Holiday in Italy... Have you been?

Question

I am going to italy with two friends to Italy in early September for a week. We're student but are not interested in bars/clubs, would rather actually see Italy (not a British version).

Any tips on how to see and experience as much as possible in such a short time? (e.g. trains/coach trips etc)

Where did you stay and visit?

NB. we're on a budget

Answer 1

our daughter lives in Garda on Lake Garda, plenty of camp sites on the lake side and easy to get around the area by boat and bus, Verona only 30 mins by bus, Venice 2 hrs by train. Also Padua 1 hr.  Take a trip up to the Italian Tyrol, eat the mountain food very filling. Look down sidestreets for cafes bars etc. if you like pizza. most of all enjoy Italy, lovely country, people food and vino.

Answer 2

if you are interensted to learn Italian or want help to travel in it::

call this skype service:

http://www.skype.com/share/skypeprime/jo...

Answer 3

You can find a taste of real Italy in Le Marche region. It's beautiful, safe and still undiscovered by mass tourism.

Answer 4

I had the same dilemma a few years ago. I opted to spend almost all my time in Rome. .....EX; A 3 and a half hour train trip from Rome to Venice is about $350 american dollars (RT)........A trip to Florence was reasonable.

         I didn't see much of the rest of the country but I got some quality time in on the most important part and saved a lot of money........Pitch in for an APT in downtown Rome for a week (about $1,000 to $1,500 USD) and walk and use public transportation.  Try VRBO.COM....(Vacation rentals by owner)

      Be sure you're downtown. See a little of a lot or a lot of Rome, it's up to you..........Monestary's and "Nunneries" are good places to stay also............Find them on line or thru travel books.........Hotels can be very expensive in Rome.

Answer 5

I lived there 3 years as an American GI. The best way to see it is through a tour group. Italy has an enormous history and art is everywhere you look. I took a tour and in 9 days we covered Venice, Florence, Rome, Naples (Pompeii) and San Marino. If you do it on your own you don't know the history and all you see is what you see. Take a tour.

Answer 6

This is where I found my apartment in Rome:  Homelidays.com.  I got it near the Vatican and right next to a Metro (subway) stop.  I think it is going to be a good, relatively inexpensive option (I'm going in May).

Answer 7

I was there by myself this summer....the one place that you HAVE to check out is Cinque Terre in the province of Liguria (google it and you'll get some breathtaking pictures)..

There are plenty of hostels, and if you really just need a bed and a shower you can always stay where I stayed, it's in Riommaggiore and it's a place called Mamma Rosa. As soon as you get out of the train station it's right in front and "Rosa" is usually sitting outside recruiting people to her place. She is, unfortunately, a stinky old lady but it had a bed and a shower and bathroom which is all i needed and I paid 15€ a night for it (you definitely get what you pay for).

Here are some tips for you if you're on a budget (like I was):

- Stay in hostels

- If you reserve a hotel the day of you usually get a lower rate. I stayed in a 2-star hotel in Venice (which was NOT a 2-star in my opinion, it had carpeting, private bathroom and air conditioning!!!) a few steps from St. Marks Square and paid 90€ for the night..this is an amazing price for Venice, btw.

- Try not to eat out too much...go to a bakery and get some fresh bread and make yourself a sandwhich

- When in Rome, don't bother buying water...get one water bottle and keep filling it up...there are PLENTY of fountains

- The Bus system in most of the metropolitan cities are very good and always on time (as are the trains!!) but I found that you can do a LOT of walking in the main cities.

- Get yourself a map and start walking!!

Have a GREAT TIME!!!!!!

Answer 8

You'll love Florence. It's a total student town & is really beautiful. You can cover it in like a day or 2 if you keep moving. Take the train from there to Lake Como & hold on to your jaws cause they are gonna hit the ground when you see how beautiful that area is; it's spectacular. Soak up the glory of Venice. You really need a few days to do it justice, but it's do-able in a day.

The Amalfi Coast is really stunning, but a total trek from the Florence & the other cities in the northern part of the country. Rome is really historical & beautiful, but too urban & like sprawled out to me. I thought the smaller towns & cities were more charming, easy to navigate & fun. I would NOT recommend going to Southern Italy if you're just young girls on your own. I had an awful experience there when I was 13.

Go to www.raileurope.com to get the train info you need. They list all the routes. BE SURE to get a seat reservation every time you buy your ticket!! Your pass or ticket only gets you onto the train...it doesn't give you a seat on the train. You have to pay xtra for that. Also make sure you validate your ticket. There are these little boxes on the platform.

Be sure to get an ISIC card (student ID card) in advance. It'll get you discounts everywhere!!!

Go to TripAdvisor.com, the Lonely Planet (Thorn Tree) and Rick Steve's Graffiti Wall for more tips.

Have an awesome time!!!!!!

Answer 9

I'm italian, so I think I can help you. Even if we tend to appear really unorganized, i think that the best way to visit Italy is to travel by train. You can reach really every place in out nation, and it is not so much expensive. Here you can find all the information you need: http://www.ferroviedellostato.it/ (i know it's in italian, but I think that somewhere you can choose english). You can use Youth Hostels. I think it is the best way to visit a country like ours. Then... what you want to see? I can suggest you Venice (rather obvious), Rome anf Florence, but I think you will surly find interesting also Milan (my city), Verona, Padova, Pisa (The most famous tower in the world), Napoli, our mountains and Sicily, tha is really really wonderful.

Answer 10

I'm italian and i think that in a week u can't see everything...every city has it own history and monuments,it dipends on what u wanna see! As an italian the most beautiful city is Venice but also Rome,Milan,Turin,Florence,Bologna and the south of italy as well! There are hostels everywhere (quite cheap) u can move by train and u'll eat very very well!!!