Italy

Top destinations in Italy

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Is Italy Europe's most overrated tourist destination, or just its most overpriced? It is famous for its many canals, its renaissance art, its ancient ruins, and for having the largest church in the world. But look at it this way: Central America has ancient ruins, more churches than you can shake a stick at, and the largest canal in the world, and you can probably tour Central America for six weeks for the price of a single bad cappucino in St Marks Square. All that leaves is Renaissance art, and what's great about that? They learned perspective. Amazing. Literally millions of kids learn that every year in school.

But that doesn't give Italy the credit it deserves.Any nation that can convince the world that their version of a cheese and tomato toastie is cuisine surely has something going for it? Italy is worth a visit, just once, and if only so you can be rude and sarcastic about it.So your wallet will be emptied quicker than you can say "But I never ordered bread". So what? You'll also get to see the Colliseum, a grand, if not well preserved testament to the brutality of the Roman people. You'll get to stare up at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, avoiding the evil dwarf security guards and taking sneaky photos as you go. You'll see some of the most beautiful cliffs in the world, even as the bus you're on threatens to fall off the edge of them. And you'll see Pompeii, a Roman town which was simultaneously ravaged and preserved by an erupting volcano so perfectly that you can almost see the look of suprise on the inhabitants' fossilized faces.

So, overpriced certainly, but overrated? Maybe not.

Currency and money

The currency in Italy is the Euro. One euro breaks down into 100 cents. As a rule of thumb the exchange rates to the euro are approximately:

• 0.70 Pounds Sterling
• 1.1 US Dollars
• 1.5 Canadian Dollars
• 1.5 Australian Dollars

The Euro is the second most common currency in the world after the US dollar, and the same banknotes are used in all the countries in the Euro-zone (each country issues different coins, but these differ only in the picture on the back, and can be used outside their country of issue). Even in the European countries which do not use the Euro as their official currency, it is still very common to find it accepted in larger shops and hotels (sometimes at a suprisingly reasonable rate of exchange). It should not be difficult to exchange into or out of Euros at currency exchanges worldwide.

Travellers Cheques:

As with the rest of Europe, travellers cheques are not as useful here as in North America. Large Hotels and stores may accept them in lieu of cash, but most places will simply direct you to a bank to cash them. Banks can charge fairly high commission for this, especially if you are converting into a different currency. It is generally cheaper (although less dependable) to get cash from a home debit or credit card using an ATM machine. If you get travellers cheques, and will be moving between countries it is probably best to get them in Euros.

ATM Machines:

Large towns and cities in Italy are not short of ATMs, and the structure of the banking system, with quite a few regionally-based banks ensures that there are branches (with ATM attached) in even quite small towns. They will pretty much all accept Visa, Mastercard and other cash networks such as Plus, Cirrus and Maestro. Be aware that if a machine retains your card you will probably not be able to get it returned to you - always try to travel with more than one card, and ideally some spare cash in case of emergency.

Credit and Debit cards:

Credit cards are fairly widely accepted in Italy. Apart from in small shops and cafes, and for small amounts, Visa and Mastercard should be accepted. American Express is also fairly widely accepted. The main issue for customers from outside Europe however is likely to be Chip and PIN, which foreign cards are often not compatible with. In theory customers should be able to sign for their purchases if this is the case, but not all outlets will allow this. In any event signatures will be checked, and if the card must be used only by its owner.

Shop opening

Shop opening hours may vary a little from region to region in Italy, with the northern regions more likely to adopt more Northern-European hours, however in general large town-centre shops generally open from Monday to Saturday at 9-10 am, and close in the evenings at around 8 pm. Many shops, especially smaller ones and those in the south are likely to close for a siesta in the afternoon. Opening is much more patchy on a Sunday, especially in the afternoon. In most reasonably large towns you should still be able to buy the essentials however.

Banks usually open at 8-9 am, close for the day at around 4-5 pm, often closing for an hour at around lunchtime. Some branches may open on Saturdays, though it is unwise to depend on this. With the increasing influence of foreign banks in Italy opening hours and other practices may become more flexible fairly soon. Post Offices open fairly uniformly from 8:30am to 1:30pm Monday to Saturday.

Arriving by air.

