Suzq,
Thank you for the help and the encouragement. I've printed this now and put it with my trip file. I do feel better abut this after reading your report and others on here.

I'm putting in 2 hours a day with a beginner's Italian Language CD so perhaps I'll be able to say thank you to all the helful Italians I'm planning on meeting.!

Jean, you're joking, right? I know you know that light fades even the best of oil paintings etc. Those ancient pigments were picked and ground and mixed by hand. Read "Girl With A Pearl Earring" by Tracy Chevalier to really appreciate the amount of work that went into making oil pigments only a few centuries ago.
I too buy the post cards. They are made by professional photographers with exactly the correct composition and exposure. Beats my amateur photography anytime. But I like photographing the "notes" beside the items in museums. That way, when I get home, I can actually remind myself where I was and what I saw! I am so pleased with my new digital camera. It takes the print no matter how much my hands shake, even on the longer exposure time needed for museum setting. Ah, the wonders of computers! I then can make up my albums without having to depend on my increasingly undependable memory, or trying to decipher my handwritten, usually illegible notes.

Thanks Michelle. That's interesting. I hadn't thought about copyrights, but that makes sense.

Everittp and Jean - thanks for the tips. That's a really good idea to take photos of the "notes" beside the paintings. I wish I had done that inside the Vatican because I couldn't remember much detail after I got home.

Everittp - I think you will find that almost everyone in Florence and Venice speaks a little English, since they are such tourist-oriented towns. One of the things we found funny is that at first when we asked for directions, we seemed to have a tendency to ask our questions in broken English, ("San Crispito?" instead of, "Do you know where San Crispito is?"). Inevitably, the person we were asking would look at us funny and ask us in perfect English if we spoke Enlish or not. You'll be fine. However, if you're like us you'll just have a hard time not saying, "Grazie" and "Scusi" when you get home!

Michelle - I was curious, so I looked it up. You're right about the copyright. The Japanese company got copyrights for 20 years in exchange for restoring the Chapel. The article I read said they charge $1,200 a photo. They also apparently took much of Michelangelo's paint off in the process and replaced it with brighter paint to make it prettier for tourists. The article made me wish I could have seen it before it got commercialized.

Hi Suzq,

Now I am on to reading about your Florence experience, you just arrived...

I am so sorry (and surprised) about your horrible dining experiences thus far. That is too bad.

And yes, the picture taking is a big "no-no" in many museums and churches. I am a huge 'rules girl' ha, so I did not take any pictures, but at least I have the memories, and they are still so vivid!

Hope your meals get better... Tiff

Yes, by taking photos inside the Sistine Chapel you were breaking copyright law.

everittp,
To be sure of your train's destination, check the large yellow "Partenze" poster in every train station in Italy. The poster lists every train that departs from that station. Look for the time of your departure. The final destination will be listed in large type, and all stops along the way will also be listed. Check carefully for days of the week the train operates.

An easy remedy for the "wrong train" problem is to visit the trenitalia site before you leave for Italy and print out the information for the trains you might be interested in taking. This info will give you all the stops your train will make, including that all-important final stop which is the one you look for when looking for your train. Nice to have the list of stops handy, too. Works like a charm.

Suzyq, Eliztrav, Ellenem
Thanks for your tips. I did get to the English board on trenitalia and got registered. However, every time I try to get the ticket for Venice from Florence, I get back the message wrong station. I'm typing "Firenze S.M.N." in box asking for departure but I keep getting a message "wrong station". Do any of you know what I'm doing incorrectly?

Thanks for your patience.

For Rome, type in only "Roma"; it will give you connections in all the stations in Rome. The one you want is ROMA TE or Roma Termini.

The same thing with Florence. Type in only Firenze and it will give you connections in all the stations in Florence. The one you want is FIRENZE SMN or Firenze Santa Maria Novella.

Suzq_trvlr:

For your information, the Sistine Chapel drew millions of tourists before the restoration just as it has done since the restoration.

It is true that some scholars have found the restoration too radical, but it is totally false to say that it was done for "greater tourist appeal" or that it has been "commercialized." Frankly, with your blithe disregard of the "no photography" rules for great works of art, I do not think that you are in a position to judge the artistic merit of any art work. And I would be happy to have your reference for the $ 1,200 cost of a photograph...

I'm also afraid that what you constantly refer to as "Italian food" and that you were heartily sick of by the end of your trip, was anything but. If you eat only pizza and spaghetti bolognese (or did you call it spaghetti with meat sauce?), you are not eating Italian food, which differs hugely from one region to another. There are regions that make spaghetti bolognese superbly well and others that make pizza superbly well. The Veneto is not noted for pizza...

