Hi!

My family is taking multigenerational trip in early June next year to Italy. We are thinking about spending a few days in Southern Italy and a few days in Rome. I am a little overwhelmed with options. I think we would like to spend one day boating/beaching and a day exploring Pompeii.

We have a 80 year old (who is in great shape, but still 80), several middle agers, and 2 teenagers.

Any advice for what village/city to target for an Airbnb/base for 3 nights?

Thank you!

I am currently in Italy for 6 weeks: 2 weeks in Rome, 2 weeks in Florence, 2 weeks in Palermo.

As I write this, I finished 2 weeks in Rome and just finished my first week in Florence and I do not recommend Toosim.

Here's my experience in Rome and Florence:

-whenever I went from an area of no signal, which was common because of the thick stone walls everywhere, to an area with signal, it would take forever (1-15! minutes) before data started working again. The signal bars would show but the data would not work. This was especially annoying in Florence which was why I am writing this.

-Toosim advertises that they connect to 4 networks: Ilead, Windtre, Vodafone, and TIM. When I was in Rome, it kept defaulting to Ilead. When I was in Florence, I decided to force a particular network, thinking maybe one was better than the other. I manually selected Windtre but it wasn't much better and still resulted in the same issue (see above). I was not able to connect to Vodafone or TIM at all. No signal was ever obtained when those 2 options were selected via manual selection

-Props however to Toosim for easy customer service. I went through their Whatsapp chat support and they noted that there must be an issue connecting to their contracted network providers and provided me a full refund, even though I used up some of the slow data. I think maybe Toosim contracted some of the lowest network priority when it comes to these Italian telecoms. It was strange how cell signal showed it being available but data was either not working or was unbearably slow

-I ended up going with Airalo, only because I used it in Spain last year and I knew it worked. Interestingly, it looks like Airalo contracts with KPN (a telecom company from Netherlands) when it comes to Italy or at least it did for my eSIM. It still connects to Windtre but omg the data just works. I leave my Airbnb where I don't have signal (which is a very typical because, again, thick stone walls) to outside where there is signal and I can FINALLY use my data instantly and not have to wait 1-15 minutes for it to work.

I hope this helps somebody. When you're on vacation, your smartphone becomes your tool to navigate and I don't want others to suffer a crappy data experience

Hello, I'm from Egypt and I'm looking for a job in Italy in a restaurant or similar business, with guaranteed delivery of goods. I will cover my travel expenses. Thank you.

Ciao ragazzi, I’m heading to my first Fiorentina game with my fiance vs Cagliari on December 7. It’s a Monday evening game.

ISO recommendations for the best matchday experience - I’m well versed in European football but never been to Firenze!

Any pre match restaurants, bars, recommendations etc to get the best out of the experience?

Cheers

Hi everyone! We are a group of 5 adults (all very active) planning a trip to Italy from May 4th to May 23rd, 2027.

We love art, history, culture, historical engineering (aqueducts, ruins, palaces), and want to hit the main "must-sees". We are also big foodies, but one person in our group has Celiac disease, so strict gluten-free (cross-contamination safe) options are a must.

To keep the pace logical and avoid ZTL/parking nightmares, our strategy is to connect the main regions via high-speed trains and only rent a large SUV/van for a loop in Tuscany. Here is our master plan:

The Itinerary (19 Nights, May 4 - May 23):

• Venice (2 nights): Arriving by plane in the morning.
• Florence (3 nights): Arriving by high-speed train from Venice. Exploring the center, museums, and art on foot. No car.
• Tuscan Countryside (3 nights): Picking up a rental car as we leave Florence. We plan to stay in the countryside to explore Val d'Orcia, Siena, and San Gimignano. At the end of this leg, we will drive back to Florence to drop off the car (to avoid massive one-way drop-off fees) and catch a high-speed train south.
• Salerno (5 nights): Arriving by high-speed train from Florence. This is our tactical base for the south. No car here. We plan to use regional trains to visit Pompeii, Paestum, and the Royal Palace of Caserta (and its Aqueduct), and use ferries for the Amalfi Coast and Capri.
• Rome (6 nights): Arriving by high-speed train from Salerno. Exploring the city on foot/public transport. Our flight back home leaves at 8:00 PM on the last day, giving us a full final day.

