I am not sure whether this is the correct forum for this question. If it isn’t, would the mods be so kind and put it where it belongs?
Hubby and I will be visiting Italy in November. As we just bought an appartment and a new car we are pretty much tight on money for vacation. We are young and adventurous and don’t expect more conforts than we enjoy at home. A lice-less bed with clean sheets and a bathroom that flushes is all we want.
We are arriving in Rome on the 30th of October, leaving on the 14th and HAVE to be in Naples on the 10th. So… does any doper have suggestions for us to make the trip an unforgettable one?
There are cheap hotels (more like pensions) right in downtown Rome. Not elegant or fancy, but beds. Buy a copy of “Let’s Go, Italy” or a Fodor’s guide so you don’t miss the highlights. Buy deli-type foods and wine and sit on the curb in the piazzas and have lunch on the cheap. The bus system works well and goes throughout the country, and is inexpensive. Buy “Italian in Ten Minutes a Day” and learn some basic phrases and vocabulary. It goes a long way. In two weeks (your dates don’t make sense to me, so I’m assuming), you can see a lot. Most architecture, churches and much sculpture can be seen for free and walked to. One word: gelato. mmmmm…gelato…
DadPorpentine and I were in Italy about a year and a half ago, but we were pretty short on time, so we decided to stay in the north. I’m definitely gonna make it to Rome next time.
Getting a copy of Let’s Go or Lonely Planet is the best way to find cheap places to stay, but I’ll throw in a few of my own reviews: We really liked the Piccolo Hotel Etruria in Siena and the Ospitalia del Mare hostel in Levanto (next town over from Cinque Terre, which is an absolutely gorgeous area, BTW). The Hotel Il Perseo in Florence was OK, although not the best place we stayed in terms of value for money. The Piero Rotta hostel in Milan should be avoided at all costs (no particular reason to spend the night in Milan anyway; see the Duomo and get out).
Make sure you budget enough so you can splurge on a few meals, it’ll be well worth it. (But avoid restaurants and gelato stands in the main tourist areas; they tend to be way overpriced.)
Transportation is cheap, but don’t forget to read up on the idiosyncrasies of the bus and train systems. You’ll usually have to stamp your ticket in a machine to validate it, and if you fail to do so you can be fined.
There are a number of convent/hotels in Tuscany. We stayed in one in Sienna that looked out at the Duomo. They’re spartan, but cheap and comfortable. If you have time, Tuscany is definitely the place to visit. The scenery is stunning and the food is wonderful. I think Florence is generally pretty spendy, but it’s worth the trip just to see the statue of David at the Uffizi Museum.
What ever happened to Europe on Five Dollars a Day, later revised to , I think, Twenty Dollars a Day? Mrs. G. and I worshipped that book for three years some 30 years ago. We stayed in some pretty strange places and ate some pretty strange stuff but we had a great time on the cheap.
Avoid the outdoor restaurants around the Domo in Florence unless you are ready to spend five days’ budget on a plate of pasta and a glass of wine. Buy your food and wine in little neighborhood grocery stores and make the thing a picnic. You can get three of four meals out of salami and a loaf of bread and a bag of olives.
One of my favorite regions to visit, and IMO, one of the most beautiful. The rolling landscape and cypresses, medieval towns perched on hilltops… Although almost all of Italy is lovely, the Tuscany/Umbria area is just gorgeous.
You must go to Florence. Some areas are pricey, especially around the Duomo. But Florence is easy to get around in, and if you walk around the Santa Croce area, you’ll find cheaper restaurants. The art and architecture of Florence is worth the journey–lots of stuff to see both outside and inside. Unfortunately, not all the churches are free to visit anymore–I’ve noticed on recent trips that they’ve started charging admission on the big churches (I think the Duomo is free to enter, but places like Santa Maria Novella–the first church you see when you leave the station–and Santa Croce were charging admission the last time I was there.) These churches are virtual museums, with many major altarpieces and frescoed chapels, and I’m sure the money is needed for maintenance, but I felt like it kind of detracted from the spirituality of the structures.
(One nitpick: Michelangelo’s David is in the Accademia, not the Uffizi–while there are some classical Roman sculptures at the Uffizi, the collection there is mainly Renaissance paintings… wonderful Renaissance paintings I might add. The Davids by Donatello and Verrocchio are over at the Bargello, the major sculpture museum in Florence).
Anyway, Florence’s reputation for scenic beauty is well-deserved. Be sure to walk up to San Miniato al Monte (nice Romanesque church) to look out over the city nestled in the Arno valley.
