Mediterranean Meandering: Itinerary for Two Weeks in Italy and Spain

“Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.”

– Pat Conroy

What better way to bring in another year of life than to spend two weeks exploring Italy and Spain with your best friend? Seriously, what is a better way? This is exactly how I celebrated my birthday in November 2019. I planned a two week trip starting in Naples, Italy and ending in Barcelona, Spain. This has always been one of my (many) dream trips. Along the way we had day trips planned, embarked on a 4-day cruise with several excursions, visited two of the smallest countries in the world (see which are the smallest below), and ate more pizza than humanly possible. Each city is incredibly unique, and we learned so many historical facts, and had many cultural experiences. This itinerary outlines the main cities we visited and the length of time spent; for more detailed information, follow the embedded links for individual posts for each location .

Here is an outline of all of the cities we visited, in two weeks:

• Naples, Italy, 3-nights with day trips to:
  • The Amalfi Coast
  • Pompeii and Vesuvius
• Rome, Italy, 3-nights
  • Vatican City
• 4-night Mediterranean Cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines, with excursions in…
  • Florence, Italy
    • Pisa
  • Nice, France
    • Monaco
  • Palma, Mallorca, Spain
    • Caves of Hams
• Barcelona, Spain, 3-nights
  • Monserrat

Fun Fact: Vatican City and Monaco are the World’s two smallest countries at .44 km² and 2 km², respectively!

Itinerary for Two weeks in Italy and Spain

Naples, Italy

Day 1: Explore Naples

• Complesso Monumentale di Santa Maria la Nova 
• Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli  
• Napoli Sotterranea
• Naples Street Food Tour

Day 2: Day trip to Amalfi Coast

• Positano
• Sorrento
• Ravello

Day 3: Pompeii and Vesuvius

• Ruins of Pompeii
• Cantina del Vesuvio Winery
• Mount Vesuvius

Rome, Italy

Day 4: Travel from Naples and Explore Rome

• CitySightseeing Roma Bus (hop on/off)
• Trevi Fountain
• Spanish Steps
• Piazza Navona
• Gladiator Museum
• Pantheon

Day 5:  A Day in Vatican City

• Sistine Chapel and Vatican Museum
• St. Peter’s Basilica and Square
• Museo Leonardo da Vinci Experience

Day 5: Explore Rome

• Museo Nazionale Romano
• Colosseum
• Arch of Constantine 
• Roman Forum
• Palatine Hill
• Baths of Caracalla
• Stadio Di Domiziano Piazza Navona Underground

4-Day Mediterranean Cruise

Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Western Mediterranean Cruise from Rome to Barcelona, with stops in…

• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy, depart at 7:00pm
• Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy, arrive at 7:00am and depart at 7:00pm
• Cannes, France, arrive at 8:00am and depart at 6:00pm
• Palma, Majorca, Spain, arrive at 1:00pm and depart at 8:00pm
• Barcelona, Spain, arrive at 5:00am

Barcelona, Spain

Day 11: Barcelona

• Port Pick up Barcelona
• Barcelona Day Tour
  • Montserrat Entry and Tour
  • Park Güell Entry

Day 12: Explore Barcelona

• Casa Batllo and Casa Mila
• La Boqueria
• Las Ramblas
• Free Gothic Walking Tour: Gothic Quarter
• Barcelona Cathedral
• Museu Picasso

Day 13: Explore Barcelona

• Visit Montjuïc

Places to Stay

Every place that we stayed was absolutely incredible. Great locations, great accommodations and service, and really reasonable prices.

1. Naples: It’s Room Bed and Breakfast
2. Rome:  Corso Vittorio 308
3. Barcelona: Circa 1905 Boutique B&B

If you are interested in learning more about this two-week itinerary, be sure to read the individual posts on Naples, Rome, 4-Day Cruise, and Barcelona!