[expand title=”15 Surprising Things about Travel in Italy”]
- Hotel City Taxes are applicable at most all hotels in the major city centers. These taxes range from 1 Euro per person per night, to 8 Euro per person a night depending on the location and star-rating of your hotel. A 4 star hotel in Rome for example costs 6 Euro per person a night.
- The number of spas and natural thermal springs are countless and many hotels allow for free access to their spa facilities. Saturnia is one of the most famous of the natural hot-springs in Italy, but there are countless other truly wonderful spas in the regions of Emilia Romagna, Umbria, Veneto, Tuscany, Lazio, Marche and others! It’s absolutely incredible how many natural springs there are and these springs are said to heal your joints, bones and restore your skin to balance, but they’re not only a tonic for the body, they are a tonic for the spirit too!
- You’ll be shocked at how mountainous Italy is! Italy has some of the highest mountains in Europe and incredible ski-resorts. The Apennine mountain chain runs straight down the Italian peninsula and just outside of Rome, in the region of Abruzzo you can find some incredibly high mountains. In Umbria, we have the second highest waterfall in all of Europe and these incredible geographic areas are a sharp contrast to the major city centers which are extremely densely populate.
- Some things are good from far, but far from good. Distances in Italy can be deceiving. Don’t always trust Google Maps, for there are constantly road detours, road closures and intense traffic and certain areas. It may look like a 1 hour and 20 minute drive into Rome city center or Florence from the ports of call, but it’s more like 2 hours, leaving you with less time than you thought to see what you came to!
- Designer outlets in Italy are a total rip-off and waster of time. Big Fashion Labels like Gucci, Versace, Valentino, Armani and many others are not less expensive in Italy and in many cases are more expensive. This is because Italy has “Regulatory Pricing” on many fashion brands.
Spending time in fashion outlets in Italy is for the most part a total waste of time. They do big marketing, but in the end you go getting nothing extraordinary at all.
Go for the smaller towns, boutique places and the artisans in the smaller towns rather than wasting time in the bigger outlets.
- There are an extraordinary number of places to see outside of the major city centers, that are often away from the crowds and take far much less time than you realize to get to! Take Rome for example, where in less than an hour, you can visit Tivoli, the Castelli Romani, the Papal Gardens at Castello Gandalfo, Fregene, Ostia and countless other towns and cities that are absolutely beautiful. From Florence, in less than an hour you can literally visit dozens of different locations in the region of Tuscany and likewise from Milan or the Amalfi Coast. There are countless, incredible options depending on where you base yourself and very inexpensive ways to get there as well!
- The number of pedestrian only traffic areas and restricted driving areas there are and there are definitely some areas in Italy to avoid driving at any cost. We highly recommend you visit our blog on Areas to Avoid Driving in Italy.https://www.italyvacationspecialists.com/blog/5-places-absolutely-not-drive-italy
- You will be surprised how populated it is! Italy looks small on a map, but it is home to a population of over 58 Million! That is double the size of the population of Canada which is 30 x the size geographically speaking, so you can imagine the parking nightmares and around the major city centers like Rome, Naples, Palermo, Florence and Milan there can be extreme and intense traffic.The amount of time in advance you have to reserve tickets to places like the Last Supper in Milan and various other galleries and museums! Make sure to plan well in advance of your time in Italy for sites of interest like that.
In so far as meals are concerned:
- You may be surprised at how little the Italians eat for breakfast. It’s usually a very small breakfast and very basic, usually no eggs or meats and limited to a small espresso and maybe a croissant or cookie of sort, since the major meal of the day is often lunch.You have to pay an extra fee in many places like bars and cafes if you want to sit down.
- Meal times and courses! :Lunch is usually served at 13:00 and Dinner Service does not usually start until 19:30 or later, the further south you go and meal courses and the way meals are served is very different. It’s not like many other places where you have a single plate of salad, side-course and main course. Not Everything is served on one plate like in other countries. There are multiple servings starting with the antipasto, followed by the first course (usually pasta), second course (usually meat) and salad usually follows the first and second courses. Then, there is desert, coffee and an “amaro” or digestive drink.
- A pleasant surprise for vegetarians, vegans and gluten-intolerant individuals, Italy’s restaurants and caffes have many options for those with special diet requirements. Many gluten-free pizzerias and pasta types now exist and there are lots of options for vegans and vegetarians popping up all over the place!
- Italians rarely take the initiative to send the bill to the table. They often wait until you ask for the bill!
How Fit they are! Many Italians, despite the fact that they eat a lot, are often very physically fit!There are no such things as lines! People are butting in and out all over the place, so you need to do the same!The amount of cash you can take out of a bank machine at one time!
- BANKS & MONEY:
If you like to have cash on you, take money out well in advance of coming to Italy.
- How many words like “Prego” or “Allora” you will hear over and over again, because they have multiple meanings!
- How many tourist traps there are – particularly in Venice, Florence, Rome, the Amalfi Coast and Cinque Terre. Thinking of heading to Positano on the Amalfi Coast? When you hear these big names, think about the fact that you and tens of millions of people have also! Meaning, the vast majority of tourists are all going to the same old places in Italy, like the island Capri famous for the blue grotto! Did you know that Dino Island further south or Ponza island has even more beautiful grottoes than the island of Capri, far more stunning even. The only difference is, you pay less than a Euro for a coffee in other places and sometimes as much as 10 EURO on the island of Capri! That’s because Capri has the name famous the world over!
- How Litigious and contractual Italians are. Everything has to be in writing or it’s not valid, and yet the law seems to be nothing more than a suggestion most of the time. Make sure to have EVERYTHING IN WRITING AND EVERYTHING CLEAR with hotels, driving companies and others if you are coming.There are no such things as lines! People are butting in and out all over the place, so you need to do the same! Try to avoid having anything to do with banks in Italy and public institutions in general.
LINES & GENERAL LIVING IN ITALY…
- There may be 50 people in line, but there will only be 1 or maybe 2 people to service everyone, so it’s an incredibly taxing affair to speak with bank-tellers or people in public offices.The cost of gas and gasoline & the cost of living in Italy: Things like eating out, various goods and clothes are by North American standards very cheap, but things like lights, rent and insurance are extremely expensive.Standards of Customer Service:
- The lack of toilet seats even in some high end restaurants.
- Heating and air conditioning
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