All You Need To Know Before Going To Italy

All You Need to Know
Before Going to Italy
All You Need to Know Before Going to Italy

Things to do in Italy
Once you have decided to visit Italy, your next decision is even tougher – what should you
do while you are there? Italy might not seem like a big country, but there are so many
things to do and see that a lifetime would not be enough time to see it all. Your first task
will be to prioritize your must-see list and work from the top down, seeing how much time
you have. Plan on visiting Italy again to catch the rest of your list, so during each visit you
can avoid rushing too much and enjoy each trip more.
• Whether you’ve visited Italy before or not, there are some things you’ll want to think
about when planning your trip – so be sure to have a look at my first-time visitor guide to
Italy!
• Also check out my list of 20 Things Everyone Should Do in Italy, and my recommendations
for the Perfect 2-Week Italy Itinerary!
• And if you’re really on a budget, don’t miss my lists of free things to do in Italy, too.
Special Note:
If you’re in a hurry, you can get straight to Italy’s most popular tourist attractions with
these posts:
• Roman Colosseum
• Vatican Museums
• Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Uffizi Gallery
• The Last Supper
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The Holy Trinity – And Beyond
While Italy is home to the Catholic church’s headquarters, when we say “Holy Trinity” we
are not talking about the Vatican. Instead, we are talking about the three biggest tourist
destinations in Italy – Rome, Florence and Venice. They might be crowded cities, often with
as many visitors as residents (if not more), but they are heavily touristed for a reason.
Rome is where you will find ancient remnants of the center of the once-vast Roman empire,
the Vatican with its collection of world-famous art and its centuries of religious history,
and some of the most amazing architecture you will see anywhere. As the birthplace of
the Renaissance, Florence is home to several museums which contain even more famous
pieces of artwork than you can imagine, and the city’s restaurants will let you see just
why Italian food is so talked about. Venice, that one-of-a-kind canal city, is a wonderland
where the ultimate goal is to get lost and explore the intricate mazes.
These three cities are generally the ones that people visit on their first trip to Italy, and
they offer a nice overview to what makes people keep coming back to Italy every year.
And for those of you who find that you like what you saw the first time around, the good
news is that there is plenty more beyond the Holy Trinity. Other popular cities to visit are
Pisa,Siena, Naples, the Cinque Terre, Milan and Positano, and many people just come to
hang out in a whole region – like Tuscany, Umbria, Liguria or Puglia. Wherever you go in
Italy, you are likely to enjoy incredible food and scenery and the warm hospitality of the
Italian people.
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Travel With a Focus
Often a great way to visit a place is to pick a focus – something you particularly enjoy –
and create a tour of Italy around it. For instance, a wine enthusiast or food lover could
travel around Italy seeking not art highlights but long meals of regional specialties and
great Italian wines. A sports fanatic could get into the athletic events that dominate Italian
culture – soccer (called calcio in Italian) and cycling – by going to soccer games in different
cities or following the country’s national bike race, the Giro d’Italia, around in May. And
anyone who likes life in the fast lane will appreciate visiting the factories of Ferrari,
Lamborghini, Maserati, Ducati and Alfa Romeo – and maybe even driving around Italy in
one of the legendary cars, too. Of course, even someone with only a marginal interest in
art will be head-over-heels in love with the incredible art and architecture which seems to
be everywhere you look in Italy.
It is easy to find something to focus on in Italy and to create a trip around it that will be
memorable and personal, and which you will remember forever. But also, don’t forget
to be open to those moments of serendipity – when an opportunity that could be fun or
exciting presents itself unexpectedly, whether it’s one of the many free concerts in Italy
that happen during the summer, or a local Italian festival that takes over a town.
There is also more information about what to do in Rome, what to do in Venice, what to do
in Florence, what to do in Milan and what to do in Naples.
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Vacations in Italy
Planning an Italy vacation can be a
daunting task – with so many things
to do and see in this relatively small
country, where do you start? Unless
you spend a lifetime there, you will
certainly miss some things, so what
do you leave out? What do you put on
your must-see list? What do you save
for next time?
When you reach this point, you have

two choices – you can plan your own
Italy vacation, setting up your own
itinerary and connecting the dots
between sights, or you can book
yourself a spot on a vacation where someone else has done the hard work for you. Both
have their pros and cons, you just need to know which one suits your needs best. Below,
you will find a few of the things to take into consideration when deciding whether to go it
alone or rely on someone else’s judgment – but keep in mind that you could end up doing
a combination of these two options. If you will be in Italy for an extended period of time,
you could take charge of most of your tourist outings but jump on a guided trip into the
mountains or a three-day trip to the lakes in Italy while you are there.
Italy Vacation Packages
Vacation packages come in all shapes and sizes and suit every travel taste and budget.
There will be tours that cover the highlights of one city or the entire country, tours that
focus on one region, tours that center around a particular interest or hobby, tours on
water and tours on land. You name it, there is an Italy vacation package that covers it.
Package tours are generally a fantastic option for those with more money than time –
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people who simply are too busy to research

and book their own hotels and activities,
who just want to show up and have
someone else have done the hard work in
advance. And since every tour company
has a different clientele they are trying to
appeal to, you will be able to find a tour that
matches your personality. In other words,
if you prefer staying in hostels there are
vacation packages that give people lots of
independence, rely on local transport and
stay in small family-run inns. If you would
rather not pack and unpack your bags every
two days, there are vacation packages on
cruise ships which allow you to unpack only
once and yet still see the sights on daytrips.
And, of course, there are plenty of options in
between. Ask any tour operator what their average age is on their tours and you will get a
good idea about whether you will fit in or not. Vacation packages can also be great if you
have a specific interest that you want to focus on when you travel, whether it is food or
history or cars or wine or skiing. The time it would take the average traveler to seek out
each stop on an interest-based tour like that would make planning the trip a nearly full-
time job. With someone else to sort out those details – someone on the ground in Italy
who knows where to look – you are assured of a great experience without having to make
a chore out of the planning process. You are also bound to meet like-minded travelers,
people who share your passions, which always makes a trip more interesting.
The downside of a pre-planned vacation is that you have no control over the itinerary – it
is someone else’s idea of a great Italy vacation, and you are stuck with it once you sign
on. If the whole thing from start to finish looks good to you, or if there are opportunities
for individuals to have free time, then go for it. But if the idea of being herded around
from sight to sight sounds unappealing, look the other way. If the idea of someone else
planning your Italy vacation interests you, then be sure to read more about Italy travel
packages and find out what kind of package tour is right for you.
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Planning Your Own Italy Vacation
There is nothing quite like taking control of your own Italy vacation, doing the research,
booking the hotels or hostels, choosing the sights you want to see, and mapping your
route. It can be an incredibly satisfying experience, knowing you are getting exactly what
you want out of your holiday. It is also time-consuming and can be frustrating – so you do
not want to leave this to the last minute.
Your first task should be to prioritize the things you want to see and do in Italy. Making
this list, and truly prioritizing it from top to bottom, will force you to see your trip in terms
of what you really have time to do and what you simply do not. It will also allow you to
more easily cut things from the itinerary if you already have things prioritized early on – if
not, you will feel like you are being asked to sacrifice one of your own children.
This priority list should morph easily into your trip itinerary, provided that you:
are not trying to do too much in too short a time, and

are not dead set on seeing Sicily and Venice (and a few things in between) in a week.
While neither of these obstacles will prevent you from having a good Italian vacation,
either one can keep you from having a great Italian vacation.
To budget your time realistically, plan to spend at least three days in every destination
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you visit, give or take a day. In Venice, for instance, two days is probably plenty (and a
city like Pisa can even be done in a half-day en route from one city to another), while you
might want to add a fourth day to Florence or Rome, especially if you use one of them for
a daytrip outside the city. But in general, three days is a good baseline to work from. This
will keep you from zipping too quickly through any given place, and will allow you the
pleasure of getting to know your way around a complicated foreign city.
Do not make the mistake of forgetting to factor in your travel time, however. Train travel in
Italy is efficient, but that does not mean you will get from Point A to Point B in a half hour.
The train from Rome to Venice, for example, will take four to six hours on the EuroStar,
Italy’s high-speed train. That will give you only a few hours in Venice the day you arrive, so
do not plan to leave immediately the next morning.
To get a realistic picture of how much ground you can reasonably cover, my best advice
is to look at Italy the way most people (including Italians) do – in two halves. The northern
half, from about Rome up, is where most tourists spend their time, and seeing both Rome
and Venice in one trip is totally do-able. Most travelers do what I call the “Holy Trinity” of
Rome, Florence and Venice in one trip, usually in 10 days or two weeks, and that is plenty
of time to see each of those three cities – with a few days leftover for daytrips.
The southern half of Italy is significantly less touristed and so might be more challenging
to get around in – but is absolutely worth the trouble. I would not necessarily recommend
including Sardegna in with a tour of southern Italy, unless you can make at least an overnight
trip, because it is remote enough that travel time will eat into your holiday time. You can
get a little sample of Sicily in a vacation through southern Italy, however, and if you are at
all interested it is definitely worth planning a day or two in Sicily.
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The biggest downside of planning your own Italy

vacation is the time it takes to do it right. The results
are rewarding, but just as Rome was not built in
a day, neither was a vacation to Rome. There is a
reason, after all, why people employ travel agents
and tour companies to do this stuff for them.
Another downside is that if something goes wrong
you have no one to take care of the problems
for you. With a tour company, you can pass the
complaint on to someone else whose job it is to fix
it. So, if you have the time and the fortitude to plan
your own holiday, go for it. If you do not have any
spare time for lunch let alone vacation planning,
and if you prefer to have someone around to take
care of problems so you do not have to, you are
probably better off going with a tour.
If planning your own Italy vacation interests you, you will need to research airfare to Italy,
accommodations in Italy, and what to do while you are there.
Holidays & Festivals in Italy

Italians like to celebrate, and while it can be argued
that they celebrate the little things in every day life,
they know how to party big when the occasion calls
for it.
In addition to Italy’s national holidays which are

recognized throughout the country, there are also
Italian festivals which are local to certain regions or
even towns – all of which can be great fun or a huge
headache, depending on whether you’ve planned to
be caught in the midst of a festival in Italy or not!
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Obviously, if you’re traveling in order to get in the middle of a festival or holiday celebration,
then you’ll have a great time. If you’re just traveling in Italy and you happen to need to get
something done or go somewhere on a day when things are shut down or overcrowded
because of a holiday or festival, you’re going to be frustrated.
There are enough festivals throughout the year in Italy that it’s a good idea to check
whether something is going on when you’ll be there – whether you choose to run toward
it or away from it is entirely your decision.
The list below is a combination of national public holidays in Italy, Italian holidays that
aren’t public holidays but are still widely celebrated, and well-known local festivals in Italy
– and it’s by no means a comprehensive list. With all the saints days and local sagre (food
festivals) in Italy, it’s not a stretch to say that something is being celebrated somewhere in
Italy on every day of the year.
Notes on how to read the list below:
• bold: national holidays (banks, businesses, attractions typically closed all day or part of
the day)
• italics: legal Italian holidays, but not widely celebrated
• regular text: events/festivals/things to do, not national holidays & often localized/
regional
• [brackets]: Italian name for holiday
• * = specific non-moveable dates each year
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2012 Calendar of Holidays & Events in Italy

January in Italy
1 – New Year’s Day [Capodanno]*

6 – Epiphany [Epifania]*
7 – Flag Day [Festa del Tricolore]*
27 – International Holocaust Remembrance Day [Giorno della Memoria]*
February in Italy
3-12 – Almond Blossom Festival in Agrigento [Mandorlo in Fiore]

4-21 – Carnival in Venice [Carnevale]
11 – The Lateran Pacts [Patti Lateranensi]*
14 – Valentine’s Day*
16-22 – Carnevale d’Ivrea
March in Italy
2-11 – CioccolaTÒ in Turin

