Italy anyone?

[Jen062406]

Hi guys. I was just curious if anyone has ever been to Italy before? Or is there anyone who is going to be going soon? We want to go next year in November for our honeymoon and I wanted to know if anyone had any pointers or any special things they did that they really enjoyed. Thanks! :)

[Fonnie]

Italy is probably my favourite country! It has a dirty old charm that I just love! :) Where in Italy are you going? I think most people think of Venice, but I like other cities better - Rome, Florence, Sorrento, Sienna, Asissi... There are SO many nice places in Italy - I don't think you can go wrong wherever you choose to go! Right now I have a hard time keeping my trips separated from each other so I can't really remember on what trips I did what, and what places are kind of close to each other... :confused: I know that one of the trips I went to Rome, Florence and Sienna at least so they must not be too far away from each other. I think the Sorrento trip I also went to Capri, Vesuvius (sp?) the volcano, and Pompei - the city that was buried after one of Vesuvius' eruptions. But as I said - no matter where you go I am sure it will be a great trip, as long as you like old things that are kind of dirty in a charming way! :)

[Jen062406]

Italy is probably my favourite country! It has a dirty old charm that I just love! :) Where in Italy are you going? I think most people think of Venice, but I like other cities better - Rome, Florence, Sorrento, Sienna, Asissi... There are SO many nice places in Italy - I don't think you can go wrong wherever you choose to go! Right now I have a hard time keeping my trips separated from each other so I can't really remember on what trips I did what, and what places are kind of close to each other... :confused: I know that one of the trips I went to Rome, Florence and Sienna at least so they must not be too far away from each other. I think the Sorrento trip I also went to Capri, Vesuvius (sp?) the volcano, and Pompei - the city that was buried after one of Vesuvius' eruptions. But as I said - no matter where you go I am sure it will be a great trip, as long as you like old things that are kind of dirty in a charming way! :)
Here are a few we are considering..they are grouped by the tour:

Milan, Venice, Florence, Monte Carlo & Nice. This is a 10 day tour..
They take you to Verona to see Juliet's balcony, Venice to do a canal cruise by private motor launch, Ferrara to see the Este Castle and Cathedral, Florence to see Signoria Square, Santa Croce Basilica, the Duomo and Piazzale Michelangelo. Pisa to see the leaning tower. Monaco to see the Cathedral and Palace in the Old Town. Eze to visit a perfume factory. Torino to visit the 'Antonelliana' building. Then some scenic drives along the shores of Lake Garda and Brenta Canal, over the Apennine Mountains and along the Italian Riviera. Also going to Milan to see the "La Scala" Opera House. Sounds exciting. :)

It includes all of your breakfast, 5 3 course dinners, first class hotel room that also includes all the hotel service charges and tips and baggage handling.

Touring by luxury air-conditioned coach with reclining seats and washroom on board. *Thank God* LOL

The tour director obviously..

Travel bag, etc.

With plane tickets and all it will come to $1925 per person to fly from Detroit and land in Milan. Not bad!!

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Another one is one that goes to Rome, Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Taormina, Agrigento and Palermo.

Sightseeing includes going to Rome, Monte Cassino, Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Taormina, Syracuse, Pizza Armerina, Enna, Aerigento, Selinunte, Palermo, Monreale, Mondello and the scenic drives..etc. Too much to list about it all..

Includes the same as above..also a 10 day stay..$2,000 per person that includes the airfare from Detroit.

I like this one too because it has a cruise to the Isle of Capri..that would be romantic plus a ferry across the Straits of Messina to Sicily.

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10 day stay for $1,800 per person that includes airfare from Detroit.

Milan, Stresa, Verona, Venice, Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, and Pisa.

same as above basically just visiting new cities. Same 1st class hotels..etc

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11 day stay for $1,900 per person that includes airfare from Detroit.

Rome, Siena, Florence, Verona, Assisi, Venice, Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii.

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There are so many more it's hard to choose from. I wanted to get opinions so I could see what people liked and disliked..and pointers...etc. If you have been to Italy can you tell me what your favorite place was, and why? Thanks..and sorry for this mega long post. LOL.

