I am in Italy

[suites]

We (my wife and I) are on the last 5 days of a 14 day tour of Italy.

 

All I can say is wow.

 

This place has so much history it is sick.

 

We were in Rome and now we are in Florcence and finishing up in Venice. We also did many "small places" in between.

 

I don't know where to begin with what this place is like.

 

The Pizza is too good.

 

Anyone else been on a trip to Italy.

 

SUITES

[gogo]

I have been (Trieste and Venice), and I am very envious of you and wish that I was there right now.

[cryptique]

I spent some time in Florence and Rome many years ago, and I've been scheming to find a way back ever since.

[ikol]

I was there 3 years ago. Make sure and eat as much gelato as possible.

[tongue-tied lightning]

pizza shmeetza, how's the chicky parm !!!!!

[jff]

I went to Rome 7 years ago. Agreed, best pizza and gelato anywhere.

 

Every single day we got lost and somehow wound up at the Pantheon.

[Atticus]

Florence is one of my favorite places on earth. Hope the rest of the trip goes well.

[wilceaux]

My new wife and I will be making a trip to Italy in the Fall, probably October.

We will have about 12 days. I'm trying to figure out a good itinerary. I would really like to go to Florence, Venice, and Sicily (family ties).

Any advice would be great.

[cryptique]

My new wife and I will be making a trip to Italy in the Fall, probably October.

We will have about 12 days. I'm trying to figure out a good itinerary. I would really like to go to Florence, Venice, and Sicily (family ties).

Any advice would be great.

If you have any fascination at all with antiquity, it'd be a pity to skip Rome -- the Forum and Colosseum and Pantheon and Circus Maximus etc. etc. etc. Lots o' good shit. Oh, and the Vatican and the Spanish Steps, the food, blah blah fuckity.

 

Careful, though -- drivers in Rome are about the craziest I've ever seen.

 

If you get to Florence, don't miss the Uffizi.

[suites]

If you have any fascination at all with antiquity, it'd be a pity to skip Rome -- the Forum and Colosseum and Pantheon and Circus Maximus etc. etc. etc. Lots o' good shit. Oh, and the Vatican and the Spanish Steps, the food, blah blah fuckity.

 

Careful, though -- drivers in Rome are about the craziest I've ever seen.

 

If you get to Florence, don't miss the Uffizi.

 

 

I agree.....Rome was over the top....the Colosseam alone was worth the plane ride....Also we did Pompeii which was off the hook.....those guys were so far adead of the time it is crazy. The had card games, Hookers, and so much of the stuff that they have today.

[jff]

Careful, though -- drivers in Rome are about the craziest I've ever seen.

 

That's definitely true. Don't try to drive in the city under any circumstances. When crossing a street on foot, look for the oldest lady you can find and walk next to her.

[theashtraysays]

I once went to this great little town in the North called Stresa, about an hour from Milano. It's right there on lake something-or-other (there are a gazillion lakes in that part of the country in the Italian Alps) and it's a delightful place. It was a beautiful train ride down from Geneva.

[Hodie]

I did a bike ride through Tuscany a while back, which means I became an expert on gelato. In Firenze, go to Perche No, 19/r, Via Dei Tavolini.

 

My goodness, I ate well there. Sigh.

[awatt]

When the wife and I were in Italy a few years back, I found myself surrounded by 8 or 10 gypsy kids begging for money outside of the Colosseum. They all had pieces of cardboard they were sticking in my gut and back, asking for money. In a flash, one of them had his hand down my front pocket pants where I kept my wallet and before I knew it, the wallet was gone. Luckily my wife, who can kick some ass, spied and then grabbed the little shit who had it under his shirt, bear-hugged him from behind, and I grabbed my wallet back.

 

Watch out for little, pathetic gypsy kids.

 

Went to Florence as well as Rome and had a fantastic time. Italians were beautiful, sharpest dressed people I've ever seen. Also huge assholes (most of them, anyway--nothing against all the wonderful Italian Americans here in the states!).

 

Visit museums, churches, cemeteries, and eat lots and lots. Prego!

[jff]

When the wife and I were in Italy a few years back, I found myself surrounded by 8 or 10 gypsy kids begging for money outside of the Colosseum.