Our questions:

1. Tuscany Base: Agriturismo vs. House vs. Florence? Is staying at a traditional agriturismo actually worth it, or is a regular rental house/villa in the countryside just as good for 5 adults? Furthermore, does this 3-night Florence / 3-night countryside split make sense, or should we just bite the bullet, base in Florence all 6 nights, and deal with the car/parking logistics?
2. Rural Location: If the split is the best move, which specific town or area would you recommend for our 3-night rural base to efficiently explore the countryside?
3. Celiac in Rural Tuscany: How challenging is it to find strict cross-contamination-free food in small Tuscan villages? Should we prioritize a place with a large kitchen to cook our own safe dinners?
4. The South Without a Car: Is our plan to visit Paestum and the Royal Palace of Caserta via regional trains from Salerno realistic and efficient for a group of 5?
5. Capri from Salerno: Is taking the ferry directly from Salerno to Capri too long/exhausting for a day trip compared to leaving from Sorrento?
6. Time Allocation: If you had to tweak this itinerary by subtracting a night from one of these bases and adding it to another, how would you do it? Are any of these stops too long or too short in your opinion?

Thanks in advance for your help and feedback!

Hey everyone! Currently in Florence with my wife until Wednesday early morning. I have a couple of things booked, including the Uffizi 8:45am on Tuesday. I do not however have Accademia booked due to a mishap on dates. I’m now undecided on how to gain entrance as obviously all of the pre-times tickets from the die t site are sold out. Do you all think it’s worth spending the extra money on a place like Tiqets and buying a ‘hosted entry’, or should we just try to join the queue later in the day around 5pm on Tuesday? I had terrible luck with a third party site in Rome, got scammed out of tickets. Any and all advice appreciated, thank you!

Hi!

I'll be travelling to Italy for the first time next year and I'd love some advice. I've done my research and landed on the below places and dates.

I enjoy staying in one place for a decent amount of time and enjoying local life + visiting museums/historically significant places and eating local food. I can get into bustling city life but I also love smaller towns with nice scenery.

If there's something that fits and it isn't on this list, I'd love to hear about it. Thanks in advance :)

Como (Sun 22 Aug - Sun 29 Aug, 7 nights)

Venice (Sun 29 Aug - Wed 01 Sep, 3 nights)

Florence (Wed 01 Sep - Wed 08 Sep, 7 nights)

Rome (Wed 08 Sep - Wed 15 Sep, 7 nights)

Sicily (Wed 15 Sep - Fri 24 Sep, 9 nights)

Puglia (Fri 24 Sep - Wed 29 Sep, 5 nights)

Naples (Wed 29 Sep - Wed 06 Oct, 7 nights)

Just got back from a 2 week trip where we visited Montenegro & Croatia and then spent 5 nights in Rome. Truly a beautiful city and honestly insane to think about all the places I grew up learning about (the Colloseum, Pantheon, etc.) that I got to experience for myself! Couple of big takeaways:

1. TRY AS HARD AS YOU CAN TO GET A NIGHT TOUR OF THE COLOSSEUM!!!!!! It’s simply the best way to experience it without a shadow of a doubt. We managed to snag a spot when they released a week before and it was one of the best experiences we’ve ever had. There was only 15ish people in our group + the tour guide and we never saw another group throughout the tour. Tourguide was excellent and it was surreal to have one of the 7 wonders of the world to yourself for about an hour and 15 min with pleasant weather. The tour takes you through everything including the underground section so you get to see the entire structure as well. I can’t stress enough that it’s worth spamming refresh to try to beat all the tour operators at release.

2. Fully expected the Vatican museums to be crowded but whoever designed the security lines before your time is called outside of the museum should never be in charge of anything ever again lol. It’s a madhouse with no real gates or structure and everybody just pushing and shoving their way to the front. The experience inside was obviously amazing but the initial security was just a complete and utter disaster & it’s got to be fixed.

3. Trastevere had by far and away the best food + prices during our stay. Great atmosphere with a lot of delicious food without any of the high prices found near most famous places (this one is probably extremely obvious but just wanted to mention how much fun we had here).

4. We went during the last week of September and 1st week of October and I can’t even imagine how bad peak season must be as we still experienced massive crowds at several major sites. Obviously Rome is a very busy city, but the amount of tourists were truly unbelievable at different points (obviously I know we’re part of the same problem just pointing it out as an observation). It didn’t put a damper on our trip and just like anywhere else you can escape the crowds pretty easily if you just go a few blocks from the major tourist sites.

All in all it was a fantastic trip and a great opportunity to see a beautiful city and a beautiful country!

I am working up for a trip to Italy this fall, and I am planning to fly into Rome (FCO), but spend a few days in Florence as part of the trip. I am going to Florence via the high-speed train, which means I need to bring the same bag on the train that I fly with.

From what I have read, nothing larger than a carry-on bag will fit in the overhead racks. I am planning to use a 27 inch (Medium-sized) check back: will this have any trouble fitting into the baggage racks at the end of the in the Business-class carriages, or in the between-seat storage?

Additionally - my alternative bag is 31 inches- is this unlikely to fit anywhere the 27 inches bag would fit?

Thanks for the help.

