Tips, hints, suggestions, do's and dont's would be so appreciated.

Get the Rick Steves guides. Very well worth it. They guided me through a 3 week trip there back around 2001 or so.

If you go to Venice look into staying on Lido. It’s an island just off Venice. Easily accessible by water taxi. Quieter, cleaner, beautiful.

quote:

Originally posted by davetruong:
Tips, hints, suggestions, do's and dont's would be so appreciated.

We'll be there next spring. We're on a Tauck tour
with everything planned out for us, but I'll take any advice.

Email sent with details from our 2016 trip.

Very friendly people. In Florence the gypsies were a real pain asking for money. I was outside a museum and had to shout for the police as they wouldn't stop bugging me. Rome was great, a lot of traffic but well worth the experience. The Vatican was nice, worth going to.

While living / working in Barcelona during an 18 month assignment, my wife and I did a fair amount of traveling in Western Europe.

We found the Michelin system to be outstanding. There are three components:

• The maps. Michelin maps are detailed and accurate.
  
  
• The Michelin Red Guide. This lists hotels and restaurants, with ratings for quality and price indicators. The listings are cross-referenced to coordinates on the Michelin maps, so they work together.
  
  
• The Michelin Green Guide. This is a descriptive book that we used for self-guided tours. Great for learning about places that you will want to see. Descriptive text like "Entering the Cathedral through the east door . . ."

Barnes & Noble carries some of these. You might have a specialty store, like the Map & Globe store in Orlando, and of course, there's always Amazon: https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=m..._sb_ss_ts-doa-p_7_14

quote:

Originally posted by rtquig:
The Vatican was nice, worth going to.

This is very true but I also suggest walking Vatican City in the middle of the night it is even more amazing.
We flew out of Rome at 8am so we did not bother staying anywhere for the night so we ended up walking most of the night.
There is so much hustle and bustle during the day but at night there is nothing it is so quiet and amazing.
We walked down the middle of Via Della Conciliazione which is the main roadway to St. Peter’s Basilica at about 3am and it was such a surreal experience.

I highly suggest visiting some less touristy places as well because it really is very different. I really enjoyed Scanno.
The Park Hotel looks over the lake and the main town is straight up the hill. It’s a pretty solid walk but a great town that has not been overtaken by foreign tourism. It’s highly visited by the Italians for the lake and Skiing in the winter.
https://www.parkhotelscanno.it/wp/

We also ended up in Croatia and Bosnia via a Ferry from Ancona, Italy to Split Croatia.

We were all over Italy and the only place I can’t say I would be sad if I did not go back was Bologna. It just seemed like a dirty, drunk, hippy, college town.

Gypsies are a huge problem. On the major town squares and sites - the police will be present. But they pack up at 8 or 9pm. Literally, the moment the vehicle leaves the square the roaches come out.

Advice

1. Carry a small flashlight at nite. I warned off two or three potential events by turning around with a lit flashlight. It told them I was aware they were there.

2. DO NOT carry your wallet in the usual back pocket. I kept mine in my front cargo pocket. I got brushed at lease 2 or 3 times. Usually good looking girls in pairs.

3. I did keep a small folder knife in my pocket. And if I had to go thru metal detectors - I stopped to retie my shoe and slipped in the shoe. The detectors tended to be mounted 12" or so off the ground and they never went off.

Florence was my favorite. I'll put some more info out soon.

Andrew

The Big-3 of Italian vacations, if this is your first time, its a good itinerary; Rick Steves is your friend here, check website, forum, podcast and TV show are excellent resources. Arrive into Venice and depart from Rome is the best direction for this trip. Plan on lots of walking, get your hips, knees, back in-shape before so you can enjoy your trip. Trip planning is essential, booking tickets ahead of time and for some restaurants reservations, traveling by train is very easy and the best way to travel. I've got about 60-days of visit time in Italy, most of it from Rome, northward, its a very easy country to get around and enjoy. Iv'e attended weddings, taken my parents, traveled solo and with a group, the land and people of Italy are awesome, they got a good thing going on there.

