Weāve decided to take a trip to Italy next year. Weāll be going at the start of May, just before the tourist season starts up. It will be a little cooler and wetter than June, but also a bit less crowded with fellow tourists (hopefully). Weāll be there two weeks.
Anyways, I would appreciate any advice you fine Forumosans could offer on vacationing in Italy. I already got some great feedback about luggage and transporation in this thread, but any more comments would be welcome. A few questions to you world travelers:
What is the best travel guide for Italy?
Can you recommend a good seaside resort? Weāre not going to spend all our time in the lap of luxury, but it would be nice to spend a few days being waited on hand and foot, walking along clean beaches, insisting on calling the manservants āgarconā even though itās not in France, etc.
Are there any restaurants or other eateries we absolutely most try? MT recently mentioned eating at the oldest Russian restaurant in Finland. Something cool like thatā¦but not in Finlandā¦and not necessary Russian cuisine. Oh you know what I mean.
Can you recommend any quirky off-the-beaten-path places to visit? I know you people have secrets. Donāt hold out!
I really enjoy the DK Eyewitness Travel series. I have several for various cities in France, Italy, and Greece. I find the illustrations inside to be absolutely beautiful and a great complement to the text.
Never been to a seaside resort in Italy. Still on the to-do list.
Most restaurants were decent if unspectacular, but nothing stands out as being a must-go. Iām sure others can help you in this department.
I find walking randomly just a bit outside of touristy areas to be quite rewarding. Did that in Venice and got lost, saw the locals doing their grocery shopping, went inside and realized that the 5 euro bottle of water that they charge the tourists a few blocks away costs 0.5 euros here. Stocked up on cheap(er) food. Got to see some of the non-tourist restaurants, pasta stores, butchers, etc. All of it without flocks of people which was nice. In Milan, walked around randomly (didnāt have a guide book) and came upon Santa Maria delle Grazie. I didnāt think much of it (except that it was a nice looking brick church) until I saw a sign by the door that said, āReservations required to view Leonardo da Vinciās The Last Supperā. Too bad I was flying out the next day ā¦ Not all that quirkyā¦oh wellā¦
Went to the beach near Rimini 20(!) years ago in early June. Filthy, crowded and full of drunk Dutch! The Adriatic is a sewer. Sicily or Sardinia will probably be cleaner. The late Roman frescoes in that area are magnificient.
Bologna is a good place to base yourself (nothing expensive & touristy there) and close to Mantova, Ferrara etc. by train for visits. My 2 liraās worth. Enjoy!
Try and limit your time in Firenze and spend more time in Siena to get the feel of a mediaeval town.
We travelled by āKilometricoā train ticket. Paid for 1,oookm and each trip length was deducted from the ticket. Great value but may not be available anymore.
I went many many years ago and we had a book called Letās Go Europe. It was excellent. We even lost it once and bought another one. Went to Genoa and tried a restaurant recommended and it was perfect. They sent the spaghetti up in a dumbwaiter. Very quaint. Iāve never had calzones like they had in Italy. My favorite food in all of Europe. I wish I could provide up-to-date information, but Iām sure you will eat very well. We also went to Venice.
Watch out for gypsy children jumping on top of you and grabbing your wallet in prime tourist spots.
I was attacked by 4 gypsy children who tried to grab my wallet and my camera. They fled when a policeman happened by at the right moment. They literally just jump on you, all of them. And while you are trying to keep your balance, they try to roll you.
[quote=āgao_bo_hanā]What is the best travel guide for Italy?[/quote]While youāre in Rome, Iāve got a who, not a what, for a travel guide. Name escapes me at the moment, but Iāll have a look if youāre interested. American guy, theology MA, I think. Does tours of the capital and Vatican. We caught a free tour he gave of the Forum, which hooked us for the paid tour of the Vatican. Most definitely worthwhile.
Gao, you should give us an idea of how much you would like to see in those two weeks. As much as possible (one place per day) or relaxed. What is the most important to you, etc.
For example, Iād skip north and south and just base myself in the middle, somewhere like Siena, so youāre close to many other major locations, Roma, Firenze, Pisa, as well as all the little ones in between.
