Italy Travel Advice

[anarchy]

Hi guys,
The GF and I are planning a trip to Italy in September - we've never been there before (I've never even been to Europe).

I know there's tons of travel advice out there but I'd love to hear from fellow Beyonders.

We're thinking of going for 16 days and visiting Rome, Florence and Venice, but totally open to other cities as well. The Eurorail seems like a pretty good way to get from city to city, we just need to know how many days we want to be intercity traveling.

Tips I've received thus far:
- Venice can be done in a day or two, spend more time in Rome
- Check out Rick Steves tips/tours - apparently everyone uses one of his tips to skip the line at the Vatican.
- Look for boutique hotels, they might only be three stars but are cheap and very nice
- Others suggest I visit Priceline, look at their express deals and bid on a price that is about 10% below it
- I've been told staying in city centre in Rome is best - looking at the Priceline maps, looks like these areas are Piazza Navona and Spanish Steps/Trevi Fountain.

Any thoughts/suggestions/tips are welcome!

Thanks!

[Lex350]

First Advice....book your trip a.s.a.p. Flights have been hard to get the last cvouple of years.

[anarchy]

The GF's mom worked for AC for many years so we're actually going to fly standby. I've been told it should be okay since the planes are huge and September is when people are back in school, work etc. We checked the capacity and there's maybe 10 seats booked out of 110 right now.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Spent two days in Venice, not enough time personally.

[Mitsu3000gt]

September is about the best possible time for Italy, and lots of Europe. Weather is still amazing, and the vacation rush is all gone.

My favorite place in Italy was Sardinia - I spent 10 days there. Everything looks like a post-card, everyone is extremely friendly, and all the food is local & delicious.

[LUDELVR]

Watch out when at the train station! First, try to book/catch your train to the airport on time so you don't have to sleep on the floor at the train terminal! Secondly, if buying tickets at the vending machines, don't accept help from the guys that try and help you. They'll demand payment for this! :nut:

[anarchy]

Twin_Cam_Turbo - interesting. What is there to do that you would spend more than two days in Venice?

Mitsu3000gt - nice! Is Sardinia pretty easy to get to? It sounds amazing.

LUDELVR - hahaha why do I get a feeling like we're about to hear some pic stories? Lol. Good tips though thanks, didn't think about transportation to/from airport.

[LUDELVR]

Originally posted by anarchy
Twin_Cam_Turbo - interesting. What is there to do that you would spend more than two days in Venice?

Mitsu3000gt - nice! Is Sardinia pretty easy to get to? It sounds amazing.

LUDELVR - hahaha why do I get a feeling like we're about to hear some pic stories? Lol. Good tips though thanks, didn't think about transportation to/from airport.

Well, my story would require you to be single and end up shacking up with a furry bushed Finnish girl but seeing that you're going with your significant other...the advice I'd have for you concerning that would appear to be obsolete! So would blowing your load on a German girl's face and trying to explain the redness on her face the next morning while at Vatican City!

:barf:

[turbotrip]

milan might be nice for a day too if you're into the big city thing

[LUDELVR]

But yeah, rome can be done between 2-3 days if you travel quickly. If you are traveling by train, get a rail pass that will save you some dollars although I believe you have to buy them well in advance.

Definitely hit up Cinque e Terre (sp?). It's a series of 5 coastal cities that are absolutely beautiful and ladies seems to love the little cafes you can stop at and admire the ocean view. Spend a couple of nights if you can.

Napoli is a hole but some good history. Go to Verona if you're keen in relating it to Romeo and Juliet. Venizia is sweet and definitely a couple's paradise although it's an open sewage system, people still love it! Stay overnight but not necessary. Firenze is cool too but mostly for the statue of David! Snap photos surreptitiously because they'll yell at you in that devastating tone so be weary!!

I didn't get a chance to hit up Sicily but heard it was pretty sweet down there...HOT! There are also a bunch of little towns too that are cool but really, I'd bypass Milano and Torino...meh, don't bother!! Pisa, do it in a day...half day! All it has is the leaning tower. Get on the train, get off, take a picture and take off! Oh yeah, also go to Siena! That place was cool! They have an annual bareback horse race where people actually hit each other and pretty much anything goes!! It's in Siena and happens in August!!

I can't remember what else, if it comes to mind, I'll let you know. Was there for over a month I think but wow, too much to do and too little time!!!

[taemo]

Visit Milan, your gf will love it if she's into fashion/shopping.
There's also Lago di Como.
An hour outside of Venice is Verona where Juliet's balcony is.

Go to the Liguria province and go see Cinque Terre

If you are going to Florence, I hope you are stopping by Pisa too.

[turbotrip]

Originally posted by taemo
There's also Lago di Como.


Lake Como is where some of the hollywood superstars have homes, but i wouldnt waste time there- catch the ferry from there to Lake Belagio which is much nicer (and fewer tourists)

and I was in Milan for a month and still didnt see everything, so theres a lot to do there (but also expensive)

[Mitsu3000gt]

Originally posted by anarchy
Mitsu3000gt - nice! Is Sardinia pretty easy to get to? It sounds amazing.
.

Flights were like $35 Euro from Frankfurt, plus another $35 for a checked bag, so they were extremely cheap when I went. I used Skyscanner and booked on Ryanair. They have all brand new jets.

You definitely need a rental car when you're there. We paid $380 Euros for 10 days for car.

Cinque Terra is a must-see as well, I unfortunately have never been but I consistently hear it's the nicest place ever.

The coast of Sardinia looks like this, and I would highly recommend a day-cruise. I think it was around $40 Euro.

http://mschlosser.smugmug.com/Europe-2010/Europe-2010/i-9DggF6v/0/XL/NIK_7643-XL.jpg

http://mschlosser.smugmug.com/Europe-2010/Europe-2010/i-vQRDkTW/0/XL/NIK_7791-XL.jpg

http://mschlosser.smugmug.com/Europe-2010/Europe-2010/i-nx2b6Vd/0/XL/NIK_7830-XL.jpg

[msommers]

Venice is good for a couple days with your GF. I was single backpacking, so it was crowded, expensive and too romantic for me to really enjoy.

Florence is great, couple days at least. Can make day trips to Siena and Lucca.

Rome is huge and to really appreciate it, 5 day min. See if you can pre book tours to avoid the Vatican lines. The guy at the hostel suggested going when it opens back up after lunch since everyone else is dying to get in early. Rome is a beautiful place to walk and get lost in.

Wish I was able to do Cinque Terre. Heard amazing things. Milan is only good if you're into fashion, can't really see it being vworthwhile otherwise.

Naples I never visited since it's a shithole and was out of the way on my travels but seeing Pompeii and Vesuvius would have been good, and from those that go really enjoy it.

Going through Tuscany is gorgeous, see if you can stay in a villa, take some cooking classes...relax and enjoy the wine.

Prepare to get fat, the food is amazing. :)

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by msommers
Wish I was able to do Cinque Terre. Heard amazing things. Milan is only good if you're into fashion, can't really see it being vworthwhile otherwise.

Go there. All 5 towns are have great scenery. Mountain/Coastal trail linking them all making it a good hike. Train between the town is also very easy to take if you are tired.

Do it at the tail end of your trip. After all the hustle through Rome and other cities, it's a great place to wind down and just relax and enjoy the ocean.