8 – International Women’s Day [Festa della Donna]*
18 – Rome Marathon [Maratona di Roma]
19 – Saint Joseph’s Day [Festa di San Giuseppe]*
24-25 – Open Monuments Weekend [Giornata di Primavera]
25 – Pisan New Year*
25-28 – Vinitaly Conference in Verona
April in Italy
1 – April Fool’s Day [Pesce d’Aprile]*

8 – Easter Sunday [Pasqua]
9 – Easter Monday [Pasquetta]
15 – Milan Marathon [Maratona di Milano]
25 – Liberation Day [Festa della Liberazione]*
25 – Feast Day for Saint Mark (also known as the “Rosebud Festival”) in Venice*
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May in Italy
1 – International Workers’ Day [Festa dei Lavoratori]*

5-27 – Tour of Italy Bicycle Race [Giro d’Italia]
9 – Europe Day [Giorno Europeo]*
15 – Race of Candles in Gubbio [Corsa dei Ceri]*
June in Italy
2 – Republic Day [Festa della Repubblica]*

3-16 – Quintana Joust in Foligno [Giostra della Quintana di Foligno]
23 – Saracen Joust in Arezzo [Giostra del Saracino]
Jun 22-Sep 2 – Verona Opera Festival
21 – Anniversary of the Founding of Rome*
24 – Feast Day for Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Genoa, & Florence*
24 – Historic “Soccer” Match in Florence [Calcio Storico]
Jun 29-Jul 15 – Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto [Festival dei Due Mondi]
29 – Feast Day for Saints Peter & Paul in Rome*
30 – Battle of the Bridge in Pisa [Gioco del Ponte]
July in Italy

Jun 29-Jul 15 – Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto [Festival dei Due Mondi]
2 – Palio in Siena*
14-15 – Feast of the Redeemer in Venice [Il Redentore]
15 – Feast Day for Saint Rosalia in Palermo*
August in Italy

4-5 – Quintana Joust in Ascoli-Piceno [Giostra della Quintana]
5 – Rowing Contest in La Spezia [Palio del Golfo]
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15 – Assumption Day [Ferragosto]*

16 – Palio in Siena*
29 – Feast of the Redeemer in Nuoro [Sagra deal Redentore]*
Aug 29-Sep 8 – Venice International Film Festival
September in Italy

Aug 29-Sep 8 – Venice International Film Festival
2 – Historic Regatta in Venice [Regata Storica]
7 – Rificolona Festival in Florence [Festa della Rificolona]*
8-10 – Living Chess Match in Marostica (this only takes place in even-numbered
years)
[2012 dates not yet available] – Prosciutto Festival in Parma [Festival del Pros-
ciutto di Parma]
16 – Juliet’s Birthday in Verona*
16 – Palio in Asti
19 – Feast Day for Saint Gennaro in Naples*
October in Italy
4 – Feast Day for Saint Petronius in Bologna*

Oct 6-Nov 18 (weekends only) – White Truffle Festival in Alba [Fiera Internazio-
nale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba]
14 – Enzo Ferrari Memorial Marathon in Maranello [Maratona d’Italia]
19-28 – EuroChocolate in Perugia
28 – Venice Marathon [Maratona di Venezia]
30 – Feast Day for Saint Saturnino in Cagliari*
31 – Halloween*
November in Italy
Oct 6-Nov 18 (weekends only) – White Truffle Festival in Alba [Fiera Internazio-
nale del Tartufo Bianco d’Alba]
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1 – All Saints Day [Ognissanti or Tutti i Santi]*

2 – Day of the Dead [Giorno dei Morti]*
3 – Feast Day for Saint Giusto in Trieste*
20 – Palermo Marathon [Maratona di Palermo]
25 – Florence Marathon [Maratona di Firenze]
December in Italy
6 – Feast Day for Saint Nicola in Bari*

7 – Feast Day for Saint Ambrose in Milan*
8 – Immaculate Conception [Immacolata Concezione]*
[2012 date not yet available] – Pisa Marathon [Maratona di Pisa]
25 – Christmas Day [Natale]*
26 – Saint Stephen’s Day [Santo Stefano]*
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Soccer Games in Italy

For fun, check out my lists of the hottest Italian soccer players, and more gorgeous Italian
soccer players (because, let’s face it, it’s silly to just stop at 10) – and (as a special favor to
the guys in my office) a couple corresponding lists of some of the hottest Italian women
and even more beautiful Italian women who are married to soccer players!
Soccer in Italy is more than just a game, it’s

a passion. (If you’re thinking that Italians
treat everything with passion – from food
to wine to cars to fashion – you’re right.
It’s one of Italy’s charms. Really.) People
are fiercely loyal to their local soccer club,
and that loyalty is only put on hold when
the Italian national team is playing. For
sports fans, seeing a soccer game in Italy
is an important part of getting to know the
culture; and even for people who are only
marginally interested in soccer, it can be a
great experience.
The top league in Italian soccer – called “calcio” in Italian, and “football” pretty much
everywhere in the world except the USA – is called Serie A (pronounced SEH-ree-eh AH).
At the moment it’s officially called Serie A TIM for sponsorship reasons – TIM is the initials
of an Italian telecom company – but it’s most commonly referred to simply as Serie A.
There are twenty teams in this league, and the teams included can change season to
season – the teams on the lowest end of the points system can get relegated to Serie B
(one step down) and Serie B teams can get moved up. Generally speaking, however, the
top teams in Serie A are consistent from year to year. Inter Milan carries the distinction of
being the only team left in Serie A to have never been relegated.
As of the 2011-2012 season, the Serie A teams are (the city and region they’re based in is
in parentheses, and the links are for English-language blogs devoted to each team):
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• AC Milan (Milan, Lombardy)

• Atalanta (Bergamo, Lombardy)
• Bologna (Bologna, Emilia-Romagna)
• Cagliari (Cagliari, Sardinia)
• Catania (Catania, Sicily)
• Cesena (Cesena, Emilia-Romagna)
• Chievo (Verona, Veneto)
• Fiorentina (Florence, Tuscany)
• Genoa (Genoa, Liguria)
• Internazionale – known as Inter or Inter Milan (Milan, Lombardy)
• Juventus – known as Juve (Turin, Piedmont)
• Lazio (Rome, Lazio)
• Lecce (Lecce, Puglia)
• Napoli (Naples, Campania)
• Novara (Novara, Piedmont)
• Palermo (Palermo, Sicily)
• Parma (Parma, Emilia-Romagna)
• Roma (Rome, Lazio)
• Siena (Siena, Tuscany)
• Udinese (Udine, Friuli-Venezia-Giulia)
There are lower levels of play in Italian soccer, too,

from Serie B through D to several levels below
that, so if the ticket prices for a Serie A game are
too dear on your travel budget, ask around for
another place you can catch a soccer game.
The soccer season runs roughly from August

through May, so if your visit to Italy falls during this
time you may want to look into the schedules of
the teams in the towns you’ll be visiting. Here’s the
official site of the Italy’s top soccer league, the Serie A
– other leagueshave their own separate sites (Serie
B, Serie C).
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>> See this tutorial about how to read an Italian soccer schedule if you’re confused, like I
was!
>> And to learn a little bit about what the heck they’re talking about, this comprehensive
Italian soccer vocabulary list is fabulous.
Be advised that if you have a liking for a particular squad and you happen to be in a
position to catch them at an away game you’ll want to be careful about parading around
town wearing the colors of any but the local squad. In some stadiums, opposing fans are
all made to sit together and are protected as they enter and leave from the home team’s
fans. Yes, this is serious business – it’s not a bad idea to ask around before you dive in. For
more information about catching a soccer game in Italy, be sure to read my post about
seeing a soccer game at San Siro in Milan
– some things will be different depending
on the stadium you’re visiting, but some
of the tips will hold no matter where you
go.
Should you be fortunate enough to

visit Italy during a time when the Italian
national team is the one everyone’s
cheering for, all you’ll need to remember
is to be on the Italian side. The national squad, nicknamed the “Azzurri” (Blues) for their
blue uniforms, won the 2006 World Cup in Germany – their fourth World Cup title ever.
The 2010 World Cup was a huge letdown after the 2006 success, but you can bet the
Azzurri will be back in 2014 – and although the tournament itself will be held in Brazil, all
over Italy television sets will be tuned into the games so you’ll have a hard time believing
the whole thing isn’t taking place in Italy.
If you like the idea of seeing a few soccer games during your trip, you can also book
a soccer tour – there aren’t many companies offering such tours, as it’s a rather niche
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market, but you can find them by typing “Italian

soccer games” into your search engine of choice.
To get acquainted with Serie A and learn a little

about the passion behind the sport, be sure to
check out the Serie A Italian Football Guide. And for
a little insight into the Italian soccer vocabulary, see
this nice list of soccer words.
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Italian Vineyards
Italy is famous the world over for its wines, so even if you’re not a serious wine enthusiast
you’ll surely appreciate the scenery and tradition of a trip through Italy’s vineyards. Almost
every region in Italy produces wine – in fact, the country claims 20 major growing regions,
including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, and more than 2,000 grape varietals. Some are
certainly better known than others, but no matter where you are in Italy you’ll not be far
from a vineyard or two.
Visiting an Italian winery can be arranged in advance through a tour company or done
on your own. There are many companies which offer tours – from a few hours to a few
days – through Italy’s wine regions and many wineries which open their doors to visitors.
Unlike in the United States, however, not every winery has a tasting room with regular
opening hours. So even if you’re planning to hit the road on your own you’ll want to check
in advance to map out a route where you’ll be able to do more than just stand outside the
winery gates and look at the vineyards from afar.
Italy Wine Regions
A list of Italy’s wine-producing regions reads like a regular Italian map – from Lombardy to
Puglia and every region in between (and including the islands of Sicily and Sardinia), there
are vineyards.
Some regions are more famous than others – like the Chianti region in Tuscany or the
Barolo-producers of thePiedmont area around Cuneo – but unless you’re really into wine
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the names will matter less than the experience.
>> Learn more about how to read Italian wine labels
Organized Wine Tours
If you don’t already have a rental car, taking an

organized tour of area wineries is probably your
best bet. You can arrange anything from a day-trip
to a tour of several days which includes meals and
accommodations along the way.
There are lots of providers offering these kinds of

trips, many of which you can find just by doing a
search for “Italy wine tour” in your favorite search
engine. Many of the multi-day tours tend to be
slow-paced and highlight not only fine wines and
nice views but also top-notch accommodations in
beautiful Italian villas and five-star meals – in other
words, they’re not cheap. If you’re a real wine lover,
however, this is a great way to create a truly memorable trip to Italy.
On the other hand, if you’d prefer to see

what’s available when you get to Italy, check
with the tourist information office in the
city you’re visiting to see if there are any
organized trips to local vineyards. Day-trips
can be a great way to get a taste of Italy’s
wine culture without spending a fortune.
>> Learn more about organized tours of Italy,

