Have any one ever travel to Italy?

Question

Hi! My name is Jennifer. My husband and I plan to go to Italy in beginning of November. I would like to know what we should pack and any good or romantic places or dining restaurant or what to expect over there. Should we exchange money here in the US before we go or we can actually exchange in Italy. Thank you for any good advice. Have a good day everyone!

Answer 1

Sorento and Amalfi are so romantic you cannot believe it.  Sorento is across the bay from Naples, close to Capri, and not far from Ischa (sp?).  Naples is a beautiful old city with lots to see and do.  Naples will connect you with Rome via train and most other cities as well.

Most of the ATMs there will accept your card and give you Euros.  It might be good to exchange $50, or what ever the minimum is, before leaving so you can have money for tips and food.  My wife and I got stuck without Liras and could not get anything to eat after a long flight.

Rome was  noisy and crowded but it has so much history.  Get a good map of the "must see" places, wear sturdy shoes and have fun.  If you want to go to the Vatican take the city bus.

Most, and I repeat MOST, of the Italians are friendly people and will help you if you are polite to them.  Pick up a couple of words in Italian and they will be your friends for life.  Bon Jorno (phon) is Good Morning.  Com Esta? is how are you.  Commo si dechi (phon) is how do you say.  See you already know enough Italian to get by.  Quanta costa is how much but there is a hand sign for that as well.  Italians talk a lot with their hands.  Cup your hand palm up, run you thumb across you first two fingers:  How much?  DO NOT PUT YOUR LEFT HAND INTO YOUR RIGHT ELBOW AND RAISE YOUR RIGHT ARM STRAIGHT UP.  That is an insult.

Hope you have as much fun as I had on my two trips.  Oh, by the way, see the ruins at Pompii.

Answer 2

everything is super expensive, everywere!!!!!! in the larger citys (like rome ect) you will find homeless people begging for money and food, DO NOt give them money, trust me when i say that, pack things for cooler weather, but some places it will be hot, the food is AMAZING!!!! u can exchange in italy but it cost money, so xchange here, try to go to a place in the mts. it is really pretty expecally at night!!! some resterants like cafes and things charge for sitting at table so b carefule and make sure to ask, its good to go to larger citys first, and the smaller towns and places last,

hope it helps, wrote REALLY REALLY fast,

Answer 3

Yes exchange money before you go. Anywhere in Rome is romantic.. You might want to look up sites that were in the DaVinci Code, just for fun. Visit the Vatican.

  Learn the transit system rules. I got into a little trouble because of my ignorance. Buy a day pass for the transit.

  There is much to do. Pisa is about 2 hours north or so. Small place but gotta see the Leaning Tower. Not a lot to do there though.

   And Florence, about an hour or so from Pisa. Must see. Great art work. Many sites, but watch for pickpockets. Great deal on leather jackets, fine clothing etc...

   You'll have an amazing time. Make sure to sample all of the local cuisine.  Have fun.

   And by the way, learn some of the local courtesy words.

Answer 4

Don't forget to go to Venice... the most romantic place on Earth!! I went backpacking with my sisters... so I didn't go to any expensive romantic restaurants.

I would recomend taking an international credit card (if it's a MasterCard, make sure it says Cirrus in the back) and pay whatever you can with that. And have a few hundred euros in your bag for some shops that only accept cash. Remeber the gondolas only accept cash and the cost is between 80 and 100 euros.

Oh, and the cash is better to get out of an ATM machine wherever you are rather that taking a lot of cash from USA.

A very important tip: Italian con men are known world-wide ... don't trust anybody!!! Keep your distance from strangers at night.

Have fun!

Answer 5

Hi,

From Rome and up north it can be rainy and cold in November.

To have some warm weather you should visit Sicily.

(But of course there are lot to see in Rome, Florence, Venice...)

Have a look at some of the articles and the other pages of this site to see if you can get some ideas:

http://www.italyexposed.com/Article_arch...

(Just check the links at the right...)

Have a nice trip!

Answer 6

Rome is wonderful.  Be sure to take tours of the "old sites"and no matter what religion, be certain to go to St. Peters.  Many years ago we exchanged money here in US. do not know what to do now - using Euro $. Clothing: expect some damp and cool, travel with slacks, jackets - a vest works wonders... GOOD walking shoes.

Answer 7

go to Cinque Terra... it is amazingly beautiful!!!! you will love it. Vernazza is the best town to stay in =)

Answer 8

Italy is just beautyful but November,sorry might not be a perfect time to visit since the weather could be quite cold (don't forget a pullover)! It can be romantic anywhere but for first time visitor's I advice you not to travel all over unless you have at least a month to go.Venice is a tourist trap,Rome a must,Florence nice but expensive and the very South (la costa Amalfitana) is like in the movies! Tuscany a dream a.s.o... Take your credit card and pay on the spot. Viva l'Italia!

Answer 9

Don't bother taking travelers checks because nobody wants to cash them.  Stick to cash or credit cards.

Answer 10

I just wanted to note that amish-rob is completely wrong on many of his answers.  

First, it's generally cheaper to use credit cards as often as possible and to get cash at an ATM when you arrive.  Some banks have international partners where you will not be charged ATM fees to do so.  However, be sure that you have a 4 digit pin and that you have let your bank know that you will be traveling overseas.  

Second, the DaVinci code takes place in France, for the most part.  Paris to be exact.  The main points are the Louvre, St. Suplice, Hotel Ritz, the US Embassy, and a few other locals.  Dan Brown's *Angels & Demons* took place in Rome.  

Third, Pisa is roughly 3 hours from Rome by train.  Each way.  

Fourth, Rob is correct that Florence is roughly 1 hour from Pisa.  If you can catch a Eurostar express train back, it's then less than 2 hours back to Rome from Florence.  But you are still looking at a lot of travel time to visit these two cities from Rome (6 hours minimum).  

----

I never use 'currency exchange' places.  Their rates are usually terrible.  Instead, I travel as much as possible on a credit card, but have cash handy.  I get the cash from ATMs attached to banks that are open.  After having an ATM card eaten at a closed bank's ATM, I learned this lesson the hard way.  

Expect to eat large dinners.  It's not customary to order just one course, or to order tap water while there.  Any time that you sit down, if you want water, order it either 'gas or no gas' (sparkling or not).  And, order at least 2 courses.  If that's an appetizer and a dinner, fine.  Even better if you can do 1 appetizer, 2 dinners, and 1 dessert, if you have two people.

Answer 11

Stay away from Naples. It is nasty.  It has the nickname "armpit of the med"

Answer 12

You'll love Rome, I was there a couple of years ago and had a great time.  The food is incredible.  Unfortunately I don't have any restaurant names for you, we basically just ate at places that looked good -- and were never disappointed.

Change your money there.  Better yet, don't bring much cash at all, just use ATMs while you're there to withdraw money from your US accounts.  Nearly every bank is hooked up to the US networks, and your ATM card works fine.  The exchange rate is better at the ATM, and there are little or no service fees like at money exchange places.

Have a great time!