Hi Simsy-

One more tip- I remember from my college study abroad program that in France (and maybe other European counties) we were warned that the big crime is viewed as public drunkeness. So... they will serve anyone but arrest or fine you for making a spectacle of yourself in public.

Have a fabulous trip! I know it will be a life-changing experience.

Heck, when we have wine, my 3 yr-old sometimes has two sips. We even put it in her own glass. Less alcohol than her cough meds.

No matter what you think about teenagers having a glass of wine or two: All the countries outside the U.S. have a lower age limit re. alcohol. I doubt that a chaperone can fence in a bunch of 16 yo forever when a student group is going to Italy, for example. It's perfectly legal for any 16 yo to order wine or beer (but not liquor) in most European / EU countries. So expect them to give it a try. They'll discover that getting a beer in a pub is cool. Two beer is even cooler. Three beers will make them throw up. Not cool. Lesson learned (hopefully).

So if you don't like that as a parent, don't send them. If you send them, expect them to drink (IF they want to).

Congratulations on your upcoming trip!! Have a great time. Don't forget to eat lots of gelato!!!!!!!!!

Please report back when you return if you have the time. I would love to hear about your trip.

Simsy will be fine... but DO NOT take aspirin if you are hung over. The USDA does not recommend aspirin for children under 19, I think Canada opts for anyone under 21, due to the connection with Reyes Syndrom.

And oh flimsy02 - looks like you've got about 40 more mothers here if you want them

Flimsy, that's a funny name. I think it's Simsy.

Simsy, I just want to echo those who have suggested that you simply order the house red or house white...and in small quantities.

Most of all, have a blast. You only get to be young once, and you should enjoy it.

simsy, if you are a US student and participate in any school sports or other competitive activities be very certain of your school policy regarding any alcohol consumption and school trips. Students at our local high school faced some stiff penalties because of alcohol consumption, not abuse merely consumption approved by the chaperones, on a school trip to Europe. Several lost sports letters, were not allowed to attend prom and could not walk with their graduating class because of an incident of social drinking in Europe. Whether you agree or disagree with the policies, just make sure you are aware of them and let that guide your behavior. Have a great trip. Deborah

It's always nice to have a first time poster attacked on the first response from the grammar and spelling police. I also didn't see your response as a tantrum considering the silly responses of the supposed adults. Don't worry about it.

Now, I don't have children so according to at least one poster on this board, I'm not qualified to post on the matter. None-the-less, my sister raised a couple of children, both adults now. She and her husband allowed them a drink in their own home during their mid to late teens. Neither of them became addicted and in fact, both are very responsible about drinking. Yes good people, even a few fodorites I'm guessing have been in a situation where they had a drink or so too many. Both my niece and nephew have always arranged for this, or called a cab. They were taught responsible drinking at an early age and have stuck with it.

You won't become an alcoholic if you try some wines while in Italy. Hang in there and welcome to fodors.

Bill

<<You won't become an alcoholic if you try some wines while in Italy.>>
40 mothers and a prophet
The young lad is probably sitting with his buddies laughing himself sick over the replies... Remember what it was like to be sixteen???

funny thing US and 21 yrs drinking age and Europe with no enforceable one usually and oft 16 or lower for beer or wine.

US kids can drive at 15, on their own 16

Europe kids rarely drive until 18 or so -

weird how society sets the age of majority in different ways.

<i>&quot;Students at our local high school faced some stiff penalties because of alcohol consumption, not abuse merely consumption approved by the chaperones, on a school trip to Europe. Several lost sports letters, were not allowed to attend prom and could not walk with their graduating class because of an incident of social drinking in Europe.&quot;</i>

Wow. Just...wow.

That is just so very wrong.

mr go, that is what I thought but our schools have a &quot;zero tolerance&quot; for alcohol consumptions by underage students at any school function, kids sign pledges when they participate in activities to conform to the rules, these kids thought because the school chaperones gave them permission to have wine with a dinner that it excused them from the rules. I'm not commenting on whether it was right or wrong, but I just wanted the OP to be certain of any rules his school may have regarding underage drinking, even if it happens to be in countries without such laws. Deborah

I did not read any of the replies, but too your question I suggest simply ordering the &quot;house wine&quot; offered in restaurants. It comes in various size carafes or small pitchers in red, white, or rose. If you don't like the taste, dilute it with a little still or sparkling water.