including wine tours – this culinary tour of
Tuscany includes a wine tasting in Cortona
and several cooking lessons
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Do-It-Yourself Wine Tours
As mentioned above, most Italian wineries don’t have regular open hours or the kinds of
tasting rooms you might be familiar with from trips through places like California’s Napa
Valley. Instead, you’ll want to make arrangements in advance of a wine tour – even one
you’re organizing yourself.
In 1993, a new group was created to help tourists connect with wineries who are willing
and able to accept visitors – this Movimento Turismo del Vino, or the Tourist Movement
of Wine (MTV for short), provides lots of great information on its website, although some
of it is in Italian only. For instance, this page lists all the wine-producing regions in Italy
and actually has links for suggested itineraries visitors can follow in each one – including
wineries to stop at. Just click on the “itinerari della ragione” link under the region you’ll be
visiting, and you’ll find a few options for self-guided tours of wineries in the area.
If you don’t speak Italian, you can get a pretty good approximation of the tour by using
an online translator like Google or an online dictionary like WordReference – just double-
check any driving directions with the tourist information office before you set off, or, if
you’re really planning ahead, send an email to MTV before you leave. MTV also has several
annual wine-related events and festivals which you may want to plan your trip around.
>> Learn more on the official Movimento Turismo del Vino website
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Open Cellars Day
One thing to keep an eye out for if you’re a wine enthusiast is the annual “Cantine Aperte”
event, or “Open Cellars” day. It’s one day every year when wineries throughout the country
throw open their doors in a kind of open house. Visitors can see how the wine is made,
sample the goods, and even taste other local products like cheeses and olive oils. It’s also
a great chance to get a peek at Italian country life – especially fun if you’ve mostly stuck to
the Italian cities during the rest of your visit.
Cantine Aperte takes place on the last Sunday in May each year, and you can learn more
about it on the MTV Open Cellars website. The regional MTV associations’ websites are
listed here, and each of those websites will let you find out what wineries are part of the
MTV association and therefore participating in the Open Cellars event.
>> Learn how to plan your own wine tour on Open Cellars Day
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Italy Tours
For some people, taking a trip to Italy is the
fulfillment of a lifelong dream – so you want to
be sure to do it right. Whether that means you
plan the trip yourself or you hand the reigns to a
capable travel agent, your goal will be the same:
You don’t want to miss anything.
Booking a tour of Italy can be a good way to make

sure you see the highlights in the most efficient
way, but you don’t have to book a tour covering
the whole country in order to take advantage
of a tour guide’s local expertise. You can be on
an entirely DIY trip and join a few city tours or
attraction-specific tours as you travel through
Italy, getting the most out of each stop without
being tied to a tour’s schedule.
Here are a few of the different options available to you if you’re contemplating Italy tours
– country-wide tours, city tours, day trips, or adventure trips – with some links to find out
more about each one.
Italy Tours
Booking a tour of all of Italy can be a good option for anyone who’s never been to Italy
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before (or never traveled before), or people

who don’t have much time to dedicate to
researching and booking their own trips.
Not all tours are created equally, especially

when it comes to a popular destination like
Italy, so be sure to read about what the tour
companies you’re considering are like to
make sure you’ll be comfortable on any tour
you book.
A few things to keep in mind when comparing

Italy tours:
• How large are the tour groups?

• How much free time is allowed on a given day?
• What’s included in each city? Will admission charges, hotel taxes, guided tours, etc. cost
extra?
• What level of transportation is standard? Is it all big buses or public transit?
City Tours in Italy
Rather than booking a whole Italy package trip you can plan your own trip to whatever
places you want and then book guided tours in the various cities you visit – or even to
specific attractions within those cities.
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This way you get to dictate your own pace and plan your own route, while still enhancing
your knowledge of a place through the expertise of a local guide.
Nearly every city in Italy has an array of local guides who offer different kinds of tours –
there are walking tours, shopping tours, bike tours, ghost tours, hiking tours, boat tours,
art tours, night tours, even Segway tours. Sometimes the tours cover only certain sights
in a city, other times they focus on an aspect of that city’s history. You can book these
before you leave home, but you can also wait until they’ve reached a destination before
they check out what’s on offer at the local tourist information office.
>> You can browse through a few of your choices for Rome tours and Venice tours before
you leave home. You can also get a better idea of what to do in Italy to see what your
options are.
>> Some of my favorite guided walks in Italy are by Context Travel – they’re based in
Rome, and have tours in Naples, Venice, Florence (& Tuscany), and Rome as well as other
cities around the world.
Day Trips in Italy
Another way to incorporate the expertise of local guides into your Italy trip is to go on
organized day trips from any of the cities you visit.
If you’re in a place long enough to see its highlights and have some time leftover, day trips
are an excellent way to fill that time – especially if you’re in a central enough location that
there are ample opportunities for great day trips nearby.
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Here are some articles on great day trip options from some of Italy’s most popular
destinations:
• Day Trips from Florence

• Day Trips from Milan
• Day Trips from Naples
• Day Trips from Rome
• Day Trips from Venice
Adventure Trips in Italy
Italy may be more commonly known for its art, history, and fashion than its status as
anadventure travel destination, but this small country is packed with activities to excite
any adventurous traveler.
Some of the trips calling themselves “adventure tours in Italy” are simply the kind of
tours that independent travelers love – they’re the sort ofsmall group trips they’d have
organized for themselves when they had more time, but now that they have more money
they’re happy to leave the logistical juggling to someone else. They’re not big bus tours,
and they often allow for lots of free time in each destination, they just take care of things
like accommodation, transportation, and a few guided tours of major attractions.
Other Italy adventure tours do more to live up to the word “adventure” in their name
– they involve outdoor sports and activities as often as possible. Whether you’re up for
this kind of tour is something you’ll need to decide – just be sure to read the descriptions
of the tours you’re considering to make sure the activity level is what you want for your
vacation.
>> Learn more about the Italy adventure tours that are available.
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Some of the Top Italy Adventure Tours:

• Tuscany and Siena, 7 or 5 days Self Guided Walk
(from $1340) – Adventure into the heart of central Tuscany
– a landscape characterised by remote villages, scattered
cypress trees, undulating vineyards and aromatic olive
groves. Its gently rolling hills are strikingly familiar from
the classical backdrops of Renaissance art, and its charm
is immutable – the perfect merging of medieval and
modern worlds. The route traverses ancient paths and
dirt tracks, past Tuscan farms and forests, culminating
in the magnificent city of Siena. Experience the essence
of this glorious region on foot.
• Highlights of Italy, 8 day tour (from $1355) –

Discover the sights and delights of Italy on this week-long
journey. Begin amid the canals of Venice, travel to the
Cinque Terre for Ligurian riches, discover the beauty of
Florence and wind up the adventure in the piazzas of
Rome. With lots of free time to make your own plans,
enjoy the freedom to hit the pavement and discover
Italy’s history and culture or mingle with the locals at
markets and cafes – there’s no better way to master
the lingo and the leisurely lifestyle.
• Cinque Terre Coastal Walk, 5 days tour (from

$699) – Hike the stunning Ligurian coastline between
the impossibly beautiful towns of the famous Cinque
Terre: picturesque, traditional villages perched on
the cliffs overlooking the sparkling azure of the
Adriatic Sea.
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• Amalfi Coast, 5 Day Self Guided Walk (from

$920) – The Amalfi Coast is one of the most beautiful
places in Italy, if not the world. Due to its popularity,
the Amalfi’s coastal beaches and villages draw crowds
of travellers each year, while the mountainous inland
region remains relatively untouched. This independent
walking trip takes you into these mountains and along
the magnificent Walk of the Gods. After walking through
woods and fields during the day, you’ll spend each night
by the sea and experience the renowned Italian flair and
seaside culture. Sign up for this short hiking adventure and discover your own sparkling
jewel within the Amalfi Coast crown.
• Italy Family Adventure, 14 days tour (from $2785)

– From glorious Rome and the seaside fun of the Cinque
Terre, to the lovely lakes region and fab Florence, this
Family Adventure is brimming with culture and cuisine
sure to delight both young and old. Cycle around a
medieval Tuscan town, climb aboard a cable car for
views of the Italian Alps, cross the canals of Venice and
sample a rainbow of gelato flavours along the way.
• Sicilian Volcano Trail, 8 days tour (from $1699) –

Exhilarating hiking on the edge! A week of Mediterranean
villages, black sand beaches, and unforgettable hikes
over three active volcanoes on Sicily: Vulcano; Stromboli,
one of the most active volcanoes in the world; and
mighty Etna, Europe’s highest active volcano.
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• A Taste of Italy, 15 days tour (from $3470) – Savour

the many flavours of Italy as we travel from the canals
of Venice to the cobblestone streets of the Eternal City.
Explore natural wonders, historic sites and picturesque
villages on this special Italian food-lovers journey. There
is plenty of time to indulge in everything from traditional
fare and local produce to gourmet meals and wines
along the way.
Italy Tourist Attractions

Italy can feel like one big tourist attraction, and to many people it probably is. Still, this is
a whole country we’re talking about – one in which real people live and work every day.
And thinking of an entire country as a tourist attraction is a bit misguided, not to mention
incredibly overwhelming. So in this article I’m going to focus on some of the most popular
Italy tourist attractions.
Tourism in Italy
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Italy came in 5th in
the world in 2005 in terms of the number of people traveling to the country. The 2005
numbers are the most recent ones available on the UNWTO website, and although there’s
likely been some fluctuation in the overall numbers there’s no reason to believe Italy is
any less popular today than it was then. The UNWTO statistics indicate that in 2004 Italy
welcomed more than 37 million visitors – and to put that in more stark terms, that’s 64
visitors for every 100 residents. You’d better believe Italy tourism is big business.
Just how big is it? Well, according to that same set of UNWTO numbers from 2005, travelers
to Italy spent more than $35 billion on their visits. That’s not nothing. And while the
economic slump has no doubt reduced that number slightly, anyone who’s been to Italy
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recently probably thinks all 37 million of those visitors from 2005 are back and sharing
the piazza with them.
I’m bombarding you with these numbers partly to give you some background for what
“popular” means when I talk about the most popular tourist attractions in Italy – and
also to let you know that if you’re planning to visit all the big tourist sights, you should be
prepared for some company.
Italy Tourist Attractions
When it comes to world-class tourist attractions, Italy is absolutely brimming with riches.
And since we’re on the UN train already, here’s another branch of the UN most travelers
are familiar with – the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Italy has more sites on the
list than any other country with a whopping 44 (and it’s not exactly an enormous place,
remember), some of which are entire cities or regions. You can see the list of all the places
in Italy on UNESCO’s list on the UNESCO site here.
While most of us won’t be using the UN’s list as our sole pre-trip planning resource,
it’s definitely an excellent place to start when you’re considering which of Italy’s tourist
attractions you want to make sure to visit. Because, as mentioned, many of the sites on
the UNESCO list are actually cities (or portions of cities) and regions, however, it’s not
necessarily the list that’s going to help you pinpoint exactly which churches, museums,
ruins, or galleries are the big must-see sights.
With that in mind, here are some of the most pouplar tourist attractions in Italy (in no
particular order):
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• Colosseum in Rome
• Leaning Tower of Pisa
• Pompeii
• Venice
• Vatican Museum
• “The Last Supper”
• Roman Forum
• St. Peter’s Basilica
• Amalfi Coast
• Tuscan Hills
• Palio in Siena
• Trevi Fountain
• Pantheon in Rome
• Florence Duomo
• Cinque Terre National Park
• Uffizi Gallery in Florence
• Greek temple ruins in Agrigento
• Milan Duomo
• Spanish Steps
For more help with planning your Italy trip, including which Italy tourist attractions you’ll
take in during your visit, here are some articles that might be useful:
• What to Do in Italy
• Italy Travel Tips
• Perfect 2-Week Italy Itinerary
• 20 Things Everyone Should Do in Italy
• Italy First Time Visitor Guide
• Free Things to Do in Italy
• “Top 10 Things to Do” lists for Italy
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Italy Travel Packages

