Top Italy hotels
Do As Romans Do Rome
160 Reviews News: TUSCAN VILLAGER WINS 148 MILLION EURO ON SAT, AUG 22! This week, Aug 20, was the 86th draw without a winner and pushed the pot to 146.9 million euros for Italy's SuperEnalotto jackpot. It...
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Carnival Venice
44 Reviews Carneval di Venezia ( Carnival of Venice ) is a must visit at least once in your lifetime, and to get into the spirit of things, a mask is a must. Venice has seen some form of mask going back to the...
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Dining and Drinking Milan
25 Reviews The custom of aperitivi is helpful when you're on a budget. Many of the bars in Milan, for the price of a drink, will give you food to go along with it. You can easily make it into a light...
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Legends Verona
14 Reviews There are so many contradictions regarding W. Shakespeare and his work, some experts doubt he ever visited Italy and Verona, others doubts he wrote all those novels among which "Romeo and Juliet" is...
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Events Pisa
5 Reviews Last Sunday in June - 'Gioco del Ponte' (Bridges Game) . This is probably the most important festival in Pisa. It involves Mediaeval costumes, horseback parades and 12 teams of 20 people attempting to...
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people Genoa
5 Reviews Raffaele Rubattino was a visionary and the first Italian ship owner to commit his company to steam navigation. He formed the steamship line that would connect Genova to several ports of the...
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Meals and drinks Palermo
8 Reviews Palermo presents an impresive range of fresh fishes . While being in Sicily I ate all my lunch at a friend mom's home, and later on I was trying to find the recipes of whatever she was making. The...
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Festivals/Holidays/Celebratios Como
5 Reviews I visited Como the last week in February, so it was carnival season. Children have a week holiday from school and they can be seen in different masquerade costumes (especially the younger ones) and...
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Signs, Signals & Superstitions Rome
34 Reviews Cigarette sales in Italy fell by around 50 million packets in 2007 compared to the previous year, a report by independent thinktank Ref said Friday, February 8, 2008. Sales in Italy have fallen since...
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Gondole, gondoliere, traghetti Venice
19 Reviews Next to our hotel was one of the 7 Traghetto crossings of the Grand Canal. Ours was going from Campo Santa Sofia, close to the Ca'D'Oro, to the Pescheria the fish market. These are old gondolas...
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Torino's Bull at the Gallery (to be squeezed) Milan
7 Reviews This bull is depicted in the coat of arms of Torino. You see that there is a hole on its genitals and may wonder why. Well, a tradition says that if you put your right heel on this hole and turn on...
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The Patron Saint of Verona Verona
12 Reviews The magnificent look of the apse and Romanesque bell-tower of the basilica of San Zeno. The roof and the apse were rebuilt in the Gothic period. The weathered Veronese stone of which the basilica is...
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Churchs Pisa
7 Reviews This is Santa Maria della Spina by night during the "LUMINARA". The scenery is very impressive so if you are in Pisa on june the 16, in the evening you could take a walk along the Arno River.
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surroundings Genoa
5 Reviews The sea is a basic part of Italian culture. After a day of fishing, local fishermen spend the remainder of daylight enjoying each other's company and re-living their experiences. Students walk and...
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Daily life Palermo
2 Reviews Coming from the UK I know how it feels when you go on holiday and as soon as it gets a little bit hot you need to put your flip flops on and a skimpy little vest top. Well they don't do that in...
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Festivals Celebrations & Protests Rome
31 Reviews Yes, Italy's royal scandal starring the House of Savoy with KING VITTORIO EMANUELE III - he was deposed - exiled to Switzerland - begged to return - was granted his wish - returned - was arrested and...
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Festivals Venice
18 Reviews Before the Regatta started, Canal Grande was a very bussy place, there were lots of moving up and down the chanel. More or less I got impression its big confusion down there on the water front, boats...
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Fashion Milan
10 Reviews Here ... city of fashion. You will not see anyone wearing a simple shirt or dress when they out to town. Most of ppls here, are beautiful with their dress. Not only for woemn, also applicable for a...
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Other Verona
18 Reviews not a proposal! Mmm and not really a "local" custom but I though that placing it under the "to dos" was a little too much- Anyway, up to the 2009 spring the civil weddings took place nearly only at...
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language Genoa
2 Reviews The local dialect of Genoa (Zena) is most interesting. Coincidentally, Genoese is spoken in 2 towns in Sardinia, one of which is Calasetta, so i grew up speaking a little Genoese. In Genoa, as in all...
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Shopping Palermo
3 Reviews In general people are less focussed on famous labels like Armani, Versace (like in Rome). I couldn't believe the number of blond people. (probably has to do with the history of a/o the Normans). The...
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Tipping/Restaurant Charges Venice
10 Reviews Cappuccino — a shot of espresso infused with steamed milk and foam and drunk in the morning by Italians, but never after lunch or dinner, since with that much milk is considered a meal in itself, -...
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Ciao: when to use it! Milan
3 Reviews English is hardly spoken in Milano. Oh dear, huh?. ;-) Nevertheless, don't let this deter you from visiting this great city. You can pick up some Italian before your trip to Italy. Memorize common...
