A week in northern Italy: our itinerary

Northern Italy is an incredibly beautiful part of Europe, and recently I was lucky enough to spend a week in the area exploring new cities, eating incredible food and enjoying everything the region has to offer. I thought I would share our itinerary and a brief look at what we got up to!

Manchester - Verona

We flew from Manchester to Verona on a Tuesday morning, with Ryanair, which was absolutely fine - the flight ended up being less than 2 hours, which was dreamy. We then jumped in a taxi to our central apartment, which cost around 35euros.

We stayed at the Truly Verona Delle Erbe Suites, which are in the best possible location in Verona; I will have a full hotel review coming soon!

Our first afternoon and evening in Verona was spent just wandering and getting our bearings, and getting used to the muggy heat of the city in June, as well as eating pizza in the square. Again, I'll be sharing a full Verona food round up soon.

Verona: day one

Our first full day in Verona was a Wednesday, and we woke up incredibly early. Deciding to make the most of it, we headed out before 6am and explored the empty streets of central Verona - as well as heading to the arena, an area which is heaving during the day!

After going back to our apartment for a freshen up we were officially ready to get out and explore; our first stop was Juliet's house and balcony, which was AMAZING. We also visited Romeo's house, rode the small tourist train, went to the top of the Lamberti Tower and had lunch in Piazza Delle Erbe.

I'll be creating a more in depth blog post focusing on everything we did in Verona during our time there; this is just a brief insight into our itinerary!

Venice and the islands

On the Thursday we got the train to Venice, where we were booked onto a tour of Murano and Burano. We managed to cram in seeing all the Venice highlights like the bridges and St Mark's Square, but the boat tour to the islands was the real highlight. Murano and Burano are both stunning, peaceful islands rich in culture, and they were a joy to explore. We headed back to Verona after the tour and had an evening wander while enjoying a gelato.

The Dolomites

For the Friday we had booked a full day tour to the Dolomites; it was honestly a bit of a disaster, but we managed to see the mountains and the scenery was truly breathtaking. If you can drive, I'd highly recommend hiring a car and visiting the Dolomites from Verona as it's a gorgeous part of Italy with so much to offer. I will of course share a full review on our organised day trip, but if you can DIY it then it's probably a better option...

When we got back to Verona we had a few drinks with some people we'd met on the tour, then got ready for another gorgeous dinner in Piazza Delle Erbe.

A weekend in Verona

With two of our day trips out of the way, we had a weekend in Verona itself to explore more of this gorgeous Italian city. We really did fall in love with Verona and while you don't need a full week here (hence the day trips), there is plenty to see and do in the city. It's the perfect base for exploring northern Italy.

On the Saturday we headed to the fresco museum, also the location of Juliet's tomb - the museum was great and it has a beautiful courtyard, where someone was getting married! We also visited Castelvecchio and the Gavi Arch, had lunch down a little side street, explored more piazzas and bought fancy macarons. We had dinner out of the main square area, down towards the river, and it was overall a gorgeous day.

Sunday was a day of walking; I think we got close to 20,000 steps in. We headed back to the Castelvecchio area to cross the bridge here, which has stunning views, and from here we walked all the way along to the beautiful Giardino Giusti. These walled gardens are breathtaking, so well kept with a fabulous panoramic viewpoint. After walking back to Piazza Delle Erbe we had some drinks in the square, relaxing and people watching for the afternoon. That evening we visited Castel San Pietro, completely missing the sign for the funicular and instead walking up all the steps... the views up here are equally stunning, and watching the sunset at Castel San Pietro is a MUST in Verona.

From Verona to Lake Garda

On Monday it was time for another day trip, this time to Lake Garda. We got the bus to Sirmione, where we sat on the lake enjoying a drink before a 25 minute cruise around the lake itself - I also had the best gelato of my life in Sirmione, and we really enjoyed exploring the little streets and beautiful views around the town. It's a gorgeous part of northern Italy and while we did have some shuttle bus-related problems getting there, again it would be perfect if you have a hire car.