This is generally the quickest way to get to Italy, although it is not generally as cheap as it is to fly to countries such as Spain. Scheduled airlines run flights to the major cities from all over the world. Italy is perhaps not the best place in Europe to catch a budget flight to - former Italian budget airline Volaire went bankrupt at the end of 2004, after offering a limited range of not-especially cheap flights around Europe. That said, other budget airlines do fly from many locations in Europe, but to a more limited range of cities (mostly Rome and Milan) than is the case in other countries.

Arriving by train.

There are a range of trains running into the north of Italy from all the surrounding countries. The following is a summary of the key routes:

• Elipsos run a TrenHotel service 3 nights a week from Barcelona to Milan. This service often needs to be booked in advance
• SNCF run a night train every night from Cerbere (on the French-Spanish border near Barcelona) via Nice to Ventimiglio, which is near the coast on the French-Italian border.
• SNCF run a TGV service 3 times a day from Paris to Turin and Milan, taking around 6.5 hours.
• A EuroCity train runs 4 times daily from Geneva to Milan, taking around 4.5 hours. EuroNight trains also run from Geneva to Rome and Venice.
• A EuroCity train runs twice daily from Stuttgart and Zurich to Milan, and a night train runs from Stuttgart and Zurich through Milan to Rome and Naples.
• Eight services (inluding one night train) per day run from Munich to Verona, taking 6 hours. Night trains also run from Munich to Florence and Rome.
• EuroCity trains run twice a day from Vienna to Venice, with night trains running from Vienna to Milan, Venice and Rome
• A Eurocity train runs daily from Budapest via Ljubljana to Venice, with a further service just from Ljubljana. There is also a night train from Budapest to Venice

Timetable and some price information about all of the routes listed above can be obtained from the Deutsche Bahn website.

Arriving by ferry.

Ferry is a quite realistic way of travelling to Italy, particularly from Greece, where the train journey around takes days and passes through very non-western countries such as Macedonia and Serbia. Rail passes are actually valid for basic passage on several ferries between these two. The main ferries running across the Adriatic to Italy are listed below. Be aware that many ferries run seasonal schedules, with fewer or no sailings in the winter months:

• Jadrolinija run ferries from Ancona to Zadar in Croatia on Sundays and overnight three nights a week, taking five hours. They also run a summer catamaran service taking 4.5 hours.
• Jadrolinija also run daily ferries from Ancona to Split in Croatia
• Turkish Maritime Lines run from Cesme in Turkey to Brindisi, taking 60 hours.
• There is a weekly overnight ferry from Bari to Dubrovnik run by Jadrolinija.
• Tirrenia run a daily overnight service from Bari to Durres in Albania.
• Montenegro Lines run several times a week from Bari to Bar in Montenegro.
• Superfast run an overnight service from Patra in Greece to Bari.
• Ventouris run daily ferries taking 12 hours from Bari to Igumenitsa and Corfu.

Ferries from Spain generally take the same amount of time as the equivalent train journey, but may prove cheaper. Consider flying or visiting France or Switzerland between Spain and Italy rather than doing these journeys in one go. For reference these are the available routes:

• Valencia is connected to Salerno in southern Italy by bi-weekly ferries operated by Grimaldi, again taking more than a day.
• Grandi Navi Veloci connect Barcelona to Genova in the north of Italy in just 18 hours.

Finally, Italy is a good start point for trips by ferry to Tunisia and Malta:

• Medmar run weekly ferries from La Spezia in the North, Naples in the south, and Trapani on Sicily to Tunis.
• A weekly ferry runs from Salerno to Tunis and Valetta on Malta.
• Virtu Ferries run various summer services from Catania and Pozzallo in Sicily to Valetta on Malta

Getting around by public transport

Long distance transport in Spain is mostly by train, with air travel serving a few long distance routes, and coaches providing local connections to places not reached by the rail network.

Train travel.

