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Going to Italy

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout' started by Butterfingers, Jun 8, 2015.

  1. Butterfingers

    Butterfingers Contributing Member

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    I am going to Italy in 3 weeks. Anyone have any tips, I have all of our flights and hotels booked but was wondering more for restaurants, cheap tour guides, boat tours, museums, sight seeing, and traveling inside the country. I don't have any of that planned. I am going to Naples, Amalfi Coast, Rome, Florence, and Venice for 12 days. Flights were free with miles and all my hotels came out to about $1900. Going with my girlfriend. Trying to budget about $3,000 on everything else for the rest of the trip.

    Night 1: get into Naples
    Day 2: Go to Positano from Naples and stay overnight
    Day 3: Go to Capri and stay overnight
    Day 4: Go to Sorrento from Capri and stay overnight
    Day 5: Leave Sorrento early and go to Pompeii for about 4-5 hours and then go to Naples from Pompeii and take a train to Rome and get into Rome around 10-11.
    Day 6: Hang around Rome
    Day 7: Hang around Rome and then take train for Florence at night
    Day 8: Hang around Florence, maybe day trip to Cinque Terre (might skip this since this is similar to Amalfi Coast) or to a winery
    Day 9: Hang around Florence and then take train to Venice
    Day 10: Hang around Venice
    Day 11: Hang around Venice / day trip somewhere maybe?
    Day 12: Leave for Houston.
     
    #1 Butterfingers, Jun 8, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 8, 2015
    1 person likes this.
  2. gucci888

    gucci888 Contributing Member

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    When are you going? Been to Rome in the summer and winter and pretty big differences depending on when you go.

    But best time for Colosseum is later in the afternoon (closer to closing time) when the sun is starting to go down a bit. Way less crowded and looks awesome near sunset. Lines are ridiculous during peak hours.

    There is a way to avoid the long line for St. Peter's Basilica by going through the Vatican Museum (which is amazing in itself). I'd plan a 1/2 day at a very minimum for the Vatican, could easily spend a whole day.
     
  3. bobrek

    bobrek Politics belong in the D & D

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    If you're Catholic and plan to be in Rome on a Wednesday morning, shoot me a message and I'll tell you how to go about getting reserved seats to see the Pope make his weekly address.
     
  4. Butterfingers

    Butterfingers Contributing Member

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    I edited my original post but I am going in a couple weeks. I want to be able to pay to skip lines if at all possible. I know for the Vatican I can pay $100 to cut everyone early in the morning.
     
  5. s land balla

    s land balla Contributing Member

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    Go to Montalcino in Tuscany.
     
  6. peleincubus

    peleincubus Member

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    ahh. i was raised catholic (i know longer consider myself to be though) but ill be heading to rome for a second time on august 5th but i wont get there until the evening. too bad :(

    i didnt go to the vatican last time i was in rome except for st peters for about 30 minutes.
     
  7. bobrek

    bobrek Politics belong in the D & D

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    We were about six rows from the stage when the Pope gave his Wednesday morning address. Great experience. If you get the chance, go to the bone church.
     
  8. davo

    davo Contributing Member

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    I second this. Try and spend a day or two in Tuscany and do Montalcino, Montepulciano, and Pienza.
     
  9. SuraGotMadHops

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    I wouldn't spend more than one day in Venice, as in get there in the morning and leave at night. It's a city you can explore very quickly. Any extra time you have I'd spend it in Rome, you simply cannot run out of things to see there. While in Florence, if you could escape for a day trip to Assisi I'd recommend it, small town with lots of culture, you get a great authentic experience.

    Enjoy your trip!! Italy is absolutely fantastic.
     
  10. paikj83

    paikj83 Contributing Member

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    Respectfully disagree with this statement. :)

    Venice being a collection of islands, each one has its own flavor to offer. I would agree that Venice island is definitely doable in one day, but then there's also Burano, Murano, and Lido. So whenever anyone asks about Venice, I always steer them to Burano island as a must see. It's one of the dreamiest places I've visited so far, and well worth the short trek. The others are nice in their own way, and if time permits, I suggest you check each of them out.

