a week in italy

[strawberry]

hey
i finaly had the courage to tell my boss to f*#k off , and got a week off finaly, chose italy , flying into milan and out of rome in mid august. any tips would be awesome since im a total newbie at the europe thing , (i can answer for Israel though).

i had to stick this one in it just made me laugh.

sivia

[skidrage]

The first thing is learn some basic Italian phrases. I spent a week in Italy, and even in the major cities, English is not very widely spoken. Since you only have a week, you will probably just be able to hit up one city besides Milan and Rome. I suggest Florence as it is a great town. It is not very big, but it has a lot to offer. Another option is Venice, which is cool to see for a couple days before you realize it is an overpriced tourist mess.

I have not been to Milan, but from what people have told me, there is not much to do or see in the city. It is more of a business town. So, having said that, it might be good to only spend your first night there if you want to see both Venice and Florence.

And last but not least, get ready to eat a lot of excellent food. The food in Italy is some of the best in Europe and it is not very expensive. Have fun!

[strawberry]

thanks alot for the advice , with that in mind ill just spend the day shopping in milan and go straight to venice late afternoon. i plan to spend the weekend in venice but in one of its neighbourhoods, so avoid most of the touristy traps, florence sounds nice.
would you know any good night spots in rome?

[LiveFreeorDie]

I spent a couple of days in Milan last year for work. Milan has a great old central section of the city where the Duomo (huge cathedral, maybe the 2nd or third largets in the world?? is) That is definately worth checking out. Otherwise, though, it is not quite as historical as other Italian cities. A day or so is probably about right. If your into fashion and shopping and all that, then of course all of the major designers have major offices in Milan.....big bucks though. Have fun, Italy is great. If your not already addicted to espresso...you soon will be. There are little espresso bars every 5 feet in the cities.

[worldwidemike]

Hi Strawberry (my favorite flavor!),

I think you have the right idea to get out of Milan relatively quickly, if you have only one week in Italy. Good choice on staying IN Venice. Yes, yes, it is touristy. But it IS (in my opinon) the most beautiful city on the planet. No truck traffic spewing diesel fumes, only the swish of water. Winding canals crossed by graceful bridges, three storey Renaissance era buildings in pastel colors, graceful Venetian monuments...it is a lovely city to wander in. A lingering type of city...not a check-this-site-off type of one. At night, when the cruise ships are gone, the atmosphere is so special.

Learning Italian is relatively easy, too. I was lucky and took four quarters of it at college, so could get by. I wouldn't put Italian reluctance to speak English on par with the French in Paris (Hell, anywhere), or the Spanish in Madrid. But then again, I always spoke a little at least, so may have come across differently from your average, camera-toting, Bermuda shorts wearing American tourist.

Skid's comment is right...TRY to learn a bit and you'll find the Italians friendly. Except the waiters, who are TOO GOOD to be doing such a crappy job.

Enjoy yourself!

worldwidemike