Venice- 2-nights is good, some people like 3. An interesting and fascinating place that enchants many people, the unique canals and culture make Veince a special place. The spendiest of the 3 locations you listed, its also HEAVILY touristed; I personally wasn't as enthralled with Venice as others are but, by no means should it be left off. When the crowds start to get on your nerves, make some time to visit the other islands; in Burano be sure to secure a reservation at Trattoria Gatto Nero, best risotto. In Venice, Al Covo is not to be missed, family run, American wife, great seafood.

Florence- my favorite of the three. The art work and architecture is tremendous, you don't need to be a sophisticate or, an art major to appreciate the paintings and statues. At the very least, get a downloadable, self-guided audio tour which will give some perspective so that you can better enjoy why the work is so important. Food-wise, Florence traditionally wasn't known for its food, however since being established as a tourist hot-spot, the food scene has developed into one of the best Italy. Bistecca fiorentina is the signature, best slab of dead-red I've eaten overseas, hands-down. The surrounding region is worth visiting and spending time, renting a car for this may be necessary. Nearby is the medieval walled town of Siena (vs Florence being a Renaissance town) with its signature central plaza, smaller hills towns like Volterra, MOntepulciano and San Gimignano are the stuff of Bed, Bath & Beyond paintings. Further West is the walled town of Lucca (I thought had great food), Pisa (with its over-rated leaning bell tower) and the Cinque Terra: five, charming seaside mountain villages that provide some nice relief from the noisy hustle of the cities. I would segment AT-LEAST 3-nights in Florence, if you can squeeze-in 2-3 side trips to one of the previously mentioned towns, its worth it; a week in Tuscany is never a bad thing.

Rome- What more can be said, the city is about 2200-years old, the layers of history can't be over-stated. You'll get full immersion in Roman history and Catholic history. It is a capitol so, its crowded and can be frustrating if you allow it. Just understand the entire world has descended on this city and there's no low-season. The Vatican museum is unmatched, say what you will about the history of the Catholic church, what can't be denied is they saved a lot of art and knowledge from antiquity that would've been lost or, destroyed. Rome for the last 20-30 years has had its' ups and downs regarding its level of food, you just need to know where to go. 3-nights is good.

Best time to visit is either Spring or, Fall....April or, Sept/Oct; the weather is pleasant, enjoyable and not oppressive. I've stayed in a combination of hotels, AirBnB's and villas. For a unique experience, for a couple of nights in the Tuscan region, staying at an agriturismo is a great way to connect and make your trip that much more memorable. Enjoy a country stay, some are rustic, some are quite upscale, eat local cooking and enjoy the socializing with locals.

Worth a watch, can also view shorter videos on the YT channel.

Time stamps
Travel Skills for Italy (45 minutes)
Northern Italy (20 minutes)
Venice & the Veneto (30 minutes)
Florence (15 minutes)
Hill Towns of Tuscany & Umbria (20 minutes)
Rome (25 minutes)
Southern Italy (10 minutes)

As has been mentioned, Rick Steves’ books are great.

We went as a family (three teenagers) in 2005.

+1 on a small flashlight. I took the Surefire e2e executive. It came in very handy.

Get a money belt or some other type of money storage that can go under your tucked-in shirt. I kept my credit cards and ID in the one I used as well. Daily cash I kept in my wallet which I stowed in a front pocket.

In Rome for sure there will be people who want to guide you to a restaurant; when you exit the Vatican grounds for example. These folks receive a commission from the establishment. They will tell you that the food is delicious and the restaurant is just around the corner...

It’s well worth paying for a guide when visiting the Forum.

Have a map of Rome.

Visit the Mammertine Prison where Paul spent his final days.

When in Rome consider a visit to the Spanish Steps.

If you take a taxi in Rome... prayer will come naturally!

Luggage with wheels can be a lifesaver. When we left Venice public transportation of all kinds was on strike. We were able to walk out and all of our luggage being wheeled really helped.

The train car that you paid extra money because it had air conditioning.... well that’s Italy sometimes.

We learned a few Italian phrases before the trip and had a translation book with us.

In Sorrento, Sienna, and in Verenna (sp) we walked neighborhoods in the evening. It was really fun to see all the multi-generational families out at night spending time with their family.