Train travel in Italy is generally a good experience. Trains are all run by Trenitalia, and in general the trains are reliable, comfortable and regular, if not actually all that fast. They are also quite cheap. The staff are generally helpful, and will usually make a pretty good attempt at speaking English, or if all else fails, French. Signs across the rail network are also almost all in English as well as Italian, although the translations can sometimes be more entertaining than informative. Here are some tips for getting the most out of the Italian rail network:

• The Trenitalia website provides timetable and price information for journeys in Italy.
• Use the ticket machines. They have an option to work in English, have less queue than the ticket windows, and will give you all the options including slower trains which the ticket office staff may not offer you.
• Prices are per kilometre, with a simple flat surcharge for using faster trains such as Eurostar, so try to make only significantly longer journeys using these. These surcharges also apply to railpass holders, so the same applies.
• Rail passes can be used pretty flexibly in Italy. Only the fastest trains really incur surcharges. The low price of fares however does still mean that rail passes may not be the cheapest option for the over 26s.
• Validate your ticket. There are machines at the entrance to every platform, and all types of ticket must be validated. If you haven't done this you do not have a valid ticket and may as well not have bought one at all.
• Catch night trains. Although all routes which are served by night trains are also served by normal trains, journeys such as those to Sicily can be very time-consuming, so save the cost of a night's accomodation and don't lose a day. This is usually a better option for long-distance travel than flying.

Air Travel

. Italy is not famous for discount air travel. Until the end of 2004, Volare was the only Italian-based budget operator, and with "taxes and charges" around the 50 euro mark, the budget tagline was probably more of an aspiration than a fact. Either way, they went bankrupt. The moral of the story is that air travel is a way of getting to Italy, rather than around Italy.

Coach Travel.

There are no large national coach operators in Italy. With train fares as low as they are it is best to stick to using coaches and buses only for local journeys or destinations which aren't covered by the rail network.

Ferries and hydrofoils

A few services ply the coastlines of Italy, more as a tourist service than anything else. Details of these are in the local sections. Access to Sicily is easiest done by train, since several services a day are transported there by train ferry. Access to Sardinia by ferry is covered in the relevant local section.

Post

Stamps can be bought from Post Offices and tobacconists. Letters for any destination can be put into normal post boxes. In addition certain locations have priority ("Prioritaria") boxes. Priority letters should be posted into these boxes where they exist. Letters to be sent Prioritaria should have the appropriate blue sticker attached in the top left corner - it is not acceptable to just write this on the envelope. As at November 2005, costs for a standard letter up to 20g are:

• 45 cents for standard delivery (3 days) within Italy.
• 60 cents for Priotaria delivery within Italy.
• 62 cents for letters to Europe.
• 80 cents for Priotaria letters to most other destinations.
• 1 euro for letters to Oceania.

Up to date prices, and full details are available from Poste Italiane (The Italian Post Office)

Phone

The international calling code for the Italy is 39.

Numbers are generally quoted in the form of an 2 digit area code followed by the number, You should dial the whole number as written, even when it is a local call. If you are calling from abroad, simply dial the international prefix followed by the full area code (do not omit any leading 0s).

Calling cards are available at tobacconists and other shops. Prices for calls using these cards are fairly typical for Western Europe, with different cards being better value for different countries. The best way to choose one is to check with other travellers which card they have found to be the best value for money.

As a visitor you generally have three options for making calls:

• Using a payphone. Calls from these to numbers within Italy are quite reasonably priced, though it will usually be cheaper to use a calling card for international calls. It may be necessary to buy a phone card to make calls using a payphone, as most will not accept coins.
• Using your mobile phone from home. Check tariffs with your phone provider. North American phones do not usually work in Italy.
• Buying a Pay-as-you-go phone or SIM card in Italy. Vodafone Italy provide pre-pay SIM cards for 10 Euros (including 5 Euros of credit). These are available from the network of Vodafone stores.. TIM offer similar cards, for a significantly more expensive 40 euros, with 20 euros of credit included. The TIM cards are valid for a full 12 months after activation or recharge before they expire. Only buy these cards from the official shops, as ones which are available at news kiosks and the like appeared to have to go through a complex activation process before they could be used.

Internet

Internet is available in post/phone type offices and specialised cafes across Italy. These range from the places mostly dedicated to online gaming, which are more likely to offer voice and webcam facilities, but often charge more, through to the basic terminals available at many Western Union outlets. easyinternet provide a consistent easy-to-use interface at locations in some of Italy's larger cities, and are usually at the cheaper end of the price range. A few hostels provide free internet access in Italy, but where it is not free it is quite often charged at fairly outrageous prices - check which it is before you check in.

