Trip IdeasTravel Blog »
News Stories Tagged Italy
Building an Italy Itinerary: Tips for First-Timers
Are you in the planning stages of your first trip to Italy? It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the plethora of choices you face just creating the basic outline of your itinerary. Will you fly in and out of the same city, or opt for an open-jaw ticket? Is it sacrilege to skip the big 3 cities—Rome, Venice, Florence? Should you rent a car or rely on trains to get around? ...These are all commonly asked questions in our Forums. Many travelers even post their work-in-progress itineraries to be critiqued by other travelers. Below is one such itinerary for a first-time trip, designed for maximum impact. It will definitely keep you moving! Think of this as a rough draft to be revised according to your own interests and time constraints. We've also...
(More)
What to Pack for a Fall Trip to Europe:
12 Dos and Don'ts
Judging by current conversations in our forums, many of our members are heading to Europe this fall and they've already started obsessing over the right combination of clothes, shoes, and travel necessities. Others don't stress at all; they have their own foolproof packing systems and are generous enough to dispense packing advice. Packing is personal, but you may find some of the general dos and dont's below useful as you determine just how much (and what) to bring along on your trip.... The most repeated piece of advice in our Forums? Pack lightly and use only a carry-on. Know what to leave out. Think you could never survive an 8-day trip with only a carry-on? Here are a few of the ways our members make it work....
Paris, London, Rome: 15 Quality Souvenirs to Remember Your Trip By
Most major tourist destinations are teeming with gift shops full of cheap souvenirs. Unfortunately, these items don't usually succeed at capturing the essence of a destination for you. On the lookout for a meaningful souvenir? Try pairing your purchase with a unique experience that you're bound to remember long after your trip ends. For starters, here are some suggestions for fun and interesting experiences and souvenirs to be had in three of Europe's most visited capitals: Paris, London, and Rome.... (More)
Restaurants in Italy: Complete Guide to Etiquette, Ordering, and Tipping
Dining in a foreign place, especially your first time, can be a baffling experience. But with a little research you can spare a lot of confusion— and perhaps put yourself on good footing with the local staff, thus improving your chances for a better recommendation about the menu, or a little something extra while you wait for the check.... Here is our complete guide to restaurant types, etiquette, ordering, paying, and tipping in restaurants across Italy....
Rome: Seek out the city's best stracciatella
Traveling to Rome this summer? Beat the heat with a scoop or two of delicious gelato. The dessert's texture is dense but softer than hard ice cream because of the process by which it's whipped when freezing. A few common flavors are stracciatella (chocolate chip), caffè (coffee), nocciola (hazlenut), fragola (strawberry), and ciocolato (chocolate).... Related links...From Fodor's Rome: Rome's Best Gelato...From the forums: 4 Friends, 8 Days - An Easter Week in Rome Trip Report... (More)
La Festa: 8 Great Italian Festivals
As Italians say, "Quando e' festa, e' festa!" ("When it's a party, party!") If you're heading to Italy in the coming months, you might consider incorporating some of these festivities into your itinerary....
(More)
Take a Second Honeymoon in Italy
By Dianne Hales
www.becomingitalian.com... Love truly is lovelier in Italy. "Anywhere else," the nineteenth-century French writer known as Gogol once observed, "it is only a bad copy." I know. My husband Bob and I have spent the most romantic times of our thirty-year marriage there. Even though many people dream of falling in love in Italy, we've discovered that it's just as wonderful a destination for couples who have stayed in love.... What makes a second honeymoon in Italy so special? Really, it all comes down to the simple pleasures that Italians love to share with lovers of all ages. Here are just a few of the best....
A Stroll in the Piazza: 4 Italian Piazze You Must Not Miss
If you want a deeper sense of how Italians live, find a comfortable spot on a pretty piazza (not all are) and just wait. Or engage in another Italian pastime: strolling le vie di mezzo (the streets in the middle) that lead from one piazza to another. You never know what delights you may find along the way....
(More)
Rome's Birthday is April 21st: A Celebration in Italian Phrases
Whether this is your first visit to Roma or your fifteenth, you'll gain a deeper appreciation of the city, its citizens, and the endless possibilities it offers just by learning just a little of la bella lingua italiana....
(More)
Beginners' Guide to Train Travel in France
Trains are a wonderful way to experience France. But, like rail systems everywhere, they can sometimes present you with an impenetrable thicket of timetables, stations, and special tickets. That is unless you know what you're doing. So without further ado here are the key things to know about domestic and international train travel in and out of Paris. We'll save the Paris mètro and RER for a later post....
(More)
NEWS DEPARTMENTS
FOLLOW US
- Sign up for Fodor's weekly newsletter
- RSS Feed
On Twitter
On Facebook
Check hotel rates and airfares around the world