Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with italy

Eating well in Europe -- England, France, and Italy edition

Concolora — Mon, 20 May 2013 11:33:33 -0800

It's happening!! Mr. Concolora and I are flying out to London tomorrow to start our three week tenth wedding anniversary European extravanganza and I'm about to pop with excitement. We're going to be in London, Paris, Dijon, Verona, Vicenza, Venice, and Rome and we'd love some recommendations on where to eat. Snowflakes inside! We have two 'event' dinners planned, one in London and one in Paris. For those we're looking to spend somewhere in the thirty Euro per person range.

For everything else, we'd like to stay reasonably inexpensive while staying away from American style fast food. We love street food, we are incredibly adventurous eaters (offal is totally cool with us), and we actively want to eat local food. We have a small amount of French and Italian in our travelling party, and we're confident that we can pull off ordering , etc in restaurants where little or no English is spoken.

Help us eat well in Europe, AskMeFi!

Getting to Italy via Frankfurt?

RobotVoodooPower — Sat, 18 May 2013 17:49:38 -0800

I'm trying to get to Umbria, Italy during the first couple of weeks of October, but I hate layovers. There are nonstop flights from Orlando to Frankfurt. According to the Google I can take the ICE to Munich and the CNL to Florence, then meander toward Umbria, about 19 hours of travel time. (Even if I flew to Milan it would be 18!)

Would this be a cool way to spend a few days? What are the logistical issues and where should I stop? Is there a different route from or back to Frankfurt that would also be fun? Will I be able to sit next to my s/o on the train(s)? Will there be Doppelbock and Spätzle?

Got the Italian Girlfriend Blues...

letsgomendel — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:47:33 -0800

Any tips from Metafiltrati with latin/italian lady experience to make things calmer or more manageable? About 4 months ago my Italian gf moved in with me and since then we've gone through patches of insane arguments and peace and loving tranquility.

The main gripes seem to be: my seeming "lack of passion", her not feeling "at home" in my house because I say things like "would you mind not putting chicken carcasses in the compost" and various other random things I don't quite understand where they've come from. The other dispiriting thing is that when she does get annoyed about things it's just one thing after another which becomes totally deflating.

I'm a pretty calm English dude and the things she gets mad at seem to be quite unreasonable, but then I get mad when she extends these seemingly unimportant things out for hours and hours. I've learnt Italian since being with her and I've spent a few years in Latin countries in Europe so I'm not completely unfamiliar with their way of doing things, I just don't think I've got it right. The good bits are enough to make me want to persevere, but the bad bits are just doing me in. She seems to be able to switch on an off this angry mode but it leaves me messed up for hours as I'm totally not used to this kind of lovers conflict!

Before I decide enough is enough, I'd like to do my best to be able to make things work. Any tips dudes/dudesses?

Running races in Northern Italy and Slovenia in late August?

Sticherbeast — Sat, 04 May 2013 12:52:01 -0800

My SO and I will be travelling to Northern Italy (the lakes region) and Slovenia in late August. Huzzah! As we're cementing our plans, it occurs to us that it would be fun to run in some sort of organized running race during that time, even if it's just some running club's 5K. However, it's been hard for us English-speaking Americans to find a reliable source of information as to when any such races will be going on. Can anyone help us? Barring actual races, what running tours, or other such similar things, do people recommend in the Italian lakes region, or in Slovenia? More general running websites, such as MapMyRun and RunningCalender.eu seem to be incomplete. We find it very difficult to believe, for example, as some websites claim, that there are no running races whatsoever in the nation of Slovenia for all of August 2013. It's also very possible that we're wrong on this point.

Our exact schedule has us landing in Verona on 8/19 and leaving from Ljubljana on 9/1.

Please note that, for the purposes of this question, we only care about running races and tours. No cycling, for this question.

Is this a crazy way to see Italy for the first time?

dukes909 — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 06:28:02 -0800

Wife and I are going to Italy in a couple of weeks. It's our first trip there, and one we wanted to do for a long time. Friends that have been there are telling us all the places to see in Rome, Venice, Florence etc. Thing is, other than being in Rome the first & last night, we aren't going to any of those places, and don't really want to! We're planning to get off the beaten path as much as we can. Is this a good/bad idea? I'm having doubts now.. While we'll try to see some highlights in Rome, there is simply so much to see that we know Rome is several trips worth of touristing itself. Since this is predominantly my wife's trip I've taken a backseat to any kind of planning (and I really haven't had time anyway between work and a close relative now in hospice care).