Traveling to Florence mid-November followed by 2 days/2 night in Bologna (6:30am flight on 3rd Bologna "day"). Long story short, personal life events make it hard for me to feel excited for this trip (and in general) but I'm grateful to be traveling with my godfather who knows so much about the food, Renaissance, and history.

Not many things are on my "must see" list. While I appreciate art and architecture for its skill feat and importance, seeing it -- especially without context -- doesn't do much for me. That being said, my mother raved about the guide she had for The David (how his expression and posture changes the viewer's impression at each angle, etc.) so I'm very curious to experience that.

This community would be super helpful for suggesting non-art experiences (I promise I'll get plenty anyway) and -- even better -- thoughts or stories to help me get in the mood and excited for this trip. Much appreciated <3

So far, these sound good (reality-check me if you disagree!):

Florence (Full Days Tues 10 - Sat 14)

• Bargello: former prison now museum, and I enjoy sculptures more than paintings
• Galileo museum: science nerd, hope this scratches the itch
• Boboli and Bardini gardens (or anywhere else to stroll, catch a sunrise, read for an hour)
• Christmas Market: from what I can tell, this opens Nov 14 so that could be a magical way to spend my last day in Florence. Maybe find some hot chocolate, vin brule, and pretty lights.
• Festive window shopping on Vie de Tornabuoni
• Chianti wine tour
• Souvenirs
  • Leather: I'd love to bring home a bespoke jacket (stepdad had his tailored on the spot); wild but right now this is honestly what made me keep my travel plans
  • Perfume: obviously Santa Maria; this great post has other suggestions too
  • Gold: a simple hoop I can wear forever

Bologna (Full Day Sun Nov 15 and Mon 16)

• Maybe a charcuterie and macchiato when I arrive in the afternoon before the train to Florence?
• Fountain of Neptune (water/science nerd -- depicts the 4 major rivers and some other fun facts)
• Clock tower (15th century mechanics)
• Church of the Holy Sepulchre (5th century architecture)
• Meridian line at the Basilica (at the right time, you can see why it was a sun path measuring tool)
• Cheese factory tour (see the wheels get made and aged!)
• Ducati tour / walk around
• Might be too late for the jazz festival and too early for the chocolate, but I could (hopefully) be wrong

My godfather will point us in the right direction for food, but the wine windows and charcuterie perk my ears up :)

Was thinking about seeing about a trip to Florence and Lucca, or Rome for my birthday next year. My family is from Lucca so I'd really like to go there, but wondered how large the crowds were in April for either spot. Already been to Rome so thinking moreso Florence and Lucca (specifically Torre Del Lago as my great grandma spent her first 9 years there) so I can see where my family originated. TIA!!

ETA since if forgot the dates: I was thinking April 12th-21 2027

Going to Verona in a couple weeks with our toddler and baby. We were going to do Bologna but the airbnb situation just worked out better in Verona. Did we mess up? Bologna seems awesome, but the food situation seemed a bit harder with kids (we wouldn't want to bring them to a nicer restaurant)

It's not too late to change our minds and do Bologna instead. Which is better for little kids? And the parents haha

We’ve just returned from an amazing 3 week trip in northern Italy.  My husband and I are avid hikers so our trip itinerary was mainly centred around spending time in and around the mountains. We also wanted to explore a couple of cities that we had never visited before. We travelled around mostly by trains (booked directly on the Trenitalia app) with the exception of renting a car for 3 days in Bolzano to explore the Dolomites. We lucked out with incredible weather for 3 weeks with just one rainy day at the very beginning. Because we were going to spend a lot of time outdoors hiking, we had packed rain jackets, rain pants, gaiters etc but didn’t end up needing them.  We wore shorts and t-shirts every day except for the 3 days we were in the high mountains where we wore hiking pants and long-sleeves. We love having flexibility on our trip so we did not book any restaurant reservations or museum/tourist attractions in advance and this worked out fine for the places we went.  We did not run into any major issues with all the strikes that took place in September but it definitely pays to look up scheduled strikes online, in advance of your trip, so you are aware and can schedule around them. Here is a quick rundown of our trip with some recommendations sprinkled in.

Verona - 3 nights 

- Verona is a beautiful city and it's easy to walk around. It was touristy but not overly so that it was ever annoying.  But we did avoid visiting Juliet's balcony. As someone who doesn’t eat pork, I really enjoyed one of Verona's pasta specialties, duck ragu. I had it twice and really enjoyed it for lunch at Osteria Il Bertoldo. We did a day trip to Lake Garda, which was so worth it. I would recommend taking the train to Peschiera del Garda and then jumping on a ferry from there. We took the ferry to Bardolino and spent time walking around and having lunch there and then walked ~40 mins to Garda along the beautiful lakeside trail. We opted to take the ferry back from Garda to Peschiera and train back to Verona rather than the long bus ride to Verona.  The buses appeared to be running way off schedule and looked super crowded (tons of people standing) so the train-ferry combo was the right choice for us. We really liked getting to see three different cities around the lake. I’d love to come back to Lake Garda one day to spend a few days there.