[Fonnie]

After seeing the options I don't think you can go wrong with any of them! Of the places you mentioned I have been to Venice, Florence, Rome, Capri, Sorrento, Taormina, Siena, Pisa, Assisi, and Pompeii. I don't think I have a favourite but I wasn't as impressed by Venice as I thought I would. Most of them are romantic places, except perhaps for Pompeii, which is really interesting though! Assisi felt really "churchy" to me for some reason - a lot there has to do with their Saint Fransiscus (sp?), and I probably wouldn't compare it to Florence and Rome. My mom, who is probably even a bigger Italy lover than me, has talked about Lake Garda for years, but we just never ended up going. I know my parents have been to Syracuse though - that is where Saint Lucia was from (she is not as big over here as in Sweden - over there we kind of adopted her and turned her into our own tradition with white dressed singing girls with candles, one of them - the Lucia - with candles in her hair, Dec 13). Milan is supposed to be a big fashion place, but I think it has more of a big city feeling to it than the other places.

I think I am not making any sense right now - getting tired here! - but my main point is that you can't go wrong! For a honeymoon I would pick the last choice on your list - the 11 day trip to Rome, Siena, Florence, Verona, Assisi, Venice, Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii. There you have all the romantic places - including the Isle of Capri that you liked with that one other option. I like the idea of going to Juliet's balcony in Verona too - that sounds like a perfect thing to do on a honeymoon! You also have Pompeii that is really interesting (if you like that kind of stuff that is!) and I would be a little surprised if they didn't take you up on the Vulcano next to it. You don't get Sicily - Taormina and Palermo and those places, but still it is a really nice trip! Do you have any more info on this choice so that I can dream myself away a little?! :)

[Jen062406]

After seeing the options I don't think you can go wrong with any of them! Of the places you mentioned I have been to Venice, Florence, Rome, Capri, Sorrento, Taormina, Siena, Pisa, Assisi, and Pompeii. I don't think I have a favourite but I wasn't as impressed by Venice as I thought I would. Most of them are romantic places, except perhaps for Pompeii, which is really interesting though! Assisi felt really "churchy" to me for some reason - a lot there has to do with their Saint Fransiscus (sp?), and I probably wouldn't compare it to Florence and Rome. My mom, who is probably even a bigger Italy lover than me, has talked about Lake Garda for years, but we just never ended up going. I know my parents have been to Syracuse though - that is where Saint Lucia was from (she is not as big over here as in Sweden - over there we kind of adopted her and turned her into our own tradition with white dressed singing girls with candles, one of them - the Lucia - with candles in her hair, Dec 13). Milan is supposed to be a big fashion place, but I think it has more of a big city feeling to it than the other places.

I think I am not making any sense right now - getting tired here! - but my main point is that you can't go wrong! For a honeymoon I would pick the last choice on your list - the 11 day trip to Rome, Siena, Florence, Verona, Assisi, Venice, Isle of Capri, Sorrento, Pompeii. There you have all the romantic places - including the Isle of Capri that you liked with that one other option. I like the idea of going to Juliet's balcony in Verona too - that sounds like a perfect thing to do on a honeymoon! You also have Pompeii that is really interesting (if you like that kind of stuff that is!) and I would be a little surprised if they didn't take you up on the Vulcano next to it. You don't get Sicily - Taormina and Palermo and those places, but still it is a really nice trip! Do you have any more info on this choice so that I can dream myself away a little?! :)
Thank you so much for your information. If you want to read a bit more about the choices you can go to www.trafalgar.com (http://www.trafalgar.com). It's really hard to choose, I like quite a few of them. We sat down last night and talked about the expense of it all. If we go and the trip totals $4,000, we are going to bring an extra $4,000 to do extras and shop. If I have extra $$ while we're there..GOOD..but if I misjudged I will be ****ED. I also found someone who currently lives in Italy but is from the U.S. She's been e-mailing me with awesome advice and information. Thank God her her! So the tough part is just choosing..I still like to hear everyone's experiences..good and bad. Helps me to get a "view" of what it should be like. Thanks Fonnie. :)

[Fonnie]

Thank you so much for your information. If you want to read a bit more about the choices you can go to www.trafalgar.com (http://www.trafalgar.com). It's really hard to choose, I like quite a few of them. We sat down last night and talked about the expense of it all. If we go and the trip totals $4,000, we are going to bring an extra $4,000 to do extras and shop. If I have extra $$ while we're there..GOOD..but if I misjudged I will be ****ED. I also found someone who currently lives in Italy but is from the U.S. She's been e-mailing me with awesome advice and information. Thank God her her! So the tough part is just choosing..I still like to hear everyone's experiences..good and bad. Helps me to get a "view" of what it should be like. Thanks Fonnie. :)

Thanks for the link - I will definitely have to take a look! What a wonderful honeymoon you guys are going to have!!! :) And how good that you found somebody that actually lives there - almost nothing is more valuable than that! I hope you are going to love Italy as much as I do (luckily Matt loves it too - it is probably his favourite country too even though he hasn't been there as many times as I have!)!!