No idea as to what its like today but we had a simply fantastic time. We found the Italians to be warm, kind, and extremely helpful.

Silent

Our late April 2023 tour with Tauck ends with two full days in Venice. We're then staying in the city two additional days so I can visit this former Nike Hercules launch site an hour or so from Venice up near Trento:

https://www.basetuono.it/en/

If anyone has been there pls share your experience, either post here or use the email in my profile.

I was a drunk sailor when I went to Rome. The gypsy pickpockets never bothered us, probably because we looked like broke ass sailors. But they are a real thing. Pickpockets are all over the areas that visitors congregate. I saw more than one and we began playing a game of calling them out to other visitors…this pissed off the pickpockets such that one threatened a fellow sailor with a knife.

That’s all I have. I had a great time, spent a lot of money and found all my film was ruined when I got home. I went in 1999..things may have changed in the last 20 years

I'm not an expert on Italy, but if you haven't heard of Cinque Terre, look into it. It's a string of 5 seaside villages, very beautiful area with nice peoplel, good food, and amazing views. You can hike the trail between the cities, or take the boat that runs between them all.

It's a little over 2 hours drive from Florence.

Don’t go asking for things like spaghetti & meatballs because that’s an Italian American thing and you’ll be sent to a tourist trap.

I lived in northern Italy for three years, courtesy of Uncle Sugar. Loved it and want to go back. The earlier postings about riding the train are right on. Once you figure out how the trains run, there are very few places you cant go.

quote:

Originally posted by GA Gator:
If you go to Venice look into staying on Lido. It’s an island just off Venice. Easily accessible by water taxi. Quieter, cleaner, beautiful.

That's what I did. Very good choice. The crowds in Venice can be nuts in nice weather. Go in dead of winter.

Florence, if you are into medieval and Japanese armor get tickets to the Stibbert Museum.
Outstanding collection!
http://www.museumsinflorence.c...stibbert_museum.html

Rome, for then ancient parts, take a tour, it will get you in immediately, ahead of all lines and you can choose to stay with the group or not.
This will literally save you 3hrs waiting in line... time is money.

Florence train station is an organized mess, learn a little Italian if you can.

Venice is fantastic and is my favorite airport to fly out of.

We were delayed on our drive back to Florence on the Super Strada from Pienza... Florence train station staff offered no help on a missed train, jyst took the next one to Venice and settld with the conductor on the train.

alternative would have been to lose a day in Venice.

anyhow, the Michelin System is fantastic, Rick Steves is a good aource except anyrhing he tells you to do that would be a short cut, realize thiusands of others are doing as well.

We have great friends in Italy and will be back again in June.

Enjoy, safe travels.

My daughter did a few weeks there in the spring. Rome, Amelia, Florence, Naples and Capri. She thought it was the best place ever. But given where we live, that's to be expected. If she'd have taken a trip to Mesa Verde CA, she'd have said that's the best place ever.

But seriously, the photos were exquisite. It was a school "experiential learning" trip. So they had great guides and did very non-touristy things that looked delightful. Amelia, Florence and Capri appealed most to me.

One more thing. While she had no trouble (direct flights to/from Toronto/Rome), a colleague at work had a hell trip getting back. Not enough pilots, all sorts of reasons. Days and days to get out, involving separating the group, different cities into the US, and for some, renting a car for the last long leg to our town. She described that this is not uncommon now from Rome, and that it's likely not over. This was also just this past spring.

Being of Italian dissent we’ve been there several times.

We’ve found that staying in a hotel in Rome to be the best. In our case the Conrad which is right next to the Vatican. From your hotel you can take a taxi just about any place easily. I also recommend getting a guide for any of the touristy places. They can usually get your tickets in advance which saves time as has been mentioned.

For the rest of Northern Italy we usually rent a car and stay in a Villa which is centrally located to the area we want to experience. We’ve stayed in Florence, near Sienna and the little hamlet of Bartolommeo which was fantastic. From these places we can take the train for longer trips to places like Venice.

I don’t know if you’re into cars but the Ferrari factory and museum is fantastic. It’s located in Maranello.