Donāt expect May to be less crowded or youāll be disappointed. Just go and accept the fact that itās going to be touristy no matter where you go and try to enjoy it nevertheless. (Itās less crowded than in the summer, but only by comparison. ie., if you were to go in July first and then right after that you go in May, youād probably be able to tell the difference, but not if you just go in May, if you know what I mean)
[quote=āllama_loutā]Went to the beach near Rimini 20(!) years ago in early June. Filthy, crowded and full of drunk Dutch! The Adriatic is a sewer.
[/quote]
Adriatic on the Italian side is horrible, thatās true, but on the Croatian side (and this is really not just because Iām from Croatia, I promise) is crystal clean and full of beautiful islands.
You can cross over with a ferry from Ancona.
Ok, ok, now Iām plugging Croatia a bit, I admit
But seriously, you shouldnāt choose the Adriatic coast of Italy for the sea. llama_lout was right to suggest those other options. Lakes are supposed to be nice too, but then youāre in the north.
As for the dining. One tip: Donāt be surprised about the Italian food not being the same as Italian food in Taiwan or the US (sorry, donāt know where youāre from EDIT: oops, I see the flag now).
Two weeks is probably too short to take a side-trip to Croatia but I did spend a day in the walled city of Dubrovnik (on the Adriatic) which I thoroughly enjoyed. Too bad it was only one day.
[quote=ātommy525ā]Watch out for gypsy children jumping on top of you and grabbing your wallet in prime tourist spots.
I was attacked by 4 gypsy children who tried to grab my wallet and my camera. They fled when a policeman happened by at the right moment. They literally just jump on you, all of them. And while you are trying to keep your balance, they try to roll you.
Nasty.[/quote]
When I backpacked Italy 10 years ago, my friend and I spent a few days on the island of Sardegna. A bus full of tourists popped off at the station and several gypsy children slipped through them like weasels before getting on the bus. We got on the bus as well. Once the bus took off, they pulled out the wallets they had just lifted from the tourists and started openly counting the money and congratulating themselves. The oldest couldnāt have been over 10, more like 9 or 8 actually.
Thanks all for your suggestions. To answer tashās question, we are probably going to take a more relaxed approach to our trip, but we still want to get out and see the sights. This weekend weāre going to pick up some travel guides ā weāll definitely check out the DK Eyewitness book that sj mentioned.
Could you guys get by in Italy by speaking English? When I was there in '97, the friend I was with spoke Italian (among other languages), so it wasnāt an issue. But I recall receiving some blank faces when I tried speaking English to the locals. So my wife and I bought the first volume of Pimsleurās Italian series and have been steadily working through them. If we keep the pace up we should be through all three volumes (and repeating the first) by the time we go. To be honest Iām a little nervous about visiting a foreign country without knowing the local language or going with a friend who does. When I went to Taiwan I had already studied Mandarin for two solid years. But the Pimsleur CDs are pretty good so Iām sure weāll be able to get by.
I read an article in a travel magazine a few months ago about Croatiaās budding tourist industry. And during Christmas I had a relative recommend visiting the āYugoslavian coastā as well. He traveled with his wife from England, through northern Italy, down the Yugoslavian coastline (back when Yugoslavia was still together), through Turkey and onto their home in Iran. He strongly recommended the Slavic coast. But with only two weeks, that is going to have to wait until another day.
No more plugging for Croatia. Back to Italy! Keep the ideas rolling!
Jaboney, please do PM me that guyās info if you still have it. And thanks!
Only in really heavy tourist spots. Else, I found my phrase book to be quite handy (also published by DK coincidentally). Of course, I was never planning to start a conversation with a local anyway. I tried doing the Primsleur thing that I borrowed from the library (free!) but I never had enough motivation to go beyond the first chapter. Hereās hoping you have better persistence.
My daughter wants me to take her to Pompeii. We will be flying from Heathrow. It looks best to me for us to stay in a hotel or guest house in Naples. Does anyone have any other advice?
It gives you an incredible sense of connection to a long-dead culture if you can at least take a guess at the meaning of the writing on the walls. There are probably some websites somewhere explaining the words and abbreviations.
IIRC (it was a long time ago) I joined a tour group; you really do need a guide to appreciate it.
Well, donāt blame me if you end up in the brothel ordering something you didnāt expect.
I wasnāt entirely serious. I just meant you might like to look up some websites specifically about Pompeii explaining the graffiti and signs, before you go there.
Not all that quirkyā¦oh wellā¦
Keep the ideas rolling!