Italy trip reports from this summer?

[Anonymous]

We were in Florence in late June and it didn’t feel too crowded. We had timed tix for the duomo and museums and made dinner reservations for the 3 nights we stayed there and it was hot but fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We were in Florence in late June and it didn’t feel too crowded. We had timed tix for the duomo and museums and made dinner reservations for the 3 nights we stayed there and it was hot but fine.

When did you make dinner reservations? Like 6 weeks before or the day before?

[Anonymous]

It is very hot, so try to sightsee in the morning and evening/after dark. The Vatican square, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi, etc. are better after dark imho. The walk along the water past Castel San”Angelo onto the Vatican is lovely after dark. Police and people everywhere so it’s safe, but not crowded. Live music around the colosseum after dark.

Every restaurant is good. Walk into surrounding neighborhoods to find less crowded restaurants. We stayed in Monti near Santa Maria Maggiore (gorgeous church, lots of great restaurants).

Taxis are easy to get at your hotel and really hard to find elsewhere. Empty cabs don’t stop. Uber is slow and expensive.

Pop into random churches in Rome—they are free and stunning. They charge to enter churches in Florence.

Hit the streets in Florence early before the crowds arrive. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Download the FreeNow app for taxis in Rome. It’s their version of uber and usually works. ITtaxi is another one but I can’t speak to it. The metro is not extensive but you can usually tap in with a credit card and avoid ticket machines.

Grocery stores are remarkably inexpensive and good. Get an e-sim so you have data.

Apertivo hour is wonderful. Underground crypts to escape the heat. The Vatican museums were hot, crowded and miserable. The north section of Rome is not crowded and has beautiful architecture. Palazzo Valentini’s domus romano was great. Coffee at the bar is cheaper than sit down coffee.

You’re supposed to carry your passport around but that seems dumb. We were asked by police to show them at a train station but we had them so it wasn’t an issue.

Evening is the best time to do things.

[Anonymous]

Just came back from Florence; it was crowded straight line from Ponte Vecchio to Duomo, but a lot less 2 or 3 streets over.
We didn’t have dinner reservations but had a great meal at Osteria del Corso - best carbonara with truffles ever. Wait was 15 mins with complimentary Prosecco.

[Anonymous]

Visit the third tier stuff in Venice. We were frequently the only ones at really cool locations.
Avoid St Marks Square. It is a mosh pit.

Whats the third tier stuff? Can you name some?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It is very hot, so try to sightsee in the morning and evening/after dark. The Vatican square, Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi, etc. are better after dark imho. The walk along the water past Castel San”Angelo onto the Vatican is lovely after dark. Police and people everywhere so it’s safe, but not crowded. Live music around the colosseum after dark.

Every restaurant is good. Walk into surrounding neighborhoods to find less crowded restaurants. We stayed in Monti near Santa Maria Maggiore (gorgeous church, lots of great restaurants).

Taxis are easy to get at your hotel and really hard to find elsewhere. Empty cabs don’t stop. Uber is slow and expensive.

Pop into random churches in Rome—they are free and stunning. They charge to enter churches in Florence.

Hit the streets in Florence early before the crowds arrive. Seriously.

Ha, bolded is simply not true. Certainly restaurants there are on average better than in the US, but that is not true across the board. Plenty of mediocre ones, you do have to scope them out a bit online, look at the crowd, etc.

[Anonymous]

Remember dinner starts at like 8p for actual local fare. Taxis are really hard to come by in Rome so def go apps.

Thing about Venice - I'm not sure what you're wanting to see tourist wise there. Venice is about soaking up ambiance. I mean you can do some glass blowing and Murano but you really need to be in St Marks to appreciate Venice. It's hella crowded but most of the fun of Venice is getting lost in the streets and people watching in St Marks for hours. It's just not a place where you are going to visit 50 things to see. It's about relaxing and looking around you . It's hard to do of course with a zillion people around but everyone's in the same boat

I would never do these places at end July only beginning of June but good luck!

[Anonymous]

There are 50 countries in Europe. Why would anyone go to Italy in the summer? I’m writing this from Lithuania.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 50 countries in Europe. Why would anyone go to Italy in the summer? I’m writing this from Lithuania.

^^Just to add, today the temperature is 65 degrees and the sun sets at 9:45 pm. Big difference from Italy!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are 50 countries in Europe. Why would anyone go to Italy in the summer? I’m writing this from Lithuania.

Because a lot of people have less interest in Northern European countries. Many people find the museums and sites more interesting in southern Europe. Many people like to visit a beach during their vacation and you don’t travel to Germany or Sweden for that. Most people find the food in Spain, Italy and France preferable to say, the Netherlands.

Then there are school vacations and many workplaces are more supportive of long vacations during the summer.

[Anonymous]

We came back yesterday, it was hot and crowded but still fantastic. For train,s I had booked business class, all private taxi transfers from train station/airports to Airbnb, I threw money at the problems and it made things smooth. In Rome, we stayed in Piazaa Navona and walked everywhere, for Vatican and Colosseum we took taxi and it was very easy to get hold of one.

Private tour of the Vatican, 8 group tour for Colosseum, private tour for St. Marks in Venice, private tour of David + Uffizi+ Duomo and other highlights in Florence. Private tour was money very well spent, the context and background they can share and describe is unimaginable, sure the crowds are still there but it's a lot easier to follow. As I said, we threw a lot of money at the issues but bookings were done well in advance.

Typically,Started early in the morning and came back to our apartment by 1:30 pm and then stepped out again around 6:00 pm and stayed out until 11:30. Roaming the streets of Rome and Florence at late in the night when everyone was out enjoying dinner and gelato was my favorite part, such beautiful energy and no heat.

If I can suggest one thing to spend money on, that would be buying business class in trains, it makes for a super comfortable and pleasent journey.

In Florence, I would really recommend Le Volte for a good florentine steak, they are a family of butchers who bring best cuts to serve at their restaurant. In Venice, please try Sphagetti Aglio Olio e Peperoncino, it is pasta at it's best. Good luck and enjoy your trip!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 50 countries in Europe. Why would anyone go to Italy in the summer? I’m writing this from Lithuania.

Because a lot of people have less interest in Northern European countries. Many people find the museums and sites more interesting in southern Europe. Many people like to visit a beach during their vacation and you don’t travel to Germany or Sweden for that. Most people find the food in Spain, Italy and France preferable to say, the Netherlands.

Then there are school vacations and many workplaces are more supportive of long vacations during the summer.

PP here. Most people are stupid . Seriously, Northern Europe in high summer is glorious!

[Anonymous]

Italy in high summer is atrocious. When I lived there, the summer months were my least favourite because of hapless tourists, perhaps like yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are 50 countries in Europe. Why would anyone go to Italy in the summer? I’m writing this from Lithuania.

Because a lot of people have less interest in Northern European countries. Many people find the museums and sites more interesting in southern Europe. Many people like to visit a beach during their vacation and you don’t travel to Germany or Sweden for that. Most people find the food in Spain, Italy and France preferable to say, the Netherlands.

Then there are school vacations and many workplaces are more supportive of long vacations during the summer.

PP here. Most people are stupid . Seriously, Northern Europe in high summer is glorious!

Yes, and it's getting more and more popular due to global warming.