I’m a big fan of independent travel. There’s nothing quite like the feeling of conquering the
bus system in an unfamiliar city, or negotiating your way from one attraction to another
without a guide. I’ve been lucky to have had some pretty amazing vacation experiences
in my life, and usually I’ve felt like I had enough planning time prior to the trip to be
prepared. Sometimes, however, there’s just no time to do all the research necessary.
At that point, you essentially have two options – you can either just go and wing it (plenty
of people do this all the time and wouldn’t have it any other way), or you can book a
package trip and leave the planning to someone else. If you’re leaning more toward not
going at all, then I highly recommend that second option.
In this article, I’m going to talk a little bit about

the merits of booking a package trip, and some
things you want to think about beforehand to
make sure it’s the right trip for you. Since this
is an Italy travel guide, on this page I’m going to
talk specifically about Italy travel packages – but
the overall gist is applicable no matter where
you’re thinking of going.
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What are Italy travel packages?
A package trip – to Italy or anywhere else – is a trip that offers as a bundle the things
you’d book separately. What each travel package includes will differ depending on the
company offering it, but they often include airfare, accommodation, some meals, some
transportation, some guided tours, and sometimes extra-curricular options as well.
Italy travel packages run the gamut from high-

end luxury trips to trips more well-suited to those
who might have recently graduated from the
“school” of backpackers, and although there are
packages that will take you to almost all corners
of the country the majority focus on the biggest
tourist destinations of Venice, Rome, Florence,
the Cinque Terre, Milan, Tuscany, the Lakes and
the Amalfi Coast.
Technically, cruises are slightly different than

vacation packages, although they’re also a
bundling of many individual travel elements.
There are cruises that take in certain points in
Italy, but most aren’t exclusively dedicated to
Italy. Most Mediterranean cruise trips cover
several countries.
Who books Italy travel packages?
You might hear the words “vacation package” and think only of big-bus tours where huge
tour groups are herded from one sight to the next with little to no time left to explore on
their own or really get to know the country. I’ve seen these kinds of tours in Italy, and I’m
sure you have, too. They’re obviously serving a need, as some people clearly like them,
but they’re not for me. And the good news is that they’re not the only kind of vacation
package out there – not by a long shot.
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All sorts of people book Italy travel

packages, but one thing most of them
have in common is that they believe
booking a vacation package will give
them more bang for their buck given the
time they have to spend traveling. If you
thought you could create the same trip for
less money and without spending weeks
organizing it, you’d choose that option in
an instant. But the companies who run
the many good Italy package tours out
there have connections you don’t have,
are dedicated to making your travel experience the best it can be, and they do this for a
living. In other words, they don’t have to take off from their day jobs to organize your trip
– organizing your trip is their day job!
So, who books Italy travel packages? People who are so busy they don’t have time to
plan a trip. People who want to take a specialty vacation focused on a particular interest.
People who want to be sure they’ll get a guided tour everywhere they go in order to learn
as much as possible. People who really don’t want to figure out mass transit themselves.
People who prefer letting someone else deal with the logistics. Really, there are Italy travel
packages for all kinds of travelers – there’s likely one that will suit you, too.
What kind of Italy travel package is right for

me?
As mentioned, there are all kinds of Italy travel

packages. Some are expensive, some less so. Some
cover lots of extras, some only take care of the basics.
Some center around a specific area of interest, some
are more general. Some keep tour groups very small,
others allow for large groups. Some have every
second planned, some offer more flexible schedules.
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In order to decide what kind of Italy travel package will work best for you, you need to
know what kind of traveler you are.
Did you once love staying in hostels and relish the perks of budget travel, but now just
want something slightly more comfortable and also don’t have the time to research trips
the way you used to? Then you’ll want to look for tours that keep groups small, opt for
public transport over big coaches, and book smaller family-run hotels or B&Bs.
Do you love cruises, hate planning, want to see all the big sights, and just want someone
else to do all the work for you so you can sit back and enjoy your trip? Then you’ll want
to look for tours that are more all-inclusive, cover everything you want to see, and leave
nothing on your to-do list except to have fun.
Whatever your interests, just make sure to read all the details of the Italy travel packages
you’re considering so you’re not surprised by something when you get to Italy.
>> Be sure to look through Italy adventure trips, which are typically good for people who
like a little less structure and like traveling closer to the culture.
>> There are Italy travel packages featured regularly on this page of Italy travel deals –
just scroll down the page to see what’s new under each location.
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Shopping in Italy
Whether or not you’re a hard core shopper back
home, shopping tends to be one of the things
on most peoples’ to-do lists when they travel
– whether it’s to bring trinkets back for friends
and family back home or to collect souvenirs to
remember your trip. When you’re talking about
visiting a country like Italy, shopping while on
holiday is exponentially more interesting.
Where to Go Shopping in Italy
Pretty much everywhere you go throughout

the country there will be some shopping
opportunities – after all, shopping isn’t just a
vacation pastime, it’s something the residents
need to do, too.
In larger cities you’ll find department stores,

boutique shops, and periodic open-air markets.
In smaller cities and towns you might not find
the big department stores, and not every small town has its own market, but then there’s
usually one in a nearby town.
The deals are apt to be infinitely better at the open-air markets and sometimes at the
small shops than the department stores, although with the markets you’ll need to bring
cash (most vendors don’t accept credit cards).
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When to Go Shopping in Italy
Shopping opportunities are available year-round in Italy – even the open-air markets run
all winter long – so you’ll be able to hunt around for that perfect souvenir no matter
when you visit. There are a couple times of year, however, when it’s particularly fun to go
shopping.
Unlike in some countries where individual shops are able to put merchandise on sale
whenever they like, in Italy there are two official six-week-long sales periods every year
when all the shops throughout the country offer steep discounts on their wares. The sales
are roughly six months apart – one in winter and one in summer – and although the dates
vary each year, the winter sales start in early January and the summer sales start in early
July.
Some Italians wait to do their shopping for big-ticket items like designer clothes or furniture
until the sales season begins, so the beginning of each sales period can be hectic. The
deals are excellent, though, so if you’re a good competitive shopper at home you’ll fit right
in. Later in each sales period the deals often get better, but the selection gets seriously
depleted, so it’s a bit of a trade-off.
What to Buy in Italy
In Florence you can pick up a miniature David and in Venice you can find model gondolas
– those tourist-oriented knick-knacks are available anywhere there’s a tourist attraction,
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and if that’s what you want to go home with you

won’t be disappointed at the variety. There are so
many other things to bring home from an Italy
trip, however, it’s a shame to limit yourself.
Each region usually has something that makes

it famous – whether it’s brightly-painted pottery
from Deruta or ornately-printed paper from
Florence – and finding out what’s made locally can
be a great way to not only support local artisans
but also bring home something special from
your trip. There’s no way to list all of the various
products and goods you could shop for in Italy,
but there are entire books written on this topic
alone that you can refer to:
• Made in Italy: A Shopper’s Guide to Italy’s Best Artisanal Traditions

• The Civilized Shopper’s Guide to Rome
• The Civilized Shopper’s Guide to Florence
Further Reading:
• Outlet Shopping in Italy

• Best Places to Do Holiday Shopping in Italy
• Leather Shopping in Florence
• How to Get a VAT Refund in Italy
• Fair Warning: Don’t Buy Fakes in Italy
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Beaches in Italy
When you’re talking about a country that doubles as a peninsula, you’re talking about a
country with the potential for loads of great beaches. In Italy, some of the beaches are
spectacular – and others are, well, not-so-fabulous.
There are sandy beaches, rocky beaches, and beaches that are essentially cliffs with a tiny
bit of sand at the bottom. Many of the best beaches in Italy are privately owned by hotels
or the town they’re in, so rather than just plopping down a beach blanket anywhere you
like you’ll be renting a chair and umbrella – but if a beach holiday is what you want for
your Italy trip, it’s a small price to pay for a
spot in the Italian sun.
Many of the best-loved beaches in Italy are

in the south or on the islands (such as Sicily
and Sardinia) – these tend to be beach resort
cities favored by Italians and vacationing
Europeans, but less-visited by tourists from
further afield. This doesn’t mean they’re not
crowded in summer, however – they’re absolutely packed, especially in July-August. Italians
love their beach holidays, so if the weather cooperates they’ll take every opportunity they
can to head for the nearest coast. In other words, book your stay early if you want to stay
on or near the beach and it’s anywhere close to the high season.
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Blue Flag Beaches in Italy
There’s an organization that rates beaches around the world on their environmental and
water quality (among other things), awarding beaches that make the cut with “blue flag”
designation. Italy has (at last count) more than 230 Blue Flag Beaches, plus another 60+
Blue Flag Marinas. You can see this year’s list of Blue Flag Beaches in Italy on the official
website, and break it down further on the right by clicking on various Italian regions to see
where their Blue Flag Beaches are.
Italy’s Best Beaches
Declaring which Italian beaches are the “best” is a bit tricky – in some cases, especially
to vacationers, the best beach is the one that’s closest on a sunny day. Still, if your travel
dreams are to bask on the best-loved beaches the country has to offer, here are some
options you may want to consider.
• Positano (Amalfi Coast) – The most popular town

along the Amalfi Coast, Positano has two public beaches,
including the main one from which you can watch tour
boats come and go. Some hotels in Positano also have
private beach areas, if you prefer that.
• Rimini (Emilia-Romagna) – If old-school beach resort
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city is what you’re looking for, look no further than Rimini, where you’ll see row after row
of beach chairs and umbrellas on perfectly white sandy beaches. You may not be rich and
famous, but Rimini might make you feel like you’re in an old Hollywood film.
• Mondello Lido (Sicily) – Sitting only five miles from

Palermo, the Sicilian capital city, Mondello Lido is not
only easily accessible it’s well-equipped for beach-going
visitors. There are also plenty of hotels here if you’d
rather stay right on the beach than in nearby Palermo.
• Taormina (Sicily) – The Sicilian beach resort city of

Taormina has the benefit of being close to some of the
island’s ancient Greek ruins in addition to overlooking
some of its gorgeous beaches.
• Vieste (Puglia) – The Gargano Peninsula, that spur-like outcropping of land in Puglia,
has fantastic beaches on all sides. Vieste is at the tip of the spur, and this marine resort is
one of the Blue Flag Marinas in Italy.
• Otranto (Puglia) – The beach city of Otranto lies at the tip of Italy’s boot. In addition to
the beaches in Otranto, the cliffs over the water make excellent spots for diving.
• Tropea (Calabria) – It’s hard to beat a beach overlooked

by white cliffs from which buildings seem to grow.
Tropea’s beach is much-photographed for this reason,
and both the beaches and the town make the trip south
worth it.
• San Benedetto del Tronto (Le Marche) – This beach

city is one that has a Blue Flag designation one one of its
beaches, and it’s a beach that has received the distinction
ever since 1998.
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• Stintino (Sardinia) – The small town of Stintino sits on the far northwestern tip of
Sardinia, making it harder to reach, but visitors are rewarded with beautiful beaches.
• Chia (Sardinia) – Another Sardinian beach town, Chia is on the southern part of the
island near Cagliari. The beaches are quite large, and there are even sand dunes behind
them.
• Lignano (Friuli-Venezia Giulia) – Northern Italy has

its beaches, too, and although Venice‘s Lido may be more
famous, the Friuli’s Lignano has better beaches.
• Viareggio (Tuscany) – On Tuscany’s northern coast,

Viareggio is a popular seaside resort town (with everything
you’d expect to go with that designation, including high-
end hotels, shops, and restaurants) and home to one
of Italy’s best Carnevale celebrations (which isn’t during
beach weather).
• Monterosso al Mare (Cinque Terre) – Of all the Cinque Terre towns, none of which are
known for truly spectacular beaches, Monterosso’s beach was by far the best and biggest.
Sadly, the town and beach were severely damaged during the 2011 floods and mudslides.
It remains to be seen how the beaches – and the Cinque Terre as a whole – recover.
Other Resources
• Nude Beaches in Italy

• Top 10 Things to Do in Sardinia
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Information
Population: 59,131,287
Visa Information
For visits of up to 90 days, nationals from EU countries and passport holders from the
following countries do not need to have a visa to visit Italy: Andorra, Argentina, Australia,
Bolivia, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania,
Macao, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay,
Poland, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Switzerland, U.S.A., Uruguay,
Venezuela.
If your country is not listed above or is not part of the European Union, you will need to
have a visa to visit Italy. Italy is a member of the Schengen Countries. If you are Australian,
you can take advantage of the working holiday visa arrangement between Australia and
Italy. To find out more, contact the Italian embassy in Canberra.
Immunizations
You will not need any shots to travel to Italy.
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Currency
Italy uses the Euro (€), just like all the EU countries
(except the UK). Look for the coins to be nationalistic
– each country stamps its own distinctive designs on
the coins, but the bills are the same throughout the
EU, and all the money is worth the same amount in
every EU country.
Time Zone
Italy is on Central European Time, which is GMT plus
one hour (two in the summer). Italy does observe Daylight Savings Time – it begins the last
Sunday in March and ends the last Sunday in October.
Capital
Rome is the capital of Italy.
Language
As you might guess, Italian is the official language
of Italy. What you might not know is that happened
relatively recentlyand there was quite a bit of
controversy about it.
Counting and Numbers