[Graham_A_M]

Many great points here. of the whole month I spent in Italy, I enjoyed the two weeks in Florence the most. The Duomo is fucking epic in every sense of the word. It is beyond belief huge, and very much worth seeing along with TONS and TONS of other shit to see and do in florence. The shopping in Florence is difficult to beat, SO many awesome shops and places to eat & drink.

I'd also recommend Orvieto. If you take the train from Florence to Rome, you'll pass right through it. Of all the towns I visited in the Tuscany region, Orveito was just awesome. So much history, culture and cadence in that town. I adored it.

I'd avoid Naples, Pompei & mount Vesuvius. Naples is a dirt poor town (you have no idea, the only difference between abandoned buildings VS. occupied ones were the fact that people were living in them. Everything is in just such sad state of disrepair, stray animals & beggars everywhere.) Their only economy is tourism, thats really it. Pompei was cool to visit, but not as much as you'd think. Mt. Vesuvius was pretty cool though. Only in Italy can you climb up to the worlds most dangerous active volcano and buy wine though hahaha. Of ALL there is to see and do in Italy, I think the greater Tuscany region is your best bet. Like I say I'd avoid the places I mentioned, same with Pisa. There is so little to do there asides from get your picture taken trying to hold up that leaning tower.... which EVERYbody does.
Venice is pretty epic. Insane history there. There really isn't much to do in Milan. I wouldn't bother unless you're strictly there for the shopping. Then again you can get most of everything in Florence as well, so why bother really.

kind of an odd suggestion, but you should play Assasin's creed II, and Assasin's creed "The brotherhood" since both games are centered heavily on Italy. The amount you can learn about the various places in Italy through (especially the 2nd one) is remarkable. Both games are like playable encyclopedia's on Italy.

[anarchy]

Awesome - thanks for the advice everyone.

You've convinced us to visit Cinque Terre - it looks and sounds amazing. I dont' think we have time to do Milan or some of the other areas mentioned here.

In total, we have 16 days. We're thinking 5 days in Rome, 5 days in Florence, 3 days in Cinque Terre (I heard a day trip isn't enough), half day in Pisa just to visit the tower, maybe a day in Verona, and perhaps a day in Tuscany. If we get a chance we might drop by Orvieto as Graham recommended as well.

I don't plan on renting a car down there, should we be okay taking the Eurail from city to city and just walking? I believe we have to take regional trains or something and not Eurail from Florence to Cinque Terre but I believe all the other major cities are accessible by Eurail.

Anyone else use Rick Steves tips? I'd like to visit the Vatican and heard he has some good walking tours and ways to skip the line.

[taemo]

no Venice?

IMO 2 days in Cinque Terre is good enough, when I was 13 and we lived in Italy, as a day trip we took the train from Milan to La Spezia and hiked Cinque Terre.
But 3 days will definitely let you enjoy the scenery.

Tuscany (Toscano) is the region and Florence(Firenze) is the main city of the region.
If you can, rent a car in Florence and drive around the region, do a quick stop to Pisa (will only take half your day)

Bologna, Ravenna are also great historical towns too, Rimini has nice beaches.

[msommers]

Unless you're doing day trips from Florence, 5 days is way too long imo. Everything of main interest is right by the main train station and truthfully can be seen in a day. But if you want to enjoy the museums, duomo etc, tack on a couple more days. Probably 3 is good. Don't forget that Siena and Lucca are nice half-day trips each and are really worth checking out. The Uffizi and Academia are quite large, and the linesup are insane so it's probably worthwhile to pick up a Uffizi pass.

Agreed you need to at least see Venice, if for just a day or two.

[BigShow]

I was surprised how fast the lines at the Vatican actually move. Women need to make sure to dress appropriately, as in no short shorts/short skirts, revealing tops otherwise they'll be turned away. Worth buying the vip pass or whatever it is to skip the line at the Collosseum though!

[anarchy]

Crap totally forgot to write Venice. Yes we're going to spend probably 2 days in Venice (I heard you don't need a lot of time there).

Thanks taemo! We'll cut down our time in Cinque Terre to two days then.

Great tips msommers/BigShow, thanks! Maybe we'll take your advice and just do 3 days in Florence, and look into skipping the line at the Colloseum.

So our trip is looking like this (not in any particular order):

Total = 16 days

Rome - 5 days
Florence - 3 days
Venice - 2 days
Cinque Terre - 2 days
Verona - 1 day
Pisa - half day

Leaves us with 2.5 days to fill with whatever we want, maybe day trips (i.e. Siena/Lucca as msommers suggested), or maybe just hang out and do nothing in one of the big cities. Orvieto sounds cool and would be right on the way between Rome/Florence. Graham - is it a place we just drop by for half a day on our way in between cities or is it a full day affair?

Any other thoughts or tips?

[msommers]

Well shit man, that looks like a sweet itinerary! I'm kinda jealous actually :D

[Graham_A_M]

Originally posted by anarchy

Leaves us with 2.5 days to fill with whatever we want, maybe day trips (i.e. Siena/Lucca as msommers suggested), or maybe just hang out and do nothing in one of the big cities. Orvieto sounds cool and would be right on the way between Rome/Florence. Graham - is it a place we just drop by for half a day on our way in between cities or is it a full day affair?

Any other thoughts or tips? Yeah the train line runs right through it. It stops there, so you can get off, do your thing and keep going to Rome when you're done.
I'd recommend spending a full day in Orvieto and just take it all in. Of all we did in Italy, my bro loved that the best, and I'd have to agree. if you have any shopping to do, Venice & Florence is the best. Dont wait to buy things in Rome. I made that mistake, since I was expecting the shopping to be as good if not better. It wasn't and I missed out on a fair share of clothes that I REALLY wish I had bought. Florence is the city to buy things in. Rome is much more of a functioning city, so to find the stuff you're after really involves a lot of running around. Even doing so, I didn't find the nice Italian hand made dress shoes I wanted. :(

One thing I'd highly suggest though, put your valuables in a money purse. It'll hold your passport, your credit cards your money (etc). Pick pocketing can be very common in the touristy areas. My older brother was just about nabbed when we were in Rome. Basically what happened, is the one older gypsie lady was begging for change, and when talking to her her kids (or grandkids, sometimes no older the 12) will circle around you and steal what they can. So dont be the obvious tourist and just stand there in a busy area with a backpack looking at a map. That basically means: "Im a dumbass, steal me blind".
Another bad area is public transit where people are squished up against another. Thats a very very common thing too, since its not hard to feel where your wallet is in your pockets, then take it when the opportunity arises.
Just keep your distance around everybody, and dont let people get too close to you. Thats the best bet. Just like what happened in Hannibal, if you brush against someone, you may find yourself missing something, so I always kept an arms length distance with everybody on the streets or elsewhere. When riding transit I held my bag very tightly in both arms so nobody could touch it. (Please dont let me give you the impression you're visiting a 3rd world country, I just want you to be safe & sound).

Dont ever give anything to the gypsies. Trust me.


If you want to find the best restaurants, ask the the locals. I forgot so much of the Italian I learned there, but to say "Is there any good restaurants around here" would be
" Ci sono buoni ristoranti qui intorno? " In Italian, try practicing that. Then perhaps bring a map, so they can point to where it is. Since (although lots) not everybody speaks english there.

