1. “Usciti” means “exit” from a train,building, or highway. If you decide to rent a car be aware that towns like Florence, Siena and Rome have streets that are “RESTRICTED” due to size. While cabs or local residents may have special access, entering a zone that has a white circle with a red border will garner you a 180Êu fine–a
bout $250. There are cameras mounted in these areas and your ticket will be waiting for you when you return your car. When renting cars or motorcycles you’ll need your Passport AND Driver’s License. Also, gas is sold by the liter, not the gallon, and it’s expensive–about $2/liter or $8/gallon. (Diesel is cheaper than Benzene/gasoline). Most cars are also stick/standard not automatic.
2. A little gratitude goes a long way: Pervavore (please), Grazi (thank you), and Preggo (You’re welcome), aren’t just nice, they’re common courtesies. You can get more flies with honey than with vinegar. When traveling away from home, don’t forget your manners.
3. Buy your tickets ahead if time. Lines for the Vatican Museum, the Coliseum, the Uffizi, can have waits as long as 2-3 hrs. Go online and purchase your tickets stateside, that way you can go to the head of the line.
4. Trenitalia is the major rail provider for traveling in Italy. Like plane reservations, these trains get booked. BUY AHEAD. Commuter train tickets can be purchased at the station.
5. Notify your bank of your specific dates of travel. It’ll save you from charges being blocked.
6. Exchange your money at an “Exchange” and not the bank (you can get a better rate and exchange a higher dollar amount). Also, there is an EXCHA
NGE RATE FEE! My husband negotiated the standard 5% fee down to 1% AND got more per dollar than the rate listed on the electronic ticker for that day.
7. ALL prices are negotiable (except at a grocery store or restaurant). When shopping in local markets be prepared to walk away. There are plenty of other shops with the same or similar items that you can get a better deal with if the shop you’re in isn’t willing to budge. We got some great deals this way.
8. There are two ways Gypsies will panhandle for money: Is the direct approach or through the use of their children, the other is to wait at local train stations and prey on weary travelers with overstuffed bags trying to get on/off the train. I actually watched a woman take out her wallet and show a gypsy her empty wallet–with her I.D. and credit cards inside!!! My point is, you are not obligated. You can be direct without being rude and while you might get the stink eye, exercising common sense is your best bet.
9. Italy runs on two different currents and uses two different adapters. Do yourself a favor and buy both. When we stayed in our hotel in Rome we used an adapter, in the house in Florence we used another. I was thankful to have both.
10. If you want AUTHENTIC Italian Gelato here are some points to consider: Carts by tourist attractions do not carry homema
de gelato, nor do stores that have mountainous piles and metal scoopers. REAL gelato is soft and almost melty, can be scooped with wooden or plastic paddles, and isn’t artificially colored. If you’ve never had authentic gelato, you are in for a treat!
11. Meals here start with Anti-pasta, then pasta, followed by a meat with vegetables and you pay for each course separately. I did eat clean while vacationing, but I did not track my macros. The first few days I found it easy to fall into the habit of just ordering pasta, but all carbs, very little veggies and no meat make Trish a very cranky girl, so I started ordering antipasti and a second course.
12. We carried our luggage on the plane with us, but my niece did not. Her luggage was lost and has been held in Rome for the past 9 days (they make one attempt and if they deliver it to the wrong location, that’s all the attempts you get. If you’re traveling for a long period of time, they do have public laundromats in most major cities, so you don’t have to travel with an oversized bag. Otherwise, homes here that you rent only have washers.
13. I may have mentioned this before but it’s good info. to have. When traveling abroad, the way to prevent crazy high cell phone bills is to put your phone in airplane mode. That means you only get Internet if you connect to Wifi. If you’re using your phone to map directions or to call for a cab (taxis don’t wait at train stations or hotels, you have to call yourself and you can’t order them ahead of time) you could end up stuck. Although most restaurants and hotels have free wifi, trains and train stations do not. A number of times we had to rely on the kindness of strangers to help us out of a jam.