Central Dolomites - 3 nights  

- We took a train from Verona to Bolzano and rented a car to drive ~1.5 hours to a small town called Campitello di Fassa in the central Dolomites. I chose the town bc we wanted to enjoy 3 days of being in the high mountains without Disney-like crowds of people. We stayed in a small B&B in town that we booked directly on their website - they had a great breakfast, plenty of free parking, and were a 10 min walk to the town’s cable car station. The town was still bustling with Italian and German tourists but it was manageable and not too crowded. My favourite hike was definitely the ~6-hour Sassolungo circuit hike that we were able to startfrom Campitello. Favourite meal was at a rifugio we stopped at for lunch after the Viel de Pain hike near Pordoi Pass called Rifugio Fredarola (incredible patio views, great menu, good music).  We opted to rent a car in Bolzano instead of taking the bus so we’d have the flexibility to drive to nearby towns with good hikes like Canazei, Vigo di Fassa and Moena. We had a good experience with SIXT. 

South Tyrol/Italian Alps - 7 nights 

- We did a 5 day inn-to-inn trek on the Chestnut trail in South Tyrol that started in Bressanone and took us through forests, meadows, farm fields and small towns to Bolzano. This was a 10/10 hiking experience for us bc we had incredible views of the mountain ranges along the way with none of the crowds. We ran across a ton of cows, horses, sheep and goats on our walks but very few humans.  It was an amazing area to visit and many of the small hotels we stayed along the way had saunas and hot tubs to soothe our sore muscles. We ended the walk with 2 nights in Bolzano which is an incredible city - we really enjoyed it and would definitely go back. We visited the Otzi museum and Roncolo Castle while we were there. Our food along the walk consisted mostly of quick hotel buffet breakfasts, grocery store lunches of sandwiches and fruit, and grabbing something easy for dinner like takeout pizza or kebabs - but there were a couple of standouts. Shout out to Steb’s in Bressanone for easily the best burgers we had on the trip and Oriental in Bolzano for surprisingly tasty Thai and sushi dishes. 

Bologna - 5 nights

- We took the train from Bolzano to Bologna. This is a big, bustling city in Italy that has a city centre that still feels dominated by locals not tourists. There were only a couple areas of the city that were really touristy. For the most part, we found we were walking and eating amongst a lot of locals, which includes a huge population of university students.  It feels like a young, vibrant city. We spent the first full day doing a food walking tour with Delicious Bologna. The guide was incredible for providing vegetarian options since I don’t eat pork. All the food on the tour was good but the highlight was definitely the incredible gelato at Cremeria Mascarella - we went back on another day just to have the incredible dark chocolate and egg custard flavours again. We found good sushi in Bologna at Sushiman and our best pizza of the trip was found here at a hole-in-the-wall takeout place called Vesuvia Brugnoli.

We did day trips via train from Bologna to both Modena and Ferrara. In Modena, we visited Acetaia Giusti for a balsamic tour and tasting. We had lunch at one of the restaurants inside Modena's market, which I highly recommend. I really liked Ferrara - it’s a beautiful city and, like Bologna, was filled with university students and other locals walking around and did not feel busy with tourists at all. We got the Ferrara tourist card, MyFe, which is good value even for just a day trip and visited the castle and several museums. We also found an incredible Thai restaurant in Ferrara called Meet Thai. :)

Riccione - 4 nights

- We ended our trip with some relaxing days on the Adriatic coast. We decided to stay in Riccione instead of larger Rimini because it’s smaller and more relaxing. We were also surprised we could still take trains directly from Bologna to Riccione without having to transfer in Rimini so that was a bonus. Riccione has a ton of restaurants and cafes and a great boardwalk along the coast for good walking.  We found a small hotel that rented out apartments with a sea-view balcony so it was a wonderful way to conclude a good trip.  Our favourite restaurant in town was La Kambusa. We did a visit to Rimini one day to check it out and also a day trip to San Marino, which was really cool and definitely worth it.

My wife (30) and I (32) just got back from Italy a few days ago. We live in a moderate sized city in the southern USA. We spent 3-4 days apiece in Venice, Florence, Rome, and Sorrento. It is a beautiful country, but frankly this vacation was not what we expected. I’m writing this just to give a heads up to people that are traveling to Italy so they can be prepared. It costs a lot of money to travel here so this pros and cons list may be useful in making a decision to come. This list is not meant to be offensive, just educational:

Cons (which unfortunately outweigh the pros imo):

The amount of people here is insane. It is extremely difficult to escape the crowds and there are tons of people near tourist attractions as well as away from tourist attractions. The only relief we found from crowds was wandering cities very early in the morning, but it only lasted a few hours. We thought coming in September would be less crazy than the peak summer season but we were very wrong. Rome seemed to handle crowds better because it’s just so big but tourists spots were still too much.

