<p>My husband has it in his head that he wants to go to Italy this summer on vacation. He doesn’t like museums much, doesn’t really want to do Rome, and what he really likes to do on vacation is relax and golf. He does not like to have lengthy involved dinners. This is an important point, because he is really annoying about not wanting “all that food” and “sitting there for hours having dinner.” Oh yes, he doesn’t like to drive around too much either.</p>
<p>But he wants to go to Italy. Apparently, since I picked Bermuda last year, he is picking Italy this year. We are not Italian, and neither of us speak any Italian. I have some language talent and will learn enough to get by between the Spanish and Latin I studied in school and the French I picked up traveling in France (and the ONE Italian class I sat in on during college preview days)!</p>
<p>He says “Everyone says Tuscany is a really great place to visit.” I think that’s code for “We had awesome fabulous food and wine and some really great dinners.”</p>
<p>What else is there to do if you are not a foodie, a history buff, or a museum crawler? He is also not a shopper. (Me, I could do any of the above and more, but its no fun if someone is complaining all the time.)</p>
<p>I liked visiting Italy and I don’t like shopping and also don’t like long drawn out dinners. However, I like history and Italy is full of historical things to see even outside of museums which I’m not necessarily crazy about either.</p>
<p>Does he like seeing massive cathedrals, castles, roman ruins, a place like the Vatican (I know he said not Rome but there’s a lot to see there). Would he like seeing someplace unique like Venice? The Cinque Terre is quite nice with its walk between the towns along the cliff by the sea. </p>
<p>If he’s not interested in any of that then I don’t know why he’s going unless maybe he’s planning to check out the Ferrari factory or something.</p>
<p>Some good ‘fast food’ there is the gelato!</p>
<p>Italy really is a nice place to visit though. If he’s willing to go then you’ll probably enjoy it. You can get by okay without speaking the language.</p>
<p>Italy is amazing, just amazing. Such a beautiful, interesting place. Forget worrying about long involved dinners, I think that might be something you have with your family, but if you go to a restaurant, you go at your own pace. Not an issue. You don’t need to speak any Italian. Maybe your husband saw some pictures and talked to some people, and got interested. He may be interested in venturing beyond his golf vacations. Run with it!</p>
<p>Italy is magic. The history that is there, the beauty, is absolutely mesmerizing. I am not a museum person AT ALL, short attention span…look, squirrel! But we went on a Rick Steves trip, and they made it all incredibly interesting. Every minute. The best guides, the best sights…I know nothing about art history, and they even made that fascinating, I didn’t want to miss a minute. I don’t know how that happened, but a place that has so many interesting things, a tour that was fantastic…was probably the most fun I’ve had in decades.</p>
<p>Look at the website ricksteves.com, the vacations to Italy, the daily itineraries. See if there is anything that interests you there. They choose the best of everything there is to do in Italy. I would be surprised if nothing there interests you two. I’m not saying to book a tour, but just look at what they do.</p>
<p>The casual dinners in the backstreet restaurants are not lengthy affairs and the food is still amazing. I remember some pizzas with great affection. My sister and I did an “ecotourism” farm in the country outside Padua and just went for walks, took a cooking class, and swam… it was lovely.</p>
<p>We love Italy. We have rented villa (large farm house) and stayed in cities. I am not a museum person, but I do love good food and wine. We would usually go for 2 weeks, one week at a villa and another week in the city (Florence, Rome, Venice). We have stayed at both east and west coast. The only place I wouldn’t go to is Milan, except to Lake Como. The pace is a lot slower in Italy, but everything still functions. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal in Italy, except in Venice.</p>
<p>My first thought upon reading the thread title was “Why NOT vacation in Italy?!” I would LOVE to go there; it’s DH’s dream, too, and hopefully we will get there someday.</p>
<p>I hope you get there Nrdsb4. Such an incredible place. I have been all over the world, and I am completely in love with Italy. So why the heck am I sitting in a hotel room in Memphis??</p>
<p>I hope you guys find a time and a way to make it happen. The euro is down, now is the time to go!</p>
<p>Though I must admit, I planned a trip every summer for about ten years. And there was always a reason to cancel, until a couple of years ago (first trip without kids in 21 years, purely because they were both busy). Do it!!</p>
<p>I’ve been to a lot of places in the world but Italy was the best trip. Look up Rick Steve’s site as someone mentioned above. Go with someone else for company maybe. And don’t miss Rome!</p>
<p>I hate traveling, but I admit I loved Italy (except flying Alitalia when the pilots looked drunk and the plane looked like it was 50 years old).</p>
<p>The food and museums (and I hate museums too) were admittedly amazing, but be prepared–everything was really slooooow. Don’t expect the kind of service we get here.</p>
<p>OK- different view on this- We have traveled extensively through the years- loved the museums in Italy but for some reason the people were hard to take- maybe it was because we went with our kids age about 8 and 13 girls many years ago in the summer. We are, what I like to think, polite and try to blend in with the culture but we were yelled at alot for unclear reasons. I felt on edge after that. They even yelled at each other and we got stuck on a bus (in the countryside) for hours when the bus driver and the police were arguing. We have had much better luck in France, Germany and New Zealand. No experience on the golf part though.</p>
<p>It’s true–they wave their hands and seem to yell a lot but it’s a cultural thing. If you go brush up on all the nuances of eating–tratorias vs restaurants, tipping at a table vs standing at the bar etc. It’s worth learning some of the etiquette before you go so you don’t get spoken to too loudly :)</p>
<p>If he likes gardens there are some gorgeous ones. Go visit the Tivoli Villa D’Este when they turn on all the fountains. (This is actually closer to Rome than Tuscany.)</p>
<p>I’ve never been to Italy, but it is my dream. Last week, my 14-year old son came home and casually mentioned that his sophomore class trip is two weeks in Italy. I nearly choked on that.</p>
<p>Probably, but the chaperones don’t participate in the fundraising and school funding, so I couldn’t afford to go. Brat!!! (I’m kidding - I am thrilled that he could have such a wonderful experience)</p>
<p>If you can’t figure out why he wants to go to Italy then we have even less of a chance figuring it out. I can tell you one thing. Many people, myself included, have inexplicable urges to go to specific places. Something in the back of your mind that just says GO. That’s exactly how I fell in love with Istanbul. I’ve lived in Italy and periodically go back to visit friends. I like it but could never live there again. Love the culture, the food and the language. But the odd little complexities of everyday life there drive me nuts. For all you know he might latch on to the crazy making aspects of Italy and hate it. Or he might find out that he actually DOES love the culture, the food and the language. Give it a shot. It’s just “una breve vacanza” (a brief vacation)</p>
<p>My only recommendation is to NOT go in summer. Fall is less crowded, better weather, much better seasonal food, and much much cheaper.</p>
<p>I loved Italy, and hadn’t expected to. The Italian countryside was absolutely gorgeous. My sister and I took a cooking course in Tuscany. We spoke little to no Italian, like our school mates, but that wasn’t a problem since the school was taught in English. Each day we spent a few hours in class, but the school also sent us out on expeditions to farms, wine tastings, pottery shops, old towns, and even a picnic hike on which we picked (and ate) huge fresh figs. We had long drawn out dinners on the terrace at our school–all family style with fellow class members. But we also had restaurant dinners and lunches that were just, normal. We quite enjoyed sitting outside, reading, poolside by the olive trees. For us, having a group with a focus (cooking in this case) facilitated our Italian adventure. We went in September, and it was scorching hot (and I live in Florida!). Make sure you have AC or at least a fan available!!</p>