Monday evening, we had dinner in Piazza Bra overlooking the arena which was amazing; we then walked across the bridge and finally managed to get the funicular up to Castel San Pietro, which was only 3euros for a return journey. A few hours before sunset it was quiet and peaceful up there!

That was our week in northern Italy; Verona is an amazing city, and it was the perfect base for exploring Venice, the Dolomites and Lake Garda. I wouldn't change anything about our Italian itinerary and I'll be posting more in depth reviews of each place as well as what we got up to.

May 2025 reading round up

May's been a busy old month but I did still manage to get some good reading done - so without further ado here's everything I read and reviewed in May 2025!

Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer

I absolutely loved Assistant to the Villain, and it took me ages to get around to reading the second in the series as I was worried it would fall flat in comparison to the first, which was an was 5 star for me. And honestly, it kind of did - it took me at least 50% of the book to actually get into it, and I just didn't find it as fun as the first one. By the end, I did really enjoy it and I do think the story is progressing really well, I just didn't fall in love with it like book one. I ended up giving this one 4 stars! Also, if anyone else has read this, do you know what I mean if I say I get Shrek-universe vibes from it?

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes

This was our May book club pick, and it's something really quite far out of my comfort zone - I used to read a fair bit of historical fiction but it's not really a genre I gravitate towards these days. I read it via audiobook, and as one of the characters is French it was great to digest her story in a French accent. The book follows a painting stolen during WW1, and we learn the story of the woman who features in it, and that of the woman who owns it now, and how these stories come to intertwine. Part one is really interesting, but I found part two just dragged a LOT. Overall it was okay, but not my thing - I gave it a 2.5 star rating.

Dream Girl Drama by Tessa Bailey

I absolutely adore both sports romances and Tessa Bailey books, so this was an easy pick for me - I got a gorgeous sprayed edge edition from The Works, and I flew through the book itself. Hockey, cello, protective boyfriend, messed up family dynamics... a mish mash of things that worked SO well, a proper slow burn and a really enjoyable read. 5 stars!!!

The Thirty Before Thirty List by Tasneem Adbur-Rashid

I'm turning 30 next month (!!) and I picked this up in The Works agesssss ago; I read this on a sunny afternoon in the garden, and I really loved it. It felt so relatable, despite focusing on an entirely different culture to my own, and it was a genuinely sweet story about making the most of life and finding love along the way, not the way you might have expected to... 4.5 stars!

The Highland Fling by Amy McGavin

I read the first book in this series during April, and I'd grabbed both in a recent Stuff Your Kindle Day deal - I knew this one would focus on two of the side characters from book 1, and I was interested to know how it would pan out. As with the first book, the writing is SO awkward and stilted, but the story is nice. It's nothing groundbreaking and I gave it a 2.5 - properly edited etc I think it would be really good.

Not Supposed to Happen by Lizzy Barlow

As someone who has found a recent love of hiking, I was keen to read a romance book that kind of centres around this hobby; this was okay, nothing spectacular but a quick read set in the Pacific North West, which is a big part of the plot. It follows a hiking blogger and a recipe blogger who meet at a singles event and seem to hit it off... the scenic descriptions are great, but the romance left a lot to be desired. 3 stars.

Love on the Rocks by Alyssa Jarrett

Another outdoorsy romance, again due to my recently discovered passion for exploring nature - this was another freebie on Stuff Your Kindle Day, so an indie read. It's part of a 'Glam Fam' series (I didn't get a proper intro to them but it's essentially a stylist, hairdresser, MUA gang) but they don't feature much; the story follows a high flying tech marketing exec and a famous rock climber. Opposites attract, insta-love... not much spice but the spice that was in the book was thoroughly RUINED by the use of hiking terminology in bed. Absolute ick, 2.5 stars.

