Jane and I have been to Italy many times and have made mistakes early in our travels. We want you to enjoy everything Italy has to offer and want you to do the research (1 year in advance) necessary to make your travel as smooth as possible. Stress and headaches on vacations are not enjoyable. Write every activity down along with details. Keep all reservations, quotes, etc readily accessible. Watch your passports and belongings just as you would in the states.
Time
It takes 8 hr for a direct flight from Newark to Rome, Milan or Venice and a 9 hr direct flight to return.
Flights from Newark leave in the evening and we drive from the Scranton, PA area. We used to have a little tailgate party as soon as we parked the car at the airport but found out we were still hungry and spent to much for lunch on crappy airport food. I found a nice BYOB Italian trattoria “That’s Amore” about 1/2 hour from the airport. The first time we went to the trattoria, the restaurant wasn’t open for lunch. I went to the back of the restaurant and found the door open. The owner was busy setting up for dinner and said he was closed and had no help to serve us a lunch. I think the owner felt bad for us and opened up just for Jane and myself and the 2 other couples traveling us. He said to be patient because it was only him doing the cooking and serving the food. His food was wonderful as was his attitude! I brought my own bottle of Black rooster chianti classico and we had a wonderful lunch before getting to the airport. I had no problem leaving my car and luggage in view in his front parking lot. I suggest you call in advance and make reservations. We ate there again and had a wonderful lunch in September, 2019.
Lunch on way to airport:
“That’s Amore Trattoria”
Denville, NJ 07834
Web- www.thatsamorenj.com
phone-1-973 586-8856
closed Monday
You can plan your Italian BYOB lunch with your friends or partner on the way to the airport to avoid a lousy expensive airport food.
Parking at airport
Hilton on Spring street, Newark – 6.50/day (I just saw a deal Sept 2019 for 6 dollars/day; split it with another couple and it’s only 3/day/couple. We like Newark since JFK is too busy, has a higher price to park, more traffic and is longer for us to get to. I always make a reservation at this parking lot on line. Make sure you take your reservation and keep it with you to present at the end of the trip along with your ticket that you get in the machine when you park. Keep your keys safe during the trip and have them readily available when you arrive back at the airport. I always fill up my gas tank before I park the car so I’m not wasting time for the ride home.
When to go
Jane and I have traveled to Italy in May, June, July, August, September, October and November. Our favorite month is September followed by October. Airline and Hotel prices are usually less expensive. The lines for attractions are shorter and it’s not as hot as the summer months. Also note that many restaurants and hotels close in November and re-open in Spring. September is harvest time for grapes and late October thru early November is harvest for olives. Greve in Chianti has a chianti wine festival the second weekend of September every year. The running of the Saints in Gubbio and Horse race in Siena is early May. Whenever you decide to go, you can plan your trip around many great festivals in Italy
Planning
Start 1 full year or more before you want to go to Italy. Many of the hotels are small (4 to 20 rooms) and you will loose out fast. I look at which towns to stay in and how many days I want to spend in each. Additionally, I write everything down in a word document titled itinerary. We decide our time frame (3 or 4 weeks) and start looking at airfares. Airfares from June to Sept 1st will likely be more expensive. You will have to look at airfares as frequently as you can because the sites play games with you and change the prices on certain days of the week. Keep in mind the 2 days of travel time and note you will arrive in Italy the next day because of the 6 hour time difference. Many times I look at the 3 or 4 Italy cities for direct airline arrival because some have been cheaper to fly into. In the past, Milan has been a cheaper city, but you have to have patience and keep looking at various cities to fly in and out of along with various days of the week. Some days of the week are more expensive to fly than others. We perform our airline booking through Travelocity. At the same time, Jane and I am contacting the hotels directly by email or looking at various hotel sites to check availability of hotels and B&B’s for our stay. We also look at parking availability at the hotel and whether they charge an additional fee per night. As soon as we obtain airfare I secure the hotels within the next day or so, for peace of mind. We then obtain a car rental based on how many people are traveling. I always deal with Hertz and have found them to be reasonable and reliable, although you can look at others and compare.
