Any tips for first time visitors to Italy???

Wear a money belt, take good walking shoes, and lots of memory cards for your camera!!

Also, don't try to cram too much in a short amount of time. Pace yourself so you have time to enjoy your surroundings. Many first timers tend to change locations too frequently & in so doing, they spend more time on trains and checking in/out of hotels than in each location soaking it up. You will have a wonderful time; Italy is beautiful. Happy travels.

Learn the Italian phrases for good morning, please, thank you, where is an ATM, and where is the restroom.

Learn some Italian, don't be in too much of hurry to get anywhere, soak up as much as you can, don't be afraid to talk with the locals, get used to walking up stairs, get off the beaten path, wallow in the unbelieveable food you're about to enjoy and get ready for a transformative experience!!!! Enjoy!

Take a good map if you are going to Rome and Venice.

As a general rule, Italians are a blast so sit back and enjoy the show!

Don't overplan and don't be a slave to your itinerary. Obviously, you'll want to plan for the basics and make sure you have a roof over your head every night and can get from place to place, but beyond that, leave LOTS of slack in your schedule. It may be a by-product of traveling with young children, but we usually try to plan one thing a day, like seeing the Vatican Museum or visiting the Uffizi, and that leaves the rest of our time flexible to discover new and interesting things. Half the joy of being in Italy is just relaxing and watching the world around you. That's hard to do when you've committed yourself to being certain places at certain times. Wander and see what you find. Take your cue from the Italians: with the exception of drivers, who always seem to be in a hurry, you see very few Italians rushing from place to place. And remember, there's always time for a caffe' or a gelato.

Follow the advise of everyone above! Get a good map now so you are familiar with what cities are where.

Keep your patience. Adjust to the Italian "clock".

Visit at least one village not mentioned on the internet - you will be amazed.

Prepare to be amazed at everything you see!

Safe Travels

Relax......Traveling in Italy is a snap. English is widely spoken and if not the people are friendly. It would help to learn some phrases though. I didn't go to Europe until I was 45 ( and I was an artist, so I have no excuse) and I had tears in my eyes on so many occasions because I was finally fulfilling a dream. I love going to Europe but it will never be as good as the first time. Enjoy.

Carefully count your change! We've been to Spain, France, Belgium, The Netherlands and England. We have never had a problem anywhere else of being continually short changed. However, as soon as we looked at the change given to us and even so much as gave the clerk a questioning look, the proper amount was almost always immediately given to to us. It was like an Italian game they all played. Perhaps many tourists don't even count and are easy targets. Maybe our experience was not typical, but I do recall Rick Steves one time saying that in Italy, his favorite country, that people try to short change him about once a day. View it as a game, as well, and have fun with it, not letting merchants get the better of you.

Go to Venice and get lost. Sit in san Marco at night , Go to Trevi fountain after midnight and enjoy some gelato, watch the sun set over the Ligurian sea, See some of the best art ever produced by man, eat THE BEST food ever produced by man, Sit in a piazza in the late evening with a glass of really good wine, enjoy a conversation with as many Italians as possible(don't worry if you cant understand each other), stop and look at the architecture around you realizing that it is probably older than your country, realize when you are there that you will must return it is now in your blood. Do not worry about what you cannot control(trains, time, reservations ect..) go with the flow and ENJOY! Caio, Jeff

I will be in Italy for the first time in a week. While I can't provide experience I would say look at maps of cities before you get there, or before you head out. Take a 5 minute look at a map in your hotel room before you go into the city. Figure out where the major attractions are and use them for getting around the city. You don't need to know street names when you can see large attractions from a distance.

Be aware of pickpockets , not just Italy,, but in many places. They are aware of you.
Do not put purse or bags on floor in cafes..ever. and hold it too you in crowds,, Trevi fountain, or buses etc.

It will be hot in Rome in June, July and August,, take light clothing and a hat if you can find one thats not too dorky.. LOL To enter most churches you must have knees and shoulders covered,, they mean it too. No tank tops or shorts.

Eat lots of gelato,, its always good.

Pizza is a fork and knife food,, enjoy it,, but it won't be like what you are likely used to.

Don't over schedule anything.

I'll add a couple of things that are good to understand about Italy.

One poster said to get used to the Italian "clock" but didn't expound on it. Don't allow yourself to be in a hurry. If you are, you are likely to get frustrated. Italians have, what I call, a "come what may" attitude. They don't share our urgency to do things or go places. They arrive - eventually, and get things done - eventually. Which can be maddening if you let it.

An example. We completely missed the Vatican Museum because we asked an Italian friend if it would be open on All Saints Day. He assured us it was no problem and that he knew people in security so we wouldn't have to stand in line. The evening before he called his friend who told him it would be closed. What was, for us, a major disappointment was, to him, something you shrug your shoulders at and get on with life. On the other hand, he booked us into a great hotel that was one of the cheapest of our trip.

If you take a map, understand the roads are rarely, if ever, marked. You can find the street name on tiles that are occasionally placed over a door (maybe one out of five doors) which says both the number and the name of the street. We had a map but often found ourselves navigating by the shapes of the blocks, piazzas, number of roads to pass, opposite from a bridge, etc.

As has been said about the short changing. You will get it regularly from taxis and ticket booths. As long as you demonstrate you know the money and how much you are supposed to pay, you won't have too much of a problem. For taxis, I always ask how much it will cost to go somewhere. While in the cab, I prepare exact change plus a small tip. I count it out to them when I arrive and haven't had a problem. The problem is tourists hand very large bills over then take whatever is handed back (interesting side note: In Japan it's considered rude to count your change and unthinkable for someone to short change you).

To deter pickpockets, eat lots of garlic and lots of beans. lol

Don't obsess about whether you might be enjoying yourself more somewhere else (Montelcino instead of Pienza, for example). Second-guessing can absolutely ruin your vacation. Enjoy where you are.

Just back. Family and I rented an apartment in Rome 2 blocks from the Colloseum. Shopped at the local market and got to know the neighborhood. We wrote our address down on a piece of paper, so if it got to be too late, a taxi driver could get you back. I personally watched Rick’s videos and bought the most recent travel guide. As Rick says, you need to be a A+ student. Enjoy