The Treehouse by B P Walter

I have a lot of Netgalley ARCs to get through, and this was one of them; it's a thriller about two brothers who killed somebody in a treehouse, and years later a TV drama comes out that follows the exact same story - the book itself follows the family as they try to get to the bottom of who knows what they did, and what they want now. It's fairly well written but really predictable and the ending was just pointless and strange. Some interesting features but overall not the best thriller I've ever read! 3 stars.

Keep Your Friends Close by Cynthia Murphy

Another Netgalley ARC, and one I really enjoyed - I like anything set in a boarding school or college setting, and this one was really fresh and interesting, with some hard hitting topics. It's YA, but it doesn't really read like it, and it has some great examinations of the class system as well as a twist I really didn't see coming. Honestly very good and I'd recommend; 4 stars.

The Reappearance of Rachel Price by Holly Jackson

I absolutely stan Holly Jackson, and I got a copy of this on Vinted with the gorgeous sprayed edges. This was a fantastic read - such a twisty, interesting plot following the reappearance of a presumed-dead  with really well rounded characters, a few good twists, and the under-plot of the documentary series. I gave this 4.5 stars and I would absolutely re-read it, too!

So that's everything I read in May; I'm heading off to Italy tomorrow so I'll probably get some good reading done on the plane and during downtime, but I do think June will be a busy month so who knows how many books I'll get to...

AD | Gorgeous gifting with Little Coven

I am a huge fan of quirky and unique homeware, whether it's buying it for myself or getting it as a gift for someone else - and Little Coven has you covered from every angle, whether it's gothic gifts or something more cutesy, no matter who you're buying for!

I thought I'd share a little haul of the bits and pieces I chose from Little Coven, who kindly offered to send me some goodies - I've been trying to get the garden looking gorgeous in case we do have an extended period of sunshine, so it was the perfect opportunity to pick out some new pieces, and I'm always looking to add new bits to our lovely kitchen too...

If you know me, you might know I loveeeee bees - so you may see a *bit* of a theme, starting with the gorgeous Natural Summer Solstice Doormat. Retailing for £9.99 I personally think this is an absolute bargain for a proper coir doormat, and the quality is absolutely brilliant. I've popped this at the back door on the inside, and it looks super cute. I love the crescent moon and bee detailing, as well as the sweet rhyme. Love love love!

Carrying on with the bee theme, I picked out a gorgeous jug that pretty much matches the doormat - sunflowers and bees and a gorgeous yellow handle. I've already used this for making raspberry green tea lemonade AND for holding breadsticks when I did a 'bring a board' night with the girls, who all thought the jug was super cute too. It's brilliant quality again, really versatile and just looks lovely in the kitchen. Retailing at £16.99, I think it would make the perfect gift for a Summer birthday.

Finally in terms of bees, I decided on the Small Terracotta Single Bee Motif Plant Pot - I've been really getting into my gardening recently, and I didn't really own any proper plant pots so this was perfect. I haven't actually got any flowers for this one yet, but I'm planning on a garden centre visit when I get back from Italy and I'm SO excited to pop some gorgeous blooms in here. It's a really cute size, again the quality is great, and it's only £6.99!

In terms of witchy gifts, Little Coven has so many pieces that would be perfect - along this kind of theme, I treated myself to a really lovely bracelet. This is the Opalite Manifestation Bracelet, and I chose this because my wedding ring will be an opal ring so I thought it would definitely make a nice combination down the line. According to the website, the bracelet carries the subtle energy of opalite, which is believed to enhance intuition and spiritual insight. And it's gorgeous, so dainty - and a steal at £6.99 which is why it's such a good gift idea.

The last thing I chose was another garden piece: the Golden Hour Crystal Suncatcher, featuring a gorgeous golden sun and an orange crystal. This hangs beautifully, and when the sun does catch it it looks sooooo pretty. It's a really elegant garden piece, but you could definitely hang it inside too if you wanted to so it's really versatile. At only £8.99 it looks much more expensive than it is!

