Italia Bound
Tag

holiday

Browsing
Tuscany, Florence, Ponte Vecchio, Italia Bound, italiabound.com
Travel Tips

9  Important Things to Know Before Traveling to Italy

What is important to you before you pack your bags for Italy , book your flight and get ready to go on to your holiday?

Budget aside, there should be a plan of some sort and how you go about executing your plan and make your trip not only a reality but also a memorable experience.

Before starting a travel blog on Italy, I took the liberty to interview dozens of clients that I had helped in their travels as well as many more that were/are regular travellers and asked them a simple question.

What are your concerns, needs and interests when you travel?

Interestingly enough, the average person was more concerned about wasting time than wasting money, but the two go hand in hand. When you are not getting the most of your time, you end up wasting money along the way.

Travellers put a lot of emphasis on seeing and doing as much as possible in the short span of time. Often when they try to do too much they return home with a wrong sense of where they were, what they did and what they saw.

As far as I’m concerned, there are two types of holidays.

The first is a “relax and do-nothing holiday”.

You sit on a beach or in a cabin in the wilderness and just re-energize and leave all your stress behind.

The second is an adventure-type.

When I say adventure, I don’t necessarily mean climbing mountain peaks or swimming with sharks. Adventure could also mean learning about history, doing cooking classes, biking or hiking and any other interests that call for some planning and organizing. Even a certain level of “relaxing stress.” You may be on the go but in a relaxing manner.

For the most part, traveling to Italy is an adventure holiday.

So, aside from the obvious concerns such as and feeling safe and secure while traveling, when I asked the question, these were the answers I received.

Survey Says

1-They want  itineraries that are off the beaten path. Identify the “must see” that may not be part of the usual tourist brochures. Quaint spots that would not be in tourism guides.

2-They like to connect with someone or, perhaps a website that can  recommend based on their needs and not the masses. As well , the ability to be in touch with local people or someone that can be a liaison between locals and them via email, texting or by phone.

3-They would like to enrich their experience, since many have no concept of travel in Italy. To receive the knowledge to help experience the true flavour of Italy, people and places that otherwise they may have missed.

4-They want to feel that they can lose the anxieties about planning the trip by being reassured about the country and their travel plans. Having options about where to start and finish, and what type of accommodations.

5-Travellers want someone with knowledge of the land so they are able to be recommended on the routes to take. As well, they want a good understanding about traffic, parking costs and hotel room sizes as well as the best airport to utilize to avoid delays and traffic in larger and busier airports.

Read my post on Italian culture habits  since the more you know about their culture the more fun you’ll have travelling through their country

Food, Wine, Food, Wine

6-They want food, food and food!  Wine, wine and wine! But also an understanding of Italy’s obsession with both.

7-Travellers want someone with a deep understanding of the culture. Being able to receive valuable tips so they feel less like a tourist, or at least feel more like a savvy tourist.

8-They want help in managing, and organizing their trip. To get the most of their time as well as avoiding over spending due to poor planning, lack of knowledge or limited research.

9-They want someone to recommend niche things that can get them off the beaten track and away from tourist crowds, and how to avoid pitfalls and time wasters.

Bonus!

10-And finally. Travellers that were surveyed want to enjoy a true experience of the culture and feel immersed in it. And of course, have a memorable trip.

Often when I asked  more detailed questions such as “food” for instance, all of the surveyors wanted to experience Italian food at its best, but were not aware of that particular country’s obsession with it. Many were not aware of the difference in regional dishes. Often, there are rivalries between towns and their dishes or wines. Italians are passionate about everything. From politics, sports, art and especially food, they are passionate about it all.

Another concern was getting around the country, in a car, due to their lack of knowledge of the Italian language. This should not be a deterrent, as Italy is very organized for tourists. Driving there should be positive addition to the trip. English is spoken throughout the country and for sure in all of the airports, car rentals, museums and hotels.

So…pack your bags and let’s go to Italy… together!

