|
How do I get there?
By Air
There are international airports at Rome, Milan and Florence. Most international airlines
fly to destinations in Italy and it’s possible to get a flight to Italy from most
major cities in the world.
By Road
You can drive into Italy from the bordering countries of Austria, France, Slovenia or
Switzerland. Some mountain passes close in winter, so look out for that… also you
need snowchains and anti-fog lights in the cold season. The Italian superhighway or
autostrada has an extensive network: be prepared for hefty toll rates. You could purchase
a Viacard, which is an automatic toll card that saves you the trouble of looking for
change every time you hit a toll post. There is a system of minor highways that fall into
the categories of ‘national’ (strade statali), ‘provincial’ (provinciali)
and municipal (communali) that are toll free.
By Train
Train journeys into Italy take you through some of the most beautiful countryside. You
could enter Italy from the neighbouring countries. Eurail passes are accepted within
Italy.
The Ferrovie dello Stato (FS) is Italy’s state railway service. It
has a comprehensive network of routes and the trains usually run on time.
By Sea
There are ferry services to Bari, Brindisi and Ancona in Italy from Greece, to Trieste
from Croatia, Tunisia, Turkey, Malta, Spain and Albania.
Getting Around
By Air
Milan, Rome, Bergamo, Verona, Genova, Pisa, Venice, Florence, Naples, Turin, Palermo and
Bari all have domestic airports. Air travel is on the expensive side but is fast and
reliable.
By Road
The Italian superhighway or autostrada has an extensive network: be prepared for hefty
toll rates. You could purchase a Viacard, which is an automatic toll card that saves you
the trouble of looking for change every time you hit a toll post. There is a system of
minor highways that fall into the categories of ‘national’ (strade statali),
‘provincial’ (provinciali) and municipal (communali) that are toll
free. Driving in some cities though, is hardly for the faint hearted!
Drive on the right. Keep to the speed limit. This is the home of the fiery
scarlet racecars, and Italians aren’t too happy trundling at 90 kph when they could
be zipping at 110! At many gas stations business stops on Sundays and pauses at siesta
time everyday and most don’t accept credit cards. 113 is the phone number for the
highway police and ambulance. 116 will get you towing and repair services.
Buses have an even more extensive network than the railways. They are
swift and efficient.
By Train
Eurostar trains are the fastest of the Ferrovie dello Stato services. Intercity (IC)
trains are fast as are Eurocity (EC) trains. Interregionale trains are slower and trains
marked Regionale are local trains serving only a single region. The network is extensive
and trains are a popular mode of transport in Italy. That makes prior reservations almost
mandatory. You can book up to 2 months in advance and do get the date of travel endorsed
on the ticket before you get into the train. Italian Rail Passes and Eurail passes are
accepted but since tickets are relatively inexpensive anyway, these are not all that
cost-effective.
By Waterways
You can reach the islands of Sicily, Sardinia, Ponza, Capri and Elbi by ferry and can even
transport your vehicle across the water on these. The mainland lakeside towns of Como,
Garda, Iseo and Maggiore are also connected by ferry service.
Tourist Offices
Azienda di Promozione Turistica
(APT or AST), Ente Provincale per il Turismo (EPT) or municipal offices known as Informazione
e Accoglienza Turistica (IAT) or Pro Loco in small towns are good places to
gather information on travelling in Italy.
The AAST (Azienda Autonoma di Soggiorno e Turismo) is also an
excellent information provider. Centro Turistico Studentesco e Giovanile (CTS) and Compagnia
Italiana Turismo (CIT) are also tourist information centres.
When
to Go
If you’re looking to avoid the
holiday crowds and want to team that with spectacular vistas when the countryside is at
its most attractive and the weather at its most pleasant, the best times are Spring
(April-May) and Fall (October-November).
If it’s the temptation of drenching yourself in azure aqua by sun
kissed beaches that pulls you to Italy, the best time to go is between June and September.