And I'm terribly sorry that the "croissants" -- in Italy, they are called cornetti -- got on your nerves. I can only presume that toast does not form a regular part of your breakfast routine in Little Rock.

Suzq, Ellenem, ElizTrav, and Eloise,

When I input "Firenze S.M.N." this is what I get back;
"Error in search criteria
Departure station there are no station which correspond to the search criteria."

No such station! I must be doing something wrong, but what? You've all been very patient.

SuzyQ,
I'll take this question elsewhere. I really enjoyed reading your trip journal. This is not what those clicking on your report want.

Sorry everyone.

Everittp:

Have you actually READ my message? It tells you in words of one syllable what to do. If you still cannot use the Trenitalia site, then I don't see how this board can help you...

Suzq-I think you and the hubby ought to stay in the US for your next big vacation-you're just not ready for international prime time travel...in ANY way.

Thanks for the report, suzq.

You were tired of cornetti after just 7 mornings? What about gelato? Did you tire of that too? Just curious. Hmm, to each their own I suppose...

You've had your Italian experience, you've learnt what you like and what you don't like. You know what you would do differently the next time around and what you would want to repeat. Well, its now time to do it again :)

Try to respect their rules and their culture a bit more. Enjoy the novelty of a new culture and have fun!!

Everittp: What part of my post did you think was a joke? I buy postcards when photography is forbidden. Or perhaps Eloise got it> You don't read posts very carefully.

And if photography is forbidden, they won't let you take photos (even without flash) of the notes next to the art. No photography means no photography.

Actually, "they " do let you take photos of notes. I did it in museumsIf "they" don't insist that you check the camera, "they" let you snap away. in Paris, London, Rome and St. Petersburg, I made certain that whom ever was watching the room saw me point my camera at my body to check that the flash was off. So, if the camera is allowed in the museum, they do allow it. My question was about whether I would be allowed to even carry it or should I bring binoculars.

I'm surprised at how cranky some of you are. Maybe you need to go to bed! It must be after 10 where you are.

ELoise, I did type exactly as you in structed. Your advice did not help. I've looked at some of your other posts. You do tend to scold people. Please don't bother reading any more of my posts. I'll skip yours.

RE the train question....you DO have to be careful to type in the Italian form of the cities or stations, ie, Roma and not Rome, etc. If you are having trouble with specific station names, just use the city names and the alternative stations will come up in the response. I foucne the English site temperamental, to say the least. Familiarize yourself with it, and then switch to the Italian version. It simply works better.

In Eloise's defense, I just went to trenitalia website. I put in "Venezia" and "Firenze" just as she instructed, and voila -- the whole train schedule was presented to me with "FI.SMN" as my destination train station.

From Eloise's instructions: "Type in only Firenze."

Everittp: you typed in "Firenze S.M.N." (at least the first time you responded).

Try again...I think you'll find her advice did help after all.

I wholeheartedly agree that we missed out on the truly great food Italy has to offer. I think that since we were on a budget, it definitely hurt our culinary experience. When we did splurge in Florence, we had an excellent meal. Our desire to see so much affected our dining experiences as well because many times instead of searching out recommended restaurants, we would just settle for whatever was close - the tourist trap restaurants I alluded to. We loved the gelato and never tired of it.

About the croissants - I just thought it was funny that they were exactly the same everywhere we went in Italy. That's all.

I did enjoy and was enamored with all that Italy had to offer. We thought Italy was a beautiful country and it exceeded our expectations. We're just in our 20's and this was the one trip I wanted to do before we tried to start a family. Italy was the place I chose for probably the only overseas trip I ever get to make, and I think it was an excellent choice. I found Italy safe, the people friendly, and enjoyed the culture. I suppose this did not come across well in my trip report after viewing some of your comments. I just wanted to go to the effort to let you in on my trip, since I enjoyed about reading all of yours before I left.

Suzq, Don't be disheartened by those people critical of your food choices and your report. You guys saw and ton on your first trip and did way better than I did on mine in my early 20s(after graduation with a friend who was born in Italy and we stayed with her relatives). Her aunt put fresh mozzerella this size of a softball on my plate and I just stared at it! I had no idea what it was! My friend had to whisper "It's mozzerella, just eat it!" to me. Now I can't get enough of the stuff. Think of your first trip as a trial run, learning as you go along-we're going on our 5th European adventure in October and we learn something new about how we like to travel every time. (we're now in our mid-30s and I'm pregnant so this will put a whole new spin on things!) I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. You'll find that you get hooked on Italy very easily! Sue