Trip Planning

We planned this trip without the assistance of a travel agent.  The Internet has a wealth of information.  Below are just a few tips to help get you started.  

How

Planning a trip to Disney or to visit family is one thing.  Planning a trip to multiple cities in another country without the assistance of a travel agent is a whole different experience.  Needless to say in the beginning things went slow because we didn't have "a plan" for the planning.  After trial and error this was our plan:

• We had two couples going and finding time for all of us to get together slowed things down.  So I took the lead for the planning.
• We created a Google Doc and shared it so we could update our research live and be notified when changes were made or items added.
• Each person created their "Bucket List" locations.
• First we decided on "When" and the number of days we would be gone.  We agreed to "Where", for a beginning and ending city.  Then we booked our flights!  Now we were committed. 
• We went city by city and selected "Why" we wanted to visit these locations and the sites to see within the city.  Then we prioritized the sites so some could be eliminated due to time restraints.
• We used Google maps to judge distance and timing between cities.
• We researched transportation, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles".
• Google was my best friend for the planning.  Once I really started to get a rhythm I found that the big touristy companies have paid ads on the first three pages of a search.  Starting at page three you will get to some of the smaller more unique companies and venues.  That is where I focused my research and got some great deals.
• These are a few sites where I found some very helpful information:
• VisitACity (They have a great App that will help organize your trip if you want to use it.)
• RickSteves (A video about Cinque Terra and the Walled Cities were helpful)
• TripAdvisor
• VisitTuscany
• DiscoverTuscany
• Viator
• VisitFlorence
• I started with the above sites to gather information and then tried to find the specific site for the venue.  In a lot of cases I had to have Google translate the sites from Italian to English or select English as the language on the local site.
• When a venue has a "Skip the Line" ticket buy it.  It is well worth it to avoid the lines.  If you are on a budget and don't want to spend the extra money, then plan on spending a lot of time in lines outside venues.
• Pay attention to how much walking you are committing to in a day.  My fitbit registered over 110 miles of walking in 15 days.  There were days where we planned too much walking and were exhausted.  So know your limits.

When
First thing we needed to decide when when we wanted to go.  We had two couples and no children.  So when had less restraints than some groups will have.  So our focus was the best time for the areas we were visiting.

• None of us wanted to deal with the heat of an Italian summer.  So summer was out.
• A few of us didn't want to deal with cold weather.  So winter was out.
• Best time to visit Italy is April-May or late September-October.  It isn't as hot and there are less tourists.
• If you can handle the cold most of the cool pictures on line at sites in Italy are taken in the winter months because there are no crowds.
• If you have children and can only go in the summer, then plan on huge crowds and lines.

The timing that worked best for us was late September, early October.  

Where
There are so many places in Italy that are worth visiting, so don't expect to get them all in one trip unless you are planning on being there for a few months.  We had each person in our group choose their "Bucket List" locations, so we had some locations to choose from.  Our final list was as follows:

Final List:

• Art - Florence
• Wine - Tuscany
• History - Rome
• Architecture - Venice
• Culture - Verona
• Italian Coast - Cinque Terra

Venues for another time:

• Milan
• Lake Como

Why

The history in Italy goes back thousands of years.  This was somewhere we felt we had to go.  My wife and I had gone from Rome to the Amalfi Coast in 2018 and truly loved the experience and culture.  My parents hadn't been to Italy yet and it was on their bucket list.

• Florence - The art and history of this city has always intrigued me.  I have always watched every show with Florence in it and had to walk on the same roads as the Medici's did long ago. 
• Tuscany - We had been told there was nothing like the rolling country-side in Tuscany.  We wanted to visit castles and the "Walled Cities".  Of course if you are a wine lover then Tuscany is a must.
• Rome - The Vatican, St. Peter's Basilica, The Colosseum, The Pantheon, Roman Forum,  are just a few reasons to visit Rome.  That list goes on for pages.  The fact that it is a direct flight from the East Coast is a plus as well.
• Venice - A majestic city with streets made of water.  A city that is sinking into the sea.  The history and architecture were something that we couldn't miss.
• Verona - This was a city that we were told best represented the culture of northern Italy.  Castle Vecchio,the home of Romeo & Juliet, an active Colosseum, Verona Cathedral and the Basilica of San Zeno Maggiore are just a few reasons to go.
• Cinque Terra - The Italian Riviera.  The pictures of the colored buildings on the coastal cliffs was something we had to see.  

We decided to start in the north and work our way south since it was fall and the weather would be getting cooler.  So we started in Venice and ended in Rome.

Planes

One of the biggest expenses is actually getting there.  Finding the right flight will help your budget.  These are our airline tips:

• We found that it is best to be flexible with departure and arrival dates to get the best flights.  Some flights are only scheduled on specific days.
• The least expensive flights aren't always with Airlines with the best reputations.  So research the airlines to find out what why they don't have a good reputation. 
• We flew TAP Portugal Air to Venice through Lisbon.  
• TAP is known for losing luggage.  So we just used carry-on bags and made sure we had 7 days worth of clothes in the bags we would carry-on, if we had to check bags.
• They actually weighed our carry-on luggage and found that it weighed too much.  So we had to check all our bags except one.  
• When you book your tickets you need to pay attention to whether a meal is included.  Our preference is to get meals included for international flights.
• Our flight went great.  We didn't have any luggage lost.
• Since Italy is part of the EU, if you have a layover in another EU country you will probably go through customs there.  We went through customs in Lisbon.
• Expect delays for your arrival.  Our flights were delayed 30 minutes because of fog in Venice.  That threw off the timing of the car services we were using.  They had to reschedule and come back and get us, which delayed us another 30 minutes.  
• We flew back from Rome with a direct flight back to Boston through Norwegian Air.  We had flown Norwegian Air in the past to London and were very happy with their service.
• After you book your flights you need to make sure that each airline has your passport information.  Sometimes using Expedia or a reservations company like that doesn't get the passport information on the tickets.  This has to be done at least 48 hours before departure.  I like to find each airlines app and use that to make sure I am all setup for my flights after I have purchased my tickets.  Sometime I have had to call to get my passport information setup.

Trains

• If you are going to travel by train...
• You can save money by planning ahead and booking your trains on line.  Just make sure you print your tickets before you leave.  Print extra copies.
• Getting tickets last second is easy.  Sometimes we used the ticket machines and other times we waited in line for an agent so we could ask questions.  Just arrive early so you have time to make arrangements and you may need to be flexible with times if you don't plan ahead.
• Storing luggage is a pain on some of the trains.  That is usually the local trains, not the high speed trains.  Small bags make it easier.
• If you have a lot of bags then arrive early and make sure you have a plan for getting your bags on and off the train.
• A lot of train stations have places where you can rent lockers or store luggage for a fee if you are just visiting for a few hours and need to store your luggage while you sight see. 
• While waiting for your train make sure you pay close attention for last minute track changes.  It gets a bit stressful if you have to run to a different track last second with all your luggage.

&

Automobiles
If you think you may want to drive a car in Italy the first thing you need to understand is that it is not for the faint of heart!  If you are not used to driving in places with narrow streets and aggressive drivers like DC, Boston, NYC, LA, etc. then don't drive in Italy.  You need to be an aggressive driver to survive.  

• If you are going to rent a car...
• Make sure you know how to drive a stick shift or make sure your rental is an automatic.  Most rental cars in Italy have standard transmissions.
• Learn where the ZTL Zones are or you will get expensive tickets.
• Don't speed.  They have a lot of cameras and will mail you a speeding ticket.  They have up to 1 year