July or September is ideal for hiking in the rugged Alps but if you’re looking to ski
there, between December and March is the time to go. Generally, try to avoid the Italian
August; it’s rainy and it’s the time when the pappas and mammas shut shop for
their annual vacation.
Easter brings a flurry of colourful carnivals and the venues for the most
extravagant are Venice, Sicily, Taranto, Chieti and Florence.
Where do I Stay?
Whether it’s a hostel or camping out or the most exclusive luxury hotels, there is a
range of accommodation in Italy to suit every traveller’s requirement.
Hotels are rated on a scale of
‘stars’; 5 star hotels are the plushest of the lot and usually boast facilities
like swimming pools, health centres, conference rooms, multi cuisine restaurants and in
house nightclubs. The tourist centres of Rome, Florence and Venice are full of these. If
you are in Tuscany and have the money, there’s the option of renting out a country
villa for the duration of your stay.
Mid rung options include rooms in private residences known as Affittacamere,
where you can rent a room and really savour life the Italian way. It’s also
possible to camp out at specially set-up sites, which more often than not are way outside
city limits. Most have all the modern conveniences and are quite comfortable.
Hostels are popular with students, backpackers and no-frills
thrill-seeking traveller. There are about 50 hostels liberally scattered through the
expanse of Italy, giving value for money accommodation deals. Many impose restrictions
like an evening curfew, no-drinking and no-smoking.
The one-star pensione are for those on a tight budget. Some
of them are really quite charming. Prices are to be put outside your room by law. If they
aren’t there, make sure you get them in writing. Check to see if your breakfast is
included. (It’s usually an extra charge clubbed together with the room rent which can
be separated from the room tariff and is not compulsory.) Also, check to see if a shower
is included. Rooms with a con bagno or private bath, cost more.
Whatever you choose, if you haven’t reserved ahead, make sure you
begin looking for accommodation before noon.
What to bring
Pack your walking shoes and preferably they should be ones that are well worn or at least
ones that you’ve broken into. Countless travellers have to deal with the woes of shoe
bite and don’t underestimate how big that can be.
Pack your clothes according to the
season and purpose of your visit. Business travellers should pack formal clothing. Carry a
light jacket even if you’re visiting in the summer. The Alpine regions are fairly
cool even in the summer.
And of course, don’t forget the camera. Italy is one big photo-op,
and every single moment has a potential photograph in it!
Things
to Do
Dining
& Entertainment
In Italy you don’t eat just because you are hungry. You eat because
the seduction of wafting flavours is undeniable. You eat because you begin to realize
there’s passion in every meal. You eat because you have to savour a local art.......
and while you may eat because you are hungry, it could never be ‘just’ that!
Budget travellers in particular will appreciate the helpful categorisation
of Italian eateries. Top of the bill is the ristorante, which lays on a lavish
spread in all departments, whether décor, service or food. All for a price, of course! An
osteria is also fancy but does fall a rung below the ristorante. A trattoria
on the other hand, is a family-run service and is less expensive and more homely than the
other two. A tavola calda menu features inexpensive hot food, mostly of the
‘snack’ variety and it differs from a rosticceria in that it has seating
while a rosticceria serves as a take-out. A menu turistico is a reasonably
priced complete meal that some places offer, which is low on price and low on the goodies.
You will always find the menu and the price list posted outside the
restaurant. Charges for cover (copreto) and service (servizio) are not always included.
Pizzas are sold by the etto or the fetta - 100g or slice, in a pizza a taglio place. You
can pick up a whole pizza from a pizzeria. Tap water is safe except where a
non-potable sign is put up. Mineral water-gassata (with bubbles) and non-gassata (without
bubbles) are also easily available.
*Do remember that most
restaurants close for the 12 days of Christmas and also for the most part of August, when
many owners go off on summer vacation.
The cities and tourist centres throb to the beat of music every night.