Time spent in a town
We spend a minimum of 3 days and a max of 5 days and move on. Some people like to stay in a villa for 2 weeks or more and do day trips from one spot. I have found day trips very enjoyable, however I prefer to limit my driving time to another town in order to get back to my hotel before dinner and darkness. Driving after dinner and alcohol on dark narrow winding foreign roads is ill advised. We pick a town and do day trips from that town. We then drive to another town and check into another hotel ready to perform short day trips again. I try and limit my new hotel travel drive time to less than a 4 hr drive.
Example: Our last trip consisted of a direct flight to Venice (4 days; and no car)
Rent car in Venice one block from hotel. Bring car right in Piazzale Roma and load luggage. Then drive to Greve in Chianti(stay 4 days); Drive to Montalcino (stay 3 days); Drive to Sulmona, Abruzzo (stay 4 days); Drive to Molfetta, Puglia (stay 5 days); Drive to Positano (stay 4 days; parked car but never used it all boats and buses; drive to Rome (drop off car at Hertz near Vatican and stay 3 days) Direct flight home. 28 days and 2 flight days
We did the wash in Greve and Molfetta.
You can look up the driving distance from each town and I usually put a maximum driving time of 4 hrs with a stop
Car
Before leaving the USA and a about a week before, obtain an International driving license from AAA. Its about 20 dollars. Put it in glove compartment of the rental car. Cars are small in Italy, so think carefully about your luggage. We do wash at about the 7 or 8 day mark, so you should pack about 7 or 8 days of clothes. We obtain complete insurance offered by Hertz for peace of mind. You will agree when you see how people drive and park in Italy. I am in my 60’s and drive in Italy with no problems. Sometimes its stressful but it is also very enjoyable knowing that this is the best way to really see and mingle with the nice people in Italy. Again, I plan, write things in an Itinerary, have a great co-pilot with a good international phone plan and the Waze ap. As noted, we limit the length of time for day trips to 1 to 2 hour and trips in between towns we stay in to no more than 3 to 4 hours. Again, you do not need a car in Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan.
GPS and Waze!
The Waze app and an international cell phone plan is a must. A good co-pilot in the car will also help.
Plan, Plan, Plan
For day trips, look at distances, times, sights and churches to see and a place to eat lunch. Check the days restaurants are closed and put a not in your place to eat section of your itinerary. You do not want to waste time! You should have no problem exploring many of the towns and the surrounding areas.
Luggage
Obtain light weight luggage with 4 wheels. Girls limit to walking shoes and sneakers and no boots. You will be sorry when your feet are blistered. Guys – sneakers walking shoes; 2 pairs at most
Packing organizers
Medications stay in a purse
no liquids on carry ons
no corkscrews on carry ons
I put a carry on in my suitcase before I leave and take it out the day before departure. We fill it with gifts that require care. Example, Murano glass, inlaid wood hand made music box from Sorrento, Hand made glasses from Colle val d’Elsa, ect. ect. I have taken 40 lbs in a carry on, a suitcase of 50 lbs with a handbag tote bag full of glasses, and duty free items. I have never had any problems.
Parking
Parking is always a nightmare in Italy, so get used to it. You must be a patient person to drive in any foreign country. The larger the car, the more difficulties. Sometimes even a bicycle is too large for the Italian street. Plan your day trips and search for parking on line and Waze app. When I approach a small town, I drive as far as I can keeping an eye on the larger Blue P parking signs. I look for the one closest to the towns since some are very far away with difficult walks
You must obtain a ticket to park. Some of these automated boxes are a little walk from your car. Decide how long you will need to explore the town, put the change in the machine, push the button and place the ticket on your driver side dashboard. You will get a parking ticket if you don’t. Italy has not yet figured out how to get Americans to pay for all their tickets but Im sure they will someday. Some towns are worse than others for parking. Positano has a parking garage that will drive you to the hotel to unload the luggage, drive the car back themselves and if you want the car, they will come and drop it off for you. Sienna has parking, try and find the upper lot. Gubbio and Assisi have easy parking. Alberobello (Truli) parking is tricky to find. Some hotel parking is free and easy such as the Hotel Palm in Cingue Terre.
I never leave any luggage unattended in my rental car. We will leave small souvenirs or a bottle of wine out of view and locked in a vehicle as I explore a town. I remove all gifts from the vehicle when I park the car for the evening.