 

The area around the Colosseum is crawling with thieves.

 

Wear a money belt or neck pouch, or something. They're a pain in the ass, but worth the trouble.

[Calexico]

Careful, though -- drivers in Rome are about the craziest I've ever seen.

 

 

Oh you said it, I was pertified trying to cross the streets there. If it wasn't the crazy buggers in cars then it was the lunatics on the scooters that would nail ya.

[Hodie]

Also huge assholes (most of them, anyway

I was going to just ignore this, since everyone has their own ideas of what constitutes an asshole (), but decided I wanted to go on record as saying that most of the italians I met were not assholes in the least, but in fact were pretty sweet and invariably patient with my pathetic attempts to butcher their language.

 

The main time I saw them going all arrogant and unhelpful is when Americans waltzed up and started speaking english without so much as a little capisce l'inglese? Every urban italian I met certainly did speak english, but I saw more than one pretend he didn't in that situation.

 

In the countryside, pretty much everyone was nice to us, even in our stupid bike outfits and with gelato stains all over our faces.

[awatt]

I was going to just ignore this, since everyone has their own ideas of what constitutes an asshole (), but decided I wanted to go on record as saying that most of the italians I met were not assholes in the least, but in fact were pretty sweet and invariably patient with my pathetic attempts to butcher their language.

 

The main time I saw them going all arrogant and unhelpful is when Americans waltzed up and started speaking english without so much as a little capisce l'inglese? Every urban italian I met certainly did speak english, but I saw more than one pretend he didn't in that situation.

 

In the countryside, pretty much everyone was nice to us, even in our stupid bike outfits and with gelato stains all over our faces.

 

You're right, that was over the top. Really had a great time there, mainly in cities with thousands of other tourists roaming around with maps and backpacks.

[Calexico]

I was going to just ignore this, since everyone has their own ideas of what constitutes an asshole (), but decided I wanted to go on record as saying that most of the italians I met were not assholes in the least, but in fact were pretty sweet and invariably patient with my pathetic attempts to butcher their language.

 

The main time I saw them going all arrogant and unhelpful is when Americans waltzed up and started speaking english without so much as a little capisce l'inglese? Every urban italian I met certainly did speak english, but I saw more than one pretend he didn't in that situation.

 

In the countryside, pretty much everyone was nice to us, even in our stupid bike outfits and with gelato stains all over our faces.

 

 

I find that in most European countries, the people will always be appreciative if you even attempt to use their language and will, if they can, help you out or talk to you in English too. The Spanish are the nicest people I have ever met in this regard. The French being the worst. I was accosted by some twat trying to get me to sign a petition on the street in Bordeaux and when I intimated, in English, that I didn't live there I got the "pfft" lip action from her and she walked away. Bitch.

[IcculusDC]

I was going to just ignore this, since everyone has their own ideas of what constitutes an asshole (), but decided I wanted to go on record as saying that most of the italians I met were not assholes in the least, but in fact were pretty sweet and invariably patient with my pathetic attempts to butcher their language.

 

The main time I saw them going all arrogant and unhelpful is when Americans waltzed up and started speaking english without so much as a little capisce l'inglese? Every urban italian I met certainly did speak english, but I saw more than one pretend he didn't in that situation.

 

In the countryside, pretty much everyone was nice to us, even in our stupid bike outfits and with gelato stains all over our faces.

 

I'll second that. Just got back from two weeks in Italy and the Italians were very friendly. Their country lives on tourism and they are used to to dealing with people from other coutries being around all of the time. They key is to learn a little Italian and at at least make an effort to "speak"/hack their language

 

And as far as the traffic in Rome -- it is definitely crazy. I found it helpful to look into on coming traffic as you cross the street so they know that you are crossing and are aware of your surroundings. They will definitely not just blatantly run you over.

 

A funny thing happened to to my wife and I in regards to traffic. We were crossing a small side street and out of nowhere an older man in a small, old, beater comes flying down the street (very..very..very fast -- even for Rome drivers). I grabbed my wife and pulled her back in the sidewalk. As soon as he saw we were trying to cross he slammed on the brakes and came to a skidding stop(I thought his little old beater was going to fall apart as he stopped) and then apologized and motioned for us to cross in front of him.