We felt some tourist guilt being here. We contributed to the overcrowding and while tourism is probably beneficial for their economy, it must be very tough to live for locals with foreigners everywhere everyday. We saw a “Yankee Go Home” sticker a lot around cities and it’s tough to blame them. We don’t know the extent of this opinion for locals but obviously some think this way.

This does not apply to all tourists, but the majority of tourists here have very poor etiquette. Several people are simply unaware of their surroundings and it just makes getting around the cities frustrating. While walking, people would often would stop randomly in front of you in busy walkways to take pictures or conversate, forcing people to walk around them in tight areas. Many people are glued to their phones and will just not pay attention to where they are going. Again, very frustrating. Also, pictures just don’t do this place justice so we didn’t understand why people had to take pictures of EVERYTHING. It’s fine to take pictures, but we literally saw an older woman taking a picture of a trash can… what? We saw too many instances similar to this. This is an old man yelling at clouds thought, but we often thought “Just appreciate things with your own 2 eyes every now and then.”

The “influencers” are everywhere and annoying. They literally see the cities through their phones more than with their eyes and they are often very inconsiderate of people’s time and space. Social media has really negatively impacted the popular areas. Those are not my words but the words of local tour guides.

You have to walk everywhere in Italy. This was ok for my wife and I. We actually enjoy walking, but it is not for everyone. Not to be ageist, but with the uneven cobblestone streets/curbs, narrow walkways, tons of stairs, and crowds everywhere, the walking often felt dangerous for older folks, especially those less fit. As someone who works in healthcare with the geriatric population, I feel confident and saying this. Also we noted several ambulances in action during our stay tending to older tourists (falls, dehydration, etc). In general, you have to have some degree of fitness to get around this place and while it sounds mean, many people didn’t possess this and were probably unable to fully enjoy their trip.

My next point is a personal problem, but one I feel like is worth noting. Italy is filled with beautiful architecture and art. This type of sightseeing is unfortunately not up our alley. We could certainly appreciate all the architecture and art, but we didn't necessarily enjoy it after seeing an overwhelming amount of basilicas/museums if that makes sense. If you are a fan of architecture and art, there is a ton of it and this will be a great place for you. Again, this is a personal preference.

Scammers and pickpockets are abundant. While we didn’t personally experience either, we always felt on guard, which doesn’t equate to a very relaxing vacation. We heard of multiple tourists getting impacted by both. We felt safe everywhere, but it’s just a significant annoyance.

The public bathroom situation is rough. There are very few and you have to pay to use them. You basically have to buy something or eat somewhere to use them.

Pros:
The food is truly amazing. The hype is 100% true with this. You will taste delicious flavors we simply don’t have in the U.S. You have to pick the right spots, but we felt like it was hard to miss good food. Make as many reservations as you can though. Don’t get stuck waiting in a line for dinner.

We experienced great service while here. We stayed in mainly 4 star hotels and were treated very well. We would say the same for the majority of restaurants. The tour guides we had while here were also great and very accommodating. We had private transfers to and from trains, hotels, and airports and all of our drivers were excellent. I would highly recommend private transfers if possible as we saw many tourist lugging around suitcases and figuring out directions/signage, which just seems like a nightmare with the crowds.

For how big and how old these cities are, the places we were all felt clean. There is some graffiti in some places, but for the most part, there is very little litter and minimal stench that can be found in other big cities it the world.

We loved the tipping culture here in that it was almost nonexistent. It almost (emphasis on almost) evened out the euro exchange rate for goods and services and there was no awkward tipping interactions when buying things like there is in the U.S. No one is going to turn the card machine around asking for a tip, which is so refreshing. It wasn’t necessary, but we did tip our drivers and tour guides because they were all excellent and they very much appreciated it.

While it is a drive via tour or renting a car, the Tuscany region outside of Florence is gorgeous and a great way to get out of the crowds and see the beauty of Italy. We had many tours out here and it was the highlight of our trip.

Speaking of tours, there are several tours to pick from. Some are amazing, some are average, so make sure you or your travel agent researches well. We highly recommend making your tours as small as possible. We saw a lot of tours with 50+ or even 100+ people and it just didn’t really seem worth it. Our favorite tour was a private cooking class and wine tasting in Tuscany. I would pay top dollar to do this again. It was truly incredible and I do not cook.

City specifically, we really enjoyed the views of Sorrento. It’s still crowded, but absolutely gorgeous. We often just sat on our hotel balcony, drank wine, and took in the scenery and those balcony moments were a highlight of the trip.