Are  you travelling to Italy and are interested in my assistance, or would like to comment on my post?  Just drop a line below or contact me privately at info@italiabound.com.

by
Keep Reading
Italiabound.com travel blog Italy
Transportation

5 Things to Know about Low Cost Airlines and Italian Trains

Low Fares, Low Fares

1– One great thing about low cost airlines and Italian trains are their fares. Low! With the airlines on the other hand, Its important to understand their game and how they make extra money off of you if you don’t pay attention.

Don’t Get Fooled

2– Train station are the most common place to find pickpocketers so be aware of your surroundings. Gypsies and Roms often gather in groups and while one or two get your attention the others picks your wallet out of your purse or pocket.

As a precaution, don’t engage in a conversation with a stranger unless they are speaking English and or look lost. In bigger stations such as Centrale in Milan and  Naples no one is allowed  on the platform without a ticket so usually those people are travellers. Nonetheless  “occhio“. Keep an eye open as they say in Italy and you’ll be fine.

Know Your Way Around

3– Shuttles often run from train stations to airports but you need to make sure they run when you need it.  Give yourself plenty of time as traffic is pretty intense in major cities. If you are taking a taxi ask how much it’s going to cost you  before you enter.Remember that they may tag on charges for luggage and after hours rates.

Effective April 2018 Uber is illegal in Italy.

If it isn’t an official taxi…walk away

4– Do not let anyone who is not an official taxi take you anywhere. These abusive drivers are all over the sidewalks as you exit the airports or train stations. Sometimes they are right at the arrival areas. Although they are a nuisance and illegal, authorities can’t really get rid of them.  Stick with the original visible taxies.

Read also  Getting Around Italy with Trains and Planes to get a better understanding.

Trains…the way to go

5– Trains are well maintained and comfortable. You don’t have to book a 1st class ticket. I recommend a reservation if you travel in the summer. If you do have a reservation, make sure you get on the right train car otherwise you’ll never get to your seat if the train’s hallway is congested with passengers and their luggages.

 In Italy your luggage stays with you at all times, therefore travel light if you can.

Avoid reserving seats, if you don’t mind seating away from each other save your money. Most flights within Europe are for a short distance anyways..

Are  you travelling to Italy and are interested in my assistance, or would like to comment on my post?  Just drop a line below or contact me privately at info@italiabound.com.

‘Till then…Buon viaggio.

by
Keep Reading
Cinque Terre Italian Beach
Adventure

Why Spending Time On a Beach in Italy is a Must

Life is a… Beach. Italian Style

So, you want to go to Italy and take advantage of the beautiful summer weather to soak up some sun and swim in the blue warm waters of the Mediterranean. You are hoping to find a nice secluded beach where the only sounds are the waves crashing on the beach.

San Nicola Arcella in Calabria
San Nicola Arcella in Calabria

Unfortunately more often than not, these places are rare to find, as most beaches are often crowded by beachgoers. If tourists flock the scogli (reefs) of Sardegna and Campania or maybe Liguria too between October and May, then that may be the case. In the summer months, on the other hand, Italians live for the beach and water, so they tend to crowd them.

You Wonder Why?

Italian beach culture is a love triangle between Italians, the sea and the sweet life of doing nothing.

21 million Italians will hit the Italian beaches between July and August. Add a “couple” of foreigners, too.. well more like several millions.

Italians rush the beaches for at least 10 days but many will extend their holidays for the whole month.

Many are willing to work extra weekends, save on dinners, sacrifice make-up and fashion purchases so that they can add extra days to their beach holiday.

No other country has a need to be at the beach and under the sun like Italians do. They justify all of this because it’s the only time that they can completely detach from the day to day stress of work, kids, traffic, crowds and everything else that drives them crazy during the year.

54% of Italians will be going on a beach holiday during the year.

85% will go in July and August.

60% of them will stay at least 10 days.

So What Do Italians Do at the Beach?

A typical beach holiday to Italians consists of the following:

  • wake up
  • have breakfast
  • pick up all possible newspapers
  • walk to beach
  • sit under the rental umbrella on their rental loungers until noon
  • head back to hotel or apartment for lunch
  • back down to the beach at around 3 PM, and stay till 6 PM.
  •  shower at the hotel or apartment,
  • go to dinner and then for a passeggiata (stroll) and have a gelato.
  • They do this everyday that they are on holiday.
Don’t Worry… Be Italian

Italians’ only worry is about how dark of a tan they want. This is the time that the saying “il dolce far niente” (the sweet doing nothing ) comes in to play and they bare no excuses for it. During their holiday, each Italian will read 5000 books and newspapers. They even have libraries on the beaches to help with their choices.

