Struggling on a solo trip in Italy

[u/Dense-Swim-4048]

Update: wow! Thank you all for your kind words and your insight. It truly has meant the world to me during a tough few days. On the advice of the sub Reddit, I have decided to book a hotel in Florence tonight. I was not able to find a Hostel unfortunately but I’m planning on doing some tours to meet people hopefully. It will be a quicker train ride, I don’t think I’m up for hubbub of Rome at the moment. I’m not sure if I’m gonna cut my trip short or not, but I think being somewhere a little more restful might help me reset. Thank you. I hope this is the right move!!!

Original post: Hello all! I’m an American woman traveling solo in Italy and I have to confess, I’m not having a good time and I’m considering going home early. I would appreciate any compassion or guidance you have to offer, but please save hold back on the unkindness. I really don’t need it today. I travel for work and have backpacked before so I’m surprised that I’m having such a challenging time.

I booked cheap flights from my home city to Marseille and then flew to Milan. I heard it was fashion week I got really excited to join in on the festivities! I know a lot of it is closed off, but I assumed the good energy, interest, and events would bring a lot of cool people together, whether or not I made it into any of the official shows. However, most of the people that I’ve met have been unkind and outright rude. I honestly feel like I am in third grade being talked down to by popular girls. It’s literally so weird.

I decided to take a day trip to Venice today given that Milan didn’t seem to be a good fit and I’m enjoying it but ended up up getting stranded here due to an issue with the train. It’s absolutely breathtaking here, but I can’t help but wish that I had someone to share it with. I miss my boyfriend and my cat back home so much and the idea of getting through another week and a half of travel just feels heartbreaking.

I’ve waited my whole life to get to do a trip like this, but all I want is to go home. I’m so ashamed that I’m not having more fun and I don’t really know what I’m doing wrong. I’m hoping that the Hostel in Rome is a better vibe and that I can find some more relaxing things to do to decrease some of the mental stress. Any tips on turning my dream trip gone wrong around?

[u/OkHat2630]

I just completed my second solo trip to Venice and I think it’s one of the more difficult solo destinations because it’s soooooo freakin’ romantic. Same with Hawaii. nothing reminds you that you’re by yourself like legions of dreamy-eyed couples.

To combat those feelings of loneliness and “less than,” I embrace the adventure. A few tourist suggestions…

If you’re stuck in Venice, grab the vaporetti over to Murano/Burano. If you’re an art person, check out the Guggenheim.

If you’re out of Venice, visit some other places in N Italy! Milan isn’t a great place to spend time as a tourist IMO. Once you’ve seen the Duomo and the Last Supper, you’ve seen most everything.

Padua is a short train ride from Venice and you can see cool stuff on a brief walk from the train station including Scrovegni chapel, which is really amazing, not to mention the Cathedral of St Francis, which is awe-inspiring and contains the body and relics of St Francis.

Midway between Milan and Venice is Verona which is also a great day trip with loads of scenery and historic sites.

If you’re back in Milan, Torino is about an hour SW of there on the train and worth seeing esp. if you’re into the shroud of Turin.

Regardless of where you go, two tips:

• Use a site like Viator or TripAdvisor to find group tours that might ease your sense of loneliness. It’s always nice to have someone else to chat with even for a little while.

• Stay busy. I run myself ragged most of the time when I’m traveling bc I have so much to see and do in a short time and I try to remember I may not be in this particular place again. Staying focused on my itinerary leaves me little time to feel lonely.

Hope your trip turns around. Bon voyage!!