Travel in Italy Inexpensively
Benevenuto!!
This is our website on our travels to Italy. We have been there 3
times. Our first trip was a (domestic) tour with 2 adults and 2 teens. Our
second trip was to Rome and side trip to Assisi for 9 night and 10 days with 3
adults and 2 teens. Our third trip, was in May 2006 for 13 nights and 14 days
with just the two of us. This trip, we flew into Rome, rented a car, toured all
of Tuscany, drove
to Verona and left the car and then trained back to Rome for 4 nights.
Our first trip was very nice and gave us a sampling of Italy but never long
enough in one place as the entire trip was only 11 days including 2 days of
flying and was expensive.
Our second trip was also wonderful and we really got to know Rome (better than
most American cities) and although it is noisy and crowded, the art, history and
architecture make up for it! We even went on a train for the day to Assisi and
left our 2 teenagers in Rome wandering around all day (wouldn’t even consider
that in the US).
Our third trip was for our 25th anniversary and 50th birthdays! We are both low
maintenance and easily traveled around Italy. Here are some secrets that we will
share
Be Low Maintenance:
When you travel, pack clothes that are color coordinated and can be easily
mixed and matched. When packing, roll you clothes and back them tight in a soft
carry-on. If you can avoid checking your bags, you will be out the
door and get where your going before anyone else on your plane. Be
prepared to wash your underclothes and shirts every few days and use the hair
dryer (from your albergo/pensione) to dry them. Bring only what you yourself can
carry and/or roll. It eases the pain of traveling. Get lost, enjoy
the moment and see the sites. We ended up in Orvieto, when we were supposed to
be in Siena. What a gorgeous hill-town with beautiful scenery .
Research:
Don’t wait until you get to a specific city to decide what you want to see. Look
to the internet to explore the churches, museums, exhibits and times. Some churches
are closed for lunch and some museums are not open on Monday or Sunday.
Don’t waste time in long lines! Visit the museums very early or very late in the
day. If you can get a prepaid ticket and wait in a different line, it is worth
the cost of the reservation (the best example is the Uffizi in Florence). We arrived at the
Vatican Museum 1 hour 15 minutes prior to it opening and did wait, but used this
time to review the layout of the massive museum, what we wanted to see, where we
were going first, etc. Make use of any time you have to explore the fascinating
history. Also, some churches now charge an entry fee (for renovation purposes)-
check out online which churches you want to visit and where they are located.
Adjust:
You are not in America. Repeat to yourself, you are not in America, so don’t say
“ we don’t do that in Illinois, I have never seen this in Kansas,”
Respect the differences! You WILL have to pay to use a toilet. Get over it! You
will have to learn some of the language. It is a beautiful language! You will
eat the best food in the world, enjoy it ! You will see scenery that will bring
tears to your eyes, believe it! And you will see the true meaning of
genius
when you realize how the churches were built before geometry and physics were
realized. How ancient structures withstood the test of time and even bombings
and remain breathtaking. You will experience the true meaning of passion.
Go with the flow:
Don’t stay in just the big cities. Yes, the Duomo in Firenze (Florence) is
incredible, St Peters will leave you speechless and Venice, ah, Venice…..but
there is so much more. Rent a little car, take a few deep breaths, get a great
map and venture out. Or, jump on a train. The train system is so simple,
efficient and inexpensive!! We took the train to several places in Tuscany and
it was so easy (just always remember to validate or stamp your ticket). We never use the train here at home. When you are in the cities
and towns, go down the little alleys-with your map- and see the sites. You never know what
treasures youwill
find.
Follow the locals:
First of all, remember you are on their turf! They didn’t invite you but you
can try to blend in and behave. Don’t be an ugly American. In our trips to
Italy, we have seen so many and it is embarrassing. Dress respectfully!! You can
ALWAYS pick out the Italians, they look elegant even in jeans. They don’t have
their bellies showing and aren’t loud or obnoxious.
We followed the locals into
the supermarketos (supermarket) and when they pointed to the cheese (formaggio)
and say “questo, questo, questo) [this, this and this], so did we.
When they asked for “un etto proscuitto” ( a little proscuitto), we mimicked
them. When they paided with their ATM card, we used our prepaid VISA card. We
always had delicious, fresh lunches and it never cost more than 6 Euros, about
$8.00. We sat in one of the public square- palazzos or piazzas and people
watched or just enjoyed the scenery. Each night, we ate at a small café that did
not open until 1900 or 1930, 7 or 7:30PM. No righteous Italian eats dinner prior
to 7pm! We usually picked from menus written in Italian and had our little
dictionary to translate or just guessed and we never disappointed.
We also stayed in small albergos, pensiones and even a convent in Rome!
Why do I tell you all this? Because our first trip was expensive. We thought we
would never be able to go back to Italy. When I researched, I found very
inexpensive alternatives and we did go back for the second time.
This third trip, for the 2 weeks for the 2 of us including air fare (one ticket
was free, one ticket was $800) was $3900.00!! Try going to one of the NE beaches
for that amount for 2 weeks. CAN’T DO. Try going to Disney for 2 weeks for that
price. NADA.
