I will be driving to Venice from Florence. 1-Where do I park my car. 2-How do I get to Venice from where I parked my car. Does anyone know if there are any restrictions in bring cheese back to the USA?

Yes, it has to be vacume packed and so do their salame and prosciutto.

excuse my ignorance, but do the shops in italy vacuum pack their products? <BR>

If you tell them you're taking something back to another country, many shops have the ability to vacuum pack. Some stores will even have signed in the window advertising that ability - just ask before you buy 200 kilos of cheese and have to eat it all before you leave....

park yur car at the end of the causeway in a parking garage (piazzale roma). (you are now in venice). i have had vacuum packed salumi confiscated by the dept of agriculture upon return to the usa. no problem with vacuum packed cheese.

As for parking, Caesar, you have 3 options:<BR><BR>a) turn right just after you've crossed the long bridge connecting Venice to the continent; follow the signs to Tronchetto; ignore eventual people (even if in uniform) and drive directlyto the parking lot ticket booth; take the vaporetto to your specific destination in Venice<BR><BR>b) continue straight after you've crossed the long bridge and pay attention to the first big building on your right; this is the Autorimessa Comunale (public garage); you'll either see a queue of cars to the entry gate or no queue; if the queue is long just forget it; if there's no queue either you're lucky (grab the opportunity) or the garage is full; if you're not able to park in the Autorimessa, drive a few meters further and turn right as soon as allowed; right in front of you will be<BR><BR>c) Garage San Marco (private); I've yet to experiment this crowded; once it's the most expensive in Venice it's the last to fill<BR><BR>Expect to spend around $14/day at Tronchetto to $24/day at San Marco, with something in between at the Autorimessa.<BR><BR>Paulo

There are still bans on bringing any meat products into the US from Europe - so I suggest that you not try it.... they'll be confiscated. Hard cheeses should not be a problem, but do not attempt to take soft cheeses, or cheeses made from raw milk back to the US. <BR> <BR>PB <BR>

I haven't driven to Venice but I have this information re cars <BR>Since cars are not allowed in Venice, these are your parking options: <BR>You can park in Mestre, and take a short train ride across a bridge into Venice. <BR>Alternatively, use Garage San Marco at Piazzale Roma, near vaporetto and water taxis. However, I've read that that garage is nearly always full. <BR>The third recommendation is to park on Isola del Tronchetto. From there you can catch a vaporetto to San Marco. For Info on parking at the Tronchetto garage: http://goeurope.about.com/travel/ <BR>goeurope/library/venice/aa120897.htm. <BR>

On a recent trip, I was carrying an open (lunch) bag with open cheese (pungently evident!) - - and I was waved over to see the USDA agent. she rummaged through the bag, found an apple (given to me by the airline), and politely said, "I'm sorry, sir, I'm going to have to take this apple", then told me to go on. <BR> <BR>I have looked since, and I have not actually seen any regulation forbidding cheese(s). <BR>

There are plenty of regulations forbidding importation of raw milk, unpasteurized cheeses, but added to that the hoof and mouth scare in Europe has caused the FDA to ban, at least temporarily, the importation of many food items that are normally allowed. Our nightly news has shown huge piles of such foodstuffs that have been recently taken from travelers returning from Europe. When the FDA will lift the current restrictions isn't known, as far as I can tell, so you'd probably be wise to consume whatever meat and dairy products you enjoy while on your trip.

To emphasize what StCirq said: <BR> <BR>4 friends who returned 3/19 from France had their bags x-rayed, then opened and examined upon arrival in LAX. Anything that looked like food (like a tinned candle) was opened and the women were questioned thoroughly. Fortunately, they have traveled before, and expecting extra precautions by Customs, had no food products other than chocolates and wine.