just back-tour of big cities
 

just returned from Italy and Globus tour of Venice, Rome and Florence. Weather was absolutely gorgeous-high 80's. Loved Italy and enjoyed the tour. Did not find that the food was anything wonderful and certainly not what I had expected. Try to learn some common phrases in Italian as if you approach an Italian and try to ask in their language they seem to be friendlier and helpful. Otherwise I find they are kind of cold to tourists and really don't go out of their way to speak with you. Anyone who has any questions about this tour let me know and I'll try to help. I say the tour is the way to go-no pressure and I would not want to have to take buses or trains in Rome--crowded, hot and confusing. The tour gives youenough free time to do your own thing, expecially if you opt not to take the afternoon excursions that are offered. Jill

I doubt that I'll be taking a tour soon, but I'm curious to see what sorts of excursions they'd offer for a tour like the one you took. Could you tell us?

Thanks, and glad to hear you enjoyed it!

Were any of the meals those included in your tour? If so, you got the tourist blue plate specials, not the good stuff. If you actually had the chance to get out and find your own restaurants, then you were unlucky in your restaurant choices (or you didn't get out of the tourist areas of the cities).

Don't know what you expected, but just like Chinese food in China is not the same as Chinese food outside of China, the same goes for Italian food inside and outside of Italy.

I'm not sure what you mean by the Italians being cold and not going out of their way to speak to you. We have always found them extremely friendly and helpful. Typically people in restaurants (especially non-touristy ones) and shops are eager to chat - and all seem to have stories or queries about relatives or friends in NYC - or their own trips to NYC.

Were people in shops and restaurants rude - or ignoring you? Or were you expecting random people on the street to strike up conversations with you? Not sure what you mean.

I'm not sure what you mean either. Ever since my first trip to Italy many, many too many years ago, I have always found that I only had to say "Buon giorno" for Italians to pick up the conversational ball and run with it -- leaving me far behnd and having to ask what they were saying...

But I did not expect Italians on the street to start chatting

Message got posted through striking some mysterious combination of keys...

Anyway, I did not expect Italians on the street to start chatting with me any more than I would expect people in my own city to do so.

And I agree with the poster who said that on group tours you get the tourist specials, which are in no way representative of the meals that you will receive if you enter a restaurant on your own and order from the menu -- which may not always be a written one...

All too often on this board, if someone complains about one of the "favored" destinations, it somehow must be their fault or they are disparaged in some way.

I've been fortunate to travel a lot in Europe and I also don't consider the Italians especially friendly. I remember a stop we made in a small town restaurant where we were totally ignored. Finally, we used their restroom and left. I'm not saying that everyone is that way, but some don't seem to like "outsiders".

I also don't recall any memorable meals, so I guess I probably ate in all the wrong restaurants too!

One day I probably will go back to Italy, but it's certainly not high on my list.

Thanks very much for your trip report...I know the kind of time even a shorter one takes.

I also know that some people have very closed minds and when they are told about an experience that differs even slightly from their own it causes distress and disbelief.

Just be grateful you don't have to live or travel with them.

jilly,

Glad you liked the tour. The only tour I have taken in various trips to Europe was Italy in 2000, because my aunt wanted to take a tour. In addition to the "big three", my tour went to Sorrento, Siena, San Giminagno, Pompeii and Capri.

I found that the farther south we went, (away from the big three) the more friendly the people were. Not sure why, that was just my experience.

I will have to say that I had some of the best meals of my life in Italy, so I'm sorry you didn't have better luck with the food. The tour I was on only included 2 dinners and a few lunches, and those were mostly not memorable, except for a fabulous lunch at a stop in Bologna.

Karen

Hmmmm.... not very good food and cold people. Certainly not the Italy I've visited.

Hi jilly, thanks for posting. Can you tell me where you were coming from and if you had been to Europe or Italy before?

Which city did you like best and what did you like about it?

jilly--next time you are in Rome, dine at the Ambasciata d'Abruzzo in Parioli. You will find the food wonderful, though quite likely not what you expected.

Certainly in Venice it is likely that food would not be what you expected as Venetian cuisine is very different from the rest of Italy, and certainly not like anything you'll find in Olive Garden or Pizza Hut.