Everything from Little Coven is great quality, really well priced, and perfect if you're looking for everything from witchcraft supplies to gifts for your hippy pals and everything in between. Supporting a small business too? What a win.

Planted Skincare | review

As you might know if you've read my blog before, I suffer from very sensitive skin and have quite a few topical allergies - so I'm really careful about what I use! When the team at Planted Skincare reached out to see if I wanted to try some of their products, I gave it a lot of thought but ultimately decided to give some a go. Read on to find out how I got on...

Circulation Boosting Orange Coffee Scrub

One thing I've been missing in my life recently is a body scrub; my eczema is mostly contained to my face and inside my elbows, with my legs and the rest of my arms mostly unaffected, but I have of course been wary of using anything scented on my body at all.

The Planted Skincare Circulation Boosting Orange Coffee Scrub doesn't contain artificial fragrance, and has a relatively short ingredient list: Sucrose (Demerara sugar), Persea gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Butyrospermum parkii (Shea) butter, Prunus dulcis (Sweet almond) kernel oil, Coffea robusta seed powder (Coffee), Citrus aurantium dulcis (Sweet orange) peel oil, Helianthus annuus (Sunflower) seed oil, Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary) leaf extract, Limonene. It also comes with a tiny bamboo spoon so you can scoop it out of the tub easily.

Being allergic to Balsam of Peru, I was wary of two ingredients: the orange peel oil, and limonene. However, I patch tested the product on my leg and didn't have a reaction (yay) so decided to give the scrub a proper go.

I used it on my legs prior to shaving and wow - this is probably the closest shave I've ever managed, and my legs felt amazing and so soft afterwards! The scrub isn't too abrasive, and even though it contains oil I wasn't left with a horrible film on my legs. Thanks to the orange, it isn't too heavy on the coffee scent which is a good thing for me as I don't actually like coffee... be warned, as with all coffee scrubs, this is a messy product but it's worth it, I promise.

Oil Cleanser with Black Cumin and Raw Honey

I don't wear make up very often, but when I do I usually remove it with my emollient cream - this tends to require a fair bit of scrubbing, which can leave my face sore. So I decided to give the Planted Skincare Oil Cleanser a try - after patch testing it on my cheek.

The Planted Skincare Oil Cleanser is all natural, combining a range of oils; I was slightly nervous about my skin reacting, but the patch test didn't cause any trouble. According to the Planted Skincare website, this is an optimum blend of plant oils, raw honey and essential oils, combined with a sucrose based emulsifier to help the product rinse clean. A simple step to thoroughly cleanse the skin without stripping it of it's natural oils, leaving it soothed, softened and smoothed.

So on a rare make up-wearing occasion, I decided to use this to remove my make up. It comes with a muslin cloth, but I opted for one of my softer microfibre cloths just as I know my skin quite likes these. The cleanser melted my make up off SO quickly and easily, I barely needed to scrub at my face. It didn't leave an oily residue, and I woke up the next morning without any worsening of my eczema, which was a brilliant result.

I've used it as a cleanser on my bare face too (i.e, not to remove make up) and again it felt lovely without exacerbating my eczema!

Planted Skincare: suitable for sensitive skin?

In my experience, the Planted Skincare has worked really nicely for my sensitive, eczema-prone skin. Of course everyone is different, and I would always recommend doing your research into ingredients and also patch testing products to see how you get on with them before diving in properly. But I'll absolutely be using both of these products in my skincare routine going forward! If you wanted to give the products a go before committing fully, you can buy a gift set with miniatures to test them out without buying full sizes.

Let me know if you've ever tried any Planted Skincare products and what you thought...

April 2025 reading round up

March was a hell of a reading month for me, and April hasn't been too bad either - I never really know what to say in the intro for these posts, so here are all the books I've read in April 2025 and what I thought of them!