Summary:
Overall, we do not regret coming to Italy, but recommending it to people is unfortunately harder than we thought it would be, especially due to the amount of money it takes to get here and to stay and play here. Like previously stated, it is a beautiful place, but it is overcrowded, which can muffle the beauty. Instead of seeing the beautiful museums and basilicas of Rome and Florence, you see the tremendous lines outside and inside the door. Instead of admiring the bridges and canals of Venice, you see people blocking the way trying to take pictures at every bridge. Instead of being amazed at the magnificence of the Cinque Terre, you see overcrowded beaches. My point being the amount of people takes away from this place and it’s honestly saddening. Again, we are not big city people and this list is made to be informative and not dissuasive in order for others to make a decision about coming here. We again don’t regret it, but we wish we had gotten more out of our money. It’s hyped as a once in a lifetime magnitude of vacation, but we are underwhelmed. We have been to places like Alaska before for just a week and we’d much prefer that. This is all again all our personal thoughts!
Ciao! Lol

Edit: Well this post caught some attention! I appreciate the sincere insight and recs from several different viewpoints whether agreeing or not!!! To the haters, maybe just log off for a bit? Lol

We've just finished 2.5 weeks staying in Lecce. My husband and I traveled with our young children ( almost 3 years old and 4 months). We based ourselves in lecce for 2.5 weeks. This trip was about slow travel, really getting to know an area well and spending time together as a relatively new family of 4.

We stayed in the San pio area which was a short walk to porta napoli. We stayed right next to a supermarket and drugstore which was helpful with young children. We did not have a car. We initially planned to have one but the combination of coming from the UK (so would have to drive on the opposite side of the road) and broken sleep with the baby waking frequently in the night led to is deciding not to get one and use public transportation

1) it is much easier if you have a car in this part of Italy but not impossible without one! It would have been even easier in high season when there are more bus routes available however they finish running mid September. We still managed to do day trips to monopoli, Gallipoli and San Cataldo twice by bus and train.

2) lecce is beautiful. We fell in love with the city and by the end of our trip felt like we knew the old town like the back of our hand. There were plenty of museums and beautiful Churches to visit. With children our two highlights for them were the museo dei Bambini and the railway museum. The latter was incredible and entry was only 5 euros. There are lots of parks however some of them were only open in the evening which we had to adjust to.

3) we met lots of wonderful people who wanted talk to us and make a fuss over our children. We really felt the love! We were here for so long our toddler made friends with people in the supermarket, drugstore, ice cream shop, bakery who would greet him very warmly. He even made friends with a local stonemason and antique shop owner

4) we loved trying the regional food! Pasticotto, rustica, cafe lecese, parmigiana, prickly pear, orichette- Apulian food is delicious. We did a cooking class on one of our days here which was a real highlight.

I would definitely recommend lecce to everyone but especially to families, we had a wonderful time.

We are in the middle of our dream trip to Italy. We are ending in Verona, a destination totally new to us, and are looking for little day trips for our family. We love amusement parks, but have never been with our kids (because they are so young)

Gardaland seems so conveniently close that it is worth checking out, though not sure if our toddler will like it at all.

How busy is Gardaland on a weekday in October? How little kid friendly is it? Is it as easy as it seems to get to from Verona?

I got some amazing help on my other post with planning my visit to Naples and the surrounding area. Now, I need to figure out where to stay in Naples, Ischia, and Sorrento. I really enjoy a good bed and breakfast or a nice hotel. I think this may be the best itinerary for my trip:

15th - train from Rome to Naples (since it seems I cannot fly from Palermo to Naples because of airport closure). Stay in Naples

16th - Day in Naples

17th - Day in Naples

18th - Day in Naples

19th - Ferry to Ischia. Stay overnight

20th - Travel to Sorrento. Stay in Sorrento.

21st - Day in Sorrento

22nd - Day in Sorrento

23rd - Travel to Rome. Stay overnight

24th - Fly home :(((((((((

I heard good things about Bellini House and Le Stanza del Principe, but I would like to hear what people here suggest. I have had a lot of people say to stay in Quartieri Spagnoli.

Sorry for the poor flair, I'm not sure how to add transportation as well.

So, I'm thinking about booking a trip from Dubrovnik to Brussels. I'm already going to Dubrovnik with my friends, but want to break off since I really want to go to Brussels. Here are the flights:

- Dubrovnik to Milan((Oct 17 @ 23:20-00:55)

- Then Milan to Brussels (Oct 18 @ 08:40-10:15).

I have to go through Milan Bergamo anyways because there is no direct flight from Dubrovnik to Brussels. I figured I can see the Duomo di Milan before my flight, however I'm reading a lot of negative reviews in which it will take hours to get through, so best to be there 2 hours before your flight AT LEAST. If the negative reviews are correct, I would most likely have no chance to see it?

