Ciao a tutti!
I just got back from a fast (yet awesome) vacation to Italy and thought I should pay it forward with the Fluenz community in case anyone else is going soon.
We did the "triumvirate" of Italian cities: Venice, Florence, Rome. It's super easy to fly into Venice's Marco Polo Airport (which is about as intimidating as flying into Burbank's Bob Hope Airport in California) and out of Rome's Fiumicino. Both are simple to navigate and way friendlier than any American airport you plop down in. As an added bonus, Fiumicino has great shops: Gucci, Prada, Bvlgari (no Hudson News...) and in the Delta terminal there's a reasonably priced cafe that makes great panini(s) and a good cappuccino.
Once you touch down in Venice you can take a private water taxi or several other (many expensive) options to the island. Since we were only two people, we opted for to take a group boat run by Alilaguna, which cost only €13/person if you book online in advance. The dock is about a 4 minute walk (covered) from the airport and the signs are easy to follow. If you book with Alilaguna, you'll need to exchange your reservation form for the actual tickets at the dock. There is a GREAT coffee shop on the dock. I mean, like, "welcome to Italy" coffee.
TRAVEL INTO VENICE
http://www.alilaguna.it/http://www.atvo.it/http://www.hellovenezia.com/We stayed in Bed and Breakfasts in all three cities. They were 1) way cooler and 2) way cheaper than any hotels we found. In Venice, we stayed maybe two "blocks" from the Piazza San Marco but it cost less than staying in a hotel off the main island. Not a bad deal in my book. Searching websites that list Italian B&Bs can be a bit tedious, but once you figure them out it goes quickly. Don't forget, cash is king when it comes to paying for accommodations (or anything else, for that matter).
WEBSITES THAT LIST BED AND BREAKFASTS IN ITALY
http://www.bbitalia.ithttp://www.bedandbreakfastflorence.com/http://www.b-b.rm.it/http://www.bedandbreakfast.com To travel between cities we took trains, which was an awesome way to see the more rural areas of the country that we didn't get a chance to visit. The same train runs from Venice to Florence to Rome, and each leg takes about 2 hours. Traveling from Venice to Florence was cake, but the day we got on the train to Rome we discovered that car number 4 (our car) was "per pranzo, oggi." None of the Italians seemed to mind that an entire car of people had been displaced in favor of adding a lunch car to the train, but all the English speakers were a tad put out. Fortunately, the phrase "Puo aiutarmi? La mia amica non e felice adesso" is very effective and the conductor whisked us to the caboose where there were two empty seats. I did notice that the English speakers who spoke no Italian were left to fend for themselves while anyone who was able to ask in Italian was told that there were empty seats in the back of the train.
BOOKING TRAINS IN ITALY (there is a relatively high fee to ship you the paper tickets, but it's unavoidable)
http://www.raileurope.comThe Metro in Rome is the easiest way to hop around the city, but be mindful of the gypsies that wait for you at the automated ticket machines when you first get off the train at Termini Station. They are not friendly locals trying to help you acquire a ticket (as I thought). They are, in fact, people trying to take your money. Better to adopt my friend's NYC attitude and shout: "No, little Roman boy!" than wind up giving a young child and his shrewd mother your hard earned euros because you let them operate the machine for you. If you see such people at a group of machines, rest assured that there will be other automated ticket machines for you to use before you find your way onto the metro. The machines will display instructions in English, and you'll be able to figure them out. A few tips: it looks like the machines take credit cards. They don't. If you want to use a card, you have to buy your metro passes at a biglietteria (there will be signs). Also, the machines only give a maximum of €4 change, so don't go feeding a €50 bill into the thing if you're only buying €10 worth of tickets.
One final thought on transportation: The A-line of Rome's Metro shuts down most days around 9pm. If you're staying in the city you could probably walk to your hotel (it's not THAT massive, land-wise), but if you need to take a cab you will be able to find one that takes credit cards ("Posso pagare con la carta di credito?" €2 in this city. "Cafe Americano" will get you something close to what we slug down here in the states if you find that you've overdosed on the espresso drinks.
The Basilica is opulent, and the view of the gondolas parked alongside the canal are picture perfect, but we had the best time when we wandered out of the super-touristy areas and started discovering slightly more "real" areas of the city. We ran into an artist in the Jewish Ghetto who -- flipping back and forth between English and Italian -- explained his world view to us and how he believes there is no longer such a thing as distance. We had a morning coffee next to a table of police officers in Castello who were griping about the rain. We happened upon an amazingly delicious restaurant at the northern end of Fondamenta Nani in Dorsoduro district (there was also a hopping wine bar on the street, overflowing with locals), where we were served free wine while we waited for a table (Taverna San Trovaso).
Venice wakes up around 10am and goes to bed around 10pm. We loved walking the Piazza San Marco (and other major areas) on either side of this time block, as it again felt like we had the entire city to ourselves. Night life is slim pickings, and if you see an open bar it's best just to stop and order a drink as they will probably be closed by the time you loop back around.
Florence is a completely different vibe from Venice. There's a large street market where you can buy knock-offs, chotchkies, and a slew of leather goods. The leather vendors are suave and their prices are out-of-this-world high, so be prepared to barter. You know you're getting close to a decent price when they start to whisper a "just for you" price point in your ear. As always, be prepared to put the beautiful leather jacket down and walk away if they won't come down to a price you think is fair. There's always the guy across the street who has a similar inventory.