I always leave my passport in my hotel room and never had a problem. However, have the passports available upon arrival at a new hotel because the check in at the front desk of the hotel usually requires your passports.
Money, ATM, Credit cards
Before you leave, you can get no more than 100 euros from AAA. You won’t need more to get started in Italy. They (AAA) charge a commission. Go to large banks near your hotel for ATM card and get a few extra euros for tips, ect, but again use your credit card frequently so you are not carrying large amount of Euro cash. Take a few dollars for the airport before you leave but no more is needed. They will not take American dollars in Italy and if they do, you will get taken in a bad exchange rate! I try and pay everything with my credit card, Visa or Mastercard. Many places in Italy decline American Express or a Discover card. I get 1.5 points for every dollar on my credit card and this gives me a free airline ticket to Italy in the future! Additionally, your credit card will get you the best rate of exchange. Call before you leave a notify your ATM bank and credit card you will be in Italy (International travel notice). Some credit cards do not require this any more but check.
Additionally, I bring back a few hundred Euros to start my next trip.
Restaurants
A friend of mine from Molfetta, Nicola told me a very long time ago to stay away from ristorantes and go to trattorias, hosterias, osterias where Mom, Pop and the family are in the kitchen with the freshest daily ingredients. Boy, was he right! I never had a bad meal in Italy. So stay away with some exceptions from ristorantes (high priced fancy pants frozen tourist food and avoid places to eat in the main piazza of a town.
We will split a bottle of wine for dinner. If the prices look to high for a bottle, we will many times have the vino de casa and have rarely regretted it! Additionally, we drink Aperol Spritzs and make them at home especially in the hot summer. Aperol, prosecco, soda water, slice of orange. This is a great summer drink!
Dinner starts later in Italy and many don’t open until 7:30 or 8pm. Get into practice of making reservations since some restaurants only have 8 tables or so. Also, share a pasta, appetizer, or a meat dish since portions may be large. You will get to try more delicious foods! We have made the mistake before, so split a food or a pizza.
Maps
Obtain a good detailed map of Rome, Venice, Milan and circle all places of interest to see. Plan your day walking and possibly taking a cab to start your exploration and see as much in a day as possible.
For example, In Rome I try a make a quadrant knowing St Petes and Sistine chapel is a morning affair. I will then explore another quadrant on another day in larger Italian cities. Note some churches may be closed in the afternoon. Santa Maria de Popolo is closed in the afternoon.
Safety
I have always felt safe in Italy. Many of the towns we visit have a small petty crime rate to no crime rate at all. Large cities do have crime, however we are not out late partying to wee hours in the morning. After dinner, we walk back to the Hotel sometimes stopping for a gelato or an after dinner coffee or cordial. Some of the walkways and roads are extremely slippery when it rains and some roads where you walk are also in disrepair. Be careful and always watch your path when you are walking. Always cross the street in a cross walk and wait for pedestrian lights to walk, no mater how long before they turn. Don’t leave anything in your car unattended. Plan your trip so you can get lunch in your next town after the luggage is in your hotel and your car is parked.
Watch your belongings especially in crowd or train station. Make sure when everyone is leaving a restaurant, boat, cab, that they have their cell phones, cameras and all belongings!
Car trafic tickets
Italy makes it difficult in certain towns for driving. Many signs are difficult to read and before you know it, you may be in a bus only lane. They have a camera which takes a picture of your license plate. Then the municipality will try and track the owner and or driver of the vehicle. Since you went through a rental car company, it takes some time. Hertz will charge your credit card 50 to 100.00 dollars to provide the police with your name and address in the USA. They then will send you threatening letters to pay. They have one year according to Italian law to properly serve you for notice. I call my credit card company the moment I get home to tell them my card was compromised and send me a new one so Hertz can not charge me. The only one they got me on was a failure to where a seatbelt in Sicily. I told them, no one wheres a seat belt and some vehicles don’t have seat belts. They told me they have to look up the exact law and cost for the ticket since they never wrote a seat belt ticket before. My friend from Italy told me that the police were very happy that I bought them lunch and a bottle of wine that day.
