First timer questions from the newbie

Hi, gallos5,
I can help with some of those:
There are indeed ATMs in the baggage area. Try to use a regular bank machine rather than one associated with a currency-changing operation - better rates. (Be sure to let all your card-holders know that you'll be out of the country, prior to your departure).

Transport in Venice: water taxis are extremely expensive, and also difficult to climb into and out of. You'll want to be taking a vaporetto instead, which is the equivalent of a city bus. You can buy a vaporetti pass for 1, 2, 3, or 7 days, depending upon your needs; otherwise, they're 7.50 Euros a pop.
Electrical devices: check to see whether anything you'll need to plug in accepts dual voltage (110/220); if it does, you only need an adapter. If it only accepts 110, you'll also need a converter. I'm guessing you're fine with just an adapter; they're cheap and available various places (got mine at REI).

We just returned from Venice. You really need to find out where you'll be staying before making transportation plans. It's a city you need to know exactly where the hotel is--if anyone's mobility challenged at all. Remember, it's an all walking city--with vaporettos stopping along the way.

\The taxi from the train station to the airport was 40 Euros, and a vaparetto was 15 Euros per person. You can also catch public transportation on a bus.
Chances are you will have already gone through customs in one of the gateway European airports, as few direct flights go to the U.S. if that's where you live.
ATM's are in the airport, and like was previously said, look for a bank ATM.
I always carry a 110 volt/220 volt adapter with plugs--and don't have any problems keeping electronics charged.
Shorts better be okay in August. Italy's a hot place and all hotel a/c systems are not as cool as in North America.
We used to plan to visit great restaurants when hitting places like Rome or Florence, but never went. Just ask your hotelier where to eat close by, and they won't steer you wrong.
It's a pretty good hike from the train station to the airport terminal (FCO), but it's not going to take hours to get to your gate. You cross a bridge after the parking garages and go down an escalator to the left where you'll catch a bus out to the terminal where North American flights depart. I would suggest you get a Rome car service to pick you up and take you to the airport and drop you off at the door--for ease of getting there.

gallos,

Some thoughts on your questions.....

• There will probably be an ATM at the airport, as there are in most airports. However you might also consider getting €50-100 at your local bank to use as travelling money until you settled in your hotel in Venice. There's often a lot of debate on that point here on the forum, but I find it makes things so much easier.
• Be sure to tell your banks that you'll be travelling abroad, so they don't "freeze" your cards when they detect transactions in Europe. It's a good idea to have a "backup" ATM card, in case of problems with your primary card.
• Check with your banks on which of your accounts is designated as the "primary account" as that's the one you'll likely be accessing in Europe (most banks in Europe don't provide a choice between chequing and savings accounts).
• Best way to get around Venice - walk or use the Vaporetti (water bus). As I mentioned in my reply in your other thread, there are some potentially expensive "caveats" when using public transit in Italy. There are ticket booths for the Vaporetto tickets or you can buy a day pass or whatever. It's essential that you validate your tickets prior to boarding or you'll risk hefty fines which will be collected on the spot!
• If you're using the supplied Apple charger for your iPhone 6, you'll only need an inexpensive Plug Adaptor such as this - https://www.amazon.com/Ceptics-Grounded-Universal-Adapter-Europe/dp/B007YL84VA
• Have you checked with your cellular provider on the cost of international roaming in Europe? Using data can be especially expensive.
• I'll leave the question on shorts to the others (I rarely wear shorts when travelling). Note that shoulders also have to be covered in some churches.
• Roberto will be the best one to answer your questions about Florence, and hopefully he will spot this thread. Without knowing exactly where your hotel is located, it's difficult to know what restaurants might be in that area. I've found that the hotel staff are always able to recommend good restaurants in the neighborhood. Gelato shouldn't be hard to find in Florence (or anywhere else).
• Again, with recommendations in Rome for dinner, it will depend on which area your hotel is located. Yes, you could certainly take a Taxi, but you'll need to be aware that not all Taxis are the same in Rome. The best idea is to find the nearest Taxi rank (they're all over the city) and use a proper metered Taxi. Even with that, there's no guarantee the driver will be able to find the address you're going to (I've experience that, but that's another story). I believe there's information in the RS Italy guidebook on Taxis.
• I don't have any information on "golf cart tours", but hopefully one of the others can help. You could also use the Hop On / Hop Off Red Bus tours, although not all here agree that those are a good idea (I don't mind them).
• I don't find FCO to be that "bad", but my departures are always from Terminals 1-3. I understand that U.S. bound travellers have to use Terminal 5 which may be a different matter, but the others will have to provide information on that. The airport can be a bit chaotic at the best of times, but that's just the way it is.
• How are you planning to get from Rome to FCO (airport). The Leonardo Express is the quickest method (32 minutes, €14 PP), but BE SURE to validate your tickets prior to boarding on the day of travel, or you'll risk hefty fines!

