Going to Italy

[BEAL]

Anyone have any stories to tell? Plan is we'll hit Rome, Venice, Florence (sure I misspelled).

Gonna be there for 2 weeks, and I just kind of curious if there are things to definitely do, things to really avoid, and anything else interesting.

 

[Sicy]

That's awesome! Last time I was there I was only 8 so I'm afraid I cant be of much help

 

[Galeongirl]

In Rome, go to the San Pietro and the vatican... I'm not religous at all, but man was that impressive!!!!!
in Florence I liked the museum with the David in it, and there was a nice market be sure to touch the wild boar statue on one of the squares it's a legend saying that he who touches the statue shall once return to Firenze!

 

[RedRocksU2]

Sweet! Have a great time.

+Jealous+

 

[Idun]

Nice I've been a few times in Italy, though I've never visited Venice or Rome! but next time I will Florence was very beautiful and so is the rest of Tuscany as well. I visited the art museum in Florence, we were only in the city for about one day and then we went on to Siena and other places, so I didn't really get the chance to see that much of Florence eitherXD But I will definitely go back there some time. have a nice trip

 

[iloveedge]

In Florence, go to the top of the Duomo. You get an amazing view!! Plus Tuscany is gorgeous. I went to San Gimignano, where there are medieval towers. As Gg said, San Pietro and the vatican must be seen! Don't forget a gondola ride!

I can't wait to go back!

 

[anitram]

I spent about a month there a couple of summers ago.

If you have time to venture out of Florence, do so. The area is amazing. Go to the Cinque Terre - definitely one of the highlights of Italy. Pisa was a nice day trip as well (you don't need more than a day there). And Siena is a must, just a gorgeous town that I loved.

I really liked Venice but it's quite small and you can see the whole town in a couple of full days, another day if you want to go to some of the islands nearby.

Rome is fabulous, way better than Paris in my eyes. Do all the usual tourist stuff. When you go to the Coliseum and the Forum, buy your tickets at the Palatine Hill (you'll see it on the map). There is absolutely no wait there and when you get to the Coliseum you'll bypass the loooooong lines. Also go to the Catacombs (San Calisto and San Sebastian) - I think a lot of people miss these but they're absolutely cool and if you walk around the area you'll feel like you're in the Italian countryside, not in the middle of Rome. You can also go for a day trip out to Pompeii, which I think is worth seeing.

 

[Carek1230]

Lucky you!! Go have a fabulous time and post tons of pictures of your adventures and the awesome sights you will see!

 

[sami0201]

Florence is my favorite city in the world It's absolutely beautiful. Just take your time walking around and enjoying the scenery and the amazing history there. Go see the golden doors and the Duomo. The Ufizi is amazing but the line can be very long and if you enjoy art you will probably want a day there. The Academia (I think that's what it's called?) is where David is, I just walked in, saw him and left. Dante's grave is cool too but it's not a must-see.

Venice...it's beautiful and everything but I could have left after 2 days. It's fun to explore and walk through all the little alleyways and stuff. Definitely feed the pigeons in that square (St. Marks square?) if you aren't afraid of being pooped on! And inside that big church in the square it's absolutely beautiful and you can go up to the top too. When I was in Venice I also went to Murano and watched people blow glass and stuff, it was interesting. And I'm not really sure where it is but I stumbled upon a place where Mozart lived in Venice which was pretty cool. There's a little plaque in front of the building that tells you all about it.

But really, I'd spend time in the area and little towns around Florence. All those places where they grow olives and grapes and make wine or whatever they grow are sooo pretty! And the sunflowers


Some pics I took
Venice:

Florence:

Have a great time!!! You're in for the trip of your life

 

[Fille Friday]

I went in July and we decided to stay more days in Florence than in Rome. BIG mistake. It was so boring in Florence we had nothing to do. Too many tourists. Heard English more often than Italian. Churches got boring really fast. Venice and Rome in my opinion are more fun than Florence. There's so much more to do. Rome's so multilayered: the old, the religion, the art, etc. Venice is mysterious, and you get lost but have so much fun around the labrynths of streets. Florence is just a bunch of churches. Boring. Maybe because I'm an art freak but not a religious person.

