First Time to Italy
 

Hi would love to get advice on a first timer going to Italy by herself! absolute musts to see and should I go solo? or tour package group. 14 days worth...Thanks!!

Lynda,<BR><BR>You don't say if you have travelled solo before, either internationally or domestically, and what your philosophy about that is. If you have and you like it (as I do) it is a GREAT way to meet people, particularly locals. But it can also be very isolating and lonely and you don't have the moral support of someone else who also doesn't know how to read the train schedules and catch a bus and find a taxi and.....<BR><BR>That said, you should first start with your list of things you want to see. Will you do the "big three": Venice, Florence and Rome? I guess my choice for the first time in Italy would be to split my time up between those three cities and then take day trips from them. Sometimes booking a day tour is a great way to feel not so isolated, talk to other tourists and in the end be glad you're not stuck with those people for the entire 14 days!<BR><BR>Look at some of the formal tour brochures and see what grabs you. Then start mapping out your ideal itinerary and come back here with your questions. You'll get lots of help with hotels and must see sights when you have more of an idea of where and when.<BR><BR>Have fun planning!

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Hello, I am American and my husband is Italian, so I have been to Italy a few times. By far, my favorite city is Rome ~ the history and the architecture is incredible. From Rome you can take a train to Naples and then make your way to Positano (breathtakingly beautiful!). I would highly recommend a trip to Pompeii ~ it was THE MOST fascinating tour that I have ever taken (make sure to hire a guide when you get to Pompeii because you will learn a lot more about the people who once lived there, etc.). Whether or not you are an opera fanatic, I would definitely see an opera at the 2000 year-old arena in Verona (of course, it depends on what time of the year you will be touring Italy). My husband & I saw Aida ~ it was a warm night with a full moon ~ absolutely thrilling! However, there is not much else to see there so I wouldn't spend a lot of time in Verona; in addition, the food was the worst Italian food I have ever eaten, and many restaurants had a hole-in-the-ground for the women's toilet. From Verona, it is a short train ride to Venice. If you visit Florence, try to eat at Terrazza Brunelleschi (The rooftop restaurant at The Grand Hotel Baglioni ~ Piazza Unit&agrave; Italiana,6 ~ Tel.+39.055.23580)... the food is above average, but the view of the Duomo is glorious!!! Buon Viaggio!!!

Hi, Lynda. It really just depends on what you like. I just did 2 weeks in Italy: 5 nights in Rome, 4 nights in Siena, 5 nights in Florence. I loved Rome and Florence, but would have cut my stay in Siena by a couple of days. The big three would be a good idea for a first trip to Italy and a good pace, I think, for two weeks. Consider, though, if you might enjoy some time in smaller towns like those in Tuscany or Umbria, or along the coast. There's so much variety. Give is a little more info on what you like, what you want out of the vacation and when you were thinking of going.

Lynda,<BR><BR>Rome is the best! For a change of pace, try Cinque Terre -- 5 tiny fishing towns along the Mediterranean I also enjoy Florence and Milan.<BR><BR>If you decide to travel by yourself, just be aware of your surroundings. In my experience, some Italian men can be quite vocal and obtrusive (even when you're traveling in a group that includes men), but for the most part, I found Italians to be very welcoming and friendly. <BR><BR>Enjoy your trip and eat lots of gelato!

Hi Lynda, I did Italy by myself last October, solo/f, and it was fabulous! Had never traveled abroad alone before, and I'm already chomping at the bit planning my next solo jaunt to...who knows? -- the deciding/planning is such a big part of the fun! I did 5 nights Roma, 3 Firenze, 3 Venice. I did 2 walks w/Scala Reale in Roma, and those types of things are certainly available in the other two cities if that's your sort of thing...was a nice interlude, but I didn't feel like I needed any more of the group thing than what I did twice w/Scala Reale in Rome. I give solo travel a huge 'thumbs up' but a lot of people aren't cut out for it (in the same way that some people aren't cut out for traveling in a group). If you enjoy your own company and know how to entertain yourself at home, you'll be fine traveling solo. Never once felt lonely or scared, and I went less than a month after 9/11. I am SO glad that I went (had never considered cancelling, but some people were less than encouraging in the time immediately before I departed!). Even with time having passed since those events, be prepared for a little bit of hangwringing from people...'you're going *ALONE*??'... it's sheer bliss doing what you want to do, when you want to do it. I may never travel with a companion again!