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Events Verona
11 Reviews Tocatì (Your turn! in Verona dialect) was a frequent word exanged beetween children playng along the roads, swapping roles in the games. How many times i told it! Time of no cars around, no PCs or...
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museums and exibitions Genoa
3 Reviews A new special service offered by the "Associazione Le Voci" You can rent a cd-player with a complete audioguide in many languages to visit step by step the principal places of interest in the city....
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Ah, young love. Stroll through the parks or by the little cafes and you'll see quite a number young people just spooning away. Italians are not at all afraid of public displays of affection and good friends, of both genders, often greet each other with bear hug and/or lusty peck on the cheek. We should be so lucky.
Pedestrians can find crossing an Italian street to be a hair-raising experience. Traffic laws exist but they appear to be optional. The trick is to use crosswalks, whenever you can, and not to hesitate. Put your head down and GO. Never stop halfway through. Cars and motorcycles will either stop or zip around you. As much as I'm sure they'd LIKE to kill some of the tourists that clutter up their busy intersections, they won't. If it's too much for you, shadow an Italian or better yet, a nun - no shortage of those in the bigger cities. The good news is that as insane as the traffic can be, we didn't see a single accident or pedestrian mishap during our time there.
Pet's feces, awfully, it's very easy to walk on them while walking on streets or parks, but here it is common to think that catching one is a sign of luck.It is probably an excuse invented to justify the lazyness of dog's owners anyway.
It's customary, unless having one as an appetizer, to order a whole pizza per person. No problem - Italian pies don't come as heavily loaded as American versions and it's a great opportunity to sample more than one. They're unlikely to be served pre-sliced but this place in Rome cheerfully offered to halve our two orders for us. Good Italian pizza is to die for - creamy mozzarella, smokey meats (no pepperoni, though), fresh vegetables and herbs on a hand-tossed, fire-baked crust. Yum. Like anywhere else, not all pizzerias turn out top-notch pies so do some research before you go.
Those lovely little backstreets, with their inviting cafes, bars and restaurants, make for the finest of romantic and memorable meals but, as impossibly narrow as they are, they're still STREETS. With cars. And motorbikes. Within inches of your table and often at breakneck speeds. You get used to it after awhile but the first time a Fiat roars by within inches of your tourist-tired toes, you may find yourself clutching your dining partner (and bottle of excellent local wine) for dear life!
In a country where city streets are impossibly narrow, parking a nightmare and petrol expensive, owning a car can be a challenge. The smaller, the better. My Honda Civic is positively gigantic compared to one of these little buggers! Hooray for fuel efficiency - where can I get one!!!???
Bottled water in Italy can get quite expensive. Don't purchase water from bars, or mobile stands that sell snacks, their markup is quite high. Instead I would recommend finding a grocery store, or a supermarket, and buying water there. This approach will save you a few Euros. The second option, which is a lot more frugal, not to mention eco sustainable, would be to carry a reusable water bottle and refill it at public fountains. Italy has no shortage of public drinking fountains.Buying fruit at fruit stores (fruttivendoli), is also a smart choice for the budget traveler.
Italians are not big tippers, even among themselves. Some waiters, taxi drivers, etc. expect foreigners to tip them. I say, don't feel pressured into leaving a tip if the service was awful to non-existent.
This is the equivalent of "excuse me". Whenever there is somebody standing in your way, simply say "permesso" and they will part like the Red Sea.This little, simple, word works like magic. Your stay in Italy will be so much easier, and stress free.
Girlfriends, don't even think about sightseeing in strappy little heels - you'll be miserable. Even the ever-stylish Italians, who are famous for gorgeous shoes, don't wear anything flimsy if they have to walk any kind of distance. Rome, especially, was cobblestones from one end to the other, sidewalks are narrow and uneven, and you'll be climbing lots and lots and lots of stairs. You won't be out of place in athletic shoes and comfort trumps fashion any day. Be sure and break in a new pair before you go. Also, think twice about planning to roll luggage for any distance - it can be a challenge. Pack only what you can easily lift and carry, or plan on a cab or some form of public transit to get from point A to B. Italians spend more time on their feet than we do (good for them). Getting to the Metro, the market, to work or anywhere else usually involves more than a bit of walking. I saw...
Albergo Del Senato Rome
5 Reviews and 1085 Opinions The Pantheon is my favorite building in Rome and might be my favorite building in the world. The...
Al Ponte Antico Hotel Venice Venice
6 Reviews and 474 Opinions My sisters and I stayed 2 nights at this hotel and our time there was priceless. Matteo and his...
Hotel David Florence
6 Reviews and 920 Opinions My husband and I stayed at the hotel 4 years ago and loved it, so when I planned our family trip...
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Q: For my 3rd trip to Italy, my mother and I are on a tight budget (food-wise). On previous visits, I'd simply select a recommended...
A: Sandi, I'm no expert on Italian eating but eating from each menu section would be an incredible feat. We always order a starter OR a dessert and then we order either a...
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