The locals know best, as food & wine is HUGE in Italy obviously. Most if not all servers in restaurants speak english, so you'll be good when you get there.
I'd highly recommend avoiding restaurants in the touristy areas. They can get away with serving absolute dog shit food, since they will always have an on going new customer base anyway. The best restaurants are the ones that are a bit off the beaten path. We found a bunch of awesome spots near our hotel... so we would always go there as after a while they can really open up to you. One english guy at a pub in Rome would invite us to party with him and have drinks on the house, it was epic.

[msommers]

Good tips, Graham. Also while using the subway or on the bus, make sure your bag is in front of you. People will slice open the bottom of the bag, cut purse straps etc. One girl in Madrid was looking at a map on the subway, and even though her purse was in front, the map was blocking her view and someone stole her wallet!

I even put my wallet in my bag, all my pockets were empty and slung my backpack around front until I was off the train. Paranoid but I was never robbed! In general though, Italy is very, very safe.

[Graham_A_M]

A few other places I thought I'd mention, would be to check out the Bobili gardens when in Florence. It was once the summer park of the Medici family. Its beyond beautiful, its just... Their incredible fresco'ed mansion is the entrance to it. Also VERY much worth visiting. Same with St. John's cathedral in Rome. Its not quite as impressive as St. Peters/Vatican, but holy fuck its incredible. Not many people know of it, so the crowds are a fraction of what you'd have with St Peters.
:drool:
http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Graham_A_M/library/ROME?sort=3&page=1
Here is a 270 pic photo gallery I have of Italy. PM me if you want to know more about any pic you see.
I made a very detailed thread about the whole month I was there, with a story behind every pic.
Here it is.
http://www.mx6.com/forums/lounge/246161-italian-job-very-pic-intense.html

^ Check it out, it'll give you some insight as to what to see and do. I never finished it though, but that should tell you lots about the areas mentioned.

You should also check out Tivoli near Rome. It was far FAR ahead of its time with 500 fountains and waterfalls. Not bad considering it was built in 1500.
:eek:

EDIT: if you ever wanted a good English to Italian language converter, use this.
http://translate.reference.com
That way, you can write down any phrases you think you'd use when over there, so your not trying to pull a "Graham" and almost act out certain questions when in the small towns, where English isn't spoken much. :rofl: A basic understanding of Italian can go a very far ways there. Thats why I learned so much of it. It really adds to your experience as to places you can go. Italian is a very easy language to learn too, as its very very similar to Spanish.

[phreezee]

I'd spend less time in Rome, the sights are nice but can be done in 2-3 days. You get the general tourist trap pitfalls and the people are snobbish. Spend more time in the other areas.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by phreezee
I'd spend less time in Rome, the sights are nice but can be done in 2-3 days. You get the general tourist trap pitfalls and the people are snobbish. Spend more time in the other areas.

That could be a bit short for 1st timer. I've done it in 4 and it felt rushed.

[bmeier]

i am doing a trip to italy in the fall how does this look?

amsterdamn for 3 days
venice
rome
florence
cinque terre
then back out from venice.


planning on taking the train mostly, is it easy to get a train from florence to cique terre? and then to venice?

[Graham_A_M]

^ Sounds epic, yeah its very easy.


Originally posted by phreezee
I'd spend less time in Rome, the sights are nice but can be done in 2-3 days. You get the general tourist trap pitfalls and the people are snobbish. Spend more time in the other areas.
Perhaps, but there is a shit ton of stuff to do in the greater rome area. Like Tivoli, Lago di Nemi (Lake Nemi), and so on.
Man, in less then a week you would have not seen much of anything.
The Roman Forum, the Vatican and all the usual hot spots are one thing, but there is a shit ton of other stuff to do there as well.

I've met people that are born and raised in Rome, and they still haven't seen all there is to see. So to say you've seen all there is to see in 2-4 days, its like..... wow really? :nut:

[anarchy]

Awesome tips, wow. Thank you!

I was checking out Trip Advisor and the guided tours are ranked highest. I was thinking of doing just a self-guided tour and download an audio clip to follow.

Is it worth doing a guided tour (that also lets you skip the line)?

[Graham_A_M]

I personally wouldn't. Its hard to see the things you want to when they pick things that are interesting to the masses. Like, say you want to spend more time in a room, or in a building, but you cant since the group has to move on, yourself included. There may be a lot of shit you want to skip over, but cant due to the tour. For stuff like the Pantheon, the Roman forum, the Vatican, guided tours can be great as you'll learn a lot that you wouldn't otherwise know, but to be stuck doing that the *whole* time in Italy would be a total drag. We found SO much cool shit to see and do just by wondering around. Thats how I found that amazing Bobbili gardens, Tivoli, Orvieto. Along with a shit ton of other incredible sights & places. Just always keep a map with you, and go nuts. Keep in mind, with small towns like Orvieto, you really have to keep close tabs onto bus routes & schedules. Most buses dont run very late, so you have to be careful not to end up somewhere where you have to cab it all the way home, if there are cabs I mean.

Guided tours skip lines doing it the smart way, such as purchasing tickets way before hand. In Florence, to visit one of their museums (the one that houses the statue of David, I forget the name) If you dont get the special tickets way before hand, you have to wait several hours in that line up to get in.

Its much the same way with other places as well. Its just that, they know that themselves, and so they can promote that since most tourists dont know how to do things the right way.
Any locals there will tell you how to beat the line ups. We did the same thing when visiting the Vatican.

The Colosseum is damn cool, but when we went, we weren't allowed in the base of it, where all the gladitors and animals would be lined up to enter the area, from under it. Id see if you'd be allowed down there before going, or see what you'd have to do to be allowed down there.

A bit of useless trivia for you? The Colosseum wasn't originally called that. It was called the Flavian Amphitheater. It was later given the name "Colosseo" by Romans, since it was built right beside an enormous Bronze statue (the emperor at the time, had placed. before the Colosseum was built). Emperor Nero, built it to commemorate himself. That said statue was called "Colosseo", but that term better described the "Favian Amphitheater" close to it so it was later dubbed that. Now its officially known as such. That said statue is LONG gone given Roman's hatred for Nero. Actually, part of Nero's beyond Ginormous "Golden palace" was torn down so that the Colosseum could be built (Google " Nero - golden palace" if you want to know more.) He build this 300 room gold ridden party palace purely with tax payer money when Rome was having these vicious fires which destroyed a big fraction of Rome. This made him wildly unpopular, which put the "mob" against him. When they were to rush his residence and kill him, so upon hearing this before hand, he went onto the streets and put a knife in his heart.
Part of the Colosseum was built on a former river bed. Whereas the ground was much softer then the where the rest of the Colosseum was built, so with a severe earthquake of 1348, half of it collapsed and was deemed unusable. It was abandoned ever since.
Oddly enough the Colosseum makes more money today with tourism then it ever did in its entire history. When you see these holes in its structure, that was to hold the marble which adorned it. All of which was since stolen and used for other buildings since. Now all you see is just the bricks laden with holes.

Many people think Henry Ford invented the assembly line. No, it was 2000 years prior with the building of the Colosseum. They had a vast networks of brick making factories needed to fuel the millions and millions (and millions) or bricks needed to build it.

[ryanallan]

My advice would be to stay out of the major hubs.

