<p>My family is traveling to Italy at the end of March – our first trip to Europe and our last family vacation before the oldest heads off (hopefully!) to college next fall. We’re rather timid travelers, but I’m getting the Xanax out of the cupboard and getting on that plane if it kills me. I’m just wondering if any of you more seasoned, intrepid types have any recommendations about what we must do/see/eat/buy/drink while we’re there. We’re flying into Milan, then spending a week in Florence with some day trips. Any and all suggestions welcome!</p>
<p>Don’t miss seeing Venice - just 2 hours by train from Milan.</p>
<p>Pack lightly.</p>
<p>Rent an apartment in Florence if there are more than 2 or 3 of you.</p>
<p>Bring a couple of ATM cards.</p>
<p>Learn a little Italian.</p>
<p>Check the travel forums for restaurant suggestions.</p>
<p>Read “The Agony and the Ecstasy” before you go.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to schedule a lot of time for restaurants, cafes, and sitting in piazzas.</p>
<p>The frescoes Fra Angelico painted at the convent of San Marco in Florence are breathtaking. You can read about the convent here: <a href=“http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/sanmarco/[/url]”>http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/musei/sanmarco/</a></p>
<p>We were there for two weeks in summer 2005. For what it’s worth, we thought three days in Florence was OK, and spent a fourth hiking in the country. We didn’t go to Siena or any of the other old Tuscan towns, but lots of people recommend that.</p>
<p>For Florence, get your hands on a good History of Art textbook, like Jansen, and study up. The Uffizi has practically no explanatory material in the museum, so unless you have a guide or a good guidebook (or you know a lot), you don’t know what you are seeing. But tons of it is in Jansen. Also, you may need to be making your Uffizi reservations now. Plan on spending at least 4 hours there, and more if you can stand it. On the other hand, the Academia (with Michelangelo’s David) can take 15 minutes if you like. There was one other really nice museum we saw with a lot of sculpture – I don’t remember its name – and a number of museums that were not so exciting.</p>
<p>Florence had great street culture – inventive buskers, clothing vendors.</p>
<p>We really loved Venice, although part of what we loved was the Biennale, which had just opened then, and got us out of the St. Mark’s area to lots of less-touristy areas. It also opened up a number of palazzos that are ordinarily closed to visitors, and provided lots of contrast to the volumes of Renaissance art. Venice to Florence is a few hours by train, but it’s not really a day trip.</p>
<p>Ivoryk:</p>
<p>See the other thread on travel suggestions for Italy just a bit down from yours - </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=293175[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?t=293175</a></p>
<p>I can’t tell you where to go in Italy, but I can give you a few of WashDad’s standard travel tips.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Wear comfortable clothes on the airplane. Bring a good book. Don’t drink alcohol. Stick a couple of water bottles in your carry-on (planes dehydrate you). A little portable DVD player with a handful of movies can suck up lots of Transatlantic time. Don’t worry – just wrap yourself in travel cocoon and pretend you aren’t on an airplane.</p></li>
<li><p>Remember, you are going to Italy, not the Moon. Anything you forget you can buy when you get there.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t worry about exchanging currency. Bring a Mastercard or Visa ATM card and just get local bux out of the machine, just like home.</p></li>
<li><p>Every place you are likely to go has already had scads of American tourists. You’ll be fine.</p></li>
<li><p>Don’t wear sneakers, unless you don’t mind looking like an American. The difference between American and Australian tourists is that Americans wear jeans and sneakers and Australians wear sweat pants and sneakers. Middle-aged Germans wear suits. You don’t want to know what Japanese tourists wear.</p></li>
<li><p>Plan to do less. Sometimes it’s more fun to sit on a bench for an afternoon than see another damned museum.</p></li>
<li><p>Take more pictures. Worry less.</p></li>
<li><p>Get a European-friendly cell phone before you go. Get one for everyone in your family. It will add immensely to your peace of mind.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Tell us how it went!</p>
<p>You brave girl! </p>
<p>If you are timid travellers–don’t overwhelm yourselves. Don’t try to see everything. Lay out an ‘Itinerary with Options’–and feel free to check out of it.</p>
<p>Second the idea of renting an apartment. Look on craigslistflorence. <a href=“http://florence.craigslist.org/vac/[/url]”>http://florence.craigslist.org/vac/</a></p>
<p>Shopping for food in Italy is a magical experience. you can buy fresh homemade raviolis and all kinds of delicious treats.</p>
<p>Buy plasticized Streetwise Florence maps–and Venice maps if you decide to go into Venice. <a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Florence-Maps/dp/0935039651/sr=8-1/qid=1170367812/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-2355403-5030857?ie=UTF8&s=books[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Streetwise-Florence-Maps/dp/0935039651/sr=8-1/qid=1170367812/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-2355403-5030857?ie=UTF8&s=books</a></p>
<p>My favorite guide books for Italy are the UK Blue Guides because they give so much info on the art and architecture. <a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Guide-Florence-Ninth-MacAdam/dp/0393327310/sr=1-1/qid=1170367856/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-2355403-5030857?ie=UTF8&s=books[/url]”>http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Guide-Florence-Ninth-MacAdam/dp/0393327310/sr=1-1/qid=1170367856/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-2355403-5030857?ie=UTF8&s=books</a></p>
<p>Don’t buy any clothes or shoes to travel with–buy them over there! I love having pieces of clothing from my travels. They serve as constant reminders of fun.</p>
