Italy is endowed with several sites of interest that are of geographical, historical, cultural and spiritual nature. There are approximately 46 million visitors who call on Italy annually. There are travel tips Italians would want anyone visiting their country to know in order to make their visit worthwhile.
These are:
Language Tips
Italian is the language that is primarily spoken throughout Italy. One does not need to be fluent in Italian though to have a successful vacation throughout Italy since most travel guides and drivers are trained to speak in English and other International languages. It does help though to learn a few Italian words more so those that revolve around greetings, food, billings e.t.c.
Dining Tips
Italian restaurants do charge “Coperto” i.e. an amount of money charged per person for simply sitting down at a table. This is in lieu of tips which are very uncommon in Italy. The billing Check is not issued until after the dining session is complete and often at the request of the customer. Most businesses including restaurants do close between 1:00pm to 4:00pm for lunch break. The Dining times are usually between 7:30pm to 9:00pm. Reservations are accepted from 6:00pm.
Accommodation Tips
There are a variety of accommodation options that are available for visitors to Italy. These include Hotels, Hostels, Monasteries, Convents, Camping Sites, Vacation Rentals, Villas, Agriturismo (agricultural tourism accommodation) and indeed, more besides! It is of utmost importance to arrange for the intended accommodation in advance before setting foot on the Italian soil to forestall inconveniences.
Sightseeing Travel Tips
Italy is endowed with a plethora of interesting sites which, due to space constraints cannot be fully enumerated. However, a number of these do stand out as the preferred destinations by tourists worldwide. These are: The Colosseum in Rome, Pompeii, The Leaning Tower of Pisa, The Vatican Museum, The Last Supper in Milan, The Uffizi in Florence – just to mention but a few! Moreover, there are several festivals and celebrations that equally add flavor to an Italian vacation. They include: Epiphany on January 6, Carnival in Venice on February 4th to 21st, Open Monuments Weekends on March 24th to 25th among others.
Transportation Tips
There are lots of ways and means of travelling out and about Italy. These include air transportation, taxis, railways, private means, and car rentals and so on. It is advisable to plan your itinerary well in advance in order to ascertain the means of transport that will be of use during the entire trip. Since there are lots of resources and sites to be seen in the process, it is advisable also to maintain a loose schedule that will guarantee flexibility in the process of the tours and travels.
Weather Tips
The Italy weather fluctuates in line with the four major seasons i.e. Spring (March to May), Summer (June to August), Fall (September to November) and Winter (December to February) respectively. Since the weather dictates just about anything you can possibly do, it is important therefore to align your intended activities with the anticipated weather patterns. For instance, summer is ideal for sightseeing, winter is ideal for winter sports and so on. The weather also dictates what type of attires to be worn.
Destination-Specific Travel Tips
As has already been stated, the whole of Italy is endowed with numerous sights and resources that do attract visitors world over. However, some locations within Italy are more preferred due to the fact that they contain more sites of interests than others. These include: Naples, Pisa, Milan, Cinque Terre, Venice, and Rome. So in case you are intent on making Italy your tourist destination and you are not sure of where to start, you can try any of the aforementioned options.
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