Hello!
Howdy. I will be traveling to Italy for a week or 2 in late June, early July of 2008. I just got "Europe on a Shoestring" from the library and have put a few phrase books and language CDs on hold, as well. I recently signed up for couchsurfing.com, too, in keeping with the whole "shoestring" theme. (It was an unplanned trip until just now, so I will not have much time to save up money.)
I'll be starting in Naples and hope to see Pompeii, Rome, Florence, and if feasible, Venice. I would love to pop down to Sicily and see Mt. Etna, but that may have to wait for a later time. So... other than the shoestring book, any recommendations on seeing Italy on the super-cheap? Things that are a must-see, or worth spending a little extra on? A friend told me it's worth it to get a guided tour of Pompeii, for ex., so I know what I'm looking at!
I'm also looking for recommendations on shoes and bags. I'll be spending a lot of time on my tragically soft feet, lol. Hoping to: 1) not look too much like a tourist, 2) have sturdy, comfy shoes, and 3) not spend very much. I was looking at www.crocs.com and found a few things. Even if that would peg me as a tourist, I might go with it, anyway, if they are as comfy as everyone says, because they are very affordable.
The same friend who suggested paying for a guided tour of Pompeii also strongly cautioned me about pickpockets in Rome and other areas. I'm looking for some (again, affordable!) bag recommendations. I was considering a variation of Healthy Back bags ( www.healthyback.com/store/tr...nylon.htm ), but didn't know if they were secure enough. Assume that I won't be using the outside pockets at all.
Any info you care to share would be great!
Thanks so much!
Cheers,
SistaWeotch :)
Howdy. I will be traveling to Italy for a week or 2 in late June, early July of 2008. I just got "Europe on a Shoestring" from the library and have put a few phrase books and language CDs on hold, as well. I recently signed up for couchsurfing.com, too, in keeping with the whole "shoestring" theme. (It was an unplanned trip until just now, so I will not have much time to save up money.)
I'll be starting in Naples and hope to see Pompeii, Rome, Florence, and if feasible, Venice. I would love to pop down to Sicily and see Mt. Etna, but that may have to wait for a later time. So... other than the shoestring book, any recommendations on seeing Italy on the super-cheap? Things that are a must-see, or worth spending a little extra on? A friend told me it's worth it to get a guided tour of Pompeii, for ex., so I know what I'm looking at!
I'm also looking for recommendations on shoes and bags. I'll be spending a lot of time on my tragically soft feet, lol. Hoping to: 1) not look too much like a tourist, 2) have sturdy, comfy shoes, and 3) not spend very much. I was looking at www.crocs.com and found a few things. Even if that would peg me as a tourist, I might go with it, anyway, if they are as comfy as everyone says, because they are very affordable.
The same friend who suggested paying for a guided tour of Pompeii also strongly cautioned me about pickpockets in Rome and other areas. I'm looking for some (again, affordable!) bag recommendations. I was considering a variation of Healthy Back bags ( www.healthyback.com/store/tr...nylon.htm ), but didn't know if they were secure enough. Assume that I won't be using the outside pockets at all.
Any info you care to share would be great!
Thanks so much!
Cheers,
SistaWeotch :)
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Italy
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Re: Travel to Italy.
Mon, February 19, 2007 - 10:42 PMOk for starters going in late june is going to be expensive because that is when all the tourism is happening, also if you are only going for a week or two I strongly recommend that you do not try to hit as many places as you can. Its easy to think before you go that you want to see allot because you have a short amount of time. But the energy to get from one place to another really takes away from the experience. I don't feel like you can appreciate everything that Italy has to offer by moving around to much there is too much to take in. That being said I recommend you only visit one or two places max that are not to far from each other. Naples is a great place to start, you can hit ishca and capri, both are very beautiful. Id spend a week in Naples traveling around, and then rome, since the distances are relatively short.
going to pompii with a guide is a really good idea because you have know idea what you are looking at when you get there.
You don't want to skimp on shoes or a bag, check REI for deals on both of these items, or online.
As far as pick pocketing goes, they are looking for people that are not aware of their surroundings, American tourists for the most part don't spend time getting to know their surroundings and end up walking around aimlessly getting loss, easy targets.
Spend some time reading about the places you are going to go in the travel books and talk to people, get an idea of what to expect before you go. Always pay attention to your surroundings and your state of being. If you get tired you might want to pace your self, don't over extend your capabilities, traveling in a new country is very taxing on your being because everything you are taking in is completely new and it takes allot of energy.
Good luck, you are going to love Italy is a place you will never want to leave, trust me.
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Re: Travel to Italy.
Wed, February 21, 2007 - 9:52 AMHi Sista!
Wow....I bet you are so excited! I assume you havent been to Italy before? I went for the first time last year. We spent about 3 weeks or so travelling around and I absolutely LOVED it! If you have a budget and stick to it, it can work for you. My first piece of advice is, try scoping out places to stay ahead of time. This will keep your cost down. We planned as we travelled and ended up having to pay more in some places because the cheaper places were gone. I highly recommed Rick Steves guide books. He has great suggestions and a lot are relatively cheap, or free if you want to do some of his walking tours. I also highly suggest finding historic walking tours in the areas you will be going. Also not that expensive and very worth it!
We used this site for almost all of our hotels in Europe. www.venere.com/ You can search by price and we found good places 90% of the time. Really read the reviews first though. Most were dead on. You can try googling apartments too. We found some great stays with kitchens so we could eat breakfast and pack lunches at the place.