Dates in Italy are written with the day first, then the
month, then the year – so the 2nd of May in the year
2007 is written 02/05/07.
With written numbers, commas and decimal points

are swapped from what you might be used to. So,
three Euro and fifty cents is written €3,50 and one
thousand five hundred Euro is written €1.500.
Italy uses the Metric system for measurements (conversion tool here) and Celsius for
temperatures.
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Electricity and Plugs

Italy operates on a 220V 50Hz electrical system, and the electrical outlets you will find
will require European plugs with two narrow cylindrical prongs (sort of like a pig’s snout,
only smaller). If your electrical appliances are not 220V 50Hz, you will need a converter (to
convert the electricity) and adapter (to make your appliances fit into the Italian plugs) set
so you do not start fires or explode anything. If you have a travel-size hairdryer, look for a
switch which will change the voltage from 120V (for the U.S.) to 240V (for Europe) – if you
have such a switch, you will only need to use an adapter for the hairdryer to work in Italy.
Banks and ATM Machines

Travel is easier these days with bank cards which work overseas. Just be sure to notify
your bank that you will be traveling in Italy so they do not assume someone has stolen
your card and gone on vacation.
An Italian cash machine is called a “Bancomat.” To use your ATM card in Italy you will need
to know your PIN number in numbers, not letters (there are no letters on Italian bank
machine keypads). American Express is not as common in Italy as Visa and MasterCard
are, so do not rely only on your AmEx card to get cash during your trip.
Many Bancomats are enclosed in a glass enclosure in front of the bank, but not inside the
bank (so they are still accessible when the bank is closed), and you may need to insert
your bank card in order to get the enclosure’s door to open. This is safe, as it just shows
that you actually intend to withdraw money and you are not trying to use the enclosure
as a shelter for the night. Pay attention to your surroundings when entering one of these
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glass enclosures and when withdrawing money, as some thieves target tourists at bank
machines. If someone else tries to enter the enclosure with you, go back out and try
another bank or another time.
Big hotels and restaurants will likely accept credit cards, but do not expect them to be as
widely accepted as they are in the United States. When shopping for souvenirs and eating
in small local places, bring and pay with cash.
>> Read all about using debit cards in Italy before your trip
Using the Telephone

The country code for Italy is 39. To call Italy
from the U.S., you will first need to dial out of
the U.S. and then into Italy – so that is 011 +
39 and then the phone number itself. To call
Italy from another European country, you will
dial 00 + 39 and then the local number. To call
an Italian number from within Italy, simply dial
the local number as you have it. To call the U.S.
from within Italy, dial 00 + 1 and then the area
code and telephone number.
Public telephones in Italy do not accept coins,

so to use one you will need to purchase a phone
card. They are sold at most tobacco shops (the
ones with the big “T” hanging over the door), post offices, some newspaper shops and
sometimes machines near phone booths, and they are very easy to use. There are two
common forms – one which you insert into a slot on the phone and which deducts time/
money as you use it, and one which you dial a toll-free number and then enter a PIN
number (printed on the card) to use. The former requires a phone which has a card slot,
and the latter can be used with basically any phone – public or otherwise.
Using the phone in Italy can be annoying, so patience is required. Often public phones
are broken, or will not seem to accept what you are doing even if you are following the
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instructions on your card. If you have trouble,

try another phone.
More and more travelers are using mobile

phones when they travel, which is easy if you
have an unlockable GSM phone or one where
you can swap out the existing SIM card for an
Italian or European one. You can also rent or
purchase a phone which works in Italy to use
just for one trip or every time you travel to
that region. Most of these kinds of phones work by loading them up with prepaid minutes
(on a prepaid SIM card) or by using them with prepaid calling cards. Getting a prepaid call
phone in Italy is easy (click on that link for a video about how to set one up) and it’s pretty
cheap. Also read more about Italy SIM cards before you go.
Useful Telephone Numbers

Emergency (English-speaking police): 113
Emergency (military police): 112
Medical Emergency: 118
Fire Emergency: 115
Road Service: 116
Directory Assistance (Italian-speaking automated voice, costs €0.50): 12
Telephone Help: (English-speaking, free): 170
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Tourism in Italy
Italy may not take up much space geographically on the globe, but it consistently ranks
among the top vacation destinations on the planet. When last I checked a couple years
ago, there were just under 40 million people spending some of their hard-earned vacation
money (not to mention time) in Italy. And while you might suspect that all of those 40
million people are in the country at the same time you are, as you fight the crowds at the
biggest attractions in Italy, in reality there’s a steady stream of visitors all year long and
throughout the country.
Because of this constant influx of tourists, tourism in Italy is one of the country’s biggest
income sources. But because it’s Italy we’re talking about, things don’t always work the way
you’d like them to… You might think, for instance, that the official Italian tourism website
would be a wealth of information and staffed by attentive and responsive people eager
to answer your every question. But you’d be wrong. Yes, there’s some good information
there, but if you manage to get a reply from anyone in the tourism department you’re
doing better than I am.
So, toward that end, I’m going to put some links here to articles I’ve written that assist you
in planning the perfect Italian vacation. I could write about Italy travel for the rest of my
life (and probably will), so this list isn’t comprehensive, but I think it’s a good place to start.
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If you have a question that isn’t answered by one of the articles on this list, please send
me a message and let me know – it’s possible I’ve already covered the topic but forgot to
link it up here, and it’s also possible your question will make a great topic for a new article!
Getting Travel Deals to Italy
Italy is definitely an expensive place to visit, so smart travelers will look for ways to save
money on their trips to Italy – some of which are things you’ll do in-country, and some of
which are things you’ll do before you even leave home. Here are some tips to getting a
good deal on an Italy trip.
• Finding Cheap Airfare to Italy

• Staying in Hostels in Italy
• Cheap Hotels in Italy
• Italy Vacation Rentals
• Italy Villa Rentals
• Agriturismo in Italy
• Staying in Convents & Monasteries in Italy
• When to Buy an Italy RailPass
• Renting a Car in Italy
Travel Tips for Italian Cities
There is some information on this site that’s applicable to the entire country, but I’ve
also written city-specific articles for many of Italy’s top destinations. From each of the
destination articles linked below, you’ll be able to find many more articles about that
destination either on the menu on the right-hand side or linked from within the article.
• Rome Travel Guide

• Venice Travel Guide
• Florence Travel Guide
• Cinque Terre Travel Guide
• Pisa Travel Guide
• Milan Travel Guide
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• Naples Travel Guide

• Siena Travel Guide
What to Do in Italy
You may not think you need help figuring out what to do in Italy, but it’s so easy to get
overwhelmed by the vast number of options that it pays to do at least a little bit of
strategizing before your trip. You may not want to do the same things I want to do, and
that’s fine – it’s great, in fact – I’m all for tailoring a trip to your personal taste. Let these
suggestions be a starting point, and make your experience your own.
• What to Do in Italy
• The Perfect 2-Week Italy Itinerary for First-Time Visitors
• Italy First Time Visitor Guide
• 20 Things Everyone Should Do in Italy
• Italian Festivals Guide
• Italy Guided Tours
• Free Things to Do in Italy
Getting Around in Italy
Most of the time I recommend traveling through Italy by train, but there are all manner
of transportation options for the country – and good reasons for choosing one over the
other, or combining a few of them during one trip.
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• Italy Transportation Guide

• Flights into Rome
• Flights into Milan
• Flights into Venice
• Italy Train Guide
• Italy Bus Guide
• Italy Driving Guide
Eating in Italy
The food in Italy is such a big reason why

many people make the trip in the first
place that I wouldn’t be surprised to find
out that eating out in Italy is responsible
for a huge part of that tourist income the
country enjoys. I’m a big fan of eating in
Italy, which is why I end up writing about
it so often!
• Guide to Italian Food