You should get a money belt and wear it hidden under your clothing. You keep only enough cash for 1 day in your pocket or backpack to spend (do not access the moneybelt in public, the idea is that it stays hidden keeping your valuables safe).

About 5 years ago, my nephew went to Europe on a school trip when he was 16. Prior to leaving, the parents were given the chance to sign a form saying it was okay for their children to drink wine with dinner. My sister did give her okay as others did.

The interesting thing is that my nephew said that most kids whose parents had given permission for them to have alcohol drank some at dinner and sometime a bit more at evening events, but none over did it.

However, the kids who didn't have permission, snuck in alcohols in the room and one of them got extremely sick from drinking.

Moderation and not driving after drinking is the name of the game!

I agree with the general advice to try house wines in moderate amounts with food and lots of water --all assuming that the trip sponsors and chaperones really allow you to drink. You will really regret it if you have a hangover and spoil part of the trip.
I recently went to Rome with my husband and 16 year old son. I offered him the chance to taste wine there. (He didn't like it) I am not a moron or an irresponsible parent. I do not offer him alcohol at home on the theory that I follow the local laws, however much I disagree with them. So your parents may or may not be willing to help educate you with a pre-trip wine tasting.

A few other random pieces of advice:

Try to learn a little Italian before you go and use it when you are there. Take a phrase book with you (helpful for ordering in restaurants and many other situations)

think about reading some books set in Italy before you go. Angels and Demons (by Dan Brown, author of the Da Vinci Code) is a fast, light read about Rome/the Vatican.
I Claudius and Claudius the God by Robert Graves are great historical novels. My older son and I loved them at about age 15. My younger son (the one who just went to Rome) would not follow my wise advice to read these novels or watch the excellent BBC series based on them. He did read Angels and Demons.

I'll join with &lt;beaupeep&gt;.
Someone who hasn't learned the rules of grammar of his/her own language, and has no respect for them (&quot;Get over it.&quot;) or for those who do, probably hasn't learned what moderation is.

Seems to me that Natalie Holloway's chaperones in Aruba were also &quot;OK with it&quot;; now where do you suppose she might be?

The reason for the cautionary advice from some of us is that we have also been 16, and still remember our, or others', excesses. Like the football game we lost to a rival because the left guard and left tackle had each killed a case of beer the day before, and could barely move in the game.

Moms the congregation left over 24 hours ago. The collection has been taken. The choir has gone home. No need for any more preaching.
- flimsy02 has gone on to have some fun on another site.

i agree that there shouldn't be a problem if you want to try wine and are responsible.
however, i don't think that because Europeans allow young people to drink alcohol that there are fewer alcoholics in europe than in the usa. my ex-husband grew up in europe and drank from age 8 - he is an alcoholic and it had nothing to do with the country he grew up in.

I spent a short period of time at a college in New Jersey, and was horified that because they couldn't buy alcohol students were drinking some medication instead. Robotusin?

Responsible drinking is the way forward.

&lt;I'll join with &lt;beaupeep&gt;.
Someone who hasn't learned the rules of grammar of his/her own language, and has no respect for them (&quot;Get over it.&quot;) or for those who do, probably hasn't learned what moderation is.&gt;

the linkage here between mispelling grammar and not learning what moderation is is baffling to say the least - and totally lacking in any logical cause and effect relationship - verbal garbage.

&lt;Someone who hasn't learned the rules of grammar of his/her own language, and has no respect for them&gt; and how do you reach this conclusion - one little mistake (or typo) grammer instead of grammar and this leads you to think she hasn't learnt the rule of her own language, etc. Again rubbish. I read the OP and the only tiny mistake was mispelling the word grammar - if you held Fodorites all up to that standard we'd all be guilty as charged.

Simsy02- there has been lots written here on pickpocketing in Italy - basically wear and money belt with your money, cr cards, ATM card, passport in it and always use it - under the belt is best for Italy - neck pouches can be grabbed off your neck and perhaps hurting you in the process. And don't trust anyone coming up to you - especially playful looking Romani kids.

I would not

&lt;mispelling&gt;&gt;
misspelling... sorry PQ... couldn't resist

It is a long-standing internet rule that all posts correcting another's spelling or grammar must contain a mislepping or in a grammar error it's own.

does &lt;mispelling&gt;&gt;
misspelling... sorry PQ... couldn't resist&gt;

mean that i'm not mature enough to drink wine in moderation - come to think of it maybe i'm not!

anyway you illustrate how a typo or quick typing could be construed as a grammer mistake and then some folks wood jump to inclusions.