If you are only going to be there for a week or 2, I agree with the other person who said pick a few places. Rome and Cefalu, Sicily were my favorites. I didnt care for Venice at all but it was Aug in the dead of tourist season. I can honestly say that I didnt hear any Italian. It was like Disney World. If you want to do Venice, do it in Nov or Dec when you can get a better since of what its really like. We only were in Naples to take the overnight ferry to Sicily. It was a 10 hour ferry ride and one of the coolest things we did.....very cheap as well. It was called the SNAV. I am sure you can google that too. I didnt get to Florence but have heard its amazing.
As for shoes, I wore Michelle K's. They were cute and comfy and didnt look like big honkin tourist shoes. I also used an Eagle Creek Womans bag. It was a great size and really well made. The only thing I wished it would have had was more pockets.
Ok...thats all for now. Thanks for allowing me to relive my Europe trip. I miss it a ton!!
Have wonderful and safe travels!!
Jen -
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Re: viaggo Italia
Tue, April 3, 2007 - 10:57 PMI go to Italia every two years, and almost always in May (maggio); I go again in a few weeks. My profile has a few Italia photos for you.
The worst thing about travel, is the ~travel~ part. The biggest tip I can give you is the same as trinsic's above; only go to half the places you planned. Or less. Pick a region, not a whole country. Especially if you'll only be there for a week or two. You'll be back again. For example, skip Venezia.
Assuming you're flying into Roma, and it will be warm, spend 3 days there, then 3 or 4 in Firenze, then 3 or 4 in Siena. If you go another time, say in May, Go to Roma, then down to the Amalfi Coast (Sorrento, Positano,) possibly Capri, and around Napoli (Pompeii, etc). Another time, stay over the Appenines, Lake Como, Bologna, and Venezia.
When you find a fabulous City or Town to stay in, bargain for a week's worth of accommodation, and spend the saved cash elsewhere. Staying short-term is ore expensive. Most important, you can get stop being a sherpa carrying around luggage, put your head down on the same pillow night after night, and get to know the people and the place. Once your familiar with a place, you don't need a map, you know your routes, you see people more than once, get to know there names; and they recognize you.
It's as if you've decided to live there, and these are the first days of doing that. It is immenseley rewarding after a few days. And your vacation time slows down. Anyone who is an experienced tourist knows that you pick a place and discover and enjoy it intensely, rather than skipping through places like your a rock star on tour. So, stay put in a great place. Why wait to your third trip to Europe to discover this?
Otherwise, you'll be an expert in Italia's transportation system, where you'll spend many days. And that's where the dirt is, where the noise is and where the crooks are to be found. And that's where most bad experiences and frustration is found. The other regions have been there for two thousand years, and they will always be there for you.
As a cost-saver, there are several websites for solo travellers to hook up - even to cross orbits for a few days only - and share things, such as accommodation.
Also, everyone has Let's Go and Rick Steeves books. Take one of those, but also - a less popular volume - for example a Rough Guide, for it will have all sorts of recommendations - including budget accommodations - not covered by the other books, and there'll be more vacancy and choice as a result.
Skip the guided tours; self-directed are far much more rewarding, because that's when spontaneity and discovery occur. If you want company, you will inevitably meet other travellers doing the same thing you are on a given day.
Last tip, The Italiani are intensely attached to their towns and cities - no matter how small - and less so their country. Learn to prounounce correctly the names of their places and regions, and learn what it is unique about it; the colors of the city's soccer team, the loacl vino varietal, etc. Also, learn how to pronounce there names in Italiano. Much inglese is spoken, but you must show an attempt to speak their beautiful language.
Have a great trip! -
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Re: viaggo Italia
Sun, May 6, 2007 - 2:07 AMKevo I guess you are allready in italy... I wish I was going this year... maybe next year. but I appericate your take on italy, I feel the same way about a learning the language and getting the names right. Have a good trip.
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Re: Travel to Italy.
Sun, May 6, 2007 - 2:11 AMOMG I agree with all of your choices, I loved Cefelu and hated Venice because it was so touristy.
Did you stay im Palermo long? I was there for a month and took mini trips to the surrounding towns, just loved it.
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Re: Travel to Italy.
Wed, April 4, 2007 - 11:31 AMBTW, the date is a mistype. It's 2007. I'm planning a trip to France in 2008, so head is in the clouds a bit. :)
Thanks for all the replies.
Cheers,
SistaWeotch -
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Re: Travel to Italy.
Mon, June 4, 2007 - 11:49 AMUnder 2 weeks to departure time!
My current plan is to get all the visiting and business stuff in Napoli out of the way, head to Stromboli for a few days, take the ferry to Reggio di Calabria for a day (a local couchsurfer assures me I can see it all in a day), hop on the train to head north back towards Napoli... but I don't know what to do or see for cheap between Reggio and Napoli. I understand the Amalfi Coast and the Isle of Capri are gorgeous and not to be missed, but I'm not sure about affordable-type activities there. Suggestions?
Also, anyone have couchsurfer-friendly contacts in the area? I have a few maybes from couchsurfing.com and hospitalityclub, but nothing solid yet.
Thanks!
Hugs,
SW -
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Re: Travel to Italy.
Mon, June 11, 2007 - 11:20 PMWell it depends on what you mean by affordable, you prolly should checkout Pompeii, but I would recommend going with a guide. I think its like 10 euro to get in and a guide is extra, not too sure. If you go to Pompeii without a guide, you will be walking around this beautiful ruins city, but will not understand much about what happened there.
I'm an explorer so I traveled all around napoli checking out everything there is this huge circular castle in the middle of the city that is free, I walked into it and checked it out very cool, I wish I could remember the name. There was a wall that snaked though the city and connected to the castle in the middle.
If you are staying in hostels I recommend "six small rooms" hostel, really cool, accept for the fact that its up a massive flight of stairs and it was kind of hard to find.
Maybe someone else with more experience in this are could chime in on other things that I haven't thought off.
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