Mini-Retirement Update: 1 Month in Italy and September Finances

Best of Italy

It’s that time again! Month 4 of my mini-retirement is already over, and it’s time for a recap and update on how the finances are going. Being the first month in Europe, it was pretty noticeable how much more expensive things are compared to Southeast Asia. However, using some fancy tricks for budget travel, I was able to keep spending under control.

The month of September was spent entirely in Italy, and I was able to hit a lot of my dream destinations and also live a foodie’s dream. There was plenty of sightseeing, eating and drinking done, all on a budget of about USD$150/day for two people.

Over the course of the month, we hit many different destinations, and I wish I could get into the details of all of them, but this is a personal finance blog, not a travel blog, so I’ll just do a quick recap of my favorite parts!

 

Rome

First stop in Italy was Rome, which was where we flew to from Vietnam. Unfortunately, with a wedding to get to in a few days, we were only able to spend a few days here before heading to Florence. We saw the Colosseum, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain and The Pantheon, among many other sites, and it was my first experience eating as much authentic Italian food as possible!

 

 

Florence

Next, we spent a few days in Florence since the wedding was nearby in Chianti. I liked Florence better than Rome, since it had a more authentic feel, but there were still a lot of tourists. We spent the few days we had walking the streets and saw the The Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, David sculpture by Michaelangelo, and I enjoyed some of the best meals I’ve ever had. This was not a cheap few days, but I knew that the cost would be worth it for an experience like this!

 

A Florentine steak, one of the best things I’ve ever eaten

 

Chianti Wedding

After Florence, we drove down to Chianti just south of Florence for a good friend’s wedding. The wedding was at an active vineyard and agriturismo called the Vignamaggio, which was perched up on the Tuscan hillside. We spent 3 days here celebrating with great food, wine and friends. It was a beautiful and fun event!

 

Pisa

After the wedding, we were heading up to complete 10 days of volunteering through Workaway, and the nearest major city was Pisa, so we figured we would stop by for a few nights to see the leaning tower and another famous Italian city. Pisa was not my favorite, but I did have some of the best gelato I’ve ever eaten!

 

Taking a typical, tourist pic in Pisa

 

Workaway in Fivizzano

Through Workaway, we had arranged to spend 10 days volunteering at an agriturismo in Northern Tuscancy in the region of Lunigiana. An agriturismo is basically an active farm that also acts as a hotel and restaurant for tourists. The owners are the only ones working there so they greatly appreciate the help from volunteers to get some of the extra work done. I spent 10 days working out on the farm doing manual tasks, such as trimming the grass, clearing trees and dead branches, and even helped to remove an old fence. It was hard work for about 4-5 hours each morning, but I was rewarded with some of the best home-cooked Italian food I’ve ever had for lunch and dinner each day. And during the afternoons and days off, we were free to explore the town and countryside. This was definitely my favorite experience of the month in Italy, and it also saved me over $1000 in accommodation and food expenses!

 

Doing the hard work at the Workaway in Fivizzano, but totally worth it!

 

Bologna/Parma

After we said goodbye to our hosts in Fivizzano, we took the train 2 hours to the city of Bologna further north. Bologna was a nice city, but fairly modern and busy, so it wasn’t my favorite. However, we did spend one day doing a food tour in Parma, which was an hour away by train. We toured a true Parmigiano Reggiano factory and also a Parma Ham (Prosciutto) factory. This was such as cool experience to see how one of my favorite cheeses was made, and we were able to buy a 1-pound block of cheese for only $10!

 

My brick of Parmigiano Reggiano

 

Verona

After Bologna, we took the train an hour north to Verona, our last stop in Italy. Verona is known for being a very beautiful city with a great food and culture scene. Being our last stop, we just enjoyed walking the old streets of the city, which is impeccably maintained and having a few last incredible meals. I definitely splurged on a few expensive meals here, but I knew I was still below my spending limit for the month so it was completely okay!

 

After leaving Verona, we took a train up to Munich, Germany, where I would be checking off a new country and global event from the bucket list. This would be my first time at the famous festival of Oktoberfest!

 

Prost from Oktoberfest! Rockin’ some lederhosen (leather pants!)

 

Oktoberfest was a blast, and one of the craziest events I’ve ever been to, however, it was also extremely expensive. We only lasted for a few days in Munich because of the cost (beers were $13 and our accommodation was $120/night!) , however, I would definitely recommend it to people who like beer and Bavarian food!

 

So now let’s get to the finances…

 

September Finances

 

$4,627 spent in September, but about $800 was flights and AirBnB’s for October

 

Total spending for the month was slightly over the budget of AUD$150/day (150×30 = $4000), but this was mostly attributed to paying for flights and accommodation that I will use in October. I realize my travel expenses when they happen, not when I make the purchase. This is because in the last month of my trip, I’ll spend almost nothing because everything will already be paid for. Also, AirBnB makes you pay upfront for bookings so it slightly skews my spending since I try to reserve rooms well in advance….

It was surprising to me that I spent so much even though I saved over $1000 from Workaway, however, the expenses for the wedding were pretty high since we were staying at an expensive vineyard. Though this was completely worth it for the experience as you can see from the view….

 

View from the vineyard in Tuscany

 

Overall, Italy was a dream destination for me so as long as I stayed close to the target I’m cool with it. For the whole mini-retirement budget, I’m still far below what I allowed so things are looking good!

$10,165 Spent/$20,000 Total Budget

Monthly Average for 4 Months: $2,541

 

What’s In the Future

So right now I’m currently in Nuremberg, Germany. After leaving Munich, we spent a few days in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, which is a small resort town, which borders the German Alps. This was a beautiful destination where I did some hiking and enjoyed the fresh air to detox from my days spent at Oktoberfest haha.

 

Hiked 3 hours up a mountain to get this view in Garmisch-Partenkirchen!

 

Next we’ll be heading to Berlin, then a week in Poland (Krakow and Zakopane), before heading to France (Paris and Normandy) for 2 weeks where I’ll be meeting my mom, which will round out the month of October. Before I know it, I’ll be back in the U.S. come mid-November!

 

Question: Have you spent any time in Poland and/or France and have any recommendations, financial or otherwise? Leave a comment or send me an email!

NYPFGuy