• Menu Tips for Italy
• Should you tip in Italy?
• Italian Gelato Guide
• Italian Coffee Guide
• Italian Vineyards Guide
• Cooking Schools in Italy
• Italian Market Guide
• Italian Pasta Guide
• Italian Restaurant Guide
>> If you’re looking for more, click over to my Italy travel tips page and also this basic Italy
information – and again, if you don’t find the answer to your question from these links or
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by using the search box at the top of the page, let me know!
Airports in Italy
While Italy has more than 130 airports throughout the entire peninsula and islands, it’s
a much smaller number that most visitors will need to know about. There are two major
international gateways to the country (in Rome and Milan), and several other airports that
serve as primary hubs for their regions.
The list below is of the major airports in Italy, but it’s not an exhaustive list. Depending on
where you’re coming from and where you’re going in Italy, there may be a smaller regional
airport that would also be a good option for you (you can often find these by looking at
Google maps and zooming out a bit until you see an airplane icon, or by consulting the
official website for the city you’re visiting).
For each airport listed below, there are also a few airlines listed that serve that airport –
that’s also not an exhaustive list, so be sure to check all your options for whatever airport
you’re considering.
Airports in Italy Listed by Region
Abruzzo
• Abruzzo Airport (PSR) – Located near Pescara; served by Alitalia, Air Transat, Ryanair
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Aosta Valley
• Aosta Airport (AOT) – Located in Aosta; served by Air Vallée
Basilicata
• There are no commercial airports for tourist use in
Basilicata. The closest airport for most visitors is Bari Airport
in Puglia.
Calabria
• Lamezia Terme Airport (SUF) – Located near Catanzaro; served by Air One, Alitalia, Blu-
Express, easyJet, Ryanair
• Reggio Calabria Airport (REG) – Located near Reggio Calabria; served by Alitalia, Air
Malta, Trawel Fly
• Crotone Airport (CRV) – Located in Crotone; served by Alitalia Express, Danube Wings
Campania
• Naples-Capodichino Airport (NAP) – Located in Naples; served by Air France, Alitalia, Air
One, British Airways,easyJet, Germanwings, Lufthansa, Meridiana Fly, Spanair, Transavia.
com, Vueling, Wizz Air
Emilia-Romagna
• Bologna-Borgo Panigale Airport (BLQ) – Located in
Bologna; served by Aer Lingus, Air France, Alitalia, British
Airways, Czech Airlines, easyJet, Germanwings, Iceland
Express, Jet4you, KLM, Lufthansa, Meridiana Fly, Royal Air
Maroc, Ryanair, Scandinavian Airlines, TAP Portugal, Turkish
Airlines
• Forlì Airport (FRL) – Located near Bologna; served by Belle
Air, Wind Jet, Wizz Air
• Parma Airport (PMF) – Located in Parma; served by Belle Air, Ryanair, Wind Jet
• Rimini-Miramare Airport (RMI) – Located near Rimini (nearest airport to Republic of San
Marino); served by Air Vallée, Albanian Airlines, Ryanair, VIM Airlines, Wind Jet
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Friuli-Venezia Giulia
• Friuli-Venezia Giulia Airport (TRS) – Located near Trieste; served by Alitalia, Belle Air,
Lufthansa Regional,Ryanair
Lazio
• Rome-Fiumicino Airport (FCO) – Located near Rome; served
by Aer Lingus, Aeroflot, Air Canada, Air China, Air France, Air
Malta, Alitalia, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Baboo,
Blue Air, Blue1, Blu-Express, British Airways, Brussels Airlines,
Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air
Lines, easyJet, EgyptAir, El Al,Emirates, Finnair, Iberia, Jet2.
com, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Luxair,
Malaysia Airlines, Meridiana Fly, Niki, Qatar Airways, Royal Air
Maroc, Scandinavian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airways, Swiss International
Airlines, Transavia.com, United Airlines, US Airways, Vueling Airlines, Wind Jet, Wizz Air
• Rome Ciampino Airport (CIA) – Located near Rome; served by easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air
Le Marche
• Ancona-Falconara Airport (AOI) – Located near Ancona; served by Alitalia, Belle Air,
Lufthansa Regional, Ryanair
Liguria
• Genoa Airport (GOA) – Located in Genoa; served
by Air France, Air Italy, Alitalia, Blu-Express, British
Airways,Lufthansa Regional, Ryanair
• Villanova d’Albenga Airport (ALL) – Located in Albenga;
served by Air Vallée
• Milan-Malpensa Airport (MXP) – Located near Milan;
served by Aegean Airlines, Aeroflot, Air Algérie, Air Berlin,
Air China, Air France, Air Italy, Air One, Alitalia, American
Airlines, Atlasjet, Austrian Airlines, Blu-Express, Blue Air, Blue1, bmi, British Airways,
Brussels Airlines, Bulgaria Air, Cathay Pacific, Continental Airlines, Cyprus Airways, Czech
Airlines, Delta Air Lines, easyJet, EgyptAir, El Al, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Finnair, Flybe,
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Germanwings, Gulf Air, Iberia, Icelandair, Jet Airways, Jet4you, KLM, Korean Air, LOT Polish
Airlines, Lufthansa, Malév Hungarian Airlines, Meridiana Fly, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Qatar
Airways, Royal Air Maroc, Royal Jordanian, Saudi Arabian Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines,
Sky Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SriLankan Airways, Swiss International Airlines, Syrian
Air, TAP Portugal, Thai Airways International, Transavia.com, Turkish Airlines, Twin Jet,
Ukraine International Airlines, Uzbekistan Airways, Vueling Airlines, Wind Jet
• Milan-Linate Airport (LIN) – Located in Milan; served by Aer Lingus, AirBaltic, Air France,
Air Malta, Alitalia, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Carpatair, easyJet, Iberia Airlines, KLM,
Lufthansa, Meridiana Fly, Scandinavian Airlines, Wind Jet
• Bergamo Orio al Serio Airport (BGY) – Located in Bergamo; served by Air Arabia Maroc,
Air Italy, AlbaStar,Alitalia, Amsterdam Airlines, Belle Air, Blue Air, Carpatair, Danube Wings,
Eagles Airlines, Meridiana Fly, Pegasus Airlines, Ryanair, Wind Jet, Wizz Air
Molise
• There are no commercial airports for tourist use in Molise.
The closest airports for most visitors are the ones in Naples
(Campania), Foggia (Puglia), or Pescara (Abruzzo).
Piedmont
• Turin-Caselle Airport (TRN) – Located near Turin; served
by Air France, Air Italy, Albanian Airlines, Alitalia, Blue
Panorama Airlines, Blu-Express, British Airways, Brussels
Airlines, Darwin Airline, Iberia Airlines, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Meridiana Fly, Royal
Air Maroc, Ryanair, Turkish Airlines, Wind Jet
• Cuneo-Levaldigi Airport (CUF) – Located near Turin; served by Air Arabia, Belle Air, Blue
Air, Ryanair, Wizz Air
Puglia
• Bari-Palese Airport (BRI) – Located in Bari; served by Air Berlin, Alitalia, British Airways,
easyJet, Lufthansa, Meridiana Fly, Ryanair, Spanair, Wizz Air
• Brindisi-Casale Airport (BDS) – Located in Brindisi; served by Air One, Alitalia, easyJet,
Ryanair
• Foggia Airport (FOG) – Located in Foggia; served by Alidaunia, Darwin Airline
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Sardinia
• Cagliari-Elmas Airport (CAG) – Located near Cagliari;
served by Alitalia, British Airways, easyJet, Edelweiss
Air,Germanwings, Luxair, Meridiana Fly, Ryanair
• Olbia-Costa Smeralda Airport (OLB) – Located in Olbia;
served by Air Alps, Air Berlin, Air Italy, Alitalia, easyJet,
Edelweiss Air, Helvetic Airways, Iberia, Jetairfly, Lufthansa
Regional, Meridiana Fly, Transavia.com, Welcome Air
• Alghero Fertilia Airport (AHO) – Located in Alghero; served
by Air One, Alitalia, bmibaby, Meridiana Fly, Ryanair,TUIfly
Nordic
Sicily
• Catania-Fontanarossa Airport (CTA) – Located near Catania; served by Air Berlin, Air
Italy, Air Malta, Air One,Alitalia, Blue Air, Blu-Express, British Airways, Cimber Sterling,
Eagles Airlines, easyJet, Germanwings, Lufthansa, Meridiana Fly, Transavia.com, Smart
Wings, Trawel Fly, Wind Jet, Wizz Air, XL Airways France
• Palermo-Puna Raisi Airport (PMO) – Located near Palermo; served by Air Berlin, Air Italy,
Air One, Alitalia, Blu-Express, Darwin Airline, easyJet, Iberia, Jetairfly, Lufthansa, Luxair,
Meridiana Fly, Norwegian Air Shuttle, Ryanair, Thomas Cook Airlines, Tunisair, Vueling,
Wind Jet
• Trapani-Birgi Airport (TPS) – Located near Trapani; served by Air One, Meridiana Fly,
Ryanair
Trentino-Alto Adige
• Bolzano-Dolomiti Airport (BZO) – Located in Bolzano;
served by Air Alps
Tuscany
• Pisa-San Giusto Airport (PSA) – Located in Pisa; served by
Air One, Albanian Airlines, Alitalia, British Airways,Delta Air
Lines, easyJet, Elbafly, Germanwings, Jet2.com, Meridiana
Fly, Ryanair, Transavia.com, Vueling Airlines, Wind Jet, Wizz
Air
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• Florence-Peretola Airport (FLR) – Located near Florence;

served by Air Berlin, Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airways,
Baboo, Brussels Airlines, Cimber Sterling, Lufthansa,
Meridiana Fly, Swiss International Airlines
Umbria
• Perugia-Sant’Egidio Airport (PEG) – Located in Perugia;
served by Belle Air, Ryanair, Skybridge AirOps
Veneto
• Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) – Located near Venice; served by Aer Lingus, Aeroflot,
Air Berlin, Air Corsica, Air Europa, Air France, AirBaltic, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, bmibaby,
British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cimber Sterling, Croatia Airlines, Czech Airlines, Delta Air
Lines, Eagles Airlines, easyJet, Emirates, Finnair, Iberia, Jet2.com,Jet4you, KLM, Lufthansa,
Meridiana Fly, Qatar Airways, Scandinavian Airlines, Spanair, TAP Portugal, Thomson
Airways, Turkish Airlines, US Airways, Vueling Airlines, Wind Jet
• Treviso-Sant’Angelo Airport (TSF) – Located in Treviso;
served by Air Arabia Maroc, Belle Air, Germanwings,Ryanair,
Transavia.com, Wizz Air
• Verona-Villafrance Airport (VRN) – Located near Verona;
served by Aeroflot, Air Dolomiti, Air France, Air Italy, Air
Malta, Air Moldova, Alitalia, Belle Air, bmibaby, British
Airways, easyJet, Lufthansa Regional, Meridiana Fly, Mistral
Air, Neos, Royal Air Maroc, Ryanair, Transavia.com, Vueling
Airlines, Wind Jet
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Maps of Italy
Way back when, Italy had the common sense to shape itself into a recognizable image
– that of a boot – which makes it extremely easy to identify on world maps and globes.
What’s more difficult, however, is identifying all the regions within Italy.
I tend to think of them in terms of where they are on the leg (Rome is approximately at the
knee, for instance), so if that helps you be my guest and use my trick. Of course, it means
you have to think of Italy as a thigh-high stiletto rather than just a short boot, but I think
that sort of suits the country anyway.
Map of Italy with Cities
Here is a map of Italy’s regions with some of the major cities in each region marked:
Obviously, you’re not going to use this map for anything but a general reference point. If
you’re going to be doing anydriving in Italy, you’ll want to get your hands on a good driving
map – like a Michelin or Hammond folding map of Italy or a spiral-bound “motoring atlas”
– which has all the roads well marked. You’ll probably need to buy those maps ahead
of time, but if you arrive in Italy and decide you want to rent a car and take day-trips to
explore the region that’s within a few hours of your hotel, you can always pick up a good
regional map in the bigger tourist centers (ask at your hotel, they should be able to help
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you find a good map) – these will be the most detailed, and best for driving, because they
only cover a small area of the country. They’ll often have roads marked that no other map
has, and which you might not otherwise take!
And for touring cities on foot or by public transportation, be sure to either get a good
guidebook that includes good city maps or pick up a few of my favorite city maps for the
cities you’ll be visiting. Keep in mind that even my favorite Venicemap is all but useless
for anything but the most general directions (although the vaporetto map on the back is
excellent). For the maze-like canal city, check out this fantastic online Venice map that will
help you locate any address in the city.
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Italian History
What I’m about to do here is foolish by any measure, I’ll admit that right up front. See,
my task on this particular page is to tell you about the history of Italy in about 500 words.
Yes, I think I’m going to go over that mark – especially if I keep using up words here in the
introduction to tell you about it! My point, however, in telling you that what I’m about to
attempt is utter lunacy, is to help you understand that while I can give you a snapshot
of Italian history I am, without a doubt, going to leave out gobs and gobs of important
stuff. That means that you’ll either have to be satisfied with the incomplete and partial
knowledge you’ll have after reading this page, or you’ll have to continue your research
elsewhere.
Can you have a good vacation in Italy without understanding its history? Sure. But a great
vacation? I’d argue that no, you can’t do that without at least a modicum of understanding
of the rich history of this incredible country. Because while modern Italy and modern-day
Italians are very much living in the present, everything about Italy is tied to its past. And I
do mean everything.
So – where to start? How about 200,000 years ago? Yeah, that sounds about right. Grab
some popcorn and sit back, this is gonna be fun. No, really.
>> And don’t forget to check out my quick lesson on what the colors of Italy’s flag mean,
too!
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More Ancient than Ancient Rome
We’ve all heard of “Ancient Rome,” but there

were people living in Italy long before Caesar
and company. In fact, there’s evidence of
people in some parts of Italy as many as
200,000 years ago. But the first group of
pre-Roman people that you’ll need to pay
attention to are called the Etruscans. At the
height of the Etruscan civilization (roughly
750-500 B.C.E.), their territory spread from present-day Tuscany north almost to Venice
and south into the Campania region. Little is definitively known about the Etruscans,
although you’ll see and hear about Etruscan ruins throughout central Italy. Another group
of people that also inhabited Italy before the Roman empire were the Greeks – they were
so prevalent in the southernmost points of mainland Italy and Sicily that the Romans
referred to those areas as “Magna Graecia,” or “greater Greece.”
The Roman Empire of Caesar and Friends
Once the Romans invaded the primary Etruscan

cities, it was only a matter of time before the
Roman empire spread its tentacles into the world.
Well, okay – it was more like a matter of several
centuries, but you know what I mean. What began
as a little agricultural backwater turned into an
empire with a massive reach over the span of
12 centuries. The map below shows the extent
of the Roman empire at its peak. Pretty amazing
domination, don’t you think?
This is why, even though you’ll marvel at the

Colosseum in Rome, you don’t have to go to Italy
to see Roman ruins. Still, walking the streets of
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the Roman Forum – the point from which that whole empire was governed – is enough to
give you chills. All good (and bad) things must end, however, and that included the mighty
Roman empire, which began to fall into decline in the 3rd century.
The Darkest Hour is Just Before Dawn (or the Renaissance)
Post-Roman empire, modern-day Italy fell into a patchwork of city-states which no

one empire could bring together to form a nation. Leadership of these city-states was
haphazard at best, and led to lots of rivalrous in-fighting between neighboring cities.
Some city-states chose to keep the power in the hands of a group of people representing
the city (called a Commune), while others opted to give the power (either formally or
informally) to one man (who was called aSignoria) or family dynasty in the hopes that a
powerful personality could achieve and maintain order.
This period of time, the Dark and Middle Ages, can be seen now as a period of transition
– but it was by no means only a period of unrest. Several city-states experienced some
serious boom years during this time, largely due to their positions as busy ports. Venice and
Genoa were foremost among the port republics in Italy, and they capitalized handsomely
on their importance to world trade routes.
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The Birth of the Renaissance Man
Along with the sights of Ancient Rome, it’s the