<p>Ask your travel agent to look for newer airplanes which have on-demand movie screens at ALL seats. Many of the long haul carriers have them now.</p>
<p>American Express allows you to buy one business class seat and get one free–if you sign up for a Platinum card. Business class seats on a long haul are too much fun. You might not even need the Xanax. If you do inquire about this option, ask if any of the carriers haave the newer lie-flat business class seat-beds. Again–big difference.</p>
<p>Keep salt intake down for a day or two before travelling to avoid swelling of the ankles. Do the leg and ankle exercises suggested.</p>
<p>Tennis shoes are a fashion no-no in Europe but they are unbeatable for those 8 hour days. If anyone in the group would feel particularily embarrassed then bring a few options. Also, Europeans dress for restaurants. Nice casual would be as low as they would go.</p>
<p>Have fun and good luck!</p>
<p>“Tennis shoes are a fashion no-no in Europe but they are unbeatable for those 8 hour days.”</p>
<p>Actually, silver or gold Pumas are by far the biggest fashion rage in Florence.</p>
<p>(more later. In Florence, rent an apt. if you can. Cheaper than hotels, and makes things a heck of a lot more fun!)</p>
<p>What to eat? Ice cream (Gelato)! My son loved it and ate it every day when he toured Southern Italy last spring. His favorite flavor was stracciatella.</p>
<p>The best in Florence is GOM. They are opening one on Broadway in New York soon.</p>
<p>And of course, go to Rome. There is so much to see. You can spend days in the Vatican and it’s museum. And the catacombs which are out in the suburbs.Be careful, take precautions. See all the ancient Roman sites. Another great place to go is Scily. I haven’t been there but it looks enchanting. There are beautiful Tuscan towns like Volterra and the Etruscan tombs in Tarquinia are wonderful and viewed mostly by Italian tourists. I wouldn’t be afraid to drive but be careful as they are not as good at attending to accidents on the road as here in the U.S. Florence has wonderful galleries and you can spend days there. However, Florence is a little too comfortable, most of the shopkeepers all know English and there are many students. Towns like Siena are worth the visit. Better to take some time there. How are you getting about? By train, car?</p>
<p>I remembered the other museum – the Bargello.</p>
<p>Rome is wonderful, but I wouldn’t necessarily try to do Rome AND Florence in a week. You probably would have a better time (and I think you already figured that out) concentrating on one, with some side trips.</p>
<p>In Milan go see the huge cathedral in the center of town.</p>
<p>Make sure you go to Venice. While in Florence I recommend heading to Siena (not far away) which is more laid back and more like what I thought Florence would be before I went there. You’re not terribly far from Pisa to see the leaning tower. If you have time, the cinque terra is worthy.</p>
<p>Best view of Florence is from San Miniato (“Minny’s Tomb”) Worth it, and easy town bus ride from the right side of the train station. Oh, and the Duomo Museum has Donatello’s “Mary Magdalene”, the Michelangelo last “Pieta” (with the author’s self-portrait as Nicodemus", and, best of all, and don’t miss it, the Veil of Saint Agatha!!!</p>
<p>Ivoryk:</p>
<p>I think you made a very good choice both on destination (almost everyone likes Italy) and in timing (oldest off to college). Food - luckily Italy is full of Italian food. I’m sure you’ll have a great time with your only regret being that you wish you had more time to spend there.</p>
<p>Verona is another nice city that you can get to from Milan very easily. Lots of museums, great shopping, a Roman coliseum that you can tour (they hold operas there in the summertime), and great shopping. It is also the town where Romeo and Juliet were from (if you believe the story actually happened), and you can visit the Capulet house complete with the famous balcony.</p>
<p>If you want to communicate via Internet while in Italy, use Internet Train, a chain of internet cafes that we found very convenient and useful.</p>
<p>Venice was beautiful for the archtecture, and don’t miss the basilica tour, but be prepared to spend quite a bit for a gondola ride if you want that experience. A lot of tourist trap stuff there too. Watch out for the pigeons!!</p>
<p>Definitely go for the gelato (tiramisu is my fave), and there is a chain of cafeterias (Called Brek I think), where you can have three course meals made freshly to order at a reasonable price.</p>
<p>Most everyone knows English, but a “Buon Giorgno” (sp) and a “Grazie” in Italian is much appreciated by the locals…</p>
<p>Have fun!</p>
<p>Italian cafes often have simple sandwiches for sale along with the espresso. My favorite was egg and spinach!</p>
<p>mini–yes, Pumas are wildly popular–as are the Deisel-esque shoes. that’s all my younger son has worn for a few years–unless he is doing sport. However, when I said tennis shoe I meant the American running shoe–the comfortable highly cushioned running shoe that Americans wear everywhere–that is decidedly unfashionable in Europe–but the best choice for long hikes around a city.</p>
<p>I second mini’s shoe sense. Everyone is wearing “hip urban” or metallic sneakers in Italy. Buy some. You’ll be happy! :)</p>
<p>I forgot one of my Cardinal rules of travel: (putting on flame proof clothes now) Don’t spend a whole lot more time in museums than you’d spend at home (or, say, a trip in the US) - unless you are REALLY into art/history or whatever. Some people spend so much time in museums that they forget to absorb the modern-day country that they’re in. Obviously see the highlights, but then get out and do some stuff Italians do.</p>
<p>If you are there at the right time they do Operas (like Aida) in Verona’s Roman arena. <a href=“http://www.frugalfun.com/verona-opera.html[/url]”>http://www.frugalfun.com/verona-opera.html</a> <a href=“http://www.arena.it/eng/arenaeng.urd/portal.show?c=1[/url]”>http://www.arena.it/eng/arenaeng.urd/portal.show?c=1</a> It’s also got an architecturally cool museum that is a marriage of medieval and modern architecture. <a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castelvecchio_Museum[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castelvecchio_Museum</a></p>