I went to Denmark at 17 and the Danish families I stayed with served Aquavit... a whole bunch stronger than wine.

Hello Simsy, no you didn't sound like a snob you merely sounded like a typical 16 year old having a little temper tantrum. May I gently suggest if someone in Italy annoys you that you try to respond with better manners as that will make your visit to beautiful Italy so much more pleasant.

Now about wine, if you and the other students are allowed by your school and chaperones to order wine I would suggest that you start with a very light and bubbly and reasonably priced white wine that is known as Prosecco. It is from the Region of Veneto (which is the region that Venice is located). My daughter at your age really found this wine refreshing and in that it will no doubt be a tad warm to hot in Italy (I am assuming that you will be there this summer) you should find it refreshing. Another wine you might want to try is the white wine from Orvieto. Orvieto is just about an hour north of Rome btw.

Will you be bringing a money belt? When travelling from place to place you would probably find having one would be relaxing as you could put your extra money and any documents that you will have on you in the money belt (or will your chaperones be in charge of your passport, airline info etc?). The money belt goes under you clothes and around your waist. Many travellers find that if they turn the money belt around so that the zippered pocket part of it is in the back they are more comfortable. Of course if you are going to be wearing low rise pants that wouldn't work unless you had on a top that covers your waist. Personally I don't think a neck pouch would work as they usually show with summer clothes.

If you are going to be visiting churches do keep in mind many churches (and especially St. Peter's at the Vatican) require you to have you shoulders, the upper part of your arms (no sleevless tops), no low cut tops and a skirt or pants covering your knees. Many females carry a lightweight shawl or a lightweight cardigan to put on if the top they are wearing does not meet the church's clothing requirements.

And may I gently suggest, although I know you said that you will not overindulge with the wine, that keeping a clear head at all times and not being friendly to people that are trying to bother you etc. will sure help keep you safe. Just don't make eye contact or talk to beggers..even little children as sadly their parents send them out to take advantage of tourist.

You will find if you read the various Fodor's threads here on the Europe Board that you will pick up a lot of good information for Italy.

Have fun planning your trip and do let us have a trip report after you return home! Best wishes to you.

I've chaperoned several groups of students to Europe and (if they had parental permission) they were allowed to drink at meals (in moderation of course). It is far better to learn responsible drinking habits than to fall into the American college habit of binge drinking.

As for the OPs question - I would try the house wines offered as in Italy they are generally good. As someone who's never had wine, you aren't likely to need to shell out big bucks to enjoy your wine experience.

And of course, you are wise to be responsible in your consumption - wine can "go to your head" quickly, even after one glass - which is a great limit for the inexperienced :-).

If you act with respect and stay aware of your surroundings you will have a fun, safe, enjoyable trip!

It may be worthwhile pointing out that the reason the Europeans have less of an underage drinking problem than the UK is precisely because they teach their youth to drink responsibly, with family and friends as part of normal day to day life. Visiting Italy as a 16 year old should incorporate taking on board some of their traditions so go ahead and sample the odd glass that is offered to you by your host family, your chaperone isn't going to allow anyone to get legless, and you'll hopefully return from your trip a more rounded and wordly person with a more positive attitude toward alcohol.
Enjoy! :)

Ok, so you're a bit grammar and spelling challenged. So bit it. I like your spunk. Please know that in Italy, if you stick with small, family-style trattorias, simply order the "vino di casa" -- house wine -- rosso e bianco. Both red and white will be robust, delicious and inexpensive. If you go to big, tourist-trap pizzerias and ristorantes, I suggest not bothering with wine at all. It will suck. Buon viaggio.

Well - I tink the european attitude to liquor is a much more sensible one than ours. (And remember ours is really a function of a DRIVING issue - not a drinking issue.)

Our parents did the european thing - and from the time we were 12 or 13 we were allowed small amounts of beer and wine with meals when they were having it. As a result - by the time we went away to school at 17 we knew a decent wine from a bad one - and since "alcohol" was;t forbidden fruit we wern't tempted to down a gallon of "Old Sweat Sox" - as were many kids - in a frenzy of being released from the rules.

If the kids are limited to a glass or two (since they haven;t had the innoculation proces) I think that's an important step in their growing up - learning how to handle alcohol (since most adults do drink at least on occassion.)

As for what to drik - stick to the house wine. You won;t have enough experience to pick out specific wines - and just tasting the house wines - and asking what they are - will give you some comparisons.

Simsy, you've gotten some great advice on here. My first real trip to Europe was as a teenager, and half a lifetime later I still remember so many great details!

I know you have said that you'll drink responsibly, but I want to give you some advice in case you have a glass or two too many. I think it's definitely better to know what to do than to suffer the consequences!

One thing to know is that the sweeter the drink, the worse of a hangover(!). This is also often true for bubbly drinks, like champagne or prosecco. Wine often contains sulfites, which some people have a bad reaction to even after one glass (flushed skin, headache, etc.).

If you do drink too much, some things you can do to counteract the alcohol effect are:
- Drink *lots* of water. A good rule of thumb is one glass of water for each alchoholic drink; if you don't drink it during the evening, drink it before you go to bed.
- Don't drink on an empty stomach.
- If you have overdone it, take 2 advil or aspirin before you go to sleep (in addition to the water!).

Also, IMO you've gotten good advice here about pickpockets. I'll repeat: Don't have anything of value in accessible pockets (jacket, back pants pocket, etc.). And don't let yourself or your friends get distracted by groups of young children, frantic old ladies, etc. My travel-pro friends have fallen victim to these ploys too often!

