Okay... it's starting to get down to the wire for my trip! I'm getting really excited that I'll be seeing all sorts of amazing things once I'm in Italy next week... but in reading some of these posts, I'm starting to feel a little overwhelmed with the amount of things I should try to see. My boyfriend and I are fairly inexperienced travelers, and neither of us has really been to Europe... we'll be in Bologna, Venice, Florence, and Rome for 3 days each. Are there any must-sees, must-dos for any of these cities? We have a pretty limited budget (boo hiss), but so far, some of the things I know I want to see/do include, in no particular order (preference or geographical):

1) seeing the glass blowers in Murano
2) getting some vinegar in Modena
3) seeing the mosaics in Ravenna
4) taking a day trip to Pisa
5) seeing the David statue
6) going to the Vatican
7) not getting pickpocketed!
8) seeing the Coliseum
9) ???

Do you have any suggestions?

THANK YOU!! FODOR'S IS A LIFESAVER!

Hi S/Newbie,

<are there any must-sees, must-dos for any of these cities?.> This question has been asked soooo many times. Simply type in your question in the search box and read forever.

I'll comment on #2. I went to Malpighi shop / fermenting storage tour in Modena.

1) I had to make a prior arrangement by visiting their web site http://www.acetaiamalpighi.it
English tour time slots were limited. There is no cost for the tour.

2) The place was rather far from the train station. A taxi costed €16 to get there, and €20 to get back to town because the taxi had to be called.

You can get there by bus from the train station, but it was not convenient to hit the appointment time.

3) The tour was mostly sensory, but oh, what an aroma!

4) Of course, you can buy their products at the end of the tour. THEY DO NOT SHIP THE PURCHASE TO THE USA. Buy only what you can carry.

5) There is a Malpighi restaurant nearby. Looked interesting but I did not want to stay late so far out of the town.

6) It is quite a hassle if you only want to buy balsamic vinegar. Many stores in Emilia-Romagna carry them.

7) Try a chocolate covered balsamic vinegar truffle. It is hard to find in the USA. It is available during the cold season.

Hi

My wife and I went to Rome for a few days last summer and I have posted a trip report with some pictures on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm We also went to Venice a couple of years back and here is the trip report http://gardkarlsen.com/italy_venice.htm . I hope that you can find some useful info in the report. Get in touch if you have any questions....and have a great trip

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

We just came back from seeing Bologna and Florence. Bologna is a real fun city for just walking around, shopping and eating. Don't miss the outdoor food markets in the winding, alleylike streets just east of Piazza Maggiore. Go up in the tower for a great view of the city. Walking northeast up Zamboni
gets you into the lively university district. Eat at Serghi, a tiny, family run trattoria a few blocks north of the piazza. In Florence, you'll of course want to visit the Duomo and the palaces, but also wander down Greci street to see all the leather shops, and wind up on the Piazza San Croce, where it's there are less throngs of tourists and more authentic Italian city life.

Your itinerary sounds wonderful. Try not to stress over "must see" places. Just being there, walking around and discovering your own places is a blast.

Having said that, when I went to Rome, Florence and Venice this past May, I wrote trip reports and posted them here:
Rome-- http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34813272

Florence--http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2&tid=34813784

Venice-- http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34814606

Safe travels. >-

thank you everyone! maureenb... thanks for your trip reports! greg... thanks for the info about modena and its vinegar! gard... thanks for your input as well! i think i actually ran across your venice trip report one other time a few weeks ago from someone else's post! yay for fodor's!!