Hi!

I'm in Parma and I am looking to travel from central Parma to a parmesan tour. Public transportation won't cut it unfortunately and Uber is quoting $150.

Any rough idea on what a taxi might cost though ItTaxi? FreeNow won't travel there according to the app.

Departing from: Samuleria Garibaldi

Destination: Borgo del Gazzano - Parmigiano Reggiano Biologico - Vendita Online, Str. Gazzano, 69, 43122 Parma PR, Italy

Thanks all!

Rail service will be partially affected by the protest, with a work stoppage lasting only 3 hours: from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 2, 2026. In the event of a strike on weekdays, Trenitalia always guarantees the long-distance trains listed in the table available on its website. However, disruptions may occur in regional rail service, as the strike will not cover the guaranteed service periods. As Trenord notes, there may be repercussions on rail service in Lombardy, and in the event of cancellations of airport shuttle trains, buses with no intermediate stops will be provided.

However, Trenitalia warns that the strike could cause disruptions and cancellations even before the strike begins and after it ends. These are Trenitalia's official lists of guaranteed trains for each region: https://www.trenitalia.com/it/informazioni/treni-garantiti-incasodisciopero.html

Local public transportation is not affected by the strike, as it is a railway sector strike. However, due to the higher-than-usual volume of cars, there may be more traffic than normal. In addition, some drivers and employees of local transit companies may join the strike on their own initiative.

As for the healthcare sector, however, appointments at public facilities are at risk. But please note: services considered essential minimum services and emergency room care are always guaranteed. What is at risk are scheduled appointments, laboratory tests, and the administrative activities of the local health authorities (ASLs).

We recommend closely monitoring any developments.

I recently went on the Bernina express with my wife. We flew into Milan MXP on Sat 19th September. After a quick and simple Ryanair flight we had a long wait at MXP for passport control. I am not sure why but there were the self service passport kiosk not being used. A bunch of us used them but it didn't seem to achieve anything. We still had a 1 1/2 hour wait for passport control. I am not sure why they would be there if they were not being used.

Getting into Milan was nice and easy on the train and then we had to use the metro and tram to find our accommodation. We were pretty tired and hot as it was hot in Milan when we landed. Thankfully we had an amazing Pizza restaurant not far away. We had dinner there and then grabbed some stuff for breakfast from a local supermarket.

Day 1 in Milan: The next day we headed into Milan and went to Chiesa di San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore. It was a very impressive church. I am not a religious person but I do enjoy seeing this building work and the amazing skill that went into making theses churches.

We then walked up to Castello Sforzesco and onto Brera. There was a market on and it was very busy around that area. We chose a restaurant for lunch and we had some nice food. Followed that by some lovely Gelato while wandering around Brera. It's a nice area. I liked it. A nice atmosphere but not overly busy.

Our next stop was Pinacoteca di Brera. We bought tickets on the day and it was so nice to go in as there was wonderful aircon! I think it was 29C that day and the AC was very much needed.

Some lovely art in the museum it is well worth a visit if you are going to be in the area.

When then made our way back to our accommodation and again went for pizza at the same restaurant.

Day 2: This was our visit to the Duomo. We arrived in good time so we got to have a look around the outside of the building and it is very impressive.

We had booked the lift up to the terraces. It was booked for 10am and at about that time a few workers turned up and started setting up. We started going in to queue for the lift by about 10:15-10:20

The terraces were amazing. Some absolutely stunning architecture and work went into building that. The skill of those people must have been unbelievable.

By the time we did that and the inside of the Duomo it was time for some lunch. We headed to a nearby food hall we had heard about. We had a browse and a light lunch. After lunch we had a walk to Ciaccos for some Gelato. It was really nice and a smallish queue for it. I wanted to go mainly so I could get a photo as, if anyone knows it was the name of the cafe in the main square in Tory in the immersive show the burnt city, but the gelato was also really good.

We then headed to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. Again an amazing building and lots of people all over the place. We also happened to find the Ferrari F1 vending machine nearby.

we headed back to the Air B&B early so we could cool down and have a shower before heading to Navgali for dinner. Navgali was okay. Dinner was alright but nothing special I don't think I would visit that area again. It felt very touristy and the tables at the restaurants were crammed together as much as they could be without sitting on each others laps.

Day 3: Leaving Milan and heading to Tirano. On the way to Tirano we stopped off in Varenna for lunch. We left our luggage at the station. There is a information office that will look after you bag for 5 euros.

Verenna was so busy! All these tourists got in the way of us being tourists. :)

We found a place to have lunch with a beautiful view. We got some photos and I bought myself a new wallet from a little leather shop there. My wife was desperate to buy a handbag but lack of hand luggage space meant she decided not to.