[Fonnie]

Just thought of something else that I should mention just so that you are aware of it - Seeing so many places in one trip can make you very tired - Matt and I went to Rome, Venice, Barcelona and Paris last fall - just a couple of days in each city - and by the time we came to Paris we were so tired and almost didn't even want to look at any more places! And that was only four cities (in three countries). So be sure that you really check the schedule for the different trips to make sure it is not just a lot of stressing from one place to another to get to see everything - you want to be able to relax a little too on your honeymoon I am sure, and to enjoy being in the different places! But on the other hand - I would also want to see as much as I could, especially if you don't go to Europe that often! Just as long as you are prepared I think it will be great! :)

[Jen062406]

Just thought of something else that I should mention just so that you are aware of it - Seeing so many places in one trip can make you very tired - Matt and I went to Rome, Venice, Barcelona and Paris last fall - just a couple of days in each city - and by the time we came to Paris we were so tired and almost didn't even want to look at any more places! And that was only four cities (in three countries). So be sure that you really check the schedule for the different trips to make sure it is not just a lot of stressing from one place to another to get to see everything - you want to be able to relax a little too on your honeymoon I am sure, and to enjoy being in the different places! But on the other hand - I would also want to see as much as I could, especially if you don't go to Europe that often! Just as long as you are prepared I think it will be great! :)
We thought about that too. There are more "leisure" trips and "in-depth" as well. Neither of us have ever been to Europe so we are both so excited. We both want to see a lot since we may never get over there again. I know I am going to be worn out..but it will be so worth it! I love sight-seeing in an area I've never been in. Have you ever been there in November? The lady I am talking to said it gets really cool..which is completely fine by us..we hate heat..and that it may rain but as long as we're not in the mountains it won't snow. :)

[Jen062406]

Thanks for the link - I will definitely have to take a look! What a wonderful honeymoon you guys are going to have!!! :) And how good that you found somebody that actually lives there - almost nothing is more valuable than that! I hope you are going to love Italy as much as I do (luckily Matt loves it too - it is probably his favourite country too even though he hasn't been there as many times as I have!)!!
Oh, one more thing I should mention to you. If you go directly through them you're going to pay a lot more. I'm sure you already knew that. We've been to 3 travel agents and thankfully they all use trafalgar and recommend them. Their prices are much cheaper to go through. How many times have you been?

[carmela]

Jen,

any plave that you will choose will be beautiful. my entire family is form italy and sicily.

The trip that has perlemo in I would highly recommend. If you go to Italy it's a must to go to Sicily. I go to Italy/Sicily every summer. and i love it. but like
fonnie said either trip you take will be great.

[lyndsaynicole]

I would love love love to go to Italy-I'm proud of my heritage and I have lots of family there I've never even met!

It may be too expensive for us at this point though. We were talking about saving up a lot of time at work and a lot of money and then taking a really great honeymoon! I do want to go to Italy though-that's what I've told Ryan since the beginning-I want to go to Italy for our honeymoon. It would mean a lot to me. Ciao!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b125/lyndsaynicole/Italian.gif

[Fonnie]

We thought about that too. There are more "leisure" trips and "in-depth" as well. Neither of us have ever been to Europe so we are both so excited. We both want to see a lot since we may never get over there again. I know I am going to be worn out..but it will be so worth it! I love sight-seeing in an area I've never been in. Have you ever been there in November? The lady I am talking to said it gets really cool..which is completely fine by us..we hate heat..and that it may rain but as long as we're not in the mountains it won't snow. :)

Last time I was there in October I think it was, and the weather was still really nice, but not too warm.

[Jen062406]

Jen,

any plave that you will choose will be beautiful. my entire family is form italy and sicily.

The trip that has perlemo in I would highly recommend. If you go to Italy it's a must to go to Sicily. I go to Italy/Sicily every summer. and i love it. but like
fonnie said either trip you take will be great.
Thanks Carmela..and I see you're from Michigan too..woohoo. :)

[Jen062406]

I would love love love to go to Italy-I'm proud of my heritage and I have lots of family there I've never even met!

