Italy March 2009...help!!!

Donella, after reading your questions, the first suggestion that comes to mind is that you need to read Europe Through The Back Door. Rick's Italy book would probably be a good idea too. These should be available at local Libraries or Book Stores.

Some answers on your questions:

1.) For travel to the cities you mentioned, train is absolutely the best method. The fast IC trains have relatively short travel times, and no worries about parking or other "issues" with rental cars (you DON'T want to drive in Rome!). I'd just buy the tickets in Rome (note - some trains have compulsory reservations).

2.) The Guidebooks I mentioned have lots of restaurant listings. However, part of the fun is to explore local places. Ask your Hotel or other travelers for recommendations. However, be aware that menus are structured differently than at home. In Italy the meals are arranged in courses, and if you order the "full meal deal", it gets expensive very quickly.

3.) I've never tried to obtain Pizza delivery in Rome, so can't answer that.

4.) There are grocery stores all over - look for "Alimentari". Yes, they have eggs and milk, but there are different types of milk and unless you can read Italian you won't know what these are. Ask your Hotel for advice.

5.) Everyone here seems to have different opinions on which areas are "more dangerous". Again, check the Guidebooks for listings on good areas to stay in. I've stayed both in the area around Termini and the Trastevere area, with no problems. I like the Termini area as it's so convenient for transportation. In Naples you might be a bit careful around the area known as the "Spanish Quarter".

6.) Places to visit? Check the Guidebooks, as they list interesting sites in each place. Find something that interests you.

continued.....

Rick suggests travelers stay in Sorrento and do day trips to Naples, Pompeii, etc. I think its good advice.

Part 2.....

7.) Many people working with tourists understand some English and some are completely fluent, but it's a good idea to learn a few basic phrases in Italian. You might consider an Rick's Italian Phrase book, as it provides lots of good information on simple phrases, common words (such as entrance & exit), etc.

8.) As mentioned in #1, full meals can be quite expensive if ordering both the Primi and Secondi (along with Vino or other beverages). There's also the Coperta (cover charge) and if you order bottled water (either carbonated or plain), that will be extra. Many Hotels provide a "Continental Breakfast" which will vary a bit at each property, but usually this consists of Coffee, Breads, Juice, etc. It's fairly basic and certainly not like the usual North American breakfasts. However, that takes care of one meal. For lunches it's easy to stop at a Deli or whatever and order a Panino or just buy some Buns and other supplies and "picnic". Dinners will probably be the most expensive. I've seen some suggest that one person order the Primi (usually Pasta) and the other person order the Secondi (usually meats) and they share. Some restaurants might object to this, but it's a way to reduce costs. I find that I simply can't eat both courses - it's too much!

I hesitate to mention this, but you'll find that McDonald's are ubiquitous in Rome, so you can get the usual "fixes" if you get desperate. Some McD's in Rome are much more elaborate than here, with salad bars, bakery sections, etc. A good idea when you're ordering meals is to mentally "calculate" what the meal is actually costing you in home currency. Check the exchange rates before you go for a rough idea.

One final point - DON'T expect the "bottomless" cup of Coffee! You will pay for EVERY cup!

9.) That's impossible to answer as each Hotel (and each room) may have different beds. Mention the back problem to the Hotel when you reserve.

Happy travels!

Donella- I'm a military wife so you will know where I am coming from. I would really take your time on this trip and not cram in too much. You will want to spend some down time (wink, wink) so plan some slow days into your trip.
Like previous posters mentioned, I highly recomend reading Rick Steves through the back door and the Italy book. You will get a good idea of what you want to do based on those books. I have never eaten at a bad rick steves recomended restraunt.
We always buy train tickets the day that we travel. The longest train ride you would have may be from naples to venice but that is only 7 hours. There are markets and grocery stores all over italy. But don't expect to find a mini fridge or a microwave in a hotelroom. As for delivery pizza... I know it exists. You'll have to ask your hotel about that. You could also plan on staying in hotels that have restraunts so you don't have to go out.
If you're not in to museums look toward Sorrento, Cinque Terra, Veince, the lakes, and the mountains. As a tourist you probably won't find the 'bad' parts of town.
Send me a message if you have any other questions.