Add a few walks down the beach, build a half a dozen sand castles. If you really want to feel Italian, build a sand race track with bent turns and tunnels, get yourself some plastic marbles and race for the ultimate prize…A ghiacciolo al limone ( lemon icecicle).

Now you are set!!

Library on Italian beach
Library on Italian beach

Conversations with umbrella-neighbours centre around politics and soccer or,  more recently, about food and recipes.  Recent surveys show that these are now the most talked about topics on beaches.

Ongoing arguments with their kids about getting in the water too soon after having had a snack are also often overheard.  Italians believe that one should not enter the water for at least three hours after having had food (joking, not joking!).

You Pay for the Convenience

All this doesn’t come cheap of course as the bagni or beach rental sites charge a fair amount for those umbrellas and chairs. In Rimini for instance, one umbrella and 2 sun chairs in the first row in some bagni  will cost around €25 per day or €124 per week. Expect to pay a lot more in more popular places such as Tuscany, Sardegna and Liguria. Even up to €4000 for the season.

Italian beach holiday
Endless umbrellas in Rimini

Public beaches are hard to come by and they are not so… convenient. Italians like convenience, and don’t mind crowds. So to pay for an umbrella or access to a caffè/ bar/ ristorante right on the beach to them is worth the cost. In the evening, life gets even better as the town is invaded by the beachgoers as are the nightclubs, discotheques and restaurants.

Where to Stay

Many Italians like to rent apartments. Hotels are popular, but only because Italians opt for a pensione completa, where all three meals are included in the price.

More often then not, they also tend to go back to the same seaside town, same bagno and even the same row and spot year after year. So their umbrella neighbours are the same every year, making their holiday more familiar as it is a sort of reunion.

I remember as a child spending the whole summer in Lignano Sabbia d’Oro with my grandma and uncles. Every year the same people from Rome would be our neighbours. I remember them always commenting how much I grew from the previous year and over the years they became sort of surrogated relatives. As an adult I even visited them in Rome.

If you are looking for that quiet secluded beach, Italy has plenty throughout the peninsula and you’ll be mesmerized by their beauty, tranquility and cleanliness. But, at the same time, spending a couple of days in a crowded one that defines Italian living, is something special too. At least once in your lifetime you should enjoy the “dolce far niente”. 

Italian invented it and are masters at it. Why not try it.

 

Five Beaches Where You Must Go to Experience il Dolce Far Niente

–Rimini or Riccione in the Emilia Romagna region are probably the most famous beaches of Italy amongst Germans and most European tourists. Endless miles of silky sand and lightly sloped coastline with perfectly tempered water. Ideal for adults and children alike.

–Lignano Sabbia d’ Oro is just one hour east of Venice. This golden sand town has beautiful beaches and reasonable rates.

–Senigallia. Further south from Rimini by 100km and closer to Ancona on the Adriatic side of the Italian coast. Great beaches, great food all with warm southern hospitality.

–Versilia. You are in Tuscany and the beaches of Versilia stretch from Forte dei Marmi to Viareggio. Lido di Camaiore probably has the best beach, but anywhere along this 30km stretch you can’t go wrong. Prices in Tuscany tend to be one of the highest in Italy.

–Alassio. This is a small stretch of beach in the Liguria region in the province of Savona. Stupendous small town on the Ligurian Sea rich of entertainment, restaurants and shops.

BONUS Beaches…

Don’t forget the real south, Calabria, in particular Roccella Ionica. The many Islands including Capri, the Emerald Coast in Sardegna and of course Taormina in Sicily

This is Why You Should Go to Italy… It’s An Experience Not Just a Holiday and see for yourself why millions of tourists flock the Italian peninsula every year.