Unlike previous overseas trips, we are not renting a car. Instead going by train or bus out from Rome up the coast as far as Portofino, trying to see it and going through the national park at Cinque Terre, and trying to stop in Montefiascone where my wife has some relatives she's never met. Then back to Rome.

Neither of us knows the language although she has been studying phrasebooks (all previous trips were to English-speaking countries). I haven't had time to do any research or studying. We had dinner with friends the other night - they took a Euro-cruise last year and went to Venice, Rome, Florence, and paid guides and translators to get them the front of lines to museums, etc. When we told them our plans, they acted like we were crazy and sort of made me start wondering if we are. These folks are older than us and regular cruise-going travelers. We are more seat of the pants types and never even make hotel reservations before getting there (although we did for Rome this time). They kept saying this is a "once in a lifetime trip" and we should see all the historic places. We are planning to go back someday so I don't like that line of thinking..

They were incredulous at our plans (or lack thereof) to the point now where I wondering
1) should we have more plans to see the historic stuff and tours?
2) are we going to be in trouble knowing very little of the language?
3) can we get around just fine without a car?

Am I going to have problems getting a SIM card in Italy?

teg4rvn — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:51:32 -0800

Previous AMF questions have discussed walking into various mobile providers in Italy and just buying a SIM card. Glancing around internet currently suggests that SIM card sales are (more?) heavily regulated in Italy than previously, even to the point of not offering them for sale to someone showing a passport. Curious if any current Italy residents, expats, or students can provide info for the following: US unlocked GSM smartphone owner heading to Italy for 10 days and would like to have reasonable phone and text options to call/text back to states to check on house and pets with housesitter. Data a plus but absolutely not necessary. Any advice to smooth the process of buying a SIM card in Italy would be greatly appreciated.

Can you help me plan my trip to Germany, France and Italy?

BitterYouth — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:29:22 -0800

I will be in Berlin, Prague, Venice, Florence, Rome, Marseilles and Paris this summer. I've never been to any of these places before. I will be spending about 2 days per city apart from Prague which is only 1 day. I realize it is a hectic trip and hard to see so much in such a short time, but that's the way the budget and time worked out. I will be traveling with two other students.

Advice I could use: where to stay (good hostels that you've stayed at?), tips/tricks to make things cheaper or easier to see (for example in Rome, I'm told that getting the bus tour package allows me to skip lines at the main tourist spots). We’re students and on a small budget and limited time in each city, so any ideas for making things efficient/cheaper would be awesome. Also things to see that I definitely don’t wanna miss in any of these places?

I have been using lonelyisland, ricksteves and seat61 but I was looking for more personalized advice.

THANK YOU!

Transportation - I'm traveling by train between most cities (already booked). So EuroRail pass is a nonissue at this point.

I have read some previous relevant threads, particularly this one about staying in Rome.

PS - I've never asked a Q before so I might be doing this all wrong....have mercy.

Rome fiumicino airport - 4 people - Zero cellphones - where do we meet?

jander03 — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 23:18:17 -0800

Four of us are coming in on different flights and terminals throughout a single morning - what landmark in the Fiumicino airport can we all meet by?

Garden of Lost Fruit?

Yiggs — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:22:20 -0800

In The Fruit Hunters by Adam Gollner, he mentions "Bologna's Garden of Lost Fruit" as a fruit-focused tourist destination (p. 35). Googling for this name only brings up a Google Books snippet of the book, and trying to translate it to Italian doesn't seem to give anything useful either. What is this place called in Italian, and where can I find it?

Which way from Milan to Budapest?

goingonit — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:44:26 -0800

I'm planning to travel from Italy to Hungary via Slovenia and Croatia this May. The only things I have booked are my flight into Milan and my flight out of Budapest 17 days later. I'm looking at two different itineraries. Which should I choose? I've done enough investigation into ground and sea transport to find two very viable options. They are:

1) Milan -> Padua -> Trieste -> Ljubljana -> Split -> Zagreb -> Budapest
2) Milan -> Bari -> Dubrovnik -> Split -> Ljubljana -> Budapest (via either Zagreb or Maribor & Vienna)

Given I have a fair amount of distance to cover in not very much time, which should I do? (essentially, Dubrovnik is very far out of the way so is it really worth the visit?) Is any of the travel between these places particularly aggravating? (Also: I have been to Venice a number of times before and plan to skip it this time around.)

I think I have covered most of my general-travel-planning bases, and I read this previous thread, but quirky/interesting stop suggestions are appreciated (in particular: good places to stop on the coast between Rijeka and Split)

Interest-wise, what attracted me to this trip were both the long and fascinating history (hence why I'm even considering visiting Dubrovnik/Ragusa) and the natural beauty. Don't plan on much clubbing but do plan to do a fair amount of eating, drinking, and socializing. I'm traveling alone and plan to stay in hostels and/or guest houses.