It may be too expensive for us at this point though. We were talking about saving up a lot of time at work and a lot of money and then taking a really great honeymoon! I do want to go to Italy though-that's what I've told Ryan since the beginning-I want to go to Italy for our honeymoon. It would mean a lot to me. Ciao!

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b125/lyndsaynicole/Italian.gif
I love your little Italian blinkie..how cute. Yeah..we really wanted to do something memorable. We knew it would be expensive and hot in the summer so we're going to go in November. Right after our wedding in June we will probably go stay at a small resort for just a couple nights to relax..but save all of our $$ really for Italy. We have decided NO MORE than $8,000. It seems like a lot of money to me but it will be so worth it to go. I've never been to Europe and I've wanted to go my entire life. There..and Africa...but Seth won't go. lol.

[Jen062406]

Last time I was there in October I think it was, and the weather was still really nice, but not too warm.
That's exactly what we're looking for...something cool. I am the type when it's 30 F outside I have flip flops on. And especially now with the broken toe. I am going to have to wear flip flops in the snow. I am going to look like a freak. LOL.

[Fonnie]

That's exactly what we're looking for...something cool. I am the type when it's 30 F outside I have flip flops on. And especially now with the broken toe. I am going to have to wear flip flops in the snow. I am going to look like a freak. LOL.

Haha, if you wear flip flops in 30 F weather you might think that it is really hot in Italy in November! :) For me it was just nice (even though I would have preferred it warmer) but I wouldn't want to go much later - I am sure they have their not so nice times of the year too even though I have never been to Italy in the winter...

As for Africa I personally probably wouldn't go there for a honeymoon even though safaris and stuff are fun. Seeing it is so different, the whole thing just gives you a lot to think about, so it is not as relaxing as I would want a honeymoon to be! :) To generalize a little again, I wouldn't go to Northern Africa as the people there are not that nice, or they are just different perhaps (I guess it is the men that are kind of scary to me, and also people seem friendly in Northern Africa if they think you want to buy something from them, but if you don't I think they can be kind of scary and not nice at all...). I have been to Kenya too though, and there people are completely different, very nice and friendly. People's lives are so so different over there, but in an interesting way - I realized that while WE are thinking about the poor people in Africa and at the same time complaining about things that we don't have but want, they instead seem to appreciate everything in a completely different way!

I think that you guys definitely made the right decision to go to Italy for your honeymoon - you'll have time to go to Africa in the future! :)

[Jen062406]

Haha, if you wear flip flops in 30 F weather you might think that it is really hot in Italy in November! :) For me it was just nice (even though I would have preferred it warmer) but I wouldn't want to go much later - I am sure they have their not so nice times of the year too even though I have never been to Italy in the winter...

As for Africa I personally probably wouldn't go there for a honeymoon even though safaris and stuff are fun. Seeing it is so different, the whole thing just gives you a lot to think about, so it is not as relaxing as I would want a honeymoon to be! :) To generalize a little again, I wouldn't go to Northern Africa as the people there are not that nice, or they are just different perhaps (I guess it is the men that are kind of scary to me, and also people seem friendly in Northern Africa if they think you want to buy something from them, but if you don't I think they can be kind of scary and not nice at all...). I have been to Kenya too though, and there people are completely different, very nice and friendly. People's lives are so so different over there, but in an interesting way - I realized that while WE are thinking about the poor people in Africa and at the same time complaining about things that we don't have but want, they instead seem to appreciate everything in a completely different way!

I think that you guys definitely made the right decision to go to Italy for your honeymoon - you'll have time to go to Africa in the future! :)
Oh yeah..that's what I meant. Sorry I didn't clarify that..I don't want to go to Africa for our honeymoon..just some time in general. :) Seth said there are too many "poisonous things" there. He is afraid he will be killed..lol. Wow you have been to a lot of different places..I am jealous!! :p

[Fonnie]

Oh yeah..that's what I meant. Sorry I didn't clarify that..I don't want to go to Africa for our honeymoon..just some time in general. :) Seth said there are too many "poisonous things" there. He is afraid he will be killed..lol. Wow you have been to a lot of different places..I am jealous!! :p

Haha, yeah, getting killed wouldn't be that good, lol! That reminds me of when we were in Kenya and our jeep got stuck right by a group of lions - not that much fun right then, but afterwards it is kind of a fun, memorable experience! As is the time on the same trip when I got attacked by a huge monkey of some kind just because I was carrying a banana! :) My parents like travelling, so I have gone places with them my whole life, and later years with Matt. They have actually decided to skip Christmas and go to the West Indies this year, but I'm gonna stay here and experience my first American Christmas instead! :)