You asked about the weather in Italy in March, here's Rick's Europe weather table, by month, scroll down to the Italian cities:Rick's Europe Weather Table

HI Donella. Weather: To look at what the weather has been in the last 10 years, I use wunderground.com Use the trip planner near the top of the screen, then enter the city and the dates. A wealth of information; first the averages, temp, precipitation, humidity, wind, etc, then all the statistics for the past 10 years. Below is the link to Venice for the entire month of March.

http://www.wunderground.com/history/airport/LIPZ/1993/3/1/PlannerHistory.html?dayend=31&monthend=3&yearend=1993&req_city=Venice&req_state=&req_statename=Italy

Grocery stores in Venice: I am going in the end of April and by reading online, have found 2 grocery stores; Billa and Coin. http://www.billa.it/
one Coin is at Salizada San Giovanni Crisostomo, Cannaregio 5787. Google maps is helpful once I found the address. The Rialto market should have fresh fruit and veggies.

Happy Travels.

my thanks to your husbands and you. Have a wonderful vacation

Hello Donella--lucky you to be visiting all of these wonderful places! My husband and I have visited Italy several times in the past five years and always in March because that is when we get our school break. It is a great time to visit because it is a. not too crowded b. not too hot and c. not too cold--unless, of course, there is some kind of weather fluke! I have an all-purpose, raincoat with a hood and a zip-out lining and this is adaptable to most any kind of weather.

I wanted to say that in Florence you will find a wonderful indoor market (called San Lorenzo, I think). Inside you will find vendors selling all kinds of fresh food imaginable from fruit and vegetables to pastry and bread to meats. Once we discovered this place we were able to have very economical evening "picnics" in our room. We enjoyed our lunches in cafes. There are a few little restaurants in the market too, and we liked one especially, called, of all things "Pork's". At noontime, many locals were lined up there and so we figured it must be pretty good. We were not disappointed. I had the best plate of gnocci with leek sauce ever.

Before we went to Italy the first time, we read alot of stuff about pickpockets and I got pretty nervous, so we decided to play it safe. We each bought a camper's vest with inside pockets and sewed a little brass ring inside one of the velcroed pockets. To the ring we clipped our wallets. With a buttoned up vest and a coat over that, we were pretty secure. I never carry a pocketbook when I travel overseas. Rick recommends a money belt, which is also very secure. It's the dangling pocketbooks and wallets in pants pockets that are easy prey for thieves.

Happy travels! Cheryl

Everyone has been so helpful!!!!!!!!!!! I am heading to books a million today! Thanks for all the replies and if any more suggestions please let me know!!!!!

Oh yea....one more question.....
should I buy a eurorail pass or saverpass?? Are these worth the money or is day by day cheaper?? there are 4 of us...

Donella--There are grocery stores in each of the places you mention the one not mentioned so far is the "Coop" (pronounced cope). There are also oodles of small family owned markets and delis that have milk, eggs, fresh produce, meats and cheeses(sliced to order), chips, crackers, etc. I think Ken answered the other questions. Regarding train tickets, just buy them there point to point, lots cheaper than the passes you listed, and really, really easy!! Pizza delivery--you're funny! There are so many food/restaurant choices in the urban areas. There were at least 2 dozen different places within walking distance from my room in Rome. Try finding a B&B or an apartment so you have a fridge in your room for snacks. Try venere.com or cross-pollinate.com for researching accomodations.

Doneella - Don't worry about buying a train pass. Buying tickets as you go will be a better deal for you in Italy.

thaqnk you everyone....all the posts have been ever so helpful...and if anyone ever needs help on vietnam, turkey or egypt...let me know...been there also!!!!!!

Be sure to take your rain gear! One thing about Italy in March is that all the stone buildings can stay really cold, so often it's colder inside than outside. We experienced this with restaurants, for example.

Hi Donella,

A great place to answer many of your questions is slowtrav.com Italy section. They have short articles explaining such things as how to shop in an alimentari (believe me, it's not the same as going to the market here.. who knew??).

I can't emphasize how important it is to read this, because when you contrast it to American expectations of service it makes you acutely aware of why people may think Americans are rude, or why Americans think they are being "ignored" by the locals. Learn their ways and you find the Italians and their way of life delightful instead of frustrating.

I also recommend reading the article about how to order in a restaurant, how to shop at a grocery store/supermarket.

Since you will travel in the cities, please read up on scams so you will be unfazed when confronted by one.

One last bit of advice a "bar" in Italy is not a tavern. Rather it's an informal/inexpensive place to get a meal, especially during chiuso. Have fun and our best wishes to your husbands.

It's much easier to find answers to these queatiosn from books.
However here are some good web sites for you to check out.
Travel by train in Italy: Trenitalia.com
If you want to fly, you can use low cost small European companies ay skyscanner.com
If you can book in advance, you can fly for a very low price. I flew from Bucharest Romania to Milan for $30.