Make sure to check about construction/ restoration going on. In Rome EVERY single thing we went to see had scaffolding around it except The Vatican. Major bummer.

 

[blueeyedgirl]

Are you travelling by train or driving yourself (brave if you are ) Try to get out of the big cities if you can and see some of the countryside (and a lot of it is accessible by train).

When you're in Venezia, stop by Padua or Verona, lots of history to see. If you're going to Firenze, stop by Bologna, equally lots and lots of history and nowhere like the number of tourists in Firenze.

Also stay out of the Maccas etc and eat like the locals, you'll never have such good food again rooling just remembering:

Enjoy!

 

[Ava79]

Oh you lucky thing! I was in Venice last October and can't wait to go back as soon as possible. Like others have already said, Venice is rather small and the only thing you "need" to do there is walk around and keep your eyes open. The great thing about Italy is that the country is a piece of art in itself so my only advice is to literally keep your eyes and ears open. Have a great time, I'm sure you'll love Italy!

EDIT. I can't help myself - a couple of pics I took!

 

[TranceEnding]

Italia

If you have time, I recommend heading down south to explore the Amalfi coast also. Sooooooooo beautiful.

Oh, and Ava79's photo's are just beautiful

 

[The Sad Punk]

I went in July and we decided to stay more days in Florence than in Rome. BIG mistake. It was so boring in Florence we had nothing to do. Too many tourists. Heard English more often than Italian. Churches got boring really fast. Venice and Rome in my opinion are more fun than Florence. There's so much more to do. Rome's so multilayered: the old, the religion, the art, etc. Venice is mysterious, and you get lost but have so much fun around the labrynths of streets. Florence is just a bunch of churches. Boring. Maybe because I'm an art freak but not a religious person.

Make sure to check about construction/ restoration going on. In Rome EVERY single thing we went to see had scaffolding around it except The Vatican. Major bummer.

Wait, you're an art freak and you didn't want to be in Florence? Are the galleries less impressive there than I imagine them to be?

Surely it's just cool being in Florence, what with the history and all.

 

[achtung_girl]

I spent about a month there a couple of summers ago.

If you have time to venture out of Florence, do so. The area is amazing. Go to the Cinque Terre - definitely one of the highlights of Italy.

imo cinque terre is the nicest area in italy! and it's not that far away from florence, siena and all the other beautiful towns...actually I'm thinking of visting florence again when I'm in cinque terre in a few weeks!

 

[hiphop]

I second achtung girl and anitram. Try to find a place to stay for 2-3 nights in Cinqueterre. Riomaggiore, the fifth of the five towns (on the way to La Spezia) is the best option imo.

Very romantic, tourists on the beach playing guitar and having a drink in the night, you will love it.

 

[achtung_girl]

I also liked it a lot travelling with train from genova to nice in france! That's so awesome cause the tracks are so close to the sea, and sometimes it is a bit scary cause there are lots of curves and you feel like you'll drive directly in the sea hahaa...but the beautiful view outweighs!!

 

[anitram]

I second achtung girl and anitram. Try to find a place to stay for 2-3 nights in Cinqueterre. Riomaggiore, the fifth of the five towns (on the way to La Spezia) is the best option imo.

Very romantic, tourists on the beach playing guitar and having a drink in the night, you will love it.

I stayed in Riomaggiore and it was just fantastic. Wonderful smell in the air in the summer, some nice places to eat, good local cooking. And the hike between towns is a must, at least once in your life.

 

[iloveedge]

This was my whole group.

This must be the most impressive thing I've seen

 

[yolland]

Make sure to check about construction/ restoration going on.

I'll second that--at any given time numerous museums, churches etc. are closed for restoration or surrounded by scaffolding, so make sure your guidebooks are current, or check the websites.


As far as sites, and other than what's already been mentioned...

