Gaming World Forums
General Category => General Talk => Topic started by: Beasley on February 21, 2009, 06:48:52 pm
-
So, this upcoming Thursday I will be departing, with the family, to Italy on a three week trip. We have a one day lay over in London, and from there it's straight to Sorrento, which is in Southern Italy. From there we'll be checking out the Amalfi coast and other spots in surrounding area. During this leg of the trip, we may fly up to Venice just for a day, me and my mom (really hoping we do this.)
Next, to Rome. Our apartment is extremely close to the colliseum (15-30 second walk?) and I've been told that's a p. great place to be staying. This is where we're spending the rest of the trip.
so anyways.
if any of you guys have been to italy (i know there are some of you out there) i'd really appreciate any tips on cool shit we could easily miss, how to avoid lines in the vatican (example), or pretty much anything else to make my trip a success! also just any general advice on travelling abroad would be cool as this is my first time overseas so i guess im not totally sure what to expect??
welp i hope i have been clear i'm a little foggy from the night before so this topic could be a lil incoherent. regardless, any advice is much appreciated, and if anyone else is leaving the country and is curious like me, feel free to use this topic to ask other members about their trips.
thx guys :cool:
-
I've been there twice. Which is not often, but what applies to the rest of South/Western Europe applies to Italy as well. Which means: don't forget the tiny places.
I know, you're going to Circus Maximus, the Colosseum, St. Peter's Basilica and the Pantheon and who knows where else. All of those places are absolutely stunning and nobody should die without having seen them. But Italy as a whole is a beautiful country too. Almost every tiny city has its own art-laden church. Don't be afraid to approach the less famous parts of the country. I'm not saying you should start driving around goalless, but just that there are other places than Rome.
What I suggest is that you take a look at this list (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Heritage_Sites_in_Europe#Italy) first. Click some links, look at some pictures, and see if any of the sites are near where you'll be going. This is not an exhaustive list of amazing things you can see in Italy, but it's a very good start.
-
If the Italians start shouting at you don’t be alarmed, they tend to shout at one another like its normal conversation... Make sure to barter when buying anything from stalls its a very normal thing to do there, honest. If your unsure just show them the money your willing to spend, they wont turn the money away. If you happen to drop by Naples while in the south then make sure to buy a pizza (magherita), Neapolitan pizza is in my opinion best pizza on our planet but a pizza no matter where in Italy will always be a delight.
Watch yourself when crossing the street.. no seriously, its very chaotic and there are mopeds all over Italy just waiting to knock you down. Oh and one suggestion, I know its normally customary for most when on holiday to eat out everyday but I would definitely recommend you try eating in at least once with the fresh produce you can find in the marketplaces all over Italy.. the vegetables and fruit will taste better than anything you have ever eaten from your local grocery store I promise.
-
Throw your weight around, Italians only respect aggressive and overbearing men.
Have fun though
-
Goin to rome for a study trip in may, gunna be so great to see the sistine chapel.
-
Italy is the most beautiful place I've ever been to, man. You'll love it. Italians can be the nicest people ever. Be sure to see plenty of the countryside.
Oh and I think Massy2k6 means BARGAIN, not BARTER.
-
Barter means haggle/bargain...
-
Uh...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barter
Barter is a type of trade in which goods or services are directly exchanged for other goods and/or services, without the use of money.
-
there is a difference between collosseum and coliseum this is the first thing you must learn
-
Barter means haggle/bargain...
Yup, I meant barter... alot of the sellers at stalls for example in market places will give you their highest price so most off them expect you to haggle. I remember my mum doing this at every stall at the local market when I was last there, she got a better price on everything she bought.
-
Uh...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barter
Yea but bargain is still synonymous with barter.
-
Yea but bargain is still synonymous with barter.
Not that I am implying that you are incorrect, but can you point towards a source that uses it in this context? I could only find definitions that describe it as a type of system that doesn't use money.
-
See if you can hire a professional tour guide for the vatican. It's so incredibly small in there that the queuing doesn't feel like it's worth it, but the tour guide will spin pretty much everything into an interesting story, and will point out things that you would never notice yourself (such as all the 'paintings' are actually mosaics, or one of the statues had a nose grafted from it's own bum). Tour guides generally get shorter queues as well.
Other than that...uh... venice is most definitely not beautiful, it just stinks absolutely horribly. The majority of italy is so very good but venice is awful.
-
I've been to Italy like seven times no joke. Stop by Lucca if you can that city is beautiful as hell also the Cinque Terre is an amazing walk you'll remember for the rest of your life if you take the time. Italy is most beautiful during summer though why are you going there now!
Also Venice is pretty cool, but be prepared for tiny and old fashioned hotels that cost a shitload. Also try feeding the pidgeons it is great fun.
When in Rome be sure to check out the pantheon and the ruins that lie close to the Colosseum. Also drop by the sixtine chapel in the Vatican. If you can go to Milano and go to the top of the dome. That's also one of the best experiences you can have while vacating in Italy.
All things considered I doubt there are many tourists there at this time of year so you'll likely be free to do all those things without a hassle.
But these three things you really have to do:
1. Visit Lucca/Luca, and stay for a day or two. Try walking on the city walls or just sit there drinking red wine and eating olives (this works best during summer, but is probably still fun).