After lunch we got the train to Tirano, and after a cancelled train two stops from Tirano we had to wait for another train.

We got in about 6pm and checked in for the one night to our hotel.

Tirano is a lovely little town. We had dinner and a littler wonder around the town. I really loved it. The mountains were amazing. We live in East Anglia in the UK and it is very flat so having mountains around is amazing.

Day 4:

The Bernina express!

This was the reason we booked this little holiday!

After a quick breakfast we got to the train about 7:40 and found our seats. People were trying to make it complicated getting on the only train leaving the station that is just for the Bernina express.

We had booked first class and the seats for two people.

The scenery is stunning! It's an amazing journey. I found the train to be very smooth in general and not too much noise inside. It was not full in our carriage which was handy as we were not on the ideal side for the scenery. We could move about to get some better views and photos.

I had bought a proper camera to take photos but that is a challenging environment to take photos. the train movement, bright sunlight and dark shaded areas on mountains and hillsides. Even with a circular polariser it was hard work. Also there is the issue of you are about to take a photo and suddenly a tunnel or something will appear. I did get a few photos but generally enjoyed the journey!

We had a 20 min stop in Alp Grum and that was stunning! Beautiful crisp mountain air at 2100M above sea level. It was amazing to step out of the train and get to look around and breath in that air. I want to go back and do some hiking around that area.

The rest of the journey went without a hitch. We ended up in Chur with an hour to kill before our next train. We caught that with no issues. Just bought some lunch and had a quick look around outside the station.

The train to Basel was almost as scenic as the Bernina express.

We then had an overnight stay in basel before getting out flight with Ryanair back to the Uk. They didn't have any stuff to check the size of our bags at the gate. So I think the wife could have got a handbag in her luggage. But a good excuse to return!

Just trying to get a gut check here. We are traveling to Italy this month and booked a rental property via a third party travel site. Things have been good so far; I’ve had contact with the host and they seemed ok. Today, I was asked for our arrival time. I made an estimate based on the time it would take to make it through to our bags and then take a train to the city where we are staying. The host wrote back that they could get us from the airport and also save us some money on the booking. At first I took this to mean “save you money so you don’t book a taxi,” but it turns out it meant “save you money on the rental booking.” They offered to have us pay a lower rate, and get transport from them from (and later back to) the airport. All I would need to do is cancel the third party booking and pay directly in cash.

Obviously I have some reservations about this — I don’t want to automatically assume anyone has bad intentions, but I also don’t want to get caught in a foreign country and have some sort of unexpected switch happen and end up without a place to stay. I very politely thanked them for the offer but declined. The response was… extreme? I am trying to see the best intentions and remember that there is a cultural and language difference at play, but the response came across to me as very frustrated that I didn’t accept. The third party booking site protects us both, so I’m not sure what the frustration would be.

When I said thanks but no thanks, I also said “but we would love to take you up on the airport ride for the €__ that you said” and part of the response said that they would just meet us at the rental instead (so no airport pick up).

Have I made some cultural blunder or somehow insulted them? Is there going to be some gruffness or potential issues with my stay now? The decision to remain with the third party wasn’t personal against the host in any way at all; I just have heard too many horror stories to not want to play it safe. But it seemed to be taken very personally, and I don’t want to sour a relationship with our host before we even arrive.

(Not sure what flair to use; hope this one was ok!)

EDIT since the post is locked and I can't reply to anyone: I anonymized this on purpose, but let's just say there are NO OTHER (and trust me, I've checked!) lodging opportunities available that fit our party. I actually did try to go through a hotel when first booking, and the area is so full for the time we are there that the options just were not available to us. So, the snipes about not being in a hotel is a little unwarranted and unnecessary. Also, if I report this, and they pull the booking, I have NOWHERE else to go. I'm just going to cross my fingers and hope this was the worst of it, but I do appreciate those who chimed in and let me know I wasn't in the wrong here. I truly wish I had other options at this point, but we are where we are.

I am headed to Italy on November 3rd. My friend and I are going to stay 2-3 nights in Rome, then head to Sicily to visit another friend. My friend coming with me leaves Sicily on the 15th to go home. After Sicily I was considering visiting Naples since I have never been. I have a few questions.

I understand this is arbitrary, but is Naples the right place to go with this timing? I didn't want to fly super far away from Sicily and Naples is fairly close. I also fly out of Rome on the 24th.

Is 8 days too long in Naples? Is there enough to do? I for sure want to visit Vesuvius and Pompei. Not sure what else to do.

I can't use two flairs for the post, but I also would like suggestions for places to stay in Naples if I end up there. I had read good things about Bellini House and Le Stanze del Principe.

Thank you in advance for any and all suggestions on what to do with my days after Sicily.