A Trip to Italy: Travel, Food, and Everyday Experiences
Exploring Italy while learning useful travel English
In this lesson, you will read about a traveller's experience visiting Italy. You will learn 20 useful B1-level travel vocabulary words, practise reading, and talk about your own travel experiences. The lesson focuses on real-life situations such as booking hotels, ordering food, asking for directions, and exploring a new country.
Vocabulary
Click each card to flip it and explore the full definition, example, and synonym.
To go from one place to another, especially to another city or country.
I love to travel by train when I visit Europe.
go, journey, visit
A trip from one place to another, especially over a long distance.
The journey from Rome to Florence was comfortable and beautiful.
trip, travel, voyage
A journey in an airplane.
My flight to Rome arrived early in the morning.
air trip, plane journey
A place where airplanes take off and land, and passengers begin or end their flights.
We waited at the airport for two hours.
air terminal
The bags and suitcases you take with you when you travel.
My luggage was heavy because I packed too many clothes.
baggage, bags
A building where people pay to stay when they are travelling.
The hotel was small, clean, and close to the city centre.
accommodation, inn
To register when you arrive at a hotel or airport.
We need to check in at the hotel before three o'clock.
register, arrive
An arrangement made before you arrive so a room, table, or seat is kept for you.
I showed my reservation at the hotel desk.
booking
A person who visits a place for enjoyment, not for work.
Many tourists were taking photos near the fountain.
visitor, traveller
A drawing or digital guide that shows streets, places, and directions.
I used a map on my phone to find the restaurant.
guide, plan
Information that tells you how to get to a place.
I asked a local person for directions to the station.
way, route, instructions
A place where people sit and pay to eat meals.
We found a quiet restaurant near the river.
cafe, dining place
A list of food and drinks you can order in a restaurant.
The menu had pasta, pizza, salads, and desserts.
food list
To ask for food or drink in a restaurant or cafe.
I ordered pasta and a glass of water.
ask for, request
Connected to a particular area; also, a person who lives in that area.
A local woman helped me find the bus stop.
nearby, native, resident
Full of many people, often with little space to move.
The city centre was crowded in the afternoon.
busy, packed, full
To rest, feel calm, and stop feeling stressed.
After walking all morning, I relaxed in a small cafe.
rest, unwind, calm down
To travel around a place to discover what is there.
We spent the afternoon exploring the old streets.
discover, look around, visit
Something that happens to you, especially something interesting or memorable.
Eating dinner in a Roman square was an unforgettable experience.
event, moment, memory
To go back to a place where you were before.
I hope to return to Italy next year.
go back, come back
Reading
Read the article and explore the highlighted vocabulary. Use the controls to listen as you read.
Last summer, I decided to travelgo from one place to another to Italy for the first time. I had always dreamed of visiting Rome and Florence, so I booked a flighta journey by plane and started my journeya trip from one place to another.
When I arrived at the airporta place where planes arrive and leave in Rome, everything felt exciting but also a little confusing. I had my luggagebags and suitcases for travel with me, and I needed to find my hotela place where travellers stay. I looked at a mapa guide that shows streets and places on my phone and asked a localsomeone from that area person for directionsinformation about how to get somewhere. Luckily, people were friendly and happy to help.
At the hotel, I went to the desk to check inregister when you arrive and showed my reservationa booking made before arrival. The room was small but comfortable. After resting for a short time, I decided to explorelook around and discover a place the city. The streets were busy and sometimes crowdedfull of many people, but there was always something interesting to see.
One of the best parts of my trip was the food. Every restauranta place where people pay to eat meals had a different menua list of food and drinks, and I loved trying local dishes. I learned how to orderask for food or drink food in simple Italian, which made the experiencesomething interesting that happens to you even more enjoyable. Sitting outside, watching people pass by, and taking time to relaxrest and feel calm was something I will never forget.
During my trip, I visited famous places, walked through old streets, and met other touristspeople who visit a place for pleasure from different countries. At the end of my journey, I felt happy but also a little sad to leave. I promised myself that I would returngo back to a place to Italy one day and explore even more.
Discussion
Think carefully and write your answers. Use your own travel experience and opinions.
Vocabulary Check
Choose the best answer for each question.
1. You carry your clothes in your ___ when you travel.
2. A place where travellers pay to sleep is a ___.
3. To ask how to get somewhere, you ask for ___.
4. A ___ is a person who visits a place for pleasure.
5. The streets were ___, so it was difficult to walk quickly.
6. A list of food and drinks in a restaurant is a ___.
7. To ___ food means to ask for it in a restaurant.
8. A ___ is an arrangement made before you arrive.
9. To ___ a city means to walk around and discover it.
10. A person from the place you are visiting is a ___ person.
11. To ___ means to rest and feel calm.
12. A journey by plane is a ___.
13. To ___ means to go back to a place.
14. A digital guide that shows streets and places is a ___.
15. Something interesting or memorable that happens to you is an ___.
Grammar Practice
Practise B1 travel grammar: past simple, present perfect, and future with would like to.
Prepositions
Choose the correct preposition to complete each travel sentence.
1. I arrived ___ the airport early.
2. We walked ___ the old city centre.
3. The hotel was close ___ the train station.
4. I sat ___ a small table outside the restaurant.
5. We travelled ___ train from Rome to Florence.
6. I asked a local person ___ directions.
7. We stayed ___ a hotel near the river.
8. I returned ___ Italy two years later.
Homework
Review the lesson with sentence writing, vocabulary practice, and past tense correction.
Part 1: Finish the Sentence
Complete each sentence with your own idea.
Part 2: Choose the Vocabulary Word
Use the words from the box to answer each question.
1. You look at this when you do not know where to go.
2. Your bags and suitcases are your...
3. You make this before you arrive at a hotel.
4. This shows the food and drinks in a restaurant.
5. This person lives in the place you are visiting.
6. To walk around and discover a place.
7. Full of many people.
8. To go back to a place.
Part 3: Rewrite in the Past Simple
Rewrite each sentence in the past simple.