“Til then…Buon vaggio

Are  you travelling to Italy and are interested in my assistance, or would like to comment on my post?  Just drop a line below or contact me privately at info@italiabound.com.

 

by
Keep Reading
italiabound.com
Adventure

Welcome – Benvenuti to Italia Bound!

I thought I would start a blog about travel. Not so much because I do a lot of travelling but because I’m constantly asked by clients, friends and acquaintances questions about traveling in Italy. I figured, if all these people are constantly asking for help and advice, there must be many more out there that could use the same.

Italy Should not be Cookie Cutter Holiday

There are a lot of travel agents out there and many more websites, and travel bloggers that do a great job telling you what to do, where to go. Often they target the masses, and if everyone does the same thing, well, you hardly will do anything unique or different. Fortunately for me…and for you I bring a different angle that focus on the topic but comes from an insider’s point of view. I lived in Italy, travel often there, speak several of its dialects and am passionate about my homeland.

Unique Personal Experience

I like to think of myself as more of an insider with valuable information rather than a travel savvy person or agent. The people that I’ve helped over the years always seem to be looking for the same information. Yet have different interests and tastes. They want to know where to find the things they need and what to do that is out of the ordinary. I realize that helping my clients not only saves them money but more importantly saves them time. This allows them to enjoy new things that were not in their original plans. It also puts them at ease about where they are going and the uncertainties are alleviated if not completely eliminated.

Diversify Your Visit in Italy

Although I’ve traveled alone as well as with my family all over Europe, Canada, US and Japan, I give my advice only about my homeland, Italy, because I know it well. I no longer live there, but did grow up in Novara in the Piemonte region and traveled intensely throughout it as well into Friuli where my grandmother lived until she was 99 years old. I would never miss visiting that beautiful region and its hidden treasures.

We also skied in Val D’Aosta and sunbathed in Liguria and Tuscany, so all of Northern Italy in particular is like my own backyard. I lived it and loved it as a child, teen and young adult and enjoy bringing my family there as well. All three of my children and my wife (who doesn’t have an Italian background) have been there many times.

Holiday Like Italians Live

What makes these regions so wonderful is the simplicity of how people live and enjoy life to the fullest. It’s how in Novara at ten o’clock at night, we meet friends in the piazza for a gelato or drive 60 kilometres to Monferrato to have a fabulous lunch that takes three or four hours to consume. And, while we eat the children play outside in the gardens. You can’t go more then 10 kilometres without experiencing a new site, whether it’s monasteries, churches, castles, villages on the many picturesque lakes such as Orta, or ferrying off to an island on the Lago Maggiore.

You can travel from Novara to Udine, for instance, and experience completely different sceneries. Here the dialect, which I know, is a mix of Slav, Italian and Austrian. The piazza has the same architectural designs as Venice, although there is no water to be found. Udine was once part of the Serenissima, The Venetian Republic. Do you want great wine. Great food. Friendly people. Breathtaking panoramas, mountains or white sandy beaches,? Then it’s all in one package in Friuli region.

All these regions offer everything a traveler would want for a complete Italian experience. Different from many other touristy areas, in Friuli you will experience and live more like the Italian way. Foreign tourists are scarce and few. I like to promote more areas such as these because in many ways they reflect more of the true Italian lifestyle.  Often these areas are overlooked and not incorporated in travel plans.

Expand Your Horizons and Explore Italy Landscapes

Individuals that spend their money traveling often want to go where they know they won’t be disappointed. In doing so, they often miss great opportunities to experience new sites. Not everyone is a Lonely Planet type of traveller. Sometimes if an individual only travels once a year for three weeks, they want the best bang for their buck. And who can blame them. Traveling these days can be expensive and time consuming. Why then waste time figuring out what to do once you have already landed. Planning is essential, but at the same time one must leave something for the unexpected.

So, join me in the blogs to come as I explore Italy and give some insights about places, people, food and culture, and I’ll help you discover places that you should visit but often wouldn’t have otherwise considered or better, never even knew existed.

“Till then… Buon viaggio.

Are  you travelling to Italy and are interested in my assistance, or would like to comment on my post?  Just drop a line below or contact me privately at info@italiabound.com.

by
Keep Reading