Axe me no questions and I'll tell you know lyes.

Why would you want to test yourself and your reaction to alcoholic drinks on a trip of a lifetime in a foreign country? My husband and I have taken our kids on trips to Europe and none of us have felt that we needed to drink the alcoholic drinks in order to adequately appreciate and absorb the culture of the country we were visiting.

good advice from Carol - don't 'test' wine the first time in Europe but prep yourself for the trip a bit here.

I'm sure many do feel that sampling local wines, brews, etc. are important to their enjoyment of a country. This is a value judgment and i believe values clarification is not the role here. Suspend judgment IMO as the OP seems a very level headed person.

But i agree drink some wine and test your reaction to it first - and don't drink on an empty stomach as it can be absorbed quickly, especially feeling stronger if a never drinker. And the less you weigh the less you need to get a buzz.

Italy of course also has great mineral waters!

So I'm a prophet now. Sorry robjame, I should have been more clear. Drinking at 16 is not what creates alcoholism. The risk of alcoholism grows from multiple factors, major among them is social evironment, emotional health and genetic predisposition. Again, it's not the taste of wine at age 16 that creates the alcoholic.

Not being a prophet, I'm not sure how you have come to the conclusion that the young lad and his buddies are all having a good laugh. Tarot cards perhaps.

But now we have a psychologist in the group. Poor grammar and the use of the phrase &quot;Get over it&quot; is a clear indication that this youngster is headed off the cliff. This thread is just filled with professionals.

I believe it is called &quot;spelling karma&quot;.

Let's do a test. Testing. Testing. 1, 2, 3. Simsy are you there? Helllooo, are you there, Simsy?
This has been a test. This is only a test. You may now return to the program in progress.

I believe simpsey's last post (2 days ago) gives you some clue to what he thought of the whole deal

&lt;&lt;Hahaha..thank you guys! I had to laugh at some of the posts.&gt;&gt;


Do you really think that. a 16 year old is going to ask what kind of wine to have in Italy? Zing was good enough for me.

Is he going to listen to people on an internet site moralizing?

It was fun for awhile now flimsy has left the building

Whoa wojazz-that doesn't take premonition. Remember when you were 16?

Simsy--

I'm 16 as well. I have traveled through most of western Europe and southern Africa in the summers since I was about 6. Everywhere we went, my older brother and I were served and drank the local wines at dinner; at first, I wasn't particularly fond of the taste. It is definitely an acquired taste, and it takes time to cultivate a sense of the difference in each wine. Now, whenever we go out to dinner I also have a glass of wine (yes, even in the States). I've only been drunk once - when I was 7, in France, because I was thirsty and hadn't eaten. Now I know that when I start feeling sleepy or light-headed, I stop drinking anything. The truth is that if American children could drink alcohol at a young age, it wouldn't be even a big deal...
Anyway, you probably won't really like the taste at first. My family and I like Pinot Noir for red wine, and Merlot. Chianti is a little bit lighter. White wines can be sweeter and lighter; probably more refreshing, especially if you're new to wine. In restaurants, just ask for the house wine; in Greece, it is almost always white; in Italy, I think you can choose. That way, you'll begin to learn to tell the difference between types of grapes without spending a whole lot on a bottle. Generally, you should drink red wine if you're having a heavier dish like meat, and white goes well with fish or light pasta.
As far as traveling in Italy - Venice is amazing, but horribly touristy/crowdy. I was just there last summer, and we were disappointed by how Venice has sold out! Pizza places around St. Mark's charge you 10 bucks just to sit down - beware. Explore and get lost; go to Peggy Guggenheim's museum. Rick Steves' travel books are dorky, but he has a great walking tour of Venice. Don't miss a gondola ride, but do go at night! And the Doges Palace is always a must-see.

Enjoy... I hope this helps... and when drinking, don't worry, wine generally makes me just fall asleep. You won't die from grapes.

beaupeep,

It's chaperones...not chaperons.

Rick Steves is &quot;dorky&quot;! I love it...out of the mouths of babes...

Yup, Rick Steves is dorky -- this time out of the mouth of a geezer.

Rick Steves *is* dorky (and i'm old as dirt).

Steves is a big dope smoker, not a wino. Can't believe all the posts for this troll. So I'll contribute as well.

rick steves is cool and i'm as old as dirt, although not a geezer

Great thread!