Thanks!

Help me navigate the world of planning a trip abroad.

DoubleLune — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:19:35 -0800

I'm going abroad this summer. What advice would you give to someone who hasn't been abroad in a decade? What resources exist for traveling? Specific areas: Sardinia, Italy (mainland), France, possibly London. I'll be in Sardinia for a month on an academic trip -- this is organized by others and I have to do no planning. Afterwards, I plan to spend a week or two in Europe. I'd like to do something like fly to London, and then work my way back to Rome (it seems to be cheapest to ultimately fly in and out of Rome). How long is reasonable to allow for this? I'd like to spend 2 weeks, but may be limited to 1 week due to the expense. How can I keep my costs down and maximize my time in Europe? I don't have a budget yet, but how much should I be planning for (excluding plane fare)?

And the places I'd like to see most are southern France and Italy. Is it a bad idea to try to get to Paris and London as well? Or if I fly to London, will I be able to do it all in 2 weeks? I'd like to spend a few days in each place, but don't want to burn myself out from traveling. Should I spend more time in fewer places? I've been to Paris before, but would love to go back (it was on a school trip 10 years ago).

Are hostels the best option for lodging? How safe are they? I am female, late 20s, will probably be traveling alone for part of this (I do know some people also going this summer and may meet up with them, but they're backpacking and don't have their itinerary well-planned yet).

And my general travel preference is to feel relaxed, not obligated to be somewhere at a certain time, see a lot, and really soak up the culture. Also I know French well, but would love to improve it well enough to consider myself fluent while I'm there. Other than just not speaking English while I'm in France, what's the best way to do this? I know about 5 words of Italian, good resources to learn some basics in the next couple months?

Etruscan resources

the man of twists and turns — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 13:49:57 -0800

I'm learning that many of the customs and traditions that I think of as Roman actually originated from the Etruscans instead. Can anyone recommend some good books, videos, or websites about ancient Etruscan culture and history?

Italian gift ideas for fashion design grad

mediated self — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 20:22:00 -0800

Seeking ideas for a graduation gift that we could buy in Italy for a fashion design major. SO's sister will be graduating college with a degree in fashion design. SO and I will be visiting Florence and Rome the month before the graduation and are thinking of graduation gift ideas in advance. Max spending limit is $100 US.

Forwarding a suitcase from Italy to Toronto

Evstar — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 12:43:54 -0800

Currently I'm in Italy. In March I'll be travelling to Scotland by train and making stops along the way. Then I'll be flying home to Toronto. My problem is that I have a lot of luggage that I needed for an extended professional stay in Italy, but which will only serve to encumber me when I go traveling. What is the best way for me to forward one large (standard checked baggage) suitcase home to Canada from Italy when I head out? I would especially appreciate any advice based on personal experience. I've done a little searching and poking around on services like excessbaggage.com et cetera. I would prefer not to spend as much as my flight home ($500CAD) just to freight one suitcase. I don't care if it takes two weeks to arrive home. I can do without most of my clothes. I only don't want to have to lug around a big 24Kg suitcase everywhere I go between Siena and Glasgow.

Places to stay in Tuscany

snztt99 — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 19:21:39 -0800

looking for recommendations for places to stay in Tuscany in August. Prefer a B&B. Planning to stay 3-4 days in Siena to day trip from there, but would like to spend a few days in the country side. Also looking for places to stay in Venice

Let's go Italy!

outfielder — Sat, 05 Jan 2013 16:22:23 -0800

Traveling to Italy, have questions. My spouse and I will be in Italy for the first time for 2 weeks in May, flying in and out of Rome. Our current plan is to go immediately to Florence and Siena for the first week, the Amalfi coast (probably based in Sorrento) for most of the second week, and the last 2 nights in Rome. We're looking for advice about travel methods (rental car vs train), lodging (we prefer boutique style hotels, but would like WiFi and in-room safes), and any must-sees. We are planners as far as hotels go, but don't need every minute planned once we're in a place. We are physically fit 40-somethings from Portland, and we eat fish, but no other meat. Any advice is much appreciated.

Help plan a 3 week Italy Trip

snztt99 — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 19:54:40 -0800

I need help planning a trip to Italy this summer/2013 with my daughter for her 14th birthday (golden). Would like to see parts of the south and North. I am a bit nervous about traveling alone. Looking for tips on two week itinery, lodging, family oriented plans. I would like to start in the south as my mother's family is from Montefaconi, Rome, and then north. I have considered a week long tour in the south and then traveling Rome and northern on our own. Would consider a homebase in the north for 4-5days but where to stay??