Refer to our links for help or contact us for more help.
Recheck your prices:
When I first bought my airline ticket, it was almost $1,000. My husband's
ticket was free (due to frequent flyer miles). I kept checking the web and the
price went LOWER and I called the customer service and they gave me a $200
voucher towards another flight. Also, we had reserved our car originally
with one of the big 3 American car rentals, since we had a frequent user program
and they gave us a discount. When I called Autoeurope and told them what the
other company had quoted me, they gave me a better price to use their services.
When we picked up the car, they also gave us a free upgrade for a slightly
larger car (I don't know if this is better in Italy though, as the roads and
parking spaces are made for very tiny cars). By the way, gas is sold by the
Liter, not gallon and the gas stations CLOSE on Sundays!! The good news is the
cars are extremely efficient and although we went from Rome thru Tuscany, all
over Chianti region and up to Bologna, we only spent $100 on gas, and that was
in May when gas was still very expensive. And yes, we did get international
drivers licenses. It is not a requirement, BUT if you are stopped or in an
accident and the police cannot understand your drivers license, they will fine
you, so it is worth the $15.00 fee.
More tips for the Italian traveler:
Remember you usually must pay for using the bathroom. If you find a free bathroom, it doesn't mean there isn't a fee for the toilet paper! Don't let it get you upset.
When using the train system, you must validate or stamp your ticket PRIOR to boarding using the YELLOW machines that are all over the train station. It is very simple, but there is a large fine for not validating your ticket. We always traveled second class and had no problem at all. First class was much more expensive. See the example of the ticket below for guidance.
Watch the locals when you visit the fruit stands, supermarkets, gelaterias, etc. Some of the places require you to prepay first and then get your goods, while in other places, you pay as you are leaving. We used a prepaid Visa travel card (available at AAA) that was not linked to our checking or savings acct. We had no problem at all. As a matter of fact, we had more problems with the Euro traveler cheques we had brought. No one wanted to accept them. We also used our travel card to get Euros out of the ATMs.
When we were in the cities, we never bought souvenirs from the street vendors, only in the museums and shops. They are the same price and better quality in the shops. Italy is having a problem with the street vendors harassing tourists, especially in Rome, and we felt that if we bought from them, it would just profilerate this problem.
First thing when you enter a new city, go to the TI (tourist information) and get a free city map and information on events, museum exhibits, etc. Also, the street signs aren't usually at the very beginning of the street, sometimes it is down a door or two from the end of the street. This can be very difficult when you are trying to maneuver around the cities, another reason for a good map! P.S. DON'T DRIVE into the big cities- bad news!! If you can actually figure out how to get somewhere, chances are you will NEVER get a parking place. This is especially true of Firenze and Roma!
Most of the cities have water fountains that have flowing water sprouting out constantly. The water is cold and delicious. We bought 2 bottles of water and then refilled our bottles constantly during our walks. The soda in Italy is very expensive. It is very safe to drink the water there, again you will see all the locals doing it too!
Pack lightly- don't forget sunscreen, small dictionary, good shoes, bandaids for blisters and color coordinated clothes.
Practice walking especially with a light backpack. We walked miles each day and I was glad we were both in pretty good shape and ready for it. We climbed the domes of several churches, a few very tall towers too. It was a good way to walk off all the gelato!
Tickets:
These are trains tickets we purchased. I wanted to show you them and describe what they mean.
#1 is a ticket from a self service vending machine. The machine has several languages and is extremely easy to use the touch screen
BIGLIETTO means ticket TRENO ORDINARIO DA CONVALIDARE means the regular train (not Eurostar,etc) N.2 ADULTI is 2 Adults
Partenza Roma Termini -we were LEAVING FROM Rome's Termini Station Arrivo Fiumicino Aeroporta -we were going to Rome's Fiumicino Airport
Class 1st the only class on this particular train TARIFFA.....NON RIMBORABILE is the charge for the two tickets that is NON refundable 19 Euros or about $23.00 The tickets are non refundable, but notice, there is no date on them, so they can be used at any time.
From Rome's main airport (Fiumicino) to Rome's main train station (Termini) there is a direct, non stop train. It is called the Leonardo Da Vinci Express. There are several signs at the airport. If you are coming in from Rome, tracks 28 and 29 are the dedicated train tracks for this train. The tickets are 9.5 Euros each way/per person. Did you notice how they wrote the price? Commas are used where we used periods--19,00E for 19 Euros. It would be written 19,50E for 19 and a half Euro.
#2 ticket is for the EUROSTAR or the high speed train that rides on a separate track that we purchased at a window with a teller.
Again, this ticket is for 2 Adults (2 ADULTI) and notice the date 20.05 that is May 20th, the day is always written prior to the month.