Thanks, I am answering from my phone so expect some interesting spelling.

We will get to the hotel with the tour transfer in Venice and the same in Rome. I am
Hoping we will be dropped off near the doors for both.

How do you validate a ticket for the valporetto?

Sigh sorry to have so many questions. I just like to have my process somewhat thought out before I go.

Check the plug on your iPhone charger (or any electronic device)...it will tell you what kind of voltage the device can handle. If it doesn't match up with Italy's voltage, you can't just use the cheap $2 adapters, as all those do is change the shape of the plug and don't do anything to the actual current (my friend has a dramatic story about her curling iron melting!). When I researched it a couple years ago before my first trip to Europe, it looked like there wasn't a great way to convert the actual voltage without carrying a big, bulky adapter, which most people didn't recommend. In the end, it didn't up being a big issue for me. My iPhone and camera battery charger were made to be able to accommodate European voltage, and I just picked up a cheap straightening iron at the drugstore to carry on all of my European travels (from what I've read, the dual voltage ones you can buy here don't work particularly well). And I just used the iron/hairdryers provided by the hotels (I emailed ahead of time to see if they had them). Many hotels had extra plug adapters (left behind by travelers) that they were willing to let us borrow.

The airport should have plenty of ATMs, though you will get a much worse exchange rate there. I don't recall needing to find an ATM in Venice, but in general around Italy we didn't have a huge problem finding them while walking around the big cities.

If you are trying to fit Rome into two days and your dad is limited in walking, then taxis or buses will probably be a good option. We walked around most of the day on those cobblestone streets and our feet were DYING by the end of the day (and we are fairly young).

I don't recall the airport in Rome being too bad - I think people recommended getting there 3 hours ahead? But it is all a little fuzzy in my mind. The main thing is that you have to take a little shuttle from the main airport to get to the gate that US-bound flights leave from, so you need to leave time for that.

I did wear some shorts (carried a cover-up for the churches) because it was 95 degrees when we were there....I think if you are trying to blend in, most people don't wear shorts, but it's not like people were looking at me strangely or anything. It worked out fine for me to wear them.

In Florence, you can take the bus up to Piazalle Michelangelo for the classic view of the city that you see in everyone's photos and then walk back downhill to the city, but I'm not sure if that would be too long of a walk for your dad or if you were looking for a shorter walk. Edoardo gelato by the Duomo is pretty great.

Validation: At the entrance to the vaporetto dock (yellow and white), you'll see a validation machine. You hold your ticket or pass up to the circle on it until it beeps.

Gallos, your questions are so basic that they tell me you really need a good guidebook. The Rick Steves books are ideal for first-time travelers to Europe. He not only answers all your questions above (in one convenient location), but he answers questions you don't know that you should be asking.

That said, some people seem to prefer to take what seems to me to be a "reinvent the wheel" approach of starting from scratch with internet searches.

Happy travels.

In Venezia, validate your vaporetto pass on every ride.

Scooteroma do a private tour traveling in an Ape Calessino-a cute 3 wheeled contraption, not a golf cart. The driver was sure to take us to a lot of interesting places that my 8 y.o.grand daughter enjoyed as much as my husband & I did. Sure was fun

Shorts are ok but why don't you take a cotton skirt with a nice tee shirt, so much more feminine. Would look nicer in a restaurant in the evening.