The Wake-Up Call by Beth O'Leary

I am a big fan of Beth O'Leary's writing - I really didn't get on with The Flatshare, but all of her other books have been a win for me and this one was no exception! It's a gorgeous enemies to lovers kind of romance, set in a lovely family-friendly British hotel in the countryside, and touches on some themes around grief and loneliness. I love the found family element and the two main characters, Izzy and Lucas, were so much fun. Highly recommend! 5 stars from me.

Happy Place by Emily Henry

I've not read many Em Hen books, but I absolutely fell in love with this one. I was instantly transported to every location, from the haunted flat in New York to the gorgeous cottage in Maine (I want to go to Maine sooooo badly now), and the cast of characters were simply lovely. Again, a nice found family element and a breathtaking, heartbreaking second chance romance plot. Gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. Could definitely see this as a film! Another 5 stars from me.

Nobody Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah

(arc) Since I was about 12, Sophie Hannah has been my favourite author - and it's still a pinch me moment if I ever get an ARC for one of her new books, as I did with this one. It was *very* different to her usual style, and honestly left me feeling kind of mindblown. It's a thriller told through a manuscript left for a policeman to find, and said manuscript switches between an at-first-unknown POV and that of the Mum of the family the story centers on. The story itself is actually about a dog-obsessed family, and their actions/reaction when their dog is accused of biting someone. Honestly the whole thing is nuts and I was left with a lot of questions, but I did find it an enjoyable read which really made me think. 4 stars!

Dead To Me by Gytha Lodge

(arc) The majority of this book is told in the form of an email from a journalist to her ex - said journalist is trying to infiltrate a group at Cambridge to get to the bottom of some suspicious deaths. I love anything that examines the elite and the way they work, and this did so brilliantly while remaining self-aware and just an all-round enjoyable read. Another 4 star read for me.

The Island Escape by Jess Ryder

(arc) Labelled as 'Mamma Mia with murder', that pretty much is what it is - told through dual POVs (mother in the past, her adult daughter now) we follow the hedonistic life of backpackers on a sunny Greek island, and all the trouble and drama that comes with that. Namely secrets, lies and a dead body... This was okay, and I enjoyed the descriptions of Greece of course, but overall it fell a bit flat. 3 stars from me.

The Marriage Rule by Helen Monks Takhar

(arc) I didn't enjoy this book at all - I found the characters all just awful, even the "good" ones, and the plot was really horrible as well as just a bit triggering. Honestly such a drag to read. I gave it 1.5 stars because the writing wasn't bad, but the story itself was. Ugh.

Do You Ship It by Beth Reekles

(arc) This book was like a balm for the soul after my previous read - I absolutely adored it. YA is usually a hit for me, but this one was just gorgeous. It's a romance, but the characters are all really into a particular fantasy series, so it almost feels like you're reading a bit of fantasy too. The storyline was simply lovely, and the characters were lush. I did figure out pretty early on what the sort-of twist would be, but it didn't make it any less enjoyable. An easy 5 stars!

Unfortunately Yours by Tessa Bailey

I'm getting married in October, so I've been adding in a few books featuring weddings, marriage, brides etc into my TBR this year - and I love Tessa Bailey, so I was excited to read this and it didn't let me down. A marriage of convenience romance between an ex-SEAL and a disgraced Wall Street finance whizz, set in Napa Valley, he falls first, spicy without being too much... I simply loved it. 4.5 stars!!

The Highland Kiss by Amy McGavin

I took advantage of a recent 'stuff your kindle day' to get some free books off Amazon, all written by indie authors - this was one of them. I really enjoy romance set in Scotland, and the setting off this one really didn't disappoint; the story was good, too, but I found the writing incredibly awkward and almost jarring to read. Overall I gave this 3 stars, because it wasn't bad, it just felt unedited...

So that's everything I read in April 2025 including arcs, indie published romances and more! Let me know if you've read any of these or plan to pick them up...