ORA is the hour 09.12 or 9:12 AM (use military time)
PARTENZA Bologna Centrale ARRIVA Roma Termini- we left from Bologna and arrived in Rome's Termini at 11:50 AM . This is why we used the Eurostar for this ride. It was less than 3 hours to go from Bologna to Rome!! Using the 2nd Class, the price (TARIFFA) for the two of us was 74,36 E or less than 75 Euros, about 88 American Dollars. If we took a local trains, it would have taken 8 hours and been 50-60 dollars, NOT AT ALL worth that difference. We had comfortable seats - POSTI 68, 63 which we asked and finally found after 5 minutes. The seats faced each other and the views thru the Tuscan Valley were spectacular and we enjoyed every minute of the ride. When you get out of the train at Termini, look for the buses. They are parked at the front of the building, so this gives you the correct orientation, as Termini is huge.
The receipt for the RISTORANTE TAVERNA DI CECCO was a wonderful restaurant in Siena!! As you can see, the date is May 13,2006 at 7:20 pm. This was an early dinner for us, as usually, we didn't start to eat prior to 7pm (19:00) but we must have been hungry that night.
We ordered 1 antipasto (appetizer)
8,00 8Euros
1 primo piatto (first plate) 6,00 6Euros-I usually ordered pasta for dinner
1secondo piatto(second plate)
9,00 9Euros- my husband usually ordered the special
1 Bevande 1,50 1.5Euros- this is for water
1 Vino 5,00 5 Euros- we usually ordered small bottle of local
wine
the 15% is the tip is already added. Sometimes a charge is added for sitting,
called coperti, which is usually 2 Euros per person. This bill, there is none.
So, the total bill for this delicious meal was 33,92E less than 42 American dollars. This was one of our more expensive dinners. Since we always had gelati before and sometimes after dinner, and always bought this from the gelaterias, not the restaurants, our dinners were usually between 25 and 30 Euros. We NEVER had a bad meal. The real problem was deciding where was the best meal. Every night, it would be the same thing during dinner- sounds of moaning between mouthfuls of homemade pastas, tasty meats and fabulous breads. Above is a small picture of the Siena tower in the Campo. It is also worth the climb. The steps are narrow and difficult, but on a clear day, you can view the magnificent Tuscan Valley for miles in every direction. When I went up there, I started crying, it was so beautiful! The fruit stand offer the mouth watering picks daily and everything was so inexpensive. Remember, be polite, ask nicely and try some Italian. :)
More Tickets and how to read them:
The Cinque Terre Card is below- this card permits you to walk along the Cinque Terre in Northwestern Italy. This is the poor man's Rivera, below Portofino and it is unspoiled sheer beauty. We went there on May 15 2006- 15 Maggio 2006 We did have to validate this, see the date stamped? That is the validation. It is only good for one day. The Cinque Terre is a beautiful area, but it is a difficult walk, old goat paths, with steep hills. We started in Riomaggiore and only made it to Corniglia after 3 hours. We should have researched this better- shame on us- we SHOULD have started at Monterosso, the most northern village and taken the train down to Manarola then walked or bused down to Corniglia and walked the rest instead of the loop we made with just the 3 villages. Although the view of the Lingurian coastline are absolutely breathtaking. The cliffs bounded by the blue sea and the pastel houses built on endless cliffs, it is unreal! If you love the sea, you will love this area. The problem is getting there, as the residents of the Cinque Terre have NOT allowed any large scaled development of the road system. They want to keep their villages secluded and to themselves and after visiting this area, I don't blame them.
Here are some pictures from the Cinque Terre in May, but I was told it is this beautiful all year long.
This is a ticket from the dome (cupola) of the Basilica in Florence- Santa Maria del Fiore. We took the train into Firenze, never, ever drive into Florence and explored the city. It was our second time in this magnificent city. The Basilica, as it is affectionately know, is the centerpiece of this city. The dome is the really spectacular, especially when you learn that the church was built but there was no dome for almost 40 years after the basilica's completion. The dome itself is an engineering masterpiece and is really worth the climb (463 spiraling steps) and small fee 6,00Euros. The view from the cupola is phenomenal. When in Firenze, I really recommend the Uffizi, the Basilica, Santa Croce and the Accademia. We went to the Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace this time, which also was great. This was the home of the Medici's and really a spectacular look at the opulence of this famous family.
The dome (cupola) at St Peter's in Rome is also worth mentioning. It is
absolutely worthwhile to climb the steps. First, you go to the inside ceiling of
St Peters and can really appreciate the ceiling and size of the church. The
second stage is the roof of the Basilica, and finally up to the top of the dome.
I must warn you this is the largest dome in the world on the second largest
church in the world. And the good news is once you climb the steps and come back
down, you can enjoy the Basilica. No matter your religious preference, St
Peter's is absolutely overwhelming and beautiful. The sheer size of the
statues and "paintings" (they are no paintings in St Peter's, only mosaics) will
leave you speechless. The Pieta, even though it is shielded by thick bullet
proofed glass will have you gasping at least once. Then there is the huge baldacchino,
a 96 foot high bronze twist of a canopy over the main altar. From there you can
look skyward into the dome and notice the only light is from the windows in the
dome. The lights in the Basilica are only turned on when the pope is in the
church. Read and research all about this great church and city before you visit.
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