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Rome, Italy

Relax

DiscoverLanzarote

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.”

Santorini

img.icez.net

Finance for Your Dream Home !

Yahoo UK has a good article on buying property abroad which highlights the pitfalls and the checks one should make. Similarly check ThisIsMoney .
There are several overseas property blogs around, TravelFinance is certainly worth perusing. Others include OverseasProperty.

Barclays Bank, a UK bank with branch offices in most countries, now provide finance for properties abroad. This particular site covers main EU countries such as Spain, Portugal, France and Italy. It also gves a brief overview of the legal issues and steps necessary to safeguard your property purchase. Others UK banks include RBS, HSBC and Abbey which is part of Bank Santander, Spain.
More info. will follow soon.

The Arch

Michael Lurie

View through an archway in Rhodes.

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.”

Eva la yerbabuena flamenco baile – Spain

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.”