The view from the Duomo's Cupola is spectacular and well worth the exhausting, claustrophobia-inducing, climb to the top. We lucked out and an hour before sunset found that there was no line. We went straight up and watched the sun go down over the gorgeous skyline of Florence. This was probably the most "spiritual" experience I had while in Italy. Whatever your beliefs are, there is something very unique (and very cool) about this particular spot on the planet. Heading back down, we saw the faux-David in the Piazza della Signoria and then got lost trying to navigate the streets in search of a place to have dinner. When you go to see the real David (which you must do) at the Galleria dell'Accademia, don't expect some sort of huge, grandiose triumphal arch announcing the entrance to the museum. Look for two little doors on the west side of the building and a queue line. The Galleria does not take credit cards, nor would they make change. You read that right: exact change only.
Maybe the best pizza of your life can be found by crossing the Arno river and looking for a hole-in-the-wall joint called GustaPizza on via Maggio. The pizzas are like €8 a piece and while they really are a little to big for one person you will want one all to yourself. Force yourself to finish it, think about that chicken salad from Wendy's you'll be having for lunch back in the states, and then walk it off in the afternoon. Another great place for foodies is the Mercato Centrale, sort of a huge Farmer's Market in the middle of the city. It closes shortly after noon, so get there early.
This is another city where you can be way overcharged for your quad-daily stop for cappuccino and gelato. You can find a coffee here for €1.20. Look for bars behind the street vendors around the Piazza San Lorenzo. There is a particularly charming bartender at one of these places who serves up a great (inexpensive) cappuccino. He will give you fantastic suggestions for reasonably priced, local dining, tell you which street vendors are reputable, and generally make fantastic conversation while you enjoy your drink. But I wouldn't let him take my friend/daughter/sister/mother/wife/grandmother out on a date.
Our final leg was Rome, and it was delicious. A huge, bustling, overcrowded, breathtaking city that just happens to be one of the oldest cities in the world. It was also the city with the least number of English speakers we ran into. Or maybe, the least number of people willing to speak English. When the Italian comes at you it is fast and furious, so get ready. Rome is by far the cheapest city we stayed in. Perhaps this is because of its size, or perhaps we had just gotten better at figuring out how to avoid tourist traps (don't eat just off the big piazzas, or at restaurants where English speakers try to lure you inside).
I highly recommend another sunset climb in this city, but this time head up Il Vittoriano and take a gander at the city sprawling out in all directions around you. For €7/person you can take an elevator all the way to the top of the monument to get a better view, but the view from the terrace (free) is pretty spectacular as is.
The Colosseum is a must-see and the line can be completely avoided by purchasing an audio guide (€5 extra/person). No one tells you this is an option until you've already stood in line for an hour, but this is money well spent. To fast-pass your way into the Colosseum, walk to the immediate left of the line and enter where the 8.5x11" sign reads: Groups, RomaPass, AudioGuides. You'll walk right in, blow by the line wrapping around both the exterior and interior of the Colosseum and go straight to ticketing. The AudioGuide is a little confusing as there aren't clear signs telling you where to go to start the guide, so head to the second level and cut thru the line to the inner circle of the Colosseum once you see the enormous number "1" in the second-floor museum (this is coincidentally close to listening point "1" on the AudioGuide tour).
If you've forgotten to pack sneakers and you find you feet are killing you (I highly recommend forgoing fashion and donning a pair of Nike's in this walking city) there is a great local shoe store (much more inventory on the second floor) close to the Vatican on via Ottaviano N.45 called Every SRL (SRL is something like LLC here, you'll see it a lot). The owner's don't speak English, but that just gives you an opportunity to bust out phrases like: "Negli Stati Uniti, porto la taglia undici." They take credit cards and you'll feel better about yourself for supporting a local business than buying something at the Foot Locker just a few blocks down the road.
When it comes to the Vatican museums you should make a reservation online as far in advance as possible. Don't try to do it the day before, they will all be taken. And don't think that the line you see wrapping around the entire northeast, eastern, and southeast sides of the Vatican is going to be any shorter tomorrow, it won't be. The world has 1.2 billion Catholics, and they are all waiting in line ahead of you to get into the Vatican. If you don't have a reservation for the Vatican then I suggest you -- once again -- get your NYC on and buy a scalped ticket. We did, and it worked great. For about double the cost of regular admission, tri-lingual scalpers will tell you that they can either take you on a €45/person tour of the Vatican, or just get you a €32/person entrance ticket. We opted for the €32 ticket, were taken down the street to their office (legit), and given a sticker to place on our chest. We then walked with a large group of other city-savvy folk right in thru the "Group Entrance" door, completely forgoing the mind-numbing line, and within 5 minutes were handed a general admission ticket to the Vatican Museums. Needless to say, this is a cash-only operation, although the Vatican proper takes credit cards at their ticket counters, online portal, bookstores, gift shops, and cafeteria. That reminds me: don't eat at the Vatican. It's like Disneyland food minus the flavor. You will be hungry, you will be art and religioned out, and while the large cans of Peroni might be satisfying (love that you can buy booze at the Holy See) the food is abysmal and you should do everything in your power to avoid it.
A great time to swing back to the Vatican to see the Piazza San Pietro and gaze at the Basilica is around 9pm at night. It will be all but abandoned, and if you don't mind being out at night time, is a stunning sight to behold. The subway stops for the museums and the Piazza are different, but you'll recognize the huge walls of the Vatican, and if you feel lost (as I did) the Swiss Guards are totally nice and helpful and even smile when they say: "La Piazza e li, a destra" meaning: "You're 50 feet away from it."
At all the restaurants we stopped at, we had great luck ordering "il vino di casa." It costs less than the regular bottles, and they were all perfectly fine wines. They're sold by half liter, three-quarters liter, or whole liter, and trust me, a liter of wine is plenty for two people. In Rome, we had great gelato and cappuccino at Caffe Nuttuno on the west side of the Piazza Navona, and we really enjoyed a dinner at the (slightly touristy) Enoteca Capranica off the Piazza Capranica, northeast of the Pantheon.
Hope all that helps someone! Buona fortuna!
MATT