Renaissance masters who draw tourists to
Italy by the thousands each year, and that’s
no surprise. The movement we all call the
Renaissance, which means “rebirth,” originated
in Florence in the 13th century. The name refers
to the idea that during this time, scholars, artists,
thinkers, philosophers, etc. were going retro –
they went back to classic ideas and ideals which
had been all but forgotten for centuries. Names
we all recognize from the Renaissance – names
like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo – came
later, after the groundwork was laid by people
like Dante Alighieri, but from the 13th through
the 16th centuries, art and thinking flourished
in a way it hadn’t for a very long time. The result
is that many of the most famous works of Italian
art and scholarship come from this period.
Everybody Wants You (if You’re Italy)
Following the years of the Renaissance, a few foreign governments decided they wanted
what Italy had – so began fighting over dominion of the country. First it was France vs.
Spain (Spain won), and later Spain’s domination transferred to Austria. When Napoleon
rose to power in France, he came in and took over control for a short period of time as
well, until he was defeated in France.
Now, it might seem strange that Italy, this once-powerful center of the mighty Roman
empire, was just sitting by and watching the tennis match of “who’s ruling me now?” play
out. But it’s important to remember that throughout this whole time, there was still no
unified country of Italy as we know it today. The country was still made up of a patchwork
quilt of city-states, none of which was powerful enough to rule all the others, or to fight of
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invaders. And throughout this period, city-states didn’t find any enemy so egregious that
they’d want to band together to fight off. All that was about to change, however.
Risorgimento, or Why the Name Garibaldi is Everywhere
It took the efforts of an Italian nationalist called

Giuseppe Garibaldi to begin a unification movement
in Italy in the late 1840s, following the failure of
the first attempt at a war of independence from
Austria. Garibaldi had the confidence of southern
Italy, while in the north the Savoy family (northern
Italian royalty) rallied its followers toward a unified
Italy. The Savoys had succeeded in pushing the
Austrians out of northern Italy, so they were on a
roll and used that momentum to their advantage.
In 1866, the Savoy king, Vittorio Emanuele II, was

able to gain control of Venice in exchange for Italian
alliance with Prussia against Austria. This left only
the city-state of Rome out of a unified Italian state.
When France, which controlled Rome at the time,
left its posts in the Papal State to fight Prussia, the
newly minted Italian forces went in and captured the city-state for the new country of
Italy. In 1871, the Italian capital was moved to Rome. Giuseppe Garibaldi and Vittorio
Emanuele II are both quite revered in modern-day Italy, one as the people’s hero and the
other as the first king of unified Italy. (And, just for a little tidbit of trivia, Garibaldi even
offered his services to American President Abraham Lincoln during the U.S. Civil War.)
Turns Out Fascism Was the Wrong Choice
In the 1920s, the fascist party was gaining

power in the still-new country of Italy under the
leadership of one Benito Mussolini. Mussolini,
called “Il Duce” by Italians, fought back harshly
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against striking workers throughout the country, abolished all the political parties and
put severe restrictions on civil rights. He claimed he was trying to prevent a revolution. He
sided with Germany during World War II, the result of which was the invasion of Italy by the
Allies in 1943. Mussolini was arrested that year, although a fascist state was maintained
in northern Italy under German rule until Italy surrendered and Mussolini was executed
in 1945.
Calling Modern-Day Italian Politics “Confusing” is an Understatement
Following the second World War, Italy became a republic and the king abdicated his
throne. After that, things get considerably more muddy. There were several years of
riots, terrorist acts and general unrest – collectively called the “Years of Lead,” or “Anni
di Piombo” – during which political figures were targeted, sometimes successfully, in
assassination attempts. The government was widely considered to be corrupt, and this
attitude toward politicians continues in some fashion through to today (even though
there was an attempt to clean up the government).
Italian Prime Ministers have a habit of not staying in power very long, and there are more
political parties in Italy than you could count on both your hands and feet even if you had
six fingers and toes on each appendage, so it’s not surprising that politics in Italy can be
confusing to locals and utterly baffling to outsiders. The good news is that the chances of
you having to understand it for a vacation in Italy are slim!
So, that’s it – that’s Italian history in a nutshell. And it only clocks in at just under 1600
words! Seriously, though, I’ve left all kinds of important stuff out, just like I said I would,
so if you want a more in-depth look at the history of Italy (one that’s readable, not like a
textbook), try Harry Hearder’s “Italy: A Short History.”
Whether or not you take to studying Italian history, the things that are important for
tourists to understand are:
• Italians have a long and proud history dating back years before the Roman empire, and
they’re proud of that history.
• The intense regionality of Italy (which shows its face in things like cuisine, language and
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art) has its roots in the long history of city-states which preceded the unification of Italy
in the 19th century.
• A history littered with periods of political and social unrest and upheaval continues
to the present in the form of a complicated political system that is always suspected of
corruption. The Italians have gotten used to it, so don’t spend too much time worrying
about it.
Getting Married in Italy

The next time travel-loving friends of yours gets engaged, try this little experiment – ask
the female half of the couple what she’d think of having the wedding in Italy. If she doesn’t
swoon, she doesn’t really love to travel. Because having a destination wedding in Italy
is a dream come true for more and more couples every year – even those who aren’t
traveloholics!
Weddings in Italy are becoming so commonplace, in fact, that there’s a huge industry
that’s built up around helping non-Italians celebrate their nuptials in Italy. Just typing the
words “weddings in Italy” into any search engine will leave you feeling overwhelmed by
the choices. Depending on your budget, you can certainly pick from among the many
companies which will take care of every last detail for you – including everything from
getting the necessary paperwork translated, which can be a huge headache, to arranging
a place for the bridal party to get their hair and makeup done on the big day.
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There are many different kinds of wedding packages, so you can pick one based on how
much you’re willing to spend.
While you could technically do all of the stuff a

wedding organizer in Italy would do for you, I’d
only recommend attempting this if you’ve got
lots of free time, speak reasonably fluent Italian,
and live near an Italian consulate. Barring that
confluence of events, I’d say hiring a wedding
organizer – even if it’s only to take care of the
most basic things – is money well spent. The
things to make sure of before you hire a wedding
planner in Italy, however, are that they are
actually based in Italy and speak fluent Italian
so they can help guide you through the process
seamlessly. It’s best if you find someone who is
either based in or extremely familiar with the
town in which you plan to get married, as that
means they’ll have an existing rapport with the
local officials who could, if they wanted to, make the process difficult.
In 2007, Italy knocked Hawaii off the top spot in terms of honeymoon destinations, and
I’d wager that it’s probably edging in on becoming the top wedding destination as well – if
it weren’t for all the extra foreign paperwork, it’d probably be #1 right now! This is simply
because the same things that make Italy an excellent romantic honeymoon destination
make it appealing as a romantic place to get married. See my post about having a
honeymoon in Italy for ideas about romantic places to have your wedding in Italy, as well.
When I got married, my husband and I originally

wanted to elope in Italy. Unfortunately, the words
“elope” and “Italy” don’t get along so well – which
shouldn’t be surprising, given that the headquarters
of the Catholic Church are here, and they aren’t so
thrilled with the whole eloping thing. The truth is
72
that getting married in Italy requires that you navigate a sea of red tape, whether you’re
having a big, elaborate wedding or just want something intimate, so if you’re looking for a
place to be spontaneous with your betrothed, Italy isn’t the place for you.
Having said that, if you’re interested in a simple wedding in Italy, a couple of books I found
really useful in planning my own elopement were “Let’s Elope” and “Beyond Vegas.” Both
books provide some good ideas for having a small and simple ceremony, and “Beyond
Vegas” in particular is great for anyone who’s looking to wed out of their own country – the
authors got married in several countries as part of the research for the book, including
Italy!
As of this writing, here’s what U.S. citizens need to

have for an Italian wedding (civil ceremony):
• Passports or ID cards from the armed forces

• Certified birth certificates, and certified “Apostille”
• Divorce decrees, annulments or death certificates
for former spouses (if applicable), and certified
“Apostille”
• “Atto Notorio” – sworn declaration made with
two witnesses in front of Italian consulate in the
United States
• “Nulla Osta” – sworn declaration made in front of
the United States consulate in Italy
That “Apostille” thing is basically a certification
73
saying that the document you’re presenting

(in the above cases, things like birth or death
certificates) are acceptable in another country.
These must be presented with Italian translations
of the English documents, as well. The last two
documents listed above also come with small
fees.
Non-Italians will have a rough time finding

a Roman Catholic priest willing to perform a
religious wedding for them, but if you find one
then you won’t have to have a civil ceremony
on top of your Catholic ceremony. If you have
a Protestant minister in Italy perform your
religious ceremony, they will usually require that
you have a civil ceremony first in order to make sure all the legal bits are taken care of.
Think of it this way, girls – you can wear the dress twice.
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, and have a great time at your Italy wedding!
For more information on how to get married in Italy, see the information here – and if
you, like many, have your heart set on a wedding in Tuscany, then you might want to get
a copy of this Tuscany Wedding Guide book.
74
Real Estate in Italy
For many people who visit Italy, something happens where that “lifelong dream to see
Tuscany” becomes a “lifelong dream to live in a Tuscan farmhouse.” You’re not prepared
for the change, it just sneaks up on you – and before you know it, you’re looking at the
pictures in real estate offices that you pass on vacation, and scouring Italy real estate
websites when you get home. Most people don’t ever get much further than dreaming
about it, but some end up taking the plunge and living the dream.
Buying a house in Italy isn’t easy, but it’s not

impossible. You just need to make sure you’ve
done your homework in advance. Perhaps the
key to a successful real estate transaction in Italy
is working with a lawyer – the legal process for
buying Italian property is maze-like, and completely
unrelated to any other house-buying process you
may be familiar with. Getting independent legal
advice from someone in your own country, who
speaks your language, and who deals with overseas
property purchases will be invaluable to you in
getting through the process with as few headaches
as possible.
75
Some of other the things to think about before buying property in Italy are:
• Rent before you buy. If you haven’t yet lived in

Italy for more than the duration of a holiday there,
it’s a very good idea to rent property first so you can
make sure that the reality of living in Italy is as good
as you thought it would be. Plus, renting will give
you a chance to see whether the particular town or
city you chose will be a good fit for you long-term.
• Unfurnished really means unfurnished. Even if

you’re renting an apartment in Italy, and especially if
you’re buying, the kitchen is likely to be completely
empty (no cabinets, no appliances), there will be no
light fixtures anywhere (only raw wires protruding
from holes in the walls) and you may even find that
the wood floor has been removed. All of these things are considered personal property,
and people take them when they leave. So if you’re looking at a house or apartment, be
sure to ask exactly what stays and what goes – arriving to unpack the fridge only to find
not only is there no fridge but there’s no lights or floorboards would be a rude shock,
indeed. Just find the local IKEA and you should be able to fill in any holes left by the
previous owners.
• Test everything. Turn on every light switch.