    Whatever you decide - both for Venice and Italy as a whole - you'll have a fantastic trip!
     
  11. Jontro

    Jontro Member

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    I heard from people who's been to Italy that the Italian food there is very different than the one in the States (to which they preferred the States' version). Any truth in this brehs?

    I guess it also goes for Mexican food in Mexico. Though when I went to Cozumel, they tasted pretty much the same as texmex.
     
  12. JuanValdez

    JuanValdez Contributing Member

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    I'd spend more time in Rome if you can. Rome is so packed with stuff, its incredible. When I was there, we just stumbled across incredible stuff just walking from place to place that we didn't know existed.

    I went to Cinque Terre, which was cool, but I don't know if its worth bending your itinerary for. Tuscany is really beautiful as well and you won't spend so much time in transit. I've visited Siena and Lucca there. Siena was nice too, but we really liked Lucca a lot (and we have a great story about traveling from Lucca by bus through the beautiful rolling hills of Tuscany, and then getting puked on by my carsick daughter -- then changing to my other pair of pants only to get peed on by that same daughter later that day after finding a train's bathrooms to all be locked. Good times.)
     
  13. CharlieMurphy

    CharlieMurphy Contributing Member

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    I went last year around this time. My fiance planned the whole trip using Rick Steve's travel book, which I definitely recommend you get. We went to Venice, Florence, Naples, and Rome for a total of 10 days.

    For Florence and Rome we bought their tourists city cards, which you can get at any tourists or newspaper stands. The cards give you unlimited access to most of the city's transportation system and 2-3 VIP tickets to cut the lines/free entry into most tourists attractions, such as the Colosseum.

    You should definitely do the boat ride around Capri. They took us into a little cave, which lit up blue. It was absolutely mesmerizing.


    Pizza is very different over there. They only use fresh vegetables as toppings. No meat at all.
     
    #13 CharlieMurphy, Jun 9, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2015
  14. SuraGotMadHops

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    Italian food is more simplistic than what you get in the U.S. For example, the pizza in Italy is thin with very little toppings, sauce, or cheese, and the pasta dishes are not as hearty or meaty, but still full of flavor. It's just different, but not necessarily worse.
     
  15. BigM

    BigM Contributing Member

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    This is totally worth it. I did the Sistine chapel tour through walks of italy and it was a skip the line and enter before the general public thing. Their colosseum one is also excellent. An hour to 2 hours of my time is far more valuable then the extra $30-40 it costs to get right in. Youre already investing thousands in the experience, definitely pay a tad more to do it well.
     
  16. Butterfingers

    Butterfingers Contributing Member

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    For real. Please send me any tips on these if you have them. I am also debating if hiring a tour guide in Rome is worth it? He wants to charge me $90 an hour for a full day. Around $1000
     
  17. malakas

    malakas Member

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    Be careful in napoli for thieves. They are notorious and steal everything they can. I wouldnt spend more than one day in venice. Rather focus more of your time in Rome and florence.
     
  18. BigM

    BigM Contributing Member

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    Rome isn't that big, I wouldnt use a tour guide. If you do skip the line at the major places you'll have a guide at each location anyways. Some of the best fun is just wandering around as well. I'll send you some stuff in a bit.
     
  19. Yung-T

    Yung-T Member

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    Agree with the ones that said reduce Venice to one day. It's really small and you can do everything important in one day (I've been there from like 7am-10pm).

    Florence is dope as hell and the best Italian city I've been to, just completely packed with historical sights and really great museums. I've spent two full days there and would've definitely liked to stay at least one more. I'll maybe post some pictures today of the sights I liked the most.

    Cinque Terre is beautiful, I spent a day at the coast walk they have in Nervi. But if you've been to a similar place you can probably skip it, I'll look up the one you mentioned and see if it's comparable. You said you'd do the Trip while being placed in Firenze, so I'd again advise to instead spend the whole day in Firenze, you won't be disappointed.
     
  20. Yung-T

    Yung-T Member

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    PS I would recommend the app TripAdvisor to everyone, it really helped a lot and you won't need to hire a tour guide. You can look up the best rated sights, restaurants etc there.
     

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