Holiday in Italy: recommendations???

[jlb]

So, I have approx. 2 weeks to spend in Italy with my wife. I have never been there before and feeling a bit clueless now that I am trying to make some plans.
Questions:
1. Are the B&B's a good option? They certainly don't look the same as the American version but appear charming on the websites I have seen (not to mention cheaper).
2. Any must see places recommended?
3. Any must eat or drink places?
4. Can I plan some of this stuff on the fly or am I better booking housing now?

Any comments are appreciated

ciao,
jocko

[Don]

Tuscany - Enjoy the Beauty and The Wine
Venice - Enjoy the Culture
Florence - Bring the Credit Card

[Blade Wielder]

Pop in on the Maestro! (He's from Italy, isn't he?)

"Hey, man. So, uh, Lynn sent me to export some of your razors."

[jlb]

I am certain he has some sample razors laying about.

[scarface]

Heck...I'd even check out the dustbin out behind the shop!!!


Also - this is on MY personal list of must-see Italian attractions:

Cinque Terra - the Five Lands


-have fun!

-whatever

-Lou

EDIT: Also check out the Lonely Planet website - they've always got some good recomendations

And, the Thorn Tree Forum on the Lonely Planet website is a great place to read some very current information from other travellers.

[SteveS]

I've been to Cinque Terra, Florence, and Rome. Of the three, it's my favorite. I like it because it's a city that happens to have a lot of interesting sites for tourists, rather than a tourist city. The ratio of tourists to locals is astronomical in Cinque Terra and quite high in Florence. That said, both are beautiful places to see---just don't expect to get a sense of how Italians live in either place.

[rickw]

Nobody has mentioned Milan yet. Domo, LaScala etc. If you go to Florence, don't miss the Pitti Palace. Great artwork just thrown up on the walls. Rome deserves some time. I generally stay near the Via Venitto. The Spanish steps are just around the corner on Via Sistina.

Rick

[Fischjaeger]

I went to school in austria and spent a week in northern Italy while I was there. Milan is gorgeous. Take a train ride up through the Brenner Pass into Austria. The scenery is amazing.
Drink the house wines! You can find other stuff, sure, but the house wines are the best. Usually all natural, made in someone's basement like their families have been doing for a few hundred years.

[dylandog]

My advice, in no particular order:

1. B&B's are often a great deal in Italy, nicer and more comfortable than pensioni, cheaper and friendlier than hotels. This book is well worth owning.

2. Booking in advance is good for the big three (Rome, Florence, Venice). It's somewhat less important for other places.

3. May and June are excellent months to travel in Italy; July gets pretty hectic; August (esp. mid-August, known as Ferragosto [August holiday]) is to be avoided at all costs, as it's when virtually all Italians from the cities take their vacations on the sea and in the mountains. Nothing will be open in the cities, and everything will be booked everywhere else.

4. Don't wear shorts, if you have any wish to pass for native. This is true in general, but all the more so in churches, even churches that are tourist destinations.

5. Don't eat at "ristoranti," which tend to be overpriced and aimed at tourists. Instead look for a "trattoria" or "osteria" packed with locals. Lunch hours are pretty fixed, 12:30 - 2. Get off the main drag of whatever town you're in between these times, and follow your ears to the sound of clinking cutlery and muffled conversation. Beaded curtains in doorways are also a good sign.

6. Accept every invitation extended to you, except those of the hucksters who work the train stations in major cities. Italians are proud, generous, and hospitable with a flair that verges on grandiose; indulge them and they'll show you a great time.

7. Don't be fixated on tourist destinations. Some of the smaller towns in Italy have wonderful food, atmosphere, etc.

8. Speak whatever Italian you can muster, even if you mangle it. It'll be warmly received. Italians aren't French.

[rickw]

1. Some resturants may have a charge (capurto) for the use of a table.
2. There may be a charge for the bread.
3 The wine should probably be less than 15 euros. I was last in Rome in 2001(?). Santa Margurita, in the stores was $7.50 a bottle. The Italians have been making wine for a long time and even the inexpensive ones are good. I wouldn't expect a big markup in the resturants either.
4. Beer and coke should be about the same price in resturants.
5. Personally, I would avoid shell fish during the summer. It is served. The locals have no problem with it, but North Americans might.
6. In Venice there is a resturant caalled Due Forni(sp?) (Two Friends). It has a casual side and a formal side. Pricey. I was last there in 2003. 75 euros per person. Very good. As you face Saint Marks (San Marko) from the square, it is maybe 100 meters down the street closest to San Marko, on the left.


Rick