Less than 3 weeks to Italy -- any last minute words of wisdom??
 

My husband and I leave the States on November 3 (we will be voting absentee before leaving!) heading for Italy. Very excited!!

Does anyone have any helpful tips or words of wisdom before we leave?

We will arrive at FCO, rent a car from airport Hertz, drive to Le Manzinaie at Montepulciano Stazione.

We stay in Tuscany for 7 nights. Then, drive back to FCO to return car, take FR1 train to Trastevere, cab to apartment near P. Navona for 4 nights.

We will have Rome Shuttle Limo pick us up the day of departure from apartment and drive us to FCO.

That's our itinerary in a nut shell.

One question: What time should we schedule pick up shuttle the day of departure if we have 9:50 am flight? I was thinking 7:00 am.

7:00 am sounds good to me. You should be to the airport in less than 30 minutes, but FCO can have crazy check-in lines.

Nice trip---I hope the weather holds for you. Have dinner at La Grotta near the San Biagio church one nite. And, get some sleep for that drive--it would challenge me.

Hi GM,

You have about a 2:30 hr drive from FCO in a jet lagged condition.

Drive very carefully.

You need an International Driver's Permit for Italy.

See www.aaasouth.com/travel_drivers.asp#idp

For your flight out of FCO, I suggest arriving 3 hr before flight time.

The worst thing that can happen is that you will have time for a cuppa and a gelato.

Enjoy Italy.

((I))

Agree about allowing more time for flight (6:30 instead?)

Remember to say "Bonjourno" and "Arrivederci" (NOT "ciao"-that's for close friends) to people. It is considered rude not to.

Where will you stay in Tuscany?
Enjoy!

If you have not been on the Slow travel website, check it out for the most in depth advice on Italy. My husband found the directions for leaving FCO and finding the car rental area invaluable. Maybe you should load up on caffeine before driving...unless you are good plane sleepers. Have a great time.

Hi Gina,

my top tips:

following what ira said, take your time at the aiport. stop and have a coffee and cornetto [italian for Croissant] before you get in your car.

Have a good look round it and make sure that any existing scratches and bumps are marked before you set off. [even though the garage you collect it from will be very badly lit and miles from the office!!!]

you ARE allowed to drink a cappucino or latte [coffee with milk] at any time of day, but especially in the morning. but if you jsut ask for "un cafe" you'll get a single shot of expresso.

have a look at www.viamichelin.com to get driving directions from the airport to your destination.

take some nice comfy shoes for walking round, particularly in Rome. it is a great place for walking.

Book your slots for places like the borghese gallery before you go. [though I'm not sure how that works with a Roma pass if you want that to be one of your 2 free entries - perhaps someone else knows the answer to that.]

don't worry about taking everything including the kitchen sink with you, or what you are going to wear. you'll be able to buy stuff when you are there and no-one cares anyway!!!

have a great time,

regards, ann

agree to get SPECIFIC directions to return rental car (and we rented from Hertz).

We had a very detailed map of Florence as well as a keen sense of direction....

The return of car took nearly an hour (and we were in the city of Florence). It was a nightmare!

Other valuable advice:

1) take things in stride.
2) make time to sit back, people watch, mingle with the locals and take it all in.
3) be spontaneous!
4) be romantic!

Good advice, adventureseeker. For Italy, I especially like #2. So many people have these crammed itineraries; they miss the point. Just slow down, stay in one spot awhile, and enjoy la dolce vita.

Flying out of Rome was a PIA. I trained to the airport so I'm not sure if a car service would be able to drop you in a different area, but I doubt it because it isn't actually the departure terminal you have to go to first. From the front of the terminal we had to catch a bus for T5 (I think that's how they listed the international departure terminal on the signs). Once we were dropped off by the shuttle bus(not at the terminal - it was actually just a processing area), we had to get in a line to show passports. Then we were directed to the various airline check-in desks to get in line to check in and check luggage. After that, you are directed to security lines. The security lines are poorly designed, inefficient and just generally not set up to move people in a timely manner. After the security lines, you line up once again for passport control. Think you're done? No! You then must catch another shuttle to the departure terminal. Leave plenty of time. There were only two booths open at passport control and one was tied up with a problem.

I completely agree with the last 2 postings about "taking it easy". I am one of those on my first trip to Italy with a crammed itinerary. Did not know if I would ever make it back. Planning for another trip next summer. I LOVED Italy! And it is the perfect place to just sit back, enjoy cafe latte or vino, and watch the world go by. The areas around the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon are good for this.

Eat Gelato everywhere. You will miss it when you return to the states.

Speak as much Italian as you can. It is respectful and respected.

Get to FCO very early. I agree with at least 3 hours. Extremely long lines...

Enjoy! It is an amazing place...

Be sure to check your rental car for emergency equipment - spare tire, etc - a common problem in this area. We were missing the little blue cardboard clock that you use in public parking places. It should be in the rental car glove compartment.
Have a great trip!

Eat alot of gelato and drink alot of wine---not together I hope!!!

Have a great time---travel is the best.

My computer has been down a few days, so I am just now able to check my responses. WOW!! Very helpful comments. Thank you so much.

We still have 2 weeks before we leave, so I'm always looking for new information.