[Jen062406]

Haha, yeah, getting killed wouldn't be that good, lol! That reminds me of when we were in Kenya and our jeep got stuck right by a group of lions - not that much fun right then, but afterwards it is kind of a fun, memorable experience! As is the time on the same trip when I got attacked by a huge monkey of some kind just because I was carrying a banana! :) My parents like travelling, so I have gone places with them my whole life, and later years with Matt. They have actually decided to skip Christmas and go to the West Indies this year, but I'm gonna stay here and experience my first American Christmas instead! :)
Holy crap...I would have freaked out if I had a group of lions next to me..how scary!!!!

[Fonnie]

Oh yeah..that's what I meant. Sorry I didn't clarify that..I don't want to go to Africa for our honeymoon..just some time in general. :) Seth said there are too many "poisonous things" there. He is afraid he will be killed..lol. Wow you have been to a lot of different places..I am jealous!! :p

Forgot another reason why I have been able to travel quite a bit - Swedes get so much more vacation than you people do over here! That is one really nice thing with over there - people have like 5 or so weeks a year, and you don't have to "earn" it by working for many many years...

[Szolt]

Did anyone went in Wien (Austria) for their honeymoon? How was the trip ? Did you drink a lot of beer ? :D

[Jen062406]

Forgot another reason why I have been able to travel quite a bit - Swedes get so much more vacation than you people do over here! That is one really nice thing with over there - people have like 5 or so weeks a year, and you don't have to "earn" it by working for many many years...
Well I need to move then! :p

[Fonnie]

Well I need to move then! :p

Yeah! That is definitely a bad thing with living here!! That and that you don't get much maternity leave - in Sweden you get like 10 months or so! Before meeting Matt I would never have thought that anyone would be willing to let somebody else take care of their baby after just a couple of months!
I guess there are good things too though with living here, so I am not complaining too much! :) :p

[Jen062406]

Yeah! That is definitely a bad thing with living here!! That and that you don't get much maternity leave - in Sweden you get like 10 months or so! Before meeting Matt I would never have thought that anyone would be willing to let somebody else take care of their baby after just a couple of months!
I guess there are good things too though with living here, so I am not complaining too much! :) :p
Wow...10 months is excellent. :)

[Fonnie]

Wow...10 months is excellent. :)

I know, I am still feeling a little bad about perhaps still living here when the day comes when Matt and I want to have a baby! Perhaps then it will be time to move! :p Haha, this thread really changed subjects completely! My fault I am afraid! :)

[Jen062406]

I know, I am still feeling a little bad about perhaps still living here when the day comes when Matt and I want to have a baby! Perhaps then it will be time to move! :p Haha, this thread really changed subjects completely! My fault I am afraid! :)
That's alright. :) Yeah...makes sense. It'd be nice to have more time off during pregnancy.

[Fonnie]

That's alright. :) Yeah...makes sense. It'd be nice to have more time off during pregnancy.

:)

[Szolt]

That's alright. :) Yeah...makes sense. It'd be nice to have more time off during pregnancy.

Speaking about "generosity" ... there are other European countries where you get even 2 years of maternity leave.

[Jen062406]

Speaking about "generosity" ... there are other European countries where you get even 2 years of maternity leave.
Wow..I wish we had something like that in the U.S.! hehe. :p

[amusa]

I'm sorry this is late. I been to Italy it's really nice, but if your looking for that romantic spot I recommend Lake of Geneva in Switzerland best time to go is June thru September.

[DNM1010]

Hi guys. I was just curious if anyone has ever been to Italy before? Or is there anyone who is going to be going soon? We want to go next year in November for our honeymoon and I wanted to know if anyone had any pointers or any special things they did that they really enjoyed. Thanks! :)
my aunt and uncle are there right now.. they are coming back dec 3rd so i will ask them... 10 days in italy <sigh>

[Szolt]

You know ... Vienna could also be a good place to spend your time with your loved ones. Too bad its winter now :(

[angel36918]

My FH and I are planning on going to Italy for our honeymoon and are looking into renting a villa. It's basically like renting an apartment for a week and having more amenities than a hotel room. Some are alot less expensive too. Just go to google and search for Italian villas. Good Luck!

[Szolt]

Europe is not so great in winter unless you really like to stay in your apartment and make love all day long :)
Go for tropical places now ... you can find cheap villas and you'll enjoy the sun and the warm weather.