Ok, sure go see the coliseum, the leaning tower of Pisa, ride in a Venetian gondola, ...etc.
But really, the entire country is just like the major hubs, only better as there are way less tourists, the food is better and cheaper, and the people are more authentic. You'll be blown away at the churches in the big cities, but what will blow you away even more is seeing churches in smaller cities come close to rivaling the big cities.

Also, an Italian city design includes a piazza as its heart. The most striking difference between Rome's and Modena's for example, is the quantity of tourists. For me it boils down to, "do you want to travel to see the sights, or to experience the life".

Modena and Bologna are great hubs. Day or overnight trips from here, you can go pretty much anywhere.

Modena (& Maranello) - The home of Ferrari / Masaratti - obviously
Bologna - Has a couple universities, great atmosphere

You could do something like:

Land in Milan
Spend some time in smaller central hub (like one of the above two)
Fly out of Rome

[anarchy]

Bumping my old thread because we're finally sitting down and getting down to booking everything. Really helpful advice so far so thank you for everyone who's contributed. It's a lot to take in but we're slowly absorbing it all.

We've nailed down our itinerary (with room to take day trips outside the major hubs if we want). In order of how we'll travel (by train):

Rome - 5 days
Florence - 4 days
Venice - 2 days
Verona - 1 day
Cinque Terre - 3 days
Pisa/Rome - 1/2 day to Pisa, then to Rome for the final night before we fly out the next morning.

Questions that we have so far as we begin to book:
Travel - we were planning to travel by train and was originally looking at Eurail passes. I've since read in some forums that Eurail is great for traveling from country to country but just take the local Italian trains to travel domestically from one city to another. The advantage of this that I've noticed is that it's cheaper (about half the price). Is this the best way to get around? Is this the high-speed trains or is that Eurail? I'm confused by some trains you reserve seats, others you don't. Which ones do I need to reserve a seat?

Hotel - Is it reasonable to think we can pay approximately $100 or less for a 4 (or 3) star hotel in these places for the most part? Or if we're lucky, $150 or less for a 5 star? We're using Priceline to bid on hotels. Venice-specific question: I notice hotels in the Lido and Mestre areas are cheaper because they're on different land than Venice. I'm assuming it's better to stay right in Venice itself and worth the higher cost. Is that right?

[Type_S1]

I'm heading to Italy in 2 weeks and doing the hostel thing. I used hostelworld and hostelbookers. Called a few of the places and the prices are right. I paid 35-50 euros a night for a bed in shared accomodations for the higher end hostels. I believe a room was 100 euro or less.

For the train just go on Trenitalia website and book everything online. Unless you are planning on going first class, Who cares where you sit, it's a short ride.

Also, if you are seeing the colosseum book the underground tour for $22 euro a head at omnitcket.it. Get to see the coolest parts of it.

[jsn]

I just got back from a 3 week vacation in europe. We ended up spending about a week and a half in Italy.

For us, we found it cheaper to book tickets on the fly via Trenitalia vs booking the eurorail pass. The trenitalia tickets that go from major city to major city are fairly fast. They go upwards of 250km/hr so I don't know if there's much difference. The train system there is super efficient. We booked most of our tickets the day of at the station, or at most the night before.

For Cinque terre, I believe only the local trains pass through there, but it's literally only a few minutes in between each town by local train. You really don't even need to sit down for those. The eurorail or trenatalia will take you to Le Spezzia and from there you'll have to transfer to another train to go to Cinque terre. For cinque terre, look into purchasing a weekend pass. I believe it was 20 or 30 euro, and it basically let you travel between the 5 towns as much as you want within those few days. The train rides between the 5 towns were so short that I never got checked for my ticket once, but for 20 euros I'd rather not risk it.
http://www.cinqueterre.eu.com/en/cinque-terre-card

[HarryB]

For Colosseum, if the lines are huge there, you can head down the road to Roman Forum entry, south of Constantines Arc. The ticket you get at colloseum or roman forum include entry to colesseum, roman forum and palatine hill. Lines are much shorter at roman forum entrance though. this entrance is easy to find once you get off the Metro Colosseo (in front of colosseum).
We also booked a tour of vatican just to avoid huge lines, then again we went in June/July. Make sure once there, you go to top of St Peters dome. Its separate then entrance to Vatican museum ticket. I think its 5Euros if you dont take the elevator halwayup and 8Eur otherwise. I took the elevator, and then its 320 steps to top. Views of the St Peters Square and Rome from here are too good to pass up.

In Rome, we stayed by the Spanish Steps. Very central location. Vatican, Pantheon, piazza Navono, trevi Fountain, Colesseo are all within comfortable walking distance. Or you can get a train pass when you go visit vatican and Colosseum. I walked everywhere during evening just to take night pictures and admire Rome by night.

Also from Rome, wife and I took a day trip to Island of Capri. we preferred booking a tour rather then arranging everything ourselves just to avoid the hassle. 13hr trip in total, included bus ride to naples port, ferry ride to capri. then they take you to top of capri, Anacapri. also you will get the option to see the blue grotto. I think its a beautiful island and if you can spare a day, worth the trip.

Venice, we found 2 days were enough. Gondola ride is a tourist cliche' but a must-do as well. It ran us 100euros for 40 min ride. wonderful experience. If you're into photography, make a quick stop over to Burano. I didnt have time, but its a photographers paradise.

For shopping, Rome is wicked as well. area in front of spanish steps, forget the name now, is full of luxury boutiques. Most shops give you VAT refund forms over 155Euros. Makes pretty much every luxury item cheaper then getting it here, even if you claim it on customs form when entering canada.

[Feruk]

Originally posted by jsn
[B]For us, we found it cheaper to book tickets on the fly via Trenitalia vs booking the eurorail pass. The trenitalia tickets that go from major city to major city are fairly fast. They go upwards of 250km/hr so I don't know if there's much difference. The train system there is super efficient. We booked most of our tickets the day of at the station, or at most the night before.

Yeah the Eurail pass is not really all that great. I bought it once, but wouldn't do it again. You thought trains in Italy were efficient? Wow, something must've changed. When I was there, the trains were anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour late. Busses in Rome were even worse.

[DeathBy240]

ITINERARY
I'm assuming since you are on Beyond, you're at least somewhat of a car enthusiast. If I were you I'd take one of those days off Florence and take the quick train trip to Bologna, which you can use as a base for Supercar Alley.

More info here:
http://traveldriverace.com/2011/italy-supercar-pilgrimage/

Seriously, one of the coolest things I've done. I drove a Ferrari in Maranello, went to the Ferrari Museum, Pagani Factory/Museum and Lambo Factory/Museum. You can also see that Ducati Museum/Factory as well.

IIRC, Bologna is about an hour from Florence. I loved Florence, but I'd definitely knock a day off to do this. Plus it's on the route to Venice, so you aren't going out of the way.

I'm heading back to Italy in September (third time) and also hitting Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Malta.

RICK STEVES
You mentioned Rick Steves. I really like his books for the practical advice (own probably 10 of his different books) but they are really heavy on the museums and churches sometimes. Some churches (like St. Peter's and Florence's Duomo) you have to see but don't get caught up in going to every one.

