Make credence recognised that on 25 Apr 2007 09:57:07 -0700,
dingodog_1979@yahoo.com has scripted:
>Hi! My husband and I (we live in the US) are going to travel to Italy
>for about two weeks in Aug - Sept. Neither of us speaks Italian or has
>prior travel experience traveling to Italy, so we need your advice
>regarding the following:
Oh boy, you sure do!!!
DON'T come to Italy in August!!! It's red hot, everyone is on holiday,
and prices are sky high! October or May/June are better bets.
Renting a car is what you do in the US. DON'T do it in Europe! Take
the train, and save money and preserve your hair. Train is cheap,
easy, and comfortable in Italy.
All of Italy is a "must-see", really!!! In 2 weeks, see Venice,
Florence and Rome. Do yourself a favour and limit it to that. Don't
bother with Milan, especially at that time of the year. Just because
it's a major city, doesn't mean it's worth seeing!
Camping is mad in Italy. They are usually located very remotely, and
the price ends up being just marginally cheaper than a hostel or
similar.
As for meeting the locals, note that Italy receives many tourists, and
they aren't all dying to speak to you in English. Outside tourist
areas (and even within) Italians don't usually speak decent English.
It will be a chance encounter at best, and you definitely would be
wise to learn a little Italian. It's not hard at phrasebook level.
As for a guidebook, any of the major ones will do for a trip of your
duration. In two weeks you won't see all of Italy. In my years here, I
still don't feel I know it.
Repeat, fly in, see Venice, Florence and Rome by train/foot, and leave
with a wonderful feeling that you need to return to see more.
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DFM - http://www.deepfriedmars.com
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