Need help plannig a trip
 

Okay so I've never been out of the U.S.A. before and I want, no scratch that, need to go to Italy. I want to do all of the touristy thing, but as a cook I really want to explore the culinary side of Northern Italy (piedmont, tuscany). I am going by myself and don't need any fancy accommadations (I'm thinking Hostels). I'd rather spend my money running around Italy stuffing myself and taing pictures. Does anyone have any ideas as to how early I should start planning? I was hoping to go in June, is there a better (less expensive) time to go? I don't have a lot of flexible time. Summer or fall is best for me.

Savah, you will get more responses if you make your title more specific...mention "1st trip to Italy" in your title, for example...

Italy is a wonderful place, and we had great food in Tuscany and Rome. This is a good web-site to get help, and also www.slowtravel.com is another good web-site.

In Siena there are nice cheap rooms at a convent...don't have the name handy right here. In Italy convents are among the places that offer clean and safe rooms, often in interesting settings.

You can take cooking classes in Italy. At Frances Lodge in Tuscany you can arrange to cook an Italian dinner with Frances if you want...not sure if the rooms would be more than you want to pay. If you are interested in the convent in siena or in Frances Lodge ask me online and I'll look it up for you. good luck.
Get a guidebook to help you. LOts of good guidebooks available. Browse in Borders and pick your favorite one.

Thanks for the invo. How do I edit my post to make it more specific? I'm not computer/internet savy.

Post a NEW message with the "improved" title.

I'll reply to give encouragement for your first trip to Europe! When to start planning depends on the individual, some people plan for years and have an itinerary for every day mapped out. Some people just buy a plane ticket, maybe make a few hotel reservations and take off. If you're taking the hostels route, also read over on www.lonelyplanet.com, their bulletin board called The Thorn Tree, Western Europe branch.

If you love food and wine then I would reccomend the Piedmont in October. This is truffle season and the Barolo harvest. We stayed at an agriturismo called Risveglio in Langa just outside La Morra (risveglioinlanga.it) Franca the owner was wonderful and recommended some small hilltown restaurants that were truely incredible. We booked ahead for some private wine tours and drank wine we can't afford to buy at home. The B+B was 85 euros a night in a beautifull newly restored farm house. The restaunts were 1/2 to 1/3 the price of Tuscany and better. Although we did eat in a few great places in Tuscant as well. Noteable Latte di Luna in Pienza.

Tuscany is really not in northern Italy. It's considered central Italy.

June would be a pretty expensive time to go to Italy. If you're limited to summer or fall, fall would definitely be cheaper, and it's alos a wionderful time to go to central Italy (less sure about the north, though).

I don't think the Piedmont is particularly known for interesting cooking, compared to other parts of Italy, but I could be wrong. If your main interest is food, you may want to check that.

Hi
Here is a long thread called
Helpful Information Italy

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34443340

It is a lot to plow through, but if you take your time (printing it out might be easier on the eyes) it will lead you to a lot of information, just skip the references that don't apply to what you are looking for

Hi Savah -- I'm going to agree with Melissajoy that it might be worth looking into convents. I traveled in Italy by myself a couple of years ago and, wherever possible, I stayed in a convent. They are ideal for single women traveling alone because you can get a truly single room for about half the price of the cheapest hotel room and they are kept very clean and secure. I found good accommodations in convents in Rome, Assisi, Florence, Siena and Venice, and I paid anywhere from about 30 euro to 55 euro per night. In most I had my own private bathroom and a small breakfast was included with each. The accommodations did tend to be somewhat spartan, but I don't need a lot of amenities in my accommodations when I am traveling by myself, and I was perfectly happy in each one. The biggest drawback in staying in convents is that they tend to have a curfew, usually around 11pm. This was not a problem for me as I did not want to be out by myself late at night. Also, I traveled in the fall, and the days got to be quite short. It may be different in the summer since the days are longer. Some convents do not have a curfew, however.

Regarding planning, I don't think there is such a thing as "too early." Indeed, the sooner you firm up your dates and itinerary, the sooner you can start to look for accommodations and the early bird definitely gets the worm as far as that is concerned. I am traveling in Italy with several friends in May and we have just finished reserving our accommodations. Since there are six of us, we are staying in apartments in the bigger cities. The first three apartments that I inquired about in Venice were already booked for the period that we requested and our trip is still about four months away.

I also agree that, for you, fall may be a better time than summer. The weather is cooler the crowds tend to be a bit thinner, and the prices tend to be lower. In November 2002 I was in Tuscany during the olive harvest and was able to go to a festival of the new olive in one of the little towns in Chianti. We hiked out of Siena, across the countryside to the little town and it was a glorious day, with memorable food.

The porcini mushrooms are in season in Sept.

((I))