TRAINS

I've been to Europe four times now and I've never bought a rail pass. It's always been more affordable to book a single ticket at a time. In Italy, we only book directly through the train company's website, TrenItalia. Don't use RailEurope.ca as they are way more expensive and don't get reservations for you if you need them.

There are a few different types of trains in Italy. There are lots of local commuter or regional trains, that you CANNOT buy a reservation for. Then there are trains that you don't need a reservation for, but you can get one. We always book one to make sure we get on. Then there are trains that NEED a reservation. Only made that mistake once. Book through TrenItalia and you won't have any problems.

HOTELS

At this point, you won't get any decent hotels in decent locations for $100 a night. Check AirBnB.com. That's you're cheapest, best bet. Stayed in a few gems in great locations for fractions of the price of hotels or traditional B and Bs.

In Venice, STAY IN VENICE! It's such a popular spot with day trippers, it is very overcrowding and can be annoying during the day. It's amazing at night when everyone has gone to the mainland back to their hotels. If you want to actually enjoy the unique city, stay right there. So much better without the crowds. Here is where we stayed. It's tiny so it's probably already booked for September:

http://www.aitagliapietra.com/

[ourdon]

Look at renting an apartment or B & B's when you you are staying for more than a couple of days. It can significantly lower the costs and enhance the trip as you most likely would prefer the historic areas rather than a generic hotel in the burbs.

I found a Segway tour in Rome was really a lifesaver as we covered a great deal more in four or five hours than a normal auto or walking tour could have. It was so much fun I had to do another in Paris. Vatican at sunrise for photography. Osteria la Gensola for seafood.

Rome - the area around the train station is fairly rough (if you're with your gf) and the con artists come right into the station to get to you before you get outside and see the ranks of official metered cabs. Not realllly dangerous but more on the irritating side. Sort of like getting set upon by a group of gypsys.

Most of all

Have fun

[The_Rural_Juror]

Haven't read all the tips, but here are mine.

1. Colosseum Underground: To skip the line and visit the underground portion where the gladiators were (as well as the top level), follow the instructions in this thread. I did it, and well worth the visit. http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g187791-i22-k4708235-Pierreci_Colosseum_Underground_Tour_how_to_book_online-Rome_Lazio.html

2. Vatican: Book online and skip the line. At the sistine chapel, go out the right exit (labeled tours only). That will take you into the main church/area without having go through the security lineup and checkpoints out front again.

3. B&B's are awesome. Stayed in them at every point. Perfect experience.

4. Venice Gondoleers: Look for another couple to share the ride with. Also make sure you negotiate clearly where the trip will start and end on a map. A lot of these guys are scam artists and will drop you off halfway.

5. Coffee: 1 euro per shot if you stand up at the bar. If you sit down, they can charge anything they want.

6. Water/Pop: Buy at convenience stores. They rip you off hard core everywhere else (especially Venice)

7. Cinque Terre: Buy the day pass for the ferry and get on the first one in the morning. Porto Venere is often overlooked (get there by ferry)...on the other side of Cinque Terre. Beautiful.

8. Rome: Avoid the cabs if you can. They're all scam artists. Bus 64 is the pickpocket express. Watch your belongings deligently.

9. Cinque Terre: Riomaggiore, Manarola, and Vernezza are the three I would stay in.

10. trains: Don't buy europass - cheaper to buy at station. Make sure you always have the ticket on you. Fines are heavy if you accidentally lose it.

11. Lucca: It's a few train stops from Pisa. Featured in an episode of Top Gear. Really cool. Worth 3 hr visit.

12: Florence: We really enjoyed this tour. San Gigminano and Siena were amazing. http://www.walkaboutflorence.com/tours/best-tuscany-tour

13: Florence > Rome. Seriously.

14: Rome: Spanish steps and trevi fountain. Guys will offer you flowers or to take your photo. Do not touch the flowers. They will call the police on you if you take them and refuse to pay. Will charge you for photos as well. Pretty hilarious the E.Indian guys with 1970's polaroid cameras.

15. Florence: Have the B&B person reserve the Uffizi tickets for you. Skip past the huge lineup.

16. Venice: Same for the church. Your b&b guy should be able to reserve tickets for you.

17. Bring lots of memory cards for your camera. Never-ending photo ops.

18. Try to stay a couple of nights in the Tuscan country side. Rent an Alfa and scoot around to the small towns and monastaries. Really cool experience.

19. Florence: Make sure you visit the Santa Croce church (and attached leather factory). A lot of famous people are buried there. Really cool.

20. Florence: Bargain hard at the markets. A bunch of the leather is actually Chinese, so don't hurry to buy anything.

21 Florence: Mario's restaurant. Small tight place by a market. Very delicious. May have to share a table with strangers. http://www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g187895-d1088282-Reviews-Trattoria_Mario-Florence_Tuscany.html

22 Fake goods: Don't buy any. Police will fine you if they see it.

Porto Venere. Often overlooked.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/9446513829_06e1e09bee_n.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9446513829/)
PortoVenere (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9446513829/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5443/9504877943_1b73dc023c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9504877943/)
Porto Venere (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9504877943/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

Colosseum Underground Tour takes you underground, onto the battleground, and to the locked up top level:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7373/9504928561_8f4b9d16dd_n.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9504928561/)
Colosseo Subterranian (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9504928561/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5502/9507723562_c743986693.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9507723562/)
Colosseo Interior (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9507723562/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3672/9504949779_3382d2ce4b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9504949779/)
Colosseo Top Level (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9504949779/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

[Graham_A_M]

^ Frick, how did you aquire the Colosseum underground & top level tour? we really wanted to go on that, but couldn't find a way. Tickets weren't available at all...


We also really wanted to see the ruins of Nero's Golden Palace, but couldn't since one of the big rooms collapsed a few months prior. Is it open to the public now?


I agree, Florence was WAY better then Rome. Rome was cool, but there is almost as much shit to see in Florence, and its all within walking distance. Its a much more chill place. Rome is very much a functioning city, and its very busy.

[taemo]

^yeah curious about the Colosseum underground tour too.

rural_juror those are all great tips

and I have to agree between Rome and Florence.
IMO you go to Rome to see ruins of the Roman empire and the Vatican but north of Rome is where the Renaissance culture began.

[The_Rural_Juror]

I'll post more pics of the underground if I get a chance tonight. Just a lot of rooms where the gladiators and animals were kept. All empty. Spectacular views from the top level.

It was a pain trying to figure out the website because it was only in Italian, and the webpage translator didn't work very well. Another positive was that we skipped about 3 hr worth of lineups in the middle of the day with that tour.

There is one place we missed around Rome. I think it was a little place out of town where the crypts were.

Also missed the Boboli gardens in Florence because it was out of season. One of my regrets.

Definitely saw a lot.

On the way to the Colosseum (depending which way you walk), there's a small church with the Mouth of Truth made famous by a few films. Quick photo op.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bocca_della_Verit%C3%A0

[The_Rural_Juror]

A few photos from the colosseum underground & top level tour:

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5463/9528408132_871e48b9b2.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9528408132/)
Colosseo Sotterrenai4 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9528408132/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2892/9525623839_cc497d22d0.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9525623839/)
Colosseo Sotterrenai1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9525623839/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7368/9525628031_6bb8230645.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9525628031/)
Colosseo Sotterrenai2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9525628031/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3831/9528407518_a2fa276608.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9528407518/)
Colosseo3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9528407518/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5546/9528409700_37db708a6c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9528409700/)
Colosseo1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9528409700/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

[anarchy]

Thanks for all your tips everyone, sorry I haven't been able to respond. It's been a scramble with work and planning leading up to the trip.

