and doesn't absorb odors. It's like some kind of magical fabric for travel.
Quince Mesh Stitch Organic Cotton Sweater Polo (bayberry olive) A great sweater for a dressier look at dinner, or under a jacket.
Quince Double Brushed Stretch Overshirt (camel) The shacket. A great layering piece for the days that start chilly and then aren't.
Polos from Amazon: beige and navy These performed well, and they're made of breathable knit fabrics, which mattered more than we expected. Even in October, Italy was WARM.
What I Wore
The key thing for me was a color palette where everything worked together: cognac, burgundy, and navy. Within that palette, most of my wardrobe came from a few favorite stores:
Talbots: corduroy pants and jeans
Cabi: blouses and jackets
Ann Taylor: blouses, a cardigan, and jeans
J.Crew: t-shirts, cardigans, and blouses
Boden: a jersey dress that's comfortable, easy to pack, and looks great with sneakers or sandals (here's a similar one)
Lightweight Navy Jacket (from Marshalls in Phoenix) This one really saved the day. I wore it on cool mornings, then tied it around my neck or waist when the afternoon warmed up. It didn't wrinkle, and it still looked great three weeks later.
Lauren Ralph Lauren Floral Belted Crepe Dress (red/tan, from Zappos) So comfortable, easy to layer with a cardigan on cool mornings, and it packed really well. I wish I had a dozen more dresses like this one.
J. McLaughlin Reversible Dress Not currently available, sadly, but I loved it. Two dresses in one is exactly the kind of math a carry-on needs.
Women's Raincoat (from Amazon) Warm, water-repellent, and just right for Italy in the fall.
Laundry, Wrinkles, and Italian Bathrooms
Three weeks out of a carry-on means doing laundry in the hotel sink. And anyone who has traveled in Italy knows public bathrooms are an adventure: sometimes there's no soap, sometimes no toilet paper, sometimes no seat. This little kit handled all of it.
Hanging Clips For hanging up whatever we hand-washed in the room.
Travel-Size Laundry Soap Worked well and packed down to almost nothing.
Jack and Rose Travel Steamer Such a great find. Strong wrinkle removal, even on clothes that had spent days squashed in a vacuum bag.
Soap Leaves For the bathrooms with no soap for hand-washing.
Tiny Packages of Wipes For the bathrooms with no toilet paper, or no seat.
One of my favorite moments in St. Peter’s Basilica - a reminder to make the most of the time we have here…
Bringing Italy Home
Here's the plan I promised to explain. We fly over with carry-ons only, then buy inexpensive luggage in Italy, fill it with the things we can't get at home, and check it on the flight back. Two things make that plan work.
Luggage Anti-Burst Straps The suitcases you pick up in Italy for this are usually inexpensive and not built to last. We strap these around them as a little extra insurance against a bag bursting open somewhere between there and home.
Wine Angels We use these for olive oil, balsamic, and any other bottle we want to bring home in checked luggage. They work like a charm. One small bottle of olive oil did leak on this trip, and not one drop made it outside the Wine Angel.
So what filled those extra bags this time?
Aged balsamic
Olive oils
Aged Parmesan
Chocolate
Silk scarves
Venetian slippers
Two coats, one velvet and one leather
Original pieces of art
Ricciarelli and panforte from Siena, which I love. Ricciarelli are soft, diamond-shaped almond cookies with a crackled, powdered-sugar top. Panforte is a dense, medieval cake of honey, candied fruit, almonds, and spices.
Several tubes of the viral Marvis toothpaste from the farmacia (look for the green cross on the sign, you'll find them everywhere in Florence and Rome). I love it, and I always bring some home.
The One Thing That Isn't About Logistics
Travel Journal I keep one of these for almost every big trip. Pictures, souvenirs, postcards, all of it gets attached, along with my daily log of everything we did. Everything else on this list made the trip easier. This is how I keep it.
The journal travels with a small kit: scrapbooking adhesive for attaching the postcards and everything else as I go, and two of my favorite gel pens, Pilot G-2.
Flip through this one and you'll find the napkin from La Terrazza, the rooftop at the Bulgari Hotel in Rome, where we spent aperitivo hour overlooking the city as the sun set on another perfect day. There's the postcard of one of my favorite places anywhere, the Piccolomini Library in the Siena Cathedral. And there's the card from Roscioli in Rome, where we celebrated our friend's birthday with the anchovies on brioche toast that I can't stop thinking about.
Next up in the series: the itinerary. Where we went, what we saw, and our favorite experiences from three weeks in Italy.