Italy - tips and where to start!

[SellingStevenage]

Finally booking a much longed for trip to Italy for my 50th - need some hints and tips!

I haven't flown or been abroad since 1998 due to being diagnosed with a chronic illness which has domineered my life; finally got to a point where going away again is a reality and I feel a little overwhelmed with where to start. Never been to Italy before so need some advice.

Ideas for best areas of Rome to stay? Areas to avoid? Good things to do? Tips for flying to Italy?

Excited to start planning but could do with guidance!

When were you planning on coming ?

Because I’m up in the North and it’s already Officially Too Hot. So make sure wherever you book has aircon. Or a Really Big Fan.

When I finally make it to Rome I’m going in the off season and I want to see it all. I went to Verona once for a meeting and only discovered they had a small arena by complete accident. It made my jaw drop. So I can’t wait to see the big one. But not in the hot and not with squillions of people around me.

I also really want to go to Scicilly. I’m just going to get on the train that seems to run a ring round the whole island and wander around as things take my fancy. But not when it’s hot and crowded.

I love the Ligurian coast, specifically the bit either side of Savona. Had some fab holidays there. And being on the coast makes hot and crowded a completely different and breezy kind of experience. Every time I’ve been it’s smelt wonderful in the evenings and the food was fab.

Milan is unlikely to be worth your time and effort. Although my first peek of Italy was the Duomo after very long bus trip from London (this was before Easyjet and Ryan air cheapo flights were available) and …. wow. Still remember it like it was yesterday. But really sure I wouldn’t use up a whole day to get to Milan unless I had to pass through it anyway for connections.

I live in the countryside of Pavia. Absolutely love it, but not enough exciting things to see and do in a once in a lifetime trip. But you might like to wander around the countryside in the more pointy bits. My friend’s keep sending me amazing photos of their weekends away in the OltrePò and up in the mountains. Advantage being not as stinkingly hot.

@AlienatedChildGrown We'll be coming in October, we tend to holiday around that time in the UK to miss the rush, hopefully this will apply in Italy also! Please tell me October is off season! 😂

We only have a week (sadly!) so don't have lots of time but I know I want to visit the key art galleries. How are the trains? Will I be able to navigate them without speaking any Italian? (Sorry if that's a stupid question, it's been so long since I could last holiday abroad and then it was NYC so not an issue!)

We've been to Rome and Florence in October, weather was pleasant but not too hot. Also sorrento one Easter which was perfect as far as we were concerned.

Expedia can be excellent for finding good hotels at bargain prices, but you might want to do some sort of package if you feel the need of a bit more organisation and a rep.

Xpost - October is perfect.
Trains IME are excellent and reasonably easy especially with the help of Google translate etc. you can get a travel pass in Rome, I think, that covers buses and local trains to eg Ostia.
If you've only got a week, I wouldn't try to do more than one major city eg Rome or Florence not both. There's too much in either!

@ErrolTheDragon Thank you so much, glad to hear October is a good time!

I never thought we'd do a package trip as I imagined it would cost considerably more but as you say it may be a better bet if I'm looking for more structure... so much to consider! 😊

In Rome i like to stay in Trastevere.

fast trains in Italy are excellent & a decent price. As Errol says no more than 2 centres, Rome & Florence would be good.

You can book Italian train tickets on "the trainline"
very easy and gives you platform information
and tracks you on your journey!!
best to book at the last minute as the tickets are for specific trains.

if you decide to buy flexible train tickets at stations you have to stamp them at the station before each journey to validate the ticket.

I went to Rome, Assisi and other places in October and the weather was just right.

If you've only got a week, I wouldn't try and do too much. I'd do one city, and then somewhere else where you can visit other places from.

If you can only do one city in Italy, then it probably should be Rome! We stayed near Piazza Navona and that was a good base as it was mid way between the coliseum and the Vatican - so we could easily bus (or walk) to either. Lots of the big sights are very close to there too - Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Trevi fountain...

Then you have loads of options - head up to the lakes and spend some time there (could also tag on Venice/Verona too possibly), OR the Amalfi coast/Pompeii, OR Tuscany - maybe stay in Sienna and do trips out to Florence, Lucca, Chianti, Montepulciano etc.

Italy is my favourite country ever - we have holidayed there so many times (all the above places and a few more). The food and wine alone make it worth visiting. I wouldn't try and cram too much in though - you don't want to be rushing around like mad and not savouring it.

In Rome we stayed just outside the Vatican walls, literally about 100 metres outside, was within walking distance of Trastevere and we also walked into Piazza Navona and further into the centre from there.
Buy advance tickets online, saves queuing. Eating out in Rome is dirt cheap, embarrassing so at times.

Later on we went to Florence for 5 days and did day trips out to Pisa and Siena.

If I was coming for the first time I'd do either Rome or Florence probably.