I just wanted to loop back and share some of our details for those that may travel to Italy in the future. We picked up the Rick Steves 2013 guide for Italy and so far it's been awesome.

We leave tomorrow and go for 17 days.

Our itinerary:
Rome - 6 days
Florence - 4 days
Venice - 2 days
Verona - 1 day
Cinque Terre - 3 days
Pisa - half a day, followed by half day in Rome to fly back out to Calgary

We haven't planned out any day trips yet so those may add to the locations above (i.e. Sienna).


Hotels:
We most used a combination of Trip Advisor, Venere.com and Booking.com to find our hotels or B&B's. The cost is approximately 80 to 130 Euros per night

Attractions:
Rome
We booked three tours with Walks of Italy - one for the Colosseum (including the underground and top level, this is the only tour company that goes there as far as I know), one for a day trip to Pompeii, and one for Vatican City. We also booked an Angels and Demons tour that takes you to all the places outlined in the book (I'm a Dan Brown nerd).

Florence
We've bought the Firenze Card that gives us access to a ton of places in Florence and lets you skip the line.

Transportation:
Stumbled across this in the Rick Steves book, but there's a new private train operator in Italy called Italo. It's just as fast as the Trenitalia trains and it's much cheaper, usually about half the cost. I was able to book a train ride from Rome to Florence in 2nd class (there's 3 classes) for 33 Euros per person, and one from Florence to Venice for 46 Euros in 2nd class.

Italo doesn't go to the other locations so I'll be using Trenitalia. I'll share my Italo experiences when I'm back.

Mobile Access:
I've unlocked my phone and will be attempting to get a sim card with data access while down there. Sounds like Vodaphone or Wind is best. From my research, looks like it's 10 Euros for a sim card and 5 Euros per week for 250MB. I've heard WiFi is in a lot of places, at least in Rome, so we'll see if I need it, but it might come in handy regardless.


On a side note, I've tried out the S Translator app on my S4. Seems to work pretty good so we'll see!


That's about it I think - happy to share more experiences when I get back. Thanks again everyone for all your tips and recommendations. It should be an epic trip!

[anarchy]

Rural Juror - Awesome tips thanks!

Quick question for you - you said avoid cabs. We were looking to likely take cabs from and to the airport to the hotel. Any other suggestions? I was reading online and there's the Leonardo Express which I believe is a train to Termini Station, but I'm staying near the Pantheon so wouldn't I need a cab there again?

[Mibz]

You can take a cab, but make sure you go outside the airport and find a legit-looking one yourself. You're likely gonna have guys coming up to you in the airport saying they're a cab driver and offering to take your bags. Then they lead you to their piece of shit car, in which their 6'6", 300lb friend is sitting, and tell you it'll be 50 Euro to take you down the block.

[RX_EVOLV]

We were in Rome and Paris couple years ago. We stayed at the Palazzo al Velabro at Rome and thought it was a great hotel. (http://www.hotels.com/hotel/details.html?reviewOrder=date_newest_first&hotelId=346188) the price was really reasonable too considered we were there for Xmas (Dec 23-27).

In Paris we got a room through airbnb.com and that was amazing too. For all my trips from now on I would definitly try to find a cozy room through airbnb.com vs hotel for any stays that are 3 or more nights.

[Rat Fink]

.

[The_Rural_Juror]

Originally posted by anarchy
Rural Juror - Awesome tips thanks!

Quick question for you - you said avoid cabs. We were looking to likely take cabs from and to the airport to the hotel. Any other suggestions? I was reading online and there's the Leonardo Express which I believe is a train to Termini Station, but I'm staying near the Pantheon so wouldn't I need a cab there again?

The cabbies outside of the terminals in Rome were asking for over twice as much as the B&B owner had said they should be. Ended up taking the pickpocket express bus for a few bucks. Just watch your stuff and you should be ok.

Lots of walking around Rome. Hated the people in that place, but you have to do it once.



Originally posted by Rat Fink
Damn, I wish I could've gone to tourist places while in Italy like you guys. My experiences there after several visits have made Italy one of the greasiest shitholes I've ever been to.

On the contrary, I've found that the touristy places were the least enjoyable. Preferred the quieter places where the locals hung out, as well as the smaller towns. People were much nicer.

One thing that I find myself thinking often at the touristy areas were whether these guys realized that tourists are actually bringing in money for their pathetic economy. I've seen quite a few rude people at the tourist info places. Small town folks were awesome though.

Florence:
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2820/9636878721_5d681d0009_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9636878721/)
Florence Pano (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9636878721/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

Manarola:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7283/9640117076_723e15dc6e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9640117076/)
Manarola (http://www.flickr.com/photos/99829467@N07/9640117076/) by donttouchmychicken (http://www.flickr.com/people/99829467@N07/), on Flickr

[taemo]

bumping this as I'm just setting up our honeymoon trip for next year.
Mainly interested on transportation, trying to figure out the most convenient and economical way to get from one location to another, thinking of taking the train most of the time.
I'm not sure whether on flying or taking the train from Rome to Venice, looks like there are 4 hour train rides in the morning plus it drops you off right in St Lucia station.

Most rides can't be booked until about 4 months before the trip correct?
How difficult is it to book your rides in advance or should we just buy them at the train station, we'll be there end of Aug until mid September.


My plan so far is:

Milan - 2 nights
-half day around Duomo and Galleria Vittorio
-rent a car and go to Motta Visconti to meet some childhood friends

Cinque Terre - 2 nights
-take the train in morning to arrive in La Spezia
-visit all 5 towns, hike 2-3 trails and take the train on others

Tuscan region - 3 nights
-take the train from La Spezia
-rent a car and drive around

Rome - 4 nights
-take the train from Florence to Rome
-Colosseum, Vatican and all that boring thing

Venice - 3 nights
-still trying to figure out whether to fly or take the train from Rome
-1 day will be spent driving to Verona and Treviso to visit family

Paris - 3 nights
-flying from Venice to Paris
-visit the tourist spots, etc

I was hoping on driving from Florence to Venice but wife insisted on doing Rome which forced me on adjusting our dates hence why only 2-3 nights on certain cities.
Not much to do in Milan anyway and we're not the type that lounges for too long either.

[xrayvsn]

Travelling by train is extremely easy and convenient. We booked ours online ahead of time directly from Trenitalia. I would personally just take the train from Rome to Venice rather than flying. You would waste more time flying in my opinion - transfers to and from the airport then security will eat up the flight time advantage. Taking the train, you are right in the middle of it all and can board the water bus and be in Piazza San Marco within half an hour.

As far as your itinerary for Cinque Terre - Plan on only doing one hike. Only a few of the coastal routes between the towns is open (between Monterosso and Vernazza, and Vernazza to Corniglia) because of the mudslides a few years ago. It is a mountainous hike - about 3 - 3.5 km and the Monterosso - Vernazza trail took us a couple of hours because we had kids. It gets hot if you go during the summer, so bring enough water. The easy coastal hike between Corniglia and Riomaggiore (the Via dell'Amore) was closed when we were there this summer, but maybe it will re-open by the time you go.

