chu

In five weeks my husband are leaving for two Christmas weeks in Rome. We have been to Italy a number of times, it is the place that makes my heart sing (I think I must have lived there in a past life.) I'm wondering what it's like now - in this global economic situation - more tourists, fewer, the same? I read the post indicating that Snickers are double, but I'm not going for a Snickers in Italy!

I know about traveling cheap. I'm wondering about the mood, the atmosphere, the heart parts. Any difference noticed?

Airplanes any less empty? We're on a waiting list for a business upgrade.

If Italy makes your heart sing, you get it what I'm asking. Thank you for thinking about this with me!

Jean

I also lived in Italy in a previous life.

We were in Venice at the end of October 2008. It was more crowded than on two previous trips (always in late October), and it was very expensive (but always has been). I've never thought the Venetians were the friendliest of Italians, and this visit did not dispel that notion.

Our five flights of this trip (three countries) were all full. The trip home (Venice to Los Angeles) was 30 hours in Purgatorio, otherwise known as United Airlines. Good luck with the upgrade!

Are you spending the entire two weeks in Rome?

zeppole

Well, everybody's really happy Obama won. In general, Italians never expect fun times to last, so they like to have fun now. There are have been far worse times for Italians in living memory, so I don't think they are worried about losing bucks. Italian wealth is still not tied to stocks and bonds and banks like it is in other countries. And Italians had headaches before the stock market crash.

It's hard to tell about the tourists right now because once the Americans leave at the end of the summer, they are quickly replaced by the Brits, and then the Germans, and then further north. And then there will be another batch for Christmas.

It was very very very rainy for a lot of November. So that hurt tourism as much as anything, because it's Italians who like to go to the pretty places, too. But when the sun came back out, everybody came out to enjoy the sun, have a glass of sparkling wine in the cafes.

Tonight I was walking through the town by the sea and it was completely empty, with nothing but the sound of the sea and the church bells-- except ahead of me was one romantic couple strolling. As they walked under a window, a woman who was hanging out her laundry dropped a clothespin, and they had a lot of laughs trying to pitch her clothespin back up to her a couple of flights, but they succeeded. As I walked further on, the big cafe with all the pretty tables outside under the awning looked forlorn, nobody there -- but when I got closer, I was surprised to hear jazz music. When I looked inside the windows, I was surprised to see lots of elegant people in suits being served food, with candlelight -- and they were all watching a black and white movie from the 1930s, that showed men in suits having conversations! Next to the makeshift movie screen was a banner for the Portofino Rotary Club. (I'm not too far from Portofino). So the elegant businessmen looked like they were having a nice time. They belonged in a movie, too.

See you soon

SCFoodie

Spent Nov 1 - 15 in Montepulciano and Venice. Didn't see a lot of Americans in Tuscany and we were thanked numerous times by the residents/business owners in Montepulciano for visiting there. Saw more French and German visitors. The shops and restaurants in Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino, and other nearby towns were pretty empty. Cortona had more people out and about. We didn't have to make any restaurant reservations. One night, we were the only people in the restaurant all night. Several times we walked throught the main square in front of the duomo in Montepulciano and were the only people there.

Venice was busier, of course, but we still didn't find it crowded. In some areas we were pretty much alone as we wandered around. The few times we went by St. Mark's, there was only a very short, quickly moving line to get in. Again, we didn't have to make any restaurant reservations, but we also didn't dine at any upscale places.

The residents we spoke with were very happy when Obama won the election.

Four of our six flights were pretty much full. The flight from SNA to ATL (first leg of the trip) was about 3/4 full and the flight from CDG to FLR (3rd leg) was about 1/2 full. The two transatlantic flights were completely full, as was the return trip from ATL to SNA.
The flight from JFK to ATL did have some empty seats (not many) and it was the only flight that had upgrades available.

We had a wonderful time. Italy makes my heart sing also!

vincenzod

It's dawn here and it is snowing !
Oh, my God, it happens seldom and, sure, almost never in November.
What's the Heart of Italy, like now ?
Oh, we say that never darker than midnight the dark can become (in Italian language the sound of this sentence is funky).
Anyway, especially in Amalfi Coast, we say that the Paradise is on this planet and the Hell is that we do not understand it.
So, let's go on and let's be happy.

Vincenzo