Rome, Italy

Market in Firenze – Italy

Lore

Here are some thoughts of a traveller to Italy ..

“It might be worth it to invest in a Lonely Planet book for Italy. It will give you good advice on places to see, some of the history, dining suggestions, a list of cheap hostels, and good maps of city centers. Hostels are nice and cheap and a great way to meet fellow travellers if you are willing to deal with sharing rooms. I would say plan to take the train rather than renting a car. Trenitalia and other train companies are rather cheap if you are just travelling within Italy. If you are going from the north to the south you might even be able to book a overnight sleeper to save on lodging for the night. Trattorias and osterias are supposed to be cheaper eats. Ristorantes are more upscale. Try a risoteria, multiple dishes of risotto, and limoncello. Never eat in a main square/touristy area. Don’t expect food there to be much like Italian food here. (i.e. garlic bread, caesar salad, and heavy red sauces do not exist) Rome – obivous places to visit are coloseum, castle st. angelo, st. peter’s basilica, pantheon, and trevi fountain (beautiful at night) Venice – I personally thought it wasn’t too worth it. Don’t plan more than a day here. Pisa – Not too much to see here except for the main plaza where the Tower is. Worth seeing though. If you made it out to here you might want take another day in this area and check out Cinque Terre. It is the considered the Italian Riviera. Seaside cliffs and five beautiful small towns. You can hike from the first town to the last through hills, vineyards, and woody areas. Medium level hike. Or come here to relax towards the end of your trip. Milan – Only thing to see here really is the Duomo. Second most beautiful curch after St. Peter’s in Rome. Only other thing to do here is shop for expensive stuff. Don’t go on a Sunday though because everything will be closed. Verona – Smaller town between Venice and Milan. It’s very quaint and has an amazing opera stadium. If you are into it at all, I say it’s worth it to try to catch a performance. During the second act of the opera, when the sun is down, local tradition is to bring small candles and light them up, so you see a stadium full of candle light. Sicily – It’s actually a lot of travel time to get to Sicily so you might want to stop by Naples or Messina to make it a little more worth it.”

Italia – comment

Lore

A picture of an Italian creation.

Here is a comment on Italy from a tourist … just to give something different ..

“I think Italians are perfectly nice. We had some locals go out of their way to help us find the right bus back to our hotel in Rome just this past May, and also help us make sure to get off at the right stop. The African immigrants in Rome were especially helpful, perhaps because they know what it’s like to be a foreigner in Rome. On the other hand, the guy who sold me train tickets in Naples ripped into me for trying to say hello in Italian. Italians will also often cut in front of you in line if they get a chance. It’s a cultural thing I guess. On the other hand I still remember from back in 2001, on a previous trip, when the owner of a wine store offered to open a bottle of wine for takeout and gave me a couple of plastic cups – in the U.S. they probably make you buy a cork screw and cups. When we were in Italy in May a friend took us to some natural hot baths that are frequented by locals. This is out in the country – and the locals were curious at first, and started talking to us as if we were just another couple sharing the hot baths. They were obviously a little amused by us, but not in a condescending way. Their English was very good, and they made us feel welcome. Loud and nice are two different dimensions, you can be loud but still nice, up to a point anyway. The idea that Americans are somehow louder than Europeans is wrong though – in Italy they are loud because they speak emphatically. People from Britain on holiday are easily as loud as Americans – they know how to have a good time, to say the least. Witnessing a Saturday night in the Temple Bar area of Dublin, when the “hen parties” are raging, will give you second thoughts about the famously reserved demeanor of the English. There are plenty of not nice people here in the U.S. You are a lot more likely to find people in Europe go out of their way to help a foreigner. Generally if you are friendly and open you will be treated nicely, and fear of unfriendly locals is the last thing that should keep a person from traveling anywhere.”

Firenze – Italy

Lore

More tips from another tourist to Italy ..

“I love Italy. First read Rick Steves and when you go to Rome be sure to take a train out to Ostia Antica. It is the ancient port city for Rome and there is a whole preserved Roman city with all the ruins you could wish for to walk around and enjoy. If you have a car start driving north and stop in some of the hill towns. They are all wonderful but outstanding are Orvieto, Civita de Bagnoregio, Pienza, Montepulciano, and the more you see of the hill towns, the more you will love them. If you like ceramics, visit Deruta. Modena is where balsamic vinegar comes from. Siena should not be missed and Florence (I do not like cities and only visit Florence for the art, but that is me. I love the countryside). Anywhere you drive it will be beautiful and if you stop at the “tourist information” offices they will book a place for you to stay in their town or in your next stop. They are found usually in the center of towns and will know inexpensive places to stay/eat/visit. Agritourismo is a room or apartment on a farm and can be luxurious of simple. Don’t miss Venice. If you cannot find a place in your budget to stay, stay outside of Venice and take a bus into town and then just spend the day walking. If you go to a cafe/bar (especially in big cities) for a snack and notice that the Italians are standing and not sitting at the tables it is because it costs more if you sit at the table. There will be a menu posted with two different prices and the higher one is for sitting. So choose wisely. You will love it too.”

Multi-country Agents

There are property agents who only operate within their own country and these tend to be based locally. Here you will get more detailed help with specific area or the region of your choice. There are other agents who cover multiple countries – these agents or brokers tend be based in the prospective buyers country such as UK, Ireland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden etc. Such companies will be listed in this section and updated regularly. One such company is Property Frontiers.
Britain has a fair share of these in addition to country specific vendors.
Another company having covering the popular destinations, foreign currency assitance and help with mortgages for properties abroad is HolidayHome in UK – we are not connected with this company.
Another Barrasford and Bird , HolidayHomeNet .

Venice, Italia

Napoli, Italia

Realtors Italia

An upmarket property agent in Italy is Romolini International. They are located in Anghiari (AR) Tuscany. This agency was founded in 2004 by a young couple Riccardo and Marta Romolini. They cover most of the central Italy but are connected to a network of other agencies so they can assist with other regions of Italy. Well worth checking : Romolini

Piemonte is a city in the north west region of Italy. There is a local agency which will help you with real estate, legal issues, finance, building maintenance, translation, etc.
They are Home Team Italia.

Italy, Italia – An introduction ..

A map to help us see the regions of Italy and locate the cities Italia. We start with an old favorite Wikiperdia and WikiTravel. Not to forget that old chestnut LonelyPlanet. Also worth browsing is World66 guide to Italy.

Italian Tourist Board.

Venice – Italy

courtsey of Dustin @ share.us