2. Do the cinque terre hillside walk. As I said, it's amazing, and it's pretty much a coastal hill walk where you'll walk through four (or was it five?) villages that are all among the most beautiful villages ever.
3. Got to the top of either the dome in Milano or the Vatican. Both are amazing walks and really makes you feel alive, especially after the 300 or so steps to the top. I've done this quite a few times already and it's really worth it every time.
So yeah my dad is a sucker for Italy so we go there a lot. If you intend to visit Lucca or the Cinque Terre be prepared for not many people speaking English as opposed to Rome or Venice. In Lucca we couldn't find a single person that spoke English but I'm pretty sure they're there, especially since it's becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination (although still underground).
Other than that...uh... venice is most definitely not beautiful, it just stinks absolutely horribly. The majority of italy is so very good but venice is awful.
I thought Venice was pretty cool since it's pretty much 17th century houses on a shitload of water and there's fucking bridges and boats EVERYWHERE. It's a really unique city but yeah it's a bit filthy but overall I thought it was rather great. Also the war museum is p. cool.
-
Also the war museum is p. cool.
does it keep changing which side of the canal it's on? (bad joke alert)
-
Also drop by the sixtine chapel in the Vatican.
Don't do this. You'll be queuing for over an hour, and you can't take pictures or sit down in the Sistine Chapel (plus the guards are rude). It's like going to the Louvre just to see the Mona Lisa for five seconds and then walking out again. There's a ton of great (and better) art to see besides the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museum. So yeah, get a proper tour guide if you can.
Oh, and when in St. Peter's, keep your hand on your wallet. It's swarming with pickpockets (mostly of the sweet old granny variety).
-
Don't do this. You'll be queuing for over an hour, and you can't take pictures or sit down in the Sistine Chapel (plus the guards are rude). It's like going to the Louvre just to see the Mona Lisa for five seconds and then walking out again. There's a ton of great (and better) art to see besides the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museum. So yeah, get a proper tour guide if you can.
I disagree. When I went to the Sistine Chapel, not only was it well worth the visit, but it also didn't take that long to get in. This was mid-season, too. I think I queued for 20 minutes.
The guards are rude, though. You're right about that.
Which reminds me of one extremely important thing that everyone must know: you can't get in some places if you aren't dressed right. I believe the Sistine Chapel is one of those places. (You can enter most places in Rome due to the high amount of tourist traffic, but you should be careful elsewhere because it's a shame if you can't enter some place because your shoulders or shins are exposed.) Make sure you check beforehand!
Also I hate guides. I strongly prefer going through whatever I want to see at my own pace, so I usually buy a book and read about the places as I visit them. This one (http://www.amazon.com/Michelin-Green-Guide-Italy-Guides/dp/190626113X/ref=sr_11_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1235407125&sr=11-1) is highly recommended.
-
yeah the sistine chapels requires women to cover their shoulders iirc and probably men too.
anyway i seriously doubt there's too much tourists in the sistine off the summer season so it'll be ok. I enjoyed all three of my visits to the Vatican city and any queu is going to be forgotten if you keep your focus on the right things.
-
I dunno man, I don't want to post 'heh, tourists' but you will regret it if you go there and just do the normal tourist stuff. well with Italy if you're staying away from the tourism you're missing all the important shit, but you should definitely try to avoid getting in the rut of shuffling from one location to the next just because it's supposed to be important or pretty or w/e. imo the best thing you can do is read up on the places you're visiting and really get into them. idk if wikipedia will suffice, there are also educational films about the art of the renaissance and stuff, find em. all of this is assuming you don't already know a lot about italy
everything is worth seeing, but don't try to rush and cram things in!! it's ok if you skip over something, it's better to take your time and get the full effect
also figure out a couple foods you want to try while there, maybe look for the best place to get them
-
books. a good travel book on italy would probably be really helpful.
-
umm
a big part of going to italy for me would be going to milan. what a great city. plus great football forza milano!
and sicily would be an absolute necessity.
-
yeah definitely go to milan. go watch inter!
-
posting from: london
key notes: europe success
fuck i like this city a lot. shame i only get like a day here. buckingham is super boring, not worth the time. westminster abbey is sick though. loving the drinking age too. never had a mai tai till this evening. note to self: probably a fem. drink, do not consume around bros
going to italy tomorrow, will update as i can
OH and ha not a big U2 fan or anything but we heard a rumor they were doing a free, unanounced concert on a roof in downtown london and we were like EH fuck it SoHo is right there anyway so if not then hey just get dinner and lo and behold it was true. like i said not a big bono dude but still this was pretty cool considering i was here for one evening AND on top of that it was fuckin SUNNY today what are the odds of that?
-
it wasn't really u2 IT WAS NICKELBACK IN DISGUISE
-
my friends and i went on an aimless walk in one of the cities we stayed in in italy (I don't remember which one.)
the first place we walked into was some kind of printer store or something
-
Hi there, this is irving. I am from the Philippines, I am also new to this forum community. I hope that I will be able to meet interesting folks around here. And I also plan to contribute what little information I have with me. It’s a pleasure to be here guys. Thanks.