Ring the doorbell. Flush the toilet. Turn on all
the heaters. Run the hot and cold water in every
faucet. Test all electrical outlets. In most cases, the
properties you’ll be looking at in Italy are old, and
all electrical and plumbing additions were made
years ago – so just because you see an electrical
outlet or a radiator, don’t assume they’re all in
top working order.
76
• Heating and air conditioning, or not. Most

Italian homes do not have air conditioning, and in
many the heating systems are inefficient. If being
too hot or too cold is going to be a problem for
you, be sure to look into modernizing the existing
heating and cooling systems if they haven’t been
already. And if you’re planning to “do as the Italians
do” and just cool your house in the summer by
opening the windows in the evening, make sure
you’ve got screens on those windows or you could
be eaten alive by mosquitoes or other biting bugs!
• Hire a local lawyer. I know, I said this above –

but it’s important enough that it bears repeating.
Find a lawyer who knows Italian real estate laws inside and out, and who can help you not
only figure out how to navigate the difficult waters of house buying in Italy but also how
such a purchase will impact your taxes and finances in your home country.
If you aren’t completely put off the idea of buying a house in Italy, that’s great! Really,
while the process is certainly complicated (some would say more complicated than it
needs to be), it’s definitely do-able – countless people do it every year. This year you could
be one of them.
Browse through the properties listed on this page to see if one of them calls to you – and if
you’re looking to sell a property in Italy, you can list it here for free.
77
Favorite Italy Blogs

Part of the joy of my job is that I get to check out other great Italy-related websites and
blogs on a regular basis, and even better is that I’ve been able to connect with (and often
meet in person) some of the people behind the websites I love. Here’s a selection of some
of the sites I like (in alphabetical order).
Italy Websites
These are informational websites primarily, either providing news, expat or travel
resources.
• Craigslist – Yes, there’s Craigslist in Italy! It’s already been a useful resource in finding
short-term accommodations (a spare room in someone’s apartment), and I’m quite sure
it’ll be even more useful once I’m actually living in Italy. There are sites for lots of cities in
Italy, including Florence, Milan, Naples, Rome, and Venice.
• Expat Arrivals (Italy Section) – A newer site for expat information on just about any place
you can imagine is Expat Arrivals. There’s an Italy section, of course, and there are different
sections broken down on the left menu for all the topics would-be expats would have
questions about.
• Expats in Italy – There are good articles here with information for those of you who,
like me, think an annual two-week vacation in Italy isn’t enough. There’s also a message
board, which has great first-hand tips for some common questions.
• Italia Living – Italy can conjure up quite luxurious imagery, and the Italia Living site aims
to help people incorporate “the charm and elegance of the Italian lifestyle” into our own
lives. This includes information about traveling in a luxury way in Italy as well as places to
buy Italian products. Italia Living is targeting “the affluent consumer,” but anyone can get
useful information and enjoyment out of the site’s blog posts and videos.
79
• Italy Magazine – Great source for Italian news and happenings, in English (the magazine
itself is almost prohibitively expensive if you’re buying it in the U.S., but the online resource
is great and free)
• Slow Travel’s Italy Section – It’s no surprise that the country which gave birth to the Slow
Food movement is also big on the Slow Travel front, and the Slow Travel website has
some excellent articles and resources for anyone who’s looking to get beyond the usual
tourist track in Italy.
Italy Blogs I Like
• ArtTrav – Alexandra is an art historian who lives and works in Tuscany. She blogs about
her life in Tuscany, especially about the wealth of art found in Italy.
• At Home in Tuscany – Gloria was born and raised in Tuscany, and writes in English as if it’s
her native tongue. She rents out a vacation house in the Maremma area, so she regularly
blogs about things that are useful for travelers in the region.
• Beginning With I – Deirdre has lived in lots of different countries, but it’s the Italy sections
on her blog that I focus on (obviously). She’s got excellent lists of Italian idiomatic
expressions, and an archive of Italian songs with their translations.
• Bleeding Espresso – Michelle lives in Calabria and writes about Italy and food from a
Southern Italian perspective. And she has really cute dogs. Oh, and now a pet goat!
• Brigolante – Rebecca lives in Umbria, where she operates the Brigolante apartment
holiday rentals just outside Assisi. She’s delightfully funny, as her blog shows, and I almost
always giggle aloud at least once while reading her posts.
• Italian American Girl – Margaret grew up Italian-American in New Jersey, and she blogs
about what being Italian-American really means.
• Italofile – Melanie posts good practical information about traveling in Italy, including her
regular (and helpful) posts about what’s going on in any given month in the country.
80
• Italy Chronicles – Alex is a Brit living in Milan who keeps me up to date on what’s going on
in the city as well as in the Italian news.
• Miss Expatria – Although Miss E spends about half her year in the south of France instead
of in Italy, her heart remains in Rome (and the south of France ain’t bad, either). She’s got
an incredible wit and happens to take some mighty fine photos, too.
• Ms. Adventures in Italy – Sara’s mainly a food blogger, but as she lives in Milan many of
her posts have a very Italian flavor to them. Her food photos are routinely described as
“food porn,” and she’s written some excellent “how to” articles as well.
• My Bella Vita – Cherrye and her husband run a B&B in Calabria, so she’s up to her eyeballs
in the hospitality industry in Southern Italy. But her blog isn’t all about the B&B; in fact, it’s
mostly about life in an Italian town.
• Revealed Rome – Amanda is a journalist who lives in Rome and works for a tour company,
so she has insights into the travel scene in the capital city and the skills to write about it.
• Rome Photo Blog – Jessica works for Context Travel in Rome, and happens to be handy
with a camera. The photos on her blog are big and beautiful.
• South of Rome – Karen has contributed a few posts here at WhyGo Italy, and I think her
own blog is an excellent showcase of her eye for photography and her love of southern
Italy.
• Venice Daily Photo – I have an unexplainable love of this city, so seeing it in pictures every
single day is alternately wonderful and torture.
• Zoomata – Nicole lived in Milan for years, and her blog is a funny take on Italian news
stories or happenings. It’s informational, yes, but it’s like getting the news with a dose of
humor.
81
Guest Posts Guidelines

Are you interested in submitting a guest post to WhyGo Italy? Here’s what you need to
know.
What I’m Looking For
Since WhyGo Italy is a travel guide, I’m primarily looking for articles that are timeless and
will provide readers with travel advice in some way. I’m open to other ideas, however,
such as travel essays about an experience you had in Italy – these fall under the category
of “travel inspiration.” I’m also happy to consider photo essays, too, if there’s a collection
of fantastic images for the topic.
Examples of some guest posts that I’ve accepted in the past:
• What to Eat in Umbria: Food for Every Season

• Night as a Wine Lover in Florence
• Top 10 Things to Do in Sardinia
• How to Visit Rome with Kids
• What to Do in Lucca
• 10 Favorite Family-Friendly Accommodations in Tuscany
Examples of guest post ideas that I’m not interested in:
• Travel diary posts that give a play-by-play of every single thing you did on your trip
• Topics that are so time-sensitive so as to not be useful to travelers for more than a very
brief period of time
• Anything “spammy” or overtly promotional, or anything deemed to be offensive or
blatantly false
• Anything with extensive grammar or spelling errors
82
Requirements: What I Need From You
• Word Count: I’m flexible on this, to a degree. Photo posts will have few words, but
otherwise I’d like the post to have at least 400-500 words. Anything over 2000 words and
we might start talking about breaking it up into a couple posts.
• Content: I’d like original content. Anything I categorize as spam (anything that is overtly
promotional towards a specific company, hotel, etc) or which requires extensive editing
to correct grammar and spelling errors will not be published.
• Photos: The number of photos needed differs depending on the post, but I’ll need at
least one image I can use at or near the top. It can be your own photo that you’ll allow
me to use, or a photo that’s Creative Commons licensed – either way is fine. (You can find
Creative Commons photos using this Creative Commons search tool.) I’ll also need a photo
of yourself to put at the end with your bio.
• Publication Rights: You retain all rights to your work, though we ask that you not publish
it elsewhere for at least six months after publication. If you’d like to alert the readers
on your blog or website to the post’s existence, I ask that you don’t republish the entire
article as it appears on WhyGo Italy. Posting an excerpt with a reference to the full article
on WhyGo Italy is fine.
Benefits: What You Get
• Links: At the bottom of your guest post, within your bio, you can link to your personal
blog/website and Twitter account (if you’ve got one). Depending on the context of the
post, I may or may not be able to link to your site within the post itself – and I reserve
the right to remove links (especially if you’re linking to your travel business). If you’re a
business, it’s probably best if you explore our sponsored post opportunities instead.
• Exposure: I’ll promote your post on Twitter and Facebook, recognizing you as the author
with links to your Twitter or Facebook account as appropriate.
83
Instructions for Submitting Guest Posts
Since I don’t accept every guest post idea I receive, please don’t automatically send in
guest posts before I’ve expressed an interest in it. This helps keep my inbox slightly less
cluttered than it already is.
1. Send me an email (italy [at] whygo [dot] com) with your guest post idea, including
a paragraph or two plus a brief outline of what the rest of the article will be like, and any
links to your writing samples online.
2. Once a guest post idea is accepted, send the final product to me via email (italy
[at] whygo [dot] com) in two formats: a Word file (so I can see where you’ve put in bold
and italics and whatnot) and a TXT file (so I can grab the text without Word’s superfluous
formatting codes). If you’re comfortable with HTML coding, feel free to send only the TXT
version of your post with all the bold and italics (and other) formatting already coded.
3. Send any photographs I’ll need for the post, or links to Creative Commons photos
you’d like to use. For any photos you’re sending via email, please crop them to 600 pixels
wide. You can use sites like Pixenate or Pixlr to edit photos online quickly and easily.
4. Don’t forget to include a brief bio and a photograph of yourself that I can use at the
bottom of the post. The photo of yourself can be smaller (usually 200 pixels wide at most).
84

All You Need To Know Before Going To Italy

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All You Need To Know Before Going To Italy

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All You Need to Know

Before Going to Italy

All You Need to Know Before Going to Italy

The Holy Trinity – And Beyond

Travel With a Focus

When you reach this point, you have

Italy Vacation Packages

people who simply are too busy to research

Planning Your Own Italy Vacation

are not trying to do too much in too short a time, and

The biggest downside of planning your own Italy

Holidays & Festivals in Italy

In addition to Italy’s national holidays which are

Notes on how to read the list below:

2012 Calendar of Holidays & Events in Italy

1 – New Year’s Day [Capodanno]*

3-12 – Almond Blossom Festival in Agrigento [Mandorlo in Fiore]

2-11 – CioccolaTÒ in Turin

1 – April Fool’s Day [Pesce d’Aprile]*

1 – International Workers’ Day [Festa dei Lavoratori]*

2 – Republic Day [Festa della Repubblica]*

Jun 22-Sep 2 – Verona Opera Festival

Jun 22-Sep 2 – Verona Opera Festival

15 – Assumption Day [Ferragosto]*

Jun 22-Sep 2 – Verona Opera Festival

4 – Feast Day for Saint Petronius in Bologna*

1 – All Saints Day [Ognissanti or Tutti i Santi]*

6 – Feast Day for Saint Nicola in Bari*

Soccer Games in Italy

Soccer in Italy is more than just a game, it’s

• AC Milan (Milan, Lombardy)

There are lower levels of play in Italian soccer, too,

The soccer season runs roughly from August

Should you be fortunate enough to

market, but you can find them by typing “Italian

To get acquainted with Serie A and learn a little

Italy Wine Regions

the names will matter less than the experience.

>> Learn more about how to read Italian wine labels

Organized Wine Tours

If you don’t already have a rental car, taking an

There are lots of providers offering these kinds of

On the other hand, if you’d prefer to see

>> Learn more about organized tours of Italy,

Do-It-Yourself Wine Tours

Open Cellars Day

Booking a tour of Italy can be a good way to make

before (or never traveled before), or people

Not all tours are created equally, especially

A few things to keep in mind when comparing

• How large are the tour groups?

City Tours in Italy

Day Trips in Italy

• Day Trips from Florence

Adventure Trips in Italy

Some of the Top Italy Adventure Tours:

• Highlights of Italy, 8 day tour (from $1355) –

• Cinque Terre Coastal Walk, 5 days tour (from

• Amalfi Coast, 5 Day Self Guided Walk (from

• Italy Family Adventure, 14 days tour (from $2785)

• Sicilian Volcano Trail, 8 days tour (from $1699) –

• A Taste of Italy, 15 days tour (from $3470) – Savour

Italy Tourist Attractions