Help us make the best of the Amalfi Coast.

scooterdman — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 09:50:06 -0800

Traveling to the Amalfi Coast in Italy in March with my girlfriend and her family (6 total people). Need some help. Looking for some guidance regarding:

— Transportation. (Best ways to get around for short day trips. For instance, should we rent cars, use public trains, buses, boats, etc?)
— Points of interest. (Most seem interested in making a day trip to Pompeii — beyond that, what else?)
— Food. (Where? Yelp is useless in Italy.)
— Lodging (looking to rent a place with at least 3 bedrooms)

Stalking the Wild Clooney

2soxy4mypuppet — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 11:06:06 -0800

Please hope me plan the perfect week in Lake Como, Italy! Friends have a house in Argegno and have tasked me with the itinerary. Suggestions for what to do and see in the Lake Como region? I'd like to give them a "day 1 do this, day 2 see this and eat here" sort of plan. Budget is not a big worry, but a mix of things would be great. They'll have a car and are interested in things for all seasons, though the first trip is in May. Thanks!

Leather, leather everywhere, nor any drop to drink

168 — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 11:35:24 -0800

Where should I go shopping for boots, belts, and funky clothing generally in Italy (Florence or Rome)? I'm ashamed to admit that I'm having trouble finding awesome boots (wide calf, ideally slouchy and chunky heel and knee-high) and belts while vacationing in Italy this week. I've come across lots of junk, but not so much really great stuff so far. Where should I look for those things, and for funky clothing (for a short, curvy woman) generally?

I'll be in Florence until Friday, and then I'm heading to Rome for the next week. Please tell me where to go shopping in between all the museum visits and gelato nommings and general wanderings!

As a preemptive thank-you, I'll point out that the yogurt nutella gelato at Gelateria la Carraiamore in Florence is AMAZING.

What was produced at the "Red Desert" factory?

Egg Shen — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 09:08:08 -0800

What was produced at the factory at the beginning of Michelangelo Antonioni's Red Desert? The factory was located in Ravenna, apparently. Here are four frames.

Traveling to Italy

jen14221 — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 13:57:09 -0800

Traveling to Italy for eight days starting the evening of 12/25/2012. We'll be in Rome, Venice and Milan. Please tell me "must-sees" or "must-dos" while I am there with my husband and 8 year-old son.

Italy: From Rome to Florence... and Beyond!

slide — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 12:14:28 -0800

Italy travelfilter: The girlfriend and I are headed to Italy for a late in the year vacation and need help! We've done a lot of the major cities before and are looking for something more rural, but that makes planning a challenge, given our complete lack of experience with the Italian countryside. Help greatly appreciated! I'll be in Rome already for work and she'll be joining me on October 30. We then fly out of Rome on November 8. I plan to rent a car at the airport when she arrives and we'll head out.

First leg: We're thinking it would be fun to spend 4-5 nights at one location somewhere in Tuscany/Umbria and take day trips to towns around the region. We love good food and wine... however, because we love wine, it would also be great if wherever we stayed we could walk to restaurants/bars as well so that we can both drink! Any particular towns leap to mind as good candidates? Particular places in those towns to stay? Apts/villas? Other towns to visit? Vineyards/food festivals/any festivals?

Second leg: We're then thinking of going into Florence and spending a few nights there. Any recommendations welcome, but I feel I'm better at planning an urban stay, plus there are other metafilter Florence threads.

Third leg: We'd then have 3 nights or so left and are open to ideas. We're thinking Cinque Terre or ... anything!

I'd appreciate any and all advice from experts; metafiler has been invaluable to my prior trip planning. The schedule above is by no means set in stone - if you would advise an entirely different trip structure, I'd love to hear it! Thanks in advance.

This title is probably irrelevant.

adamdschneider — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 11:12:22 -0800

I am looking for histories of medieval and Renaissance Italy. Let's say from about 1300-1600 is my period of interest. People, cities, institutions civil and military...whatever you've got, I'm interested in. I spent some time looking for a one-volume overview of the time and place with no real luck and would be interested in such, but please don't restrict yourself to that. If you know of a really good book/resource with a somewhat narrow focus but applicable to the time period, fire away. Thanks!

Books on Years of Lead/Strategy Of Tension

devious truculent and unreliable — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 04:22:27 -0800

Can anyone recommend good books on the Years of Lead and/or the Strategy of Tension in Italy ? They have to be in English. Many thanks