Nearby Tuscan cities worth visiting: Siena (a big rival to Florence in the Middle Ages), San Gimignano (lovely hill town, despite many tourists), Lucca, Pisa…
You could probably spend one week just in Tuscany. Maybe divide the last week between Rome and the Naples area. Rome is a big city, with the noise and pollution you might expect, but there are quiet, untouristy areas (like Trastevere) and some spectacular vistas (St. Peter’s, the Piazza Navona, the Forum, the Spanish Steps…etc.). And my personal all-time favorite piece of architecture: the Pantheon.
Since you’ll also be going to Naples, I’d recommend seeing some of the sites around the Sorrento peninsula. The landscape is stunning down there too–centered around Mount Vesuvius, with spectacular views over the Bay of Naples. Pompeii is easy to access from Naples (the Circumvesuvian train line runs out there). If you still have any time or money left, you might want to check out the island of Capri and the Amalfi coastline (those areas are a bit more expensive, but very beautiful. Wagner used to derive inspiration looking out over the cliffs from his villa in Ravello).
And the food is really as delicious as you’ve heard. I’ve never quite lost the extra pounds I gained on my last trip to Italy, so be warned.
Unfortunately, the journal I kept from my trip to Italy that was on my web site is down right now. I’ll let you know when I have it back up.
Rome is great on a budget because the big evening entertainment for pretty much everybody is the passegiata, or stroll. People just kind of get out and wander around. It makes for a very cool atmosphere.
In Rome I’d recommend a place called The Beehive. It’s a youth hostel, but it’s very classy, and they have private rooms (which would be better for a couple). Another one called Casa Olmata is not as “nice”, as far as it goes, but it has a lot of personality, and the party on the roof on certain nights makes it worthwhile. Both are just a stone’s throw from Termini, and not a bad walk from the Colisseum.
I’m so conflicted about Florence. The art is amazing, the shopping is amazing, and the food was out of this world (though it’s hard to go bad wrong in Tuscany). Still, I didn’t like the overall atmosphere; it felt more like an Italian-themed theme park than Italy. That might be because half the people in town are tourists (at least), and half of the rest are American students doing a semester abroad. Looking back, I think I’d take Rick Steve’s suggestion and stay in Siena, catching the bus into Firenze for a couple of days (it’s about an hour trip, IIRC).
The Cinque Terre is without question the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, and if you can fit it into your trip, by all means do so. Getting in and out can be a pain in the ass, as the trains up that way are neither reliable nor predictable (at least they weren’t for me), but it’s worth it. There are plenty of nice hotel rooms available for ~$30 bucks a night (be prepared to go up some stairs). If you like to hike, this is a must.
I also went to Parma (to see Bjork), but I didn’t get to spend that much time there. I wish I had–it seemed like a very nice, non-touristy city.
I’ll join the others in envying the hell out of you. Be sure to eat for the rest of us.
My family went to Italy this summer, and we visited Rome, Assisi, Sienna, Florence, Venice, and Sorento. We enjoyed Rome and found enough to do there to stay for 3 days (spent most of our time visiting the endless supply of cathedrals), loved Assisi and Sienna, both of which are small, beautiful hilltop towns, and we liked Venice the best, staying there for 2 days. We also staying in Florence for 2 days, but, other than seeing the statue of David, we did not especially like our stay in Florence. In most places, especially Venice, Assisi, and Sienna, we were able to enjoy ourselves just by absorbing the atmosphere, walking through the streets and browsing around in the churches and other historical sites, most of which were either free or very cheap. And in Italy, it is impossible to find bad food, and even the cheaper restaurants have exceptional food. Actually, it seemed to me like most restaurants’ prices were only determined by their location in the city. If you were to avoid restaurants with views of historical sites, or bordering the canals in Venice, you could enjoy great food for a reasonable price.
One hidden gem is Bologna . Great architecture and food , the smartest shops outside of Milan and ,being a university town , lots of cheap places to eat and to stay.
Hostelling International is what are still called ‘youth hostels’, but the name is a little misleading; they cater to all ages, and many hostels have private rooms for couples and families.
Pasporta Servo is a hospitality exchange; you buy a book with listings of hosts in various cities, and you stay the night for free. There are conditions though. According tonthe website there are maybe 20 hosts in Italy.
Definitely stay in hostels and buy a euro pass for the trains. Trains are the cheapest and easiest way to travel. Try eating at Agroturismo’s they are places that usually make their own wine and grow their own food and are usually cheaper but they may not be as widely available in the bigger cities. There look around for places off the beaten path where the locals go.
