From Señor Douglas
18 Lessons learned
Traveling in ITALY
1 – need a European plug in adapter
2 – watch the Taxi driver meter
3- prearrange drivers when possible as cabs are hard to find
4- be patient w restaurants as all are over booked even a Reservation could be a one hour wait….which is why so many people do the “buy the slice” quickie pizza
5 – guides are worth it…..too much to see and understand to do it on your own….you will end up wasting a lot of time being lost and missing key moments in history (if you care)
6 – 4/5 star does not mean the same there….many of the Historic locations have very old hotels – rated high due to location not necessarily quality
7 – it’s all about the CHEESE
8 – the train is easy and last minute is ok….30 minutes at the station ahead of time is plenty ALWAYS GO FIRST CLASS – only $20 more and worth it to have an assigned seat
9 – book hotels months in advance as the best locations “town squares/view hotels” sell out very early. Due to COVID shutdown for two years….double the travelers as normal
10 – travel light, remember cobble stone streets, a lot of dragging bags to places taxi can’t get close to drop off location
11 – don’t trust your GPS….wow big eye opener….tall concrete buildings/old ally ways…? old school MAPS?
12 – YES EAT ALOT OF GELATO ?
13 – airlines don’t open for check in until 2 hrs before flight time
14 – when purchasing large $$ items while at the store fill out the form for TAX REFUND, then go to GLOBAL BLUE or PLANET-kiosk (whichever your form states) at airport and receive full cash back on SAME CARD used, BEFORE CHECK IN.
15 – if walking several miles a day as most tourist do, while in ITALY, don’t worry about what you are eating and drinking, that is one of the reasons you are THERE!?. (I actually lost weight due to aggressive walking)
16 – SPLURGE on your tickets, FLY FIRST CLASS, even if you have to cash in some 401K, the flat bed seats and personal apartment are so worth the money, this along with the VIP LOUNGE between flights ??
17 – travel in late September through October – grape crushing season and perfect weather, ITALY in the summer can be oppressive heat and can be very cold in the winter….choose your travel TIME with care.
18 – if wanting to see multiple areas, as we did, VENICE, FLORENCE, ROME, POSITANO, VERONA use a professional GUIDE SERVICE…wow, can’t say enough about the attention to detail, the private drivers and tour guides, the train tickets, the hotel and restraunt arrangements THE HANDLING OF LOGISTICS would have been a nightmare (not for everyone, as I am sure some should rather free lance) for us…..it was so great to work with professionals and plan both amazing activities along with plenty of free time to do our own thing. Loved the combination of freedom and security knowing all logistics were handled, along with the constant KNOWING they were just a text away when needed.?
Grazie!
Douglas Jessup – (Branson – MO) – September 2022
