The country of wine, pasta, pizza and the art of ‘la dolce far niente’ (the deliciousness of doing nothing). Enjoy Italy at a slow pace, eat, drink and take in the ambiance of your surroundings.
One important tip for Italy: the prices vary within restaurants and cafes, the cheapest being at the bar, the most expensive on the terrace outside. Especially when that terrace happens to be on the San Marco Square in Venice, or overlooking the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. Believe me, even Italians get screwed over sometimes. I once heard a story of 4 Italians who had to pay over €100 for the four coffees with a liquor (like an Irish Coffee kind of thing). On top of the price for the drinks, they had to pay a terrace service fee, and being on the San Marco Square it cost even more, and also a music fee, for the live music that the cafe had. For a quick espresso, just stand at the bar, next to the locals, and pay only €1, instead of €5 if you happen to be sitting outside. I’m sure they have it written down somewhere on their menu’s, but if the prices aren’t stated clearly, you are better off indoors in the cafe or restaurant.
Venice. Just get lost. Seriously, hide that map in your bag and don’t look at it the whole day. At the end of the day, just get to the Grand Canal, and get via the water to the stop closest to your hotel. Go see Murano (glass blowing, several demonstrations behind the shops) and Burano (lovely colored houses, great at sunset time, since you can get great pictures of Venice by sunset) too. Stay on the mainland, it is much cheaper, and with a car you’ll have parking. Several buses and trains going into Venice, buy day pass for all public transport incl. the water buses in Venice and the lagoon. Great meals at (what’s that steak place?) or La Zucca (vegetarian restaurant).
Go to San Marino and add another country to your list, medieval town, foggy, up on mountain
Verona, city of love. Not for the Romeo and Juliet story (which was more a tragedy than a love story, right?), but because the city is shaped like a heart. Stay at Casa di Giulia, a lovely B&B.
Rome, Colosseum, Roman ruins in front of it, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps
Go to Vatican City, Tour, Sistine Chapel and add another country to your list
Cinque Terre, explore all five quaint villages on the Mediterranean, you can stay in La Spezia and from there take the train and do the walks between the five villages.
Florence: Bistecca Fiorentina (different restaurants, can’t go wrong), pizza at I’Pizzachiere (close to the stairs up to Piazzale de Michelangelo, from which you can get a great view of the city), check Ponte Vecchio, the statue of David, various museums (Uffizi) lots of art and culture in this town. You’ll see a lot of art students from all over the world walking around with papers to make drawings or answer questions about the surrounding buildings.
Pisa (go push that tower), Sienna (square with the Palio – horse races), Lucca (walk along the city walls) all easy to reach from Florence by train.
Explore
Tuscany with its rolling hills, high cypresses and golden light. San
Gimigniano, Pienza,
Milan, the Dome, go shopping (don’t burn your
budget on the haute couture shops, you may rather want to go for some
window shopping)
Turin – tower with glass elevator, the shroud, read The Salome Effect, Jim Sajo (more tips?)
Eat and drink: pizza and pasta, wines, gelato