Rome -- Unless you opt to do some side trips like others have described, definitely plan on spending the most time here; there's a seemingly endless potential list of things to see. The Capitoline Museums and Vatican Museums are both well worth a visit. The church of San Clemente is a really wonderful example of the 'multilayered' quality of Rome; it's a 12th-century church over a 4th-century church over a 2nd-century Mithraic temple over an underground river you can still hear flowing. The Capuchin Monastery is an amazing crypt completely lined and decorated with human skulls and bones. I would not recommend the Domus Aurea; it had too little left to see to be worth the money, IMO.

Florence -- The Pitti Palace is another great art museum, with gorgeous gardens too. The church of Santa Croce contains the tombs of a whole slew of famous Italians...Michelangelo, Galileo, Machiavelli, Rossini etc. With some of the museums that tend to get horribly overcrowded (as I recall, both the Uffizi and Accademia are in this category) it can be well worth it to buy tickets in advance online, if you know which days you'll be there.

Venice -- The Doge's Palace Museum, and if you enjoy modern art, the (Peggy) Guggenheim Museum too. If you've always dreamed of a Venetian gondola ride then it's probably well-worth the hefty pricetag, but if all you really want is the views of the city from the Grand Canal, just take the regular ferry; you'll get the same vistas and photo ops.

Wait, you're an art freak and you didn't want to be in Florence? Are the galleries less impressive there than I imagine them to be?

Surely it's just cool being in Florence, what with the history and all.

As far as the art goes (and the architecture, and the views from the river) I completely agree. It is true, though, that especially if you're there at the height of tourist season, the streets can feel unpleasantly thronged and the air choked with exhaust fumes...Florence just doesn't have Rome's capacity to absorb immense crowds, and unlike Venice cars are allowed pretty much everywhere. It's a small price to pay for what there is to see there, though.

 

[BEAL]

thanks a lot guys & gals!

We're thinking of hitting a beach or two when we're there as well. Anyone got any decent stories to tell in regards to the beach scene?

We'll probably spend a good deal of time in Rome, but Venice is #2 on the list, then we may just wing it. Florence, or just country side.

Can't wait. 25 more days! Then I can add Italy to my check list (Ireland, Holland, Belguim)

 

[anitram]

If you want a nice beach, go down to the Amalfi coast. It's a few hours south of Rome and Positano is beautiful. Capri is also nice to see However, it's really REALLY packed down there when you are going. It's kind of the worst of European beaches for me - like 3 inches between towels or beach chairs as everyone crowds in. This is why most Italians get into their cars in August and flood Croatia in massive numbers.

Italy is not really known for fantastic beaches, mostly because the coastline isn't really great for that, much to the surprise of North Americans. But the Amalfi coast is probably the best for that sort of thing.

 

[ntalwar]

Florence wasn't as exciting as Rome when I went - maybe I overlooked the good sights. Milan was so-so.

I've always wanted to visit scenic Lake Como in the north - scenes from Star Wars 2 and Casino Royale were filmed there, and some American movie stars own property there.

 

[Vincent Vega]

Lake Como is great, and you can easily do daytrips to Venice, Milan or Verona from there.
I would say that especially during the summer season almost more Germans are in that area than Italians.

In Venice we visited a wonderful cafe with great coffees, and since it wasn't directly by the tourist main routes it was a lot cheaper. But sadly I can't remember the name.
Just make sure to grab something to eat and drink off of those main routes, and check the menu for the exact price. Often you will pay extra for the dishes and some percentage for the waiter. This you won't have to pay outside the tourist areas, or at least not that much.

 

[Fille Friday]

Wait, you're an art freak and you didn't want to be in Florence? Are the galleries less impressive there than I imagine them to be?

Surely it's just cool being in Florence, what with the history and all.

Most Florentine arts are in churches, and I get sick of tombs and murals quickly. There are crazy strict viewing times (I missed Mosaccio's murals on the south bank because I had to trek up northside to try to wait in line for the Accademia) The galleries are filled with people with 3 hour waiting lines. No thank you. I love Boticelli, but if I can only see it through bullet proof glass behind 2 rows of people taking pictures and talking loudly in my face, then I don't want to see it. I'm post-modern enough to be content with a picture of it.

The two Titians in the Frari chapel in Venice is the best art experience I had in all of Europe. Very few people know they are there, so it's quiet and peaceful and you can see them very appreciatively with little intrusion.