Italy

/

The Splendours of Italy  - AUG 2015

From the beautiful and always fascinating cities of Rome, Florence & Venice to the amazing scenic coastline, the glitz and glamour of Capri, the picturesque Tuscan countryside to the rugged and untouched Italian Riviera showcasing the spectacular Cinque Terre , to  the stunning alpine heights of northern Italy …  there is so much to see and do and I loved every minute of it.

My Tips  :  Italy Do’s & Don’ts ………

  • Try and avoid peak season due to crowds and heat and overpriced accommodation. The best time to travel is May or September. Even the Italians go away during July/Aug for this reason.

  • Hiring a car is for experienced drivers only particularly in the cities and if you venture further south drivers tend to be even crazier. Trains, private tours or escorted group travel is much more enjoyable. We travelled with Insight Tours who I would highly recommend.

  • Pre-book tickets to all the famous churches, museums etc.  Line-ups for the Vatican, Colosseums etc can take up to two hours in the busy months. 

 Food in Italy

  • Here are a couple of tips… go for what the city is famous for, choose the speciality dish.  Parma for prosciutto, Capri for ravioli caprese, Umbria for truffles, Tuscany for steaks, Liguria for pesto genovese.  Beyond that, every town has its own specialty.

  •  Drink the local house wine, it’s delicious and almost laughably cheap for the quality that you get.

  • If you are on a budget try to avoid the main squares and plazas where prices can be nearly double of what you pay if you choose one of the back streets where it is not as touristy.  Usually any restaurant named after a touristy statue, artist, church etc is geared towards the tourist and prices reflect t his. Be prepared to pay if you want to sip a cappuccino in St Marques Square, lovely view but you will pay for it… EUR8 a cup!!

 Rome

  • Visit the Jewish Ghetto  - where you can sample some real authentic Roman Jewish Food.

  • Don’t visit the Vatican on a Sunday as it is closed, also try to avoid Monday ‘s so you don’t get the overflow from the people that missed out on Sunday.

  • Go to Trastevere at night for dinner to experience typical Roman life, away from the tourist crowds. A charming medieval neighbourhood.

  • The best sunset view is from Castel Sant’Angelo, overlooking Saint Peter’s Basilica.  

  • Visit the Tiber River by night as it comes alive in summer, lots of restaurants and also bars if you just want to have a drink and soak in the atmosphere.

 Florence

  • Visit the famous Duomo, climb all the way to the top if you are up for it.

  • Of course visit Michelangelo’s David in the Galleria dell’Accademia but you need to reserve ticket.

  • Visit the famous Santa Croc

    • Restaurant recommendation - Go to Il Latini for the best Tuscan meal and lots of hidden gems in the winding streets  between Piazza della Reppublica and Piazza Santa Maria Novella.

    • Florence is where you should stock up on souvenirs — leather and gold are the best quality here.

 Tuscany

  • If you have the time, rent a villa and live like a local for a week!!   One of my favourites regions is the Chianti region.  October is harvest time and just beautiful. Must try the local wine.

  • If you don’t have much time, Fiesole is the easiest Tuscan day trip from Florence — just a 20-minute ride on the public bus.

  • Easiest way to get around is the rent a car and you can easily see 5 towns in one day. 

  • A highlight for me was San Gimignano, a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena known as the “city of beautiful towers”.  They also have world famous Gelato shop, in summer queues can be out the door.  Well worth a visit.

 Venice

  • Crowds, crowds and more crowds. If you plan on going in summer be prepared.

  • Gondola’s can be arranged on arrival, the price is per Gondola is not per person but per gondola and you can fit up to 6 people in. It is a massive tourist trap, but a visit to Venice would not seem complete without it.

  • If you get the chance do a boat tour through the grand canal at night, without all the crowds and the beautiful buildings are all lit and it is a magical experience

  • Explore beyond the Grand Canal and take the boat to the island of Murano for a glassblowing demonstration. They will do the hard sell, but you can be assured it is quality.

  • Explore the island of Burano and admire the picturesque fishermen's houses painted in bright pastel colours. Famous for lace, browse local shops and find lace on display at a museum dedicated to the craft of lace making.

 

Cinque Terre

  • A string of 5 little seaside villages which are centuries of years old along the Italian Riviera. It is like stepping back in time, beautiful colourful houses and vineyards, lemon trees on steep hills, fishing villages. UNESCO protected.  You use to be able to hike along the coast but a lot of these walks have been shut down. There are train and boats to get in between the towns. Trains link all 5 villages. The more scenic but more expensive are the boats, weather permitting.

  • Very unique Italian charm that should not be missed

 Capri

  • Must see is the famous Blue Grotto -  a famous underwater cave and when the sun is shining you will see the most amazing shade of electric blue.

  • It is a very popular day trip for the cruise ships so during the day can be crazy in summer. But at night they have all gone home and you get a completely different feel for the place. I would recommend staying at least 2 nights. Visit the  Piazza Umberto at night, the centre of life on the island and the best people watching ever.  Amazing high end shops and “place to be seen”

  • Visit Anacapri — hike the island and take the chairlift up to Monte Solaro on top of the island.  The most amazing view.

 

The Lakes District

  • Probably most famous for Lake Como.  However, we visited Lake Maggiore, on the south side of the Swiss Alps.  We stayed in Baveno which is a small lake side town a few miles from Stresa.  Our hotel was the Grand Hotel Dino and it was spectacular very grand and opulent and loaded with history.  You must get a lake view room!!  Only complain was not enough time here to really enjoy the scenery which is breathtaking.