Newspapers

Italy has just two national newspapers, La Republicca and La Stampa, both of which are available online. In addition, there are masses of fiercly independant regional newspapers, particularly those based in Milan. Italian media is notoriously politically-aligned, so it is worth viewing them with a slightly cynical eye.

Finally many cities have a free paper, which is generally quite good for gig listings and simple-to-read short articles - just look out for them at major transport interchanges.

Italian food is famous for three things:

• Pizza. Every region seems to have their own characteristic pizza dish, withsome "unique" combination of cheese, tomato, salami and mushrooms. Sometimes to be really whacky they miss off the cheese or the tomato. Hilarious. If you're a fan of a good deep pan pizza covered with interesting toppings you will quickly learn to hate Italian pizzerias, but if not feel free to try all the different variations.
• Pasta. The fresh pasta, served up with delicious sauces and cheeses would be enough to make anybody fall in love with a country. A bargain eat in most restaurants.
• Gelato. A thousand different types of ice-cream, all of which taste great. You may be able to get perfectly serviceable gelato on every street corner throughout the Balkans, but there's nothing like getting it in Italy. Eat a different combination every day. Even if it's pouring with rain and freezing cold. In fact especially if it's pouring with rain and freezing cold - it's bound to cheer you up.

Unfortunately, and particularly since the introduction of the euro, Italy is not world-reknowned for its bargain-priced restaurants. Be aware of outrageous seating charges, bread and service charges doubling what you expect to pay. Don't be afraid not to tip if you feel the service charge covered the service you received, and if you are on a tight budget look at the tips in the cheap eats section.

Self-catering

Italy is rightly famous for having a good selection of fresh produce available for cooking, which is great if you're feeling ambitious, and have the cooking facilities available. Food isn't necessarily quite as easily available as in Northern Europe, since it is mostly sold from small specialist grocery stores and delicatessens. The prices at these stores are also not quite as cheap as in other countries, although ultimately a good pasta meal can be created for pennies. In contrast to the good availability of fresh produce, ready meals and simple-to-cook food is far harder and more expensive to buy.

Hostel kitchens can be fairly patchy - the best are more than adequate, and the worst are non-existent. The best plan is probably to use kitchens to fill up on pasta meals whenever they are available, and eke out the rest of your time on bread and cheese, with as many cheap-eating options as you can afford.

Cheap eats

Station canteens can be a suprisingly good place to eat for cheap in Italy. These are large self-service affairs with canteens serving pasta, pizza, salad and main courses for quite reasonable prices. One of the main advantages of these places is that prices are clearly marked, and what you see is what you will pay at the till. In a country famous for padding restaurant bills with "seating" charges, separately-charged vegetables and expensive unwanted bread this can be a positive boon.

In general, pasta and pizza dishes are likely to prove a great deal cheaper than meat-based dishes, lunch is cheaper than evening meals, and be very wary of extra charges.

Drinks

Beer.

in Italy, beer tends to be served in measures of 0.2 and 0.4l on draft, and in bottles of around 330ml. The strength is typical for Western Europe, typically around 4-4.5% alcohol by volume. The characteristic beer throughout most of Italy is peroni, which is fairly sweet, and goes better with food than as a drink on its own. Prices again are fairly typical for Western Europe, at around 2-3 euros for a beer in a bar.

Wine.

Italy may not be as quite as famous as France for its wines, but the quality of both domestic reds and whites is pretty good. You'd better get used to it anyway, since domestic wine dominates lists in most bars and restaurants.

Coffee.

Coffee is one of the many delicacies that Italy is famous for. It is the home of the cappuccino after all. And maybe that's why Italians feel so little need to make it well. You are more likely to get a tasty coffee actually made as you like it in Spain, or for that matter in a Starbucks anywhere in the world, than in most cafes in Italy. There is a definite trend towards having the house blend or nothing, and different styles appear to be restricted to cappuccino or espresso. For this you will pay pretty much what you would expect to pay in the UK or Germany, and may well have to stand to drink it (seating being only for people taking waitress service at, suprise suprise, an extra charge). Be aware also that many cafes operate a pay-in-advance system, where you get a token from the cashier for what you want to take over to the barrista to be made.