In addition to the wine, enjoy the cappucini, gelati, and all the other good eats in Italy! Have a great trip!!

Authored by: Never got to go on a high school trip to europe;) These attitudes towards drinking always amaze me, its the taboo that attracts people remove the taboo and drinking becomes ordinary. I grew up in Montreal, with a very balanced aproach to wine. I never got to go to europe and especially Italy until I was an adult if my boy ever goes I would be the first to authorize, supervised tasting of wine, secondly I give him enough cash to enjoy the best Brunello de Montalcino, especially considering its half the price there!!!

Silly silly North American Values....Travel More open your mind!!!!!

If the OP is sincere he's already said he'll be responsible. As others said already the Europeans are used to drinking wine as children and there is no big problem with abusing alcohol like there is in the US.

Simsy - have a ball, and don't worry about becoming a wine expert on your first trip. Best advice above is from sangaetano - sample the house wine in little trattorias and forget it in chain restaurants.

LilyLace - so sorry about your child; it is a difficult burden for a parent to carry. Please think about Al-Anon as a place to get some help for yourself and to learn more about alcoholism.

We took our three teenagers to Italy in January, although our daughter is legally allowed to drink at home in Australia. Our 16 year old son liked the idea of being allowed to try wine but in practice only drank it a couple of times. Agree that the house wine will be more than adequate for you - and often cheaper than soft drink.

I went with a school group at the age of 16 and our parents signed a consent for us to have a wine sample in CH. Each of us got a bock of very generic wine, no food, in a dank bar type setting...no one liked its vinegary taste at all except one kid who, unbeknownst to the chaperones, chugged others' leftovers. I'm sure she didn't really like it either.

Long story short: she ended up barfing down her shirt in the bus and 40-50 very unhappy people had to smell the stench for the rest of the 45 minute ride...how NOT to be popular.

I'd try the house wine in a 25 cl carafe - red with darker, stronger meats/sausage and red sauced pasta or white with fish/seafood. Respectable places generally have a nice enough table wine and if you don't like it you can leave it and won't feel like you've wasted a fortune or feel like you should drink it anyway.

Hi Simsy,
It's great to 'soak up' the atmosphere of the place you are visiting and its good that you recognise that wine is an important part of life here in Europe.

Its a shame that many people have put you down and been quite unfair and nasty to you.

You are quite right this is a forum and not a spelling/grammar exam, crikey we would all be in trouble if it were the latter !

I second the suggestion of trying house wine, several posters have given you good advice here too.

It is important that you savour the taste, drink slowly, gently and in small amounts.

Wine can be very potent, especially when drinking it on an empty stomach.

So take it easy, drink lots of water too.

Enjoy your experiences in Italy, you seem pretty sensible to me, remain sensible throughout your trip keep on guard against pickpockets and if your peers do stupid things that the chaperones miss you don't have to follow them, use your head.

Just relax, enjoy yourself, there is plenty of time for getting 'pi$$ed' later, it's really not all its cracked up to be.
However, you are experimenting with life and learning about wine, that doesn't necessarily mean getting pi$$ed.


Have a great time, enjoy yourself.
Before you know it, you will be fully into the throws of adulthood, enjoy your youth, and try to be in a position to remember the good trip you had.
Good Luck

Muck

I would recommend the house wine. This is best served at your own house with your parents present. Why seek the recommendations of Fodorites when you have experts right at home. Who knows you best and has your best interests at heart? Mom & Dad.

A pre-trip wine tasting with your parents will satisfy your curiousity, allow your parents to assess your ability to handle alcohol, and perhaps save you from potential mishaps in Italy.

I am sure your parents will be happy to discuss responsible drinking with you. But here are some essentials they might not cover: Did you know that to truly appreciate wine you must drink it while gazing across the table into your true love's eyes? It is also best served with a once in a lifetime meal, or perhaps in a quiet corner accompanied by a good book, and a roaring fire. Are any of these activities on your Italian itinerary?

ttt

i believe there is a drinking age in Italy - 16 for beer and wine but it's seemingly not enforced - in any case if i were a chaperone i'd ask parents beforehand about allowing folks under my charge to imbibe. Nothing against it because as others say families in Italy often serve wine to minors - if may even be legal at restaurants in that scenario.

You seem way more mature than some of the Fodorites who delight in savaging such questions as a means of getting their jollies and imposing their morality on others.

American's are extremests. We either drink too much or believe anyone who drinks goes to Hell.

Most schools have have the parents sign a waiver that guarentees the school no liability or the individual teachers who are going on the trip.

Most kids will find wine bitter compaired to sodas. Try the blush wine first--it is the sweetest wine. Later try the white wine and usually the red is the driest--bitterest.

Remember to eat food when you drink wine, otherwise you will feel the alcohol very soon.

If I was in charge of the tour, I would want the young students to taste the wine but I would not want to be around a bunch of drunk kids.

But I find the wine to be cheaper than sodas in Europe. I actually filled up my water bottle with wine from the vat for 1 Euro. Not bad, and either was the wine.

Personally, I believe if more American families served wine at the dinner table, more parents would know what their children are up to. I glass(or two) of wine certainly gets my mouth flowing.

And you might get free wine on the plane as you fly to Europe--if you are on a foreign carrier.

I chaperoned a trip to Europe and we chaperones were not even allowed to drink.