You can buy the park pass that comes with unlimited train rides right at the train station. So if you want to start the day with a hike then change your mind about hiking back, you can take the train.

You can easily do the 5 Terre by train, but if the weather is nice and you want to spend a bit more, you get some stunning views if you take the boat between the towns. The boat will also take you to Portovenere, not part of the 5 Terre, but still cool.

[deee_wreck]

We were just in Italy from Sept 25th - Oct 4

Started by flying into Rome. And we Trained it from there on out. You can buy the tickets the day of at the station, that allowed us flexibility for doing stuff during the day and not rush, and left our luggage at the Airbnb's we stayed at.

Trains ran literally every hour or two to any destination.

If I knew we were leaving the next morning then I'd used italiarail.com to book tickets (they are a re-seller for TrenItalia, and charge a $5 fee, but you just need to email them and say you saw on tripadvisor they will refund it)



Our itinerary:

Rome - 3 days
Pompeii day trip, 7:30am - 7:30pm (bus tour using Viator leaving from Rome)
--Train--
Florence - 2 days
Pisa half day trip (1 hour train there to take pics, have lunch and then back to Florence)
--Train--
Venice - 2 days
--Train--
Milan - 2 days (Flew Out of Milan)




Originally posted by taemo
bumping this as I'm just setting up our honeymoon trip for next year.
Mainly interested on transportation, trying to figure out the most convenient and economical way to get from one location to another, thinking of taking the train most of the time.
I'm not sure whether on flying or taking the train from Rome to Venice, looks like there are 4 hour train rides in the morning plus it drops you off right in St Lucia station.

Most rides can't be booked until about 4 months before the trip correct?
How difficult is it to book your rides in advance or should we just buy them at the train station, we'll be there end of Aug until mid September.


My plan so far is:

Milan - 2 nights
-half day around Duomo and Galleria Vittorio
-rent a car and go to Motta Visconti to meet some childhood friends

Cinque Terre - 2 nights
-take the train in morning to arrive in La Spezia
-visit all 5 towns, hike 2-3 trails and take the train on others

Tuscan region - 3 nights
-take the train from La Spezia
-rent a car and drive around

Rome - 4 nights
-take the train from Florence to Rome
-Colosseum, Vatican and all that boring thing

Venice - 3 nights
-still trying to figure out whether to fly or take the train from Rome
-1 day will be spent driving to Verona and Treviso to visit family

Paris - 3 nights
-flying from Venice to Paris
-visit the tourist spots, etc

I was hoping on driving from Florence to Venice but wife insisted on doing Rome which forced me on adjusting our dates hence why only 2-3 nights on certain cities.
Not much to do in Milan anyway and we're not the type that lounges for too long either.

[CompletelyNumb]

I'll be there in April with the girl for about a week. We're thinking 2 nights in Venice, 3 in Florence, and 3 Cinque Terre.

[taemo]

^keep me posted how your trip goes!

and thanks everyone for the insight, I heard about the mudslide in 5T but didn't research much about the damage, good to know then that 3 days will be enough to visit all 5 towns.

pretty much made my mind on taking the train from rome to venice, 3hr 30min in the morning means we'll be in venice by around noon.
my other concern was our luggage since we'll be commuting and moving quite a lot, told her not to bring too much stuff, hopefully she listens to my advice.

[msommers]

Is it difficult to get to Cinque Terre by train?

Earl one thing I would suggest for both of you is to find a local Momma to give you guys cooking classes. I'll ask my Mom where they went for that.

[xrayvsn]

Originally posted by msommers
Is it difficult to get to Cinque Terre by train?

I think the main connecting point is to La Spezia. Then there is a regional train that goes between La Spezia to the towns of Cinque Terre. I can't remember the schedule but it is like every 20-30 minutes during the day. On our trip we went Florence - La Spezia - Monterosso. We then did La Spezia - Milan - Venice 4 days later.

[taemo]

Originally posted by msommers
Is it difficult to get to Cinque Terre by train?

Earl one thing I would suggest for both of you is to find a local Momma to give you guys cooking classes. I'll ask my Mom where they went for that.

From what I'm understanding, the easiest way is to take an inter-city train to La Spezia from major cities like Milan, Genova, Florence.
Then once in La Spezia, you get off and take the regional trains which comes every hour (might be more frequent during high season) that will take you to each towns.

You could also take the regional train from Genova to Cinque Terre since they're in the same region (Liguria) but it will take longer as it will be stopping more often.

Cooking classes would be cool to try!
My mom took some culinary classes when we lived there and she would bring home rabbit or game meat dishes. I grew up having to make our own tomato sauce but now I just buy the ones in a jar :rofl:

I remember one of our execs telling me that she took courses in Tuscany and she enjoyed it. Let me know when you have details.

What I'm dying to eat again is some good Osso Buco and Cassoeula which are more Northern Italy/Lombardy dishes

[CompletelyNumb]

The more I look into it, the more time I want to spend there. The girlfriend and I have 20 nights total in Europe. We'd like to spend 5 in Paris, after that it's very open.

Cooking classes would be awesome. Heck I'm just psyched to eat in Italy period.

I read a few articles talking about going to a track to race cars. Not simply renting them from an agency, but spending a day at a track getting instruction and doing laps. I would LOVE that. If anyone has any suggestions or knows where to go for that, I'd appreciate it.

[Graham_A_M]

I wouldn't visit pompei. We did and it was a total waste of time. It was cool climbing to the top of Mount vesuvius..... but that's about it. It's not worth the one hour bus ride each way, and Naples isn't worth visiting on the trip. Naples is a piss poor town with nothing really. In the summer it'll be somewhat okay as you can go for a swim in the bay, but that's about it
Like this right here? is Naples, just a town of nothing.
http://i267.photobucket.com/albums/ii312/Graham_A_M/ROME/th_P6221418.jpg (http://s267.photobucket.com/user/Graham_A_M/media/ROME/P6221418.jpg.html)
The people here cling on to their jobs with a vicariousness you wont see here in Canada, because there is simply no economy there. Stray dogs everywhere....


Originally posted by Rat Fink
Damn, I wish I could've gone to tourist places while in Italy like you guys. My experiences there after several visits have made Italy one of the greasiest shitholes I've ever been to.

Lol really? what did you see and do? Frick I loved every second I was there.... So much amazing shit every day...


Originally posted by taemo
my other concern was our luggage since we'll be commuting and moving quite a lot, told her not to bring too much stuff, hopefully she listens to my advice. Yeah, minimize your luggage to one suitcase each, no more. Anymore and it'll become a hassle, and more shit to worry about on the flights and everything else. For the month we were there, 1 suitcase was easily enough, and for all the shit we brought back too... Unless you're planning on bringing back a ton of stuff.

Agreed on bringing multiple memory cards... I thought the 1 gig my camera came with was enough, nope. Thank god I found a camera shop in Rome to buy a 2 gig, and I filled that up in no time as well. All in all I took probably 400 pics of when I was there. So much amazing shit to take pics of, it was honestly endless.

[Sorath]

make sure to stop by those outlets. those cheap cheap branded goods :poosie:

[Kari_310]

I just got back from an Italy trip in Sept and highly recommend cinque terre. I would say 2 nights is enough so that you have one hiking day and one chill/beach day.

