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Trip to italy
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
Ok, so currently planning a holiday in italy to do all the touristy things. Our plan as it stands is... fly to milan, stay one night, go to venice, spend 2 nights, rome for 5 nights, florence for 4 nights, including a day trip to pisa, and then back to milan for 3 nights.
I think this will cost in the region of £350-£400, including flights.
Does this sound like a good spread of cities? How long could you reasonably spend in each city?
Any other tips for travelling in italy?
I think this will cost in the region of £350-£400, including flights.
Does this sound like a good spread of cities? How long could you reasonably spend in each city?
Any other tips for travelling in italy?
Post edited by JustV on
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Venice is cool, you could spend a couple of nights there. Just make sure you get a map or you will get lost (believe me) I found Venice to be like a maze.
Rome is good, wish I had stayed in Rome longer, quite a bit to do and see. I'm sure 5 nights in Rome will be enough.
Florence, boring as fuck. Maybe its just me, but if your not into art or religion, you will be bored out of you tree. It was like torture for me. I was ready to slit my wrists after a day
Pisa is good if you like being sold a wooden elephant every five minutes. There are people everywhere trying to sell you wooden goods and watches. Still its good to see the leaning tower, other than that there isn't must to do in Pisa.
Have a good trip though :thumb:
If you can try fit in a trip to Beragamo its 45 mins outside of milan but is a beautiful town. if you do decide to go to Beragamo go to Citta Allta its the old part of the city and the views are breath taking. i feel in love with this place.
most places close in milan on a sunday and some parts of the city can become very isolated especially at night.
Enjoy your trip
As for the cities, I only really have a good knowledge of Rome of the ones you mentioned, though I have been to Venice twice too. I'm a southern Italy kinda gal myself, I guess you want to stay mostly oop north I adore both of those cities though Venice has regularly gotten a good slating on these boards, the majority of which I don't agree with at all! I think I would knock a night off Rome and add it to Venice, personally, but thats just me.
Also, have you thought about spending a day/night in Verona? If you're interested in Roman history and architecture then I actually enjoyed visiting The Arena in Verona more than I did the Colosseum. Possibly just because it was less crowded, I guess. The Castelvecchio is a fantastic museum in an ancient castle with loads of artwork and sculptures. There is also the San Zeno Basilica which is just stunning. Not forgetting the fake Romeo & Juliet balcony at Villa Capelletti which obviously doesn't really have any connection with Shakespeare, but is a place worth visting in itself because of the thousands upon thousands of slips of paper with "lovers' graffiti" on. It's a special kind of place.
As for generic advice about Rome, well there is the usual checklist of touristy things to do, most of which I'm sure you've researched. Get up early and go to the top of St. Peter's Basilica for a spectacular view. The Vatican museums and the Sistine chapel are must-see... you can either do this stuff independently or there are a million and one tours operating. On Wednesdays the Pope gives an outdoor mass and blesses all the newlyweds which I just loved, but the crowd was heaving. Fantastic atmosphere, if you're interested in the religious aspects of Rome/VC, as well as architectural and historical. Something else you should do is go to the Palatine Hill ancient ruins -- one-time home of the Vestal Virgins -- and Palatine Museum. Lovely gardens and grotto, and more statues than you could shake a big shitty stick at. We got a combined Colosseum/Palatine Hill ticket that you can buy in either location, good money (and time) saving tip!
Trevi Fountain is swarming with tourists but that's to be expected, it's gorgeous at night - don't forget to chuck a coin in and make a wish! Mine came true as we went for dinner that night at THE best pizzeria in the world, Osteria del Tempo Perso in the Piazza del Popolo. Loads of street musicians, which was a bonus for me but not for my ex who hates them. Haha, guess it depends on your view. I imagine you would anyway, but avoid the McDonalds in Rome and in Italy in general. I witnessed quite a few dodgy tum incidents, not nice. Rome is fantastic for sitting around drinking coffee and feeling sophisticated though, I recommend the Piazza Navona for all your coffee drinking, posing and chilling out needs :thumb:
If you want to take a nice little day/half-day trip then Hadrian's Villa at Tivoli is a nice little jaunt away from the city. Rome is beautiful but once you've spent five days there I reckon you'll be itching to get away!
Oh, another general tip about Italy, guard your possessions well. There are loads and loads of pickpocketing gangs in operation - in Rome and Venice especially.
Also, eat LOADS of ice cream. It's so, so good
Have a fabulous time!
Florence with all its 'religion and art' seems right up our street - I've just spent 6 months studying Renaissance Art , and my friend is also in her final year of an art history degree..... All those altarpieces are the main reasons we chose Italy.
Well then you will love Florence
Not my thing though :thumb:
Venice is an absolute must, I don't give a shit what people say about it being too touristy, that's only if you stick to the touristy areas. Venice is a beautiful and in alot of places, totally unspoilt city and definately something different.
Visit Tuscanny aswell, really pretty and typically Italian countryside. Then move down to Rome and see the Colluseum e.t.c.
If that doesn't put you off nothing will.
Get a good phrase book, cos when I went hardly anyone spoken English - would have taken one myself but for years my friend had been telling us he speaks Italian and when we got there we found out he was talking crap all these years ..
And everything shuts in the middle of the day for siesta even in big towns - so you can't really do much at all in the afternoon - which is great if you have a hotel room to sleep in but crap if your moving between towns.
You'll find McD's and a couple of pubs open, but that's if you're lucky.
Thats right.
Cant remember where I was (somewhere in northern Italy) but everywhere was closed on Sunday. It was sooo boring :banghead: