This summer I had nothing to do for two months, so I decided to grab some stuff and go see the cities I've really wanted to visit for a long time. Florence was the main goal.
Started in the Netherlands, went through Germany along the Rhine, followed the Inn in Austria, and entered Italy around Merano.
I went east to Venice, spent four days there, and made my way south via Padua, Ferrara and Bologna, usually hanging around for 2 days in each of those places.
After crossing the Appenines I had reached Florence, with still a month to go!
I spent four days there, and decided to continue on to Rome.
In the end I got to Amalfi, where my parents were vacationing. So I even got a free ride back.
This is a super succinct version ofcourse. Along the Rhine are some awesome cities like Heidelberg and Koblenz, and the Alps have the most beautiful views I've ever seen. The whole trip was honestly the coolest thing I've ever done.
I had to be pretty cheap because I'm a student, but that only made it more fun.
In the end I was pretty weighed down by all the books I bought along the way, but those are now my souvenirs. Learned some Italian and brushed off my German as well.
I'm thinking about going to Czechia, Austria and Slovenia next year, maybe along the Elbe. I really want to do a tour along the Mediterranean coast too. (Lisbon-Istanbul maybe)
If you're able to look after yourself it's honestly a great experience. I really enjoyed the freedom.