October is perfect. And the trains here (IMO, compared only to British Rail in the late 80s) are great. Much cheaper I think than the U.K. now. Apart from the occasional delay I’ve never had an issue with them, and I’ve used them a lot over the years. (don’t drive, went off buses after epic bus journey from London to Milan)

I know the view is whizzing past much of the time, but I’ve seem some amazing sights just travelling from one bland town to another bland town for work. Looked up from my conference notes once and the flat plains had given way to my first ever encounter with a real, live mountain. The rest of the passengers were a little taken aback by my sudden squeaks of excitement. Couldn’t help it, didn’t realise how craggy and ancient they’d look up close.

I think you are going to have an amazing time over here in the Autumn and fab birthday 🥳 🎂

I've been to various parts of Italy over the years and think it was Oct we went to Rome. Perfectly warm enough and without the massive crowds to get into museums- the best time IMO. On that trip- we flew into Naples, spent 3 days there including Pompeii, then got the fast train the Rome. The train was clean, on time and booked without speaking Italian fluently at all.

We then spent 4 days in Rome. In highsight- I could have spent the whole week in Rome. The Vatican museums, Spanish steps, Trevi fountain and all the regular touristy sites are worth a visit, but check trip advisor or other sites for reviews/info.

Like any other city, keep an eye out for scams. Someone thrusting flowers into your hand then asking for payment. Someone trying to tie a cotton bracelet around your wrist- then asking for payment. Not leaving your mobile or valuables on the table whilst eating and not keep a wallet/phone in your back pocket. Keep hold of all your bags whilst getting on/off trains, to and from airport etc.

The food! Oh my god, the food! We went on honeymoon to Rome and I kept having a half portion of pasta for starter then another pasta, or sometimes pizza, for main course 😋I may have put back on most of the weight I’d lost for my wedding…

Thank you so much everyone! Great advice and fuelling my excitement for going 😊

If you're staying in Rome, I highly recommend a day trip down to Pompeii. It's absolutely fascinating. I seem to remember it's only a couple of hours in the car, and I dare say there's a train if you're not driving.

Our enjoyment of the art and architecture was much enhanced by learning a bit about it beforehand. We watched all of the Florence section of this before going - while it's not cheap, it was excellent in terms of adding value.

www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/the-smithsonian-guide-to-essential-italy

We'll need to watch the other sections before revisiting Rome and Venice!

I'd recommend planning another holiday in sorrento, and visiting Pompeii, Herculaneum and the Amalfi coast, maybe the museum in Naples, also from there get the train or a coach down to Paestum which has wonderful Greek temples.

Trastevere has the most interesting food. If you are planning a walking tour to familiarise yourself, then it would be better to stay more centrally as they often leave from near the Hotel Alexandra. You will get to see many of the main sites including the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona. The Vatican (technically separate) is a short bus ride out from there but you need to book skip-the-queue in advance especially id you wish to attend an audience with the pope. Colosseum is just outside the subway stop with the same name.

There is enough to see in Rome over a week. The Villa Borghese alone is worth a day. Of course many treasures lie beyond but it would be pointless to try and cover them all in a week.

It is best to relax and enjoy the city without the stress of constantly moving on and on.

October is perfect. Pre-book the Vatican and Colosseum if you want to go there. We did a great "underground" walking tour. There is so much to see I would just stick to Rome or maybe do a trip to the coast/Ostia Antica. We liked Mont Testaccio - built out of old pots - some of the restaurants surrounding it have windows looking into the interior.

I'm going back to Rome, and I'd agree there is loads to see and do. If you do go, then two of the main galleries which you really need to book in advance for which you can do online, using websites that translate to English easily. Villa Borghese and the Vatican museums (which includes the Sistine Chapel). I'd suggest going at the start of the day to the Vatican museums, and - if you want to see the Sistine chapel as a priority - whip through the rest of the museum so you get there before it gets incredibly crowded. You can then go round again to see all the other stuff! Because Rome is a bit overwhelming, another option for your first visit might be to go to Florence, which will be lovely in October, and a slightly slower pace of life. You could then do a couple of day trips to Pisa and also Lucca? Just a thought. Enjoy either way!

I went to Rome in January and it was amazing.

Do t bother with the Vatican Museums. It's way to big and by the time you get to the Sistine chapel, you've seen so many painted ceilings and are so knackered that you Just don't care! I was completely underwhelmed and there was no screaming from me

Please do bother with the Vatican. You can buy skip-the-queues and the disabled/elderly are fast tracked anyway for free so you will be able to breeze in rather than queuing for hours.

Would she need some sort of proof of a disability for automatic fast tracking? (obviously she's not remotely elderly!)
The place I wouldn't bother queuing for is St Peters. I don't think I've ever been in a church with less atmosphere, though I couldn't put my finger on why.