Bars, nightclubs and discotheques are where the young and old, the natives and the
tourists unwind after the sun’s set and the day’s work is done. Some cinemas
play English movies. In the warm season many Italian towns have open-air concerts where
you could hear jazz, country, folk or rock. Just roaming the streets of an Italian town is
entertainment in itself. The aromas from bubbling pots, picturesque streets peopled by the
colourful Italians, and fabulous monuments that stand around casually surveying the scene
as they have been for centuries make a lazy stroll even, a big delight. Catch the
electricity of the Italian Serie A as the best football clubs play their hearts out
for the title.
Or root for Scarlet at Monza! Italy is home to three Formula 1 teams and
these are good times for the tifosi with Ferrari sweeping both the Driver’s
and the Manufacturer’s titles in 2000. So if you’re in Italy mid-September, get
swept off to Monza.
Shopping
Glass sculptures from Murano, delicate
porcelain masks from Venice and swishing fabric in designer couture at the glitzy arcades
of Italian cities will be tempting. Every town has a special local ware; it could be
handcrafted coral products in Sardinia or violins from Lombardy, it could be silk of Como
or pottery from Faenza, a local wine or a cheese, or even a souvenir of the local
attraction. Budget travellers however should be aware that shopping in Italy is an
expensive business.
To try and get a refund of the VAT (Value added tax) can be quite
bothersome. Those tourists who spend EUR 155 to 335 and more in one store can try for it.
When you buy stuff, take any form of ID and ask for an invoice for the articles and the
total amount spent.If you go out of Italy to a non-EU country, have the invoice stamped at
customs, upon departure. If, on the other hand you are going to a EU country from Italy,
then get the customs stamp upon departure from the other EU country. Once you’re back
home send the stamped invoice back to the store. They should then forward the IVA rebate
directly to you.
You will find all this a lot simpler, if the store participates in the
Europe Tax-Free Shopping System. They display a sign if they do.
Activities
Besides all the art galleries, museums, old palazzi and monuments,
there’s something in the varied landscape that offers numerous opportunities for
skiing snowy slopes, getting beached in languorous luxury at lovely sea shores, and hiking
around in fabulous countryside.
The Dolomites have spectacular slopes, scenery and great resorts, making
them an ideal destination for a skiing vacation. The season here extends from
December to March but if you’d rather be on Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn or the Valle
d’Aosta, you could be going there any time of the year.
The Alps, specially the Dolomites, have many trekking trails. You may also
go hiking in the Appenines, in the Parco Nazionale d’Abruzzio and around the
Sila Massif area in Calabria. The Alpi Apuane in Tuscany and the mountains of Sardinia are
other options.
Tuscany is also a great area to explore on a (mountain) bike.
If you hit the beaches and aren’t content with just bumming around on
them, consider windsurfing and sailing. Most resorts are equipped with gear
that they’ll rent out, so you really needn’t be bothered with carrying your own.
Special
Events
The Italian calendar is liberally sprinkled with occasions that deserve
(and are deemed) a holiday. The wine flows, everybody dresses up for the parade where
there’s music and merry making.
The week leading up to Easter Week is a big one for festivities in
Venice while Holy Week carnivals and processions are the most enthusiastic in Taranto,
Chieti and Sicily. Florence brightens up in the light of sparkling fireworks on Easter
Sunday.
Many towns and cities have grand celebrations in honour of the patron
saint. Besides these there are festivals that celebrate local fauna like the Feast of the
almond-blossom at Agrigento in February, the flower festival in June at Genzano and the
October Grape Feast at Merano.
The Carnevale of Venice, Ivrea and Viareggio are all in
February-March. Venice tops the list with its many festivals: the February carnival is
followed by the Biennale di Venezia (held in the odd number years) between June and
September, and Festa del Rondentore in July, the historical regatta and the
national Cinema Festival in September and finally the Feast of the Madonna della Salute
in November.
Florence’s most important event, the Scoppio del Carro, is in
March-April. If you are in Italy around August (which is off-season for tourism), you
might find some entertainment in the Settimane Musicali at Stesa al, and in the
opera in Milan and Verona.
Yet another remarkable event is the Regatta of the Four Ancient
Maritime Republics that rotates around Pisa, Venice, Amalfi and Genoa and is held in
June.
|