If you're looking for a day trip from Florence, I went on the best of tuscany tour and it was great, you got to see a couple of small towns (siena, san gimignano) with a lunch stop at a winery and then a quick stop at pisa to take a pic. It was the highlight of the trip, especially if you don't have a car to travel to some small towns.

[taemo]

the good news is that wife agreed to skip Rome this time, we'll do a Southern Italy trip some other time.
We might spend 2 nights in Monaco/Nice instead then that will leave us 2-3 nights to use in 5T or driving from Florence to Venice

Yeah Napoli has never been a must see place, Pompeii and Mt Vesuvio are the only thing to see but not really interested in those either.
Amalfi, Positano are really nice places 30min south of Napoli though.

Always wanted to see Puglia, Calabria and Sicilia region

[The_Rural_Juror]

Best of Florence tour was really good to me as well.

We stopped by Lucca for a couple of hours to do a quick tour of the old town. Pretty cool town.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_eLViH7_YI

Congrats on the wedding.

[CompletelyNumb]

Originally posted by CompletelyNumb

I read a few articles talking about going to a track to race cars. Not simply renting them from an agency, but spending a day at a track getting instruction and doing laps. I would LOVE that. If anyone has any suggestions or knows where to go for that, I'd appreciate it.


Just bumping this incase it got lost on the last page. I've found numerous options but very few reviews or experiences with them.

Has anyone rented at a track in Italy here before?

[Feruk]

Originally posted by taemo
the good news is that wife agreed to skip Rome this time, we'll do a Southern Italy trip some other time.
You lucked out; Rome is such a toilet. Northern Italy (except for Venice) is way nicer. Venice is a pigeon infested shit hole with rude people, average food, and average sights.

Most advice has already been given, so I'll just add a bit. Don't worry about showing up on time for trains or buses; the drivers don't. If you really want to get around fast, rent a scooter.

I dunno why so many people want to go to Italy... I've traveled pretty much every Western European country and hated none more than Italy. Having said that, northern Italy was nice.

[davidI]

Originally posted by Feruk

I dunno why so many people want to go to Italy... I've traveled pretty much every Western European country and hated none more than Italy. Having said that, northern Italy was nice.

Depends on where you go and what you're after. If you're after the romantic / relaxed Italian experience with vineyards, food, scenery, etc. and you go to the usual big cities and tourist spots (Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Turin, Naples etc.) you'll likely find it dirty, hectic, unorganized, and designed to rip you (as a tourist) off. But, if you get off the beaten track to more remote villages in the country side with friendly and genuine locals you may love it.

Then again, if you're after art, fashion, design, architecture, and a busy cafe culture, those big cities may be for you.

I enjoyed Rome and Venice but could definitely see how they would put a lot of people off. Other than being overrun with tourists, I found Florence and Cinque Terre a bit nicer.

My best experiences were always in remote villages where people couldn't speak English and I had no idea what I was doing but managed to survive anyways.

[dirtsniffer]

BUUUUMP

The Mrs. and myself are going for approximately 8-10 days in mid may. Mostly for sites, food and wine.

We will be coming in from Munich. So far the plan is to go to Venice / Verona for 4 nights then to florence for 3-4 nights and possibly to cinque terre afterwards.

From this thread it sounds like the train is pretty good to get around so i think that'll work. Any recommendations for places to stay? Coming from Munich where would be easiest to fly into?

Also we are looking to spend the last 4 days of our trip on a beach somewhere, possibly portugal. Any suggestions?

[CompletelyNumb]

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
BUUUUMP

The Mrs. and myself are going for approximately 8-10 days in mid may. Mostly for sites, food and wine.

We will be coming in from Munich. So far the plan is to go to Venice / Verona for 4 nights then to florence for 3-4 nights and possibly to cinque terre afterwards.

From this thread it sounds like the train is pretty good to get around so i think that'll work. Any recommendations for places to stay? Coming from Munich where would be easiest to fly into?

Also we are looking to spend the last 4 days of our trip on a beach somewhere, possibly portugal. Any suggestions?

My wife and I did Italy last spring, using AirBnB for all of it but Venice. Had a great time. Trains are the easiest way to get around if there's no airport where you're going to.

If it were my, I'd change up your trip to 2 days in Venice, 4 days in Florence and 4 days in Cinque Terre (Our favourite spot, tourist low season of course).

Not sure I understand your timeline though, you said 8 to 10 days but then said you wanted to spend the last 4 days on a beach...if you have 4 days after this italy trip then hit up Barcelona.

[dirtsniffer]

Thanks! yea, sorry, we have ~14 days in total Barcelona is definitely on the radar, was reading that the beaches were not in good shape though.

[taemo]

We did the opposite route as you 5T->Florence->Venice

4 nights in Venice/Verona is plenty, Verona is a day trip and you can drive or take the train.
Dedicate a day to visit Murano, Torcello and Burano the 2 being the better.

Florence was our least favorite (never been a fan of Florence TBH), cool to see the museums and climb the cathedral and tower though.

If you're travelling from Florence to 5T, you'll most likely be stopping by Pisa so I would travel in the morning to Pisa, drop your luggage at the train station, go see the tower of pisa, have lunch then take the next train to La Spezia.
From there take the regional train to Cinque Terre.
Of the 5 towns, we stayed in Manarola and we loved the place.
Vernazza was our 2nd favorite with Corniglia 3rd.
Riomaggio is very nice too but like Monterosso they are bigger and more touristy.

Have you considered the french riviera for beaches?

BTW, we only took trains to hop from place to place and stayed AirBNB

you can see some of our travel pics here
https://www.flickr.com/photos/itaemo/albums/72157658080957206

but pretty much why we love Manarola and Vernazza
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5675/21530877908_51f6452b07_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/yNBnSU)L1008830 (https://flic.kr/p/yNBnSU) by Earl Dieta (https://www.flickr.com/photos/itaemo/), on Flickr

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5644/21774655936_65840f03e3_z.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/zb9NAm)L1009013 (https://flic.kr/p/zb9NAm) by Earl Dieta (https://www.flickr.com/photos/itaemo/), on Flickr

Originally posted by dirtsniffer
BUUUUMP

The Mrs. and myself are going for approximately 8-10 days in mid may. Mostly for sites, food and wine.

We will be coming in from Munich. So far the plan is to go to Venice / Verona for 4 nights then to florence for 3-4 nights and possibly to cinque terre afterwards.

From this thread it sounds like the train is pretty good to get around so i think that'll work. Any recommendations for places to stay? Coming from Munich where would be easiest to fly into?

Also we are looking to spend the last 4 days of our trip on a beach somewhere, possibly portugal. Any suggestions?

[2Legit2Quit]

Just got back from working in Florence last week, book your tickets online for the uffizi and accademia. The ticket for climbing the tower at the dome lets you do 4 other things as well, crypt, climb the dome...which is meh, tight space and don't get overly better pics than what you can take from the tower, a museum and the building in front of the dome.

Pisa itself is worthwhile just for going to see the tower and being able to say you've seen it. other than that there's not much else to do. I went in the morning, had lunch and trained it back to Florence.

Lots of good restaurants to say the least, good gelato, a few good pubs. but yeah 3-4 days is good to take in all of Florences sites.