Lynda:<BR><BR>I did a solo trip last September and split it up between a 7 day walking tour of Tuscany and then did Florence and Venice on my own. To me that was the best of both worlds - meeting great people on a small tour and then just doing what I wanted all day. I had been to Florence & Venice before but chose to do them more in depth this time. I wanted to go somewhere that was small enough to walk everywhere (and feel comfortable by myself). Each day I would do some time visiting museums and also walking around enjoying the great weather. It depends on what you enjoy as to what are the "musts". I enjoy art & architecture, food, and lots of walking.

dntte:<BR><BR>So glad to see your post. I am planning my first solo trip in late Sept.early Oct. I am going to Rome, Procida and Sorrento/Amalfi Coast. My first trip to Italy was last Sept., just two weeks after 9/11. My sister went with me. After that trip, for many reasons, I have decide to go it alone. I'm single, so used to doing things by myself and I am very comfortable with myself. My only real concerns are dealing with train travel by myself and what do you do if you get sick or hurt. Obviously, I can't dwell on that because if I did, I would never leave my house. It's just a concern in a foreign country. I've tried to plan a minimal amount of train travel. It's not that I don't like the train, it's just dealing with the sometimes, less than gracious train personnel and trying to figure out what binario my train is on and then once I'm on the train, not to stress about maybe not being on the right train. When you are with someone, you can look at it as an adventure if you are not, but alone, I'm not so sure I would look at it in the same way. Anyway, any encouraging words would be so appreciated. My family and friends are very supportive. I just love Rome!!! Can't wait to get back. Oh, also, what do you do about eating alone. Did you ever feel uncomfortable, especially dinner. I do it at home, but I've heard Italians look at a single woman eating alone as rather strange.

Hi Barb, woo-hoo! Glad to hear of your trip plans! Well, it helped me to be well-armed before I landed...one thing I found helpful re. trains was checking out trenitalia's site so I had all the schedule info and knew those details in advance so I could buy my Eurostar tickets btwn Rome/Flo/Ven right when I arrived at Termini from the airport. (Couldn't buy Eurostar tix in advance on the web when I was traveling, not sure if that's still the case but it probably is). But, I knew when I was going from town to town (my hotels were all booked prior to going), and knew I wanted to go Eurostar between the cities, so when I got to the ticketline I pulled out a little cheat sheet I'd done at home, bought the tix all at one time, and was glad to have done it...I think I'd have been stressed buying them individually on 'day of travel'. You never know how long lines will be when you get to the station on day of travel, and I just found it a good way to reduce that potential "stress" aspect. Good to just get to the station half an hour or so before departure, have a gelato (oh yeah!), grab a newspaper, peoplewatch, and not have to worry about ticket lines. Figuring out binarios was no problem, nor was looking at the big signs in the station to determine if there was a slight delay in departure (20 mins a couple times in my case). It's all pretty easy to figure out. Re. worrying about getting sick or hurt, I planned in advance by making sure the folks at home knew my itinerary - made up a few tip sheets w/info for them before leaving w/phone numbers, hotel email addys, days of travel, etc., plus I made up a little cheat sheet for *myself* that I tucked into my purse/wallet and carried with me during my trip so if something happened and someone needed to an emergency contact all the info was on me. It included my hotels as well as US contact info, passport #, along with phone #s of embassies/state dept info. Nothing happened, and 99.99% of the time nothing does, but what the heck, it's a comfort to have the info tucked in your wallet. I stayed at smaller hotels and made a point of chatting up the desk help daily - they were all great, knew I was traveling solo, and are even kind of protective when you come in at the end of the day..."what did you see, how was your day?" The Italians are fabulous! Besides, I like to think that people are people and in an emergency situation we all step up to assist our fellow man. On the topic of "fancy" solo dining, I had wanted to do a bit more of it prior to going, but when I was there it occured to me that I'm really not a big solo diner (in terms of sit down meals) at stateside - I do it, and am comfortable doing so, but I wound up not doing too many "big" meals out when in Italy...just always wanted to be on the go! Frankly, I kind of noshed my way around the country - I guess the bakery freak in me worries about filling up at a "fancy" sit-down meal someplace, then walking around the corner after and finding the world's greatest bakery...the times I *did* dine alone in more formally in Italia it was fine, I always had a book, a small journal to jot notes about the trip...really can't report any odd looks from other diners when I dined alone.

dntte:<BR><BR>Thanks so much, you have made me feel pretty good about my decision to go solo. I will take your advice and plan my train travel well in advance, schedules, tickets, etc. Both hotels in Rome and Procida are small and I have already been emailing them, so I am sure they will be a great resource and support to me. Still need to find a hotel in Sorrento. Everytime I get nervous, I just have to think back and remember how wonderful it was sitting on Piazza Navona, eating olives, drinking wonderful wine, watching all the activity and knowing I would return. Thanks again,