Florence collects 25 million a year from tourists on tickets. Other culprits for tickets: Milan, Rome, Orvieto, Molfetta
Don’t forget to bring cords for phones, car charger for cell phone, and adaptors for electric and hairdryers. They make one with multiple ports.
Wash
Accumulate some euro coins, bring detergent pods and softeners; dryer temps. Sometimes a person is available who will do your wash and fold everything for reasonable fee.
Greve in chianti – we set aside a morning or late afternoon and get the wash done at day 7 or 8 into the trip
Cortona – this one was out of town but still very convenient.
Molfetta- this one is in town, but parking was difficult.
Aguillera Sabazia (Lake Bracciano) short drive up in town but it was easy
Look up the town for a laundromat on line before you depart for Italy. Plan when you will do the wash.
Your First trip to Italy
We like to travel to Italy for 3 to 4 weeks. Anything else seems to short for us because of the 2 days of travel time. Many people can only take off for 2 weeks and for many its a first trip which I term a “newbie trip”
If this is your first trip to Italy you will want to include Rome, Florence, and/or Milan. Again a good map and a plan to see as much as possible. Rome will take 3 to 4 days to see the sights. Milan will take 2 days and Florence a day or 2. Then depending on the time of your entire trip, consider driving to other areas or talking a train to get to see the small charming towns.
Florence for David, Santa Croce, Duomo, Ponte Vecchio bridge. Milan, Last Supper, Duomo, Trattoria Milanese
Please Note: Pisa is a waste of time to see and take a photo of the leaning tower. Theres really nothing else there. Look at your driving route and on the way stop, see it, take your pic to tell people you saw it and move on. I have actually taken people there parked the car and directed them to see it and have them meet me back at the car in an hour on the way to
Cinque Terre- Is very touristy, but the views are spectacular and it is a must see
Transfer Service
For transport to and from Airports and Hotels, Sun transfer has always been reliable. Have the front desk call the day before your departure and confirm
If you require their service on the day of arrival to Italy, don’t forget the day change when you book in advance.
Organization
We keep all paper work individually stapled in a large envelope. This consists of airline, hotel reservations, and rental car reservations with Hertz. Additionally, include your Tickets to the Sistine Chapel, David and The Last Supper. I also have my restaurant list including days of the week that the places are closed. Also include the Sun Transfer reservations. Plans on day trips, including arrival time, place to eats and sights to see are printed. I will make some restaurant reservations the week before departure. Consider restaurant reservations at least the day before.
Shipping
We ship wine home unless its something obtainable in the USA. We have shipped olive oil and have brought olive oil in our suitcase without any problems. We have shipped hand painted tuscan dishes. We have brought back wheels of cheeses (hard, not fresh), prosciutto’s, jars of chingale sauce, balsamic crema, olive oil, lace, linen, paintings, crafts, pottery, clothes, glass, hand made bowls, carving boards all in our suitcases.
Physical fitness
Many towns do not allow parking in their centers. Most have very winding steep hills. You must be in some sort of good physical shape to do these types of trips. I would suggest working out and attending a gym on a very regular basis (Please consult your physician on exercise) if you don’t already have some form of exercise. We have traveled with 80 year olds, but they are very good for their age.
You could take a cab to the far part of your itinerary in Rome or Milan and walk back including the sites you would like to see. In Venice, we walk to all the sites, except Murano and Burano which are accessed by a direct water bus (take the direct to save time)
We take boats on the Amalfi coast and buses.
Trip Insurance
Years ago when we were younger we never obtained trip insurance. We now get trip insurance to cover reimbursement expenses if something should occur. We have used Allianz trip Insurance, 1866-672-9580 Richmond VA or customerservice@allianzassistance.com
Girls section
Bring your own hair dryers since the hotel’s are less than adequate. Avoid boots. Must have sneakers!
Bring organizers for suitcases.
COOP
Look for a grocery store near your hotel or ask the front desk. A COOP is the Italian neighborhood grocery store. It has everything you need and then some. You can buy snacks, food, liquor and beer, and water for the room. This is the cheeper alternative to buying water somewhere else. We find one in every town we stay in!
Sight tickets
Check out tickets for Sistine chapel to skip line; notice the Chapel is closed on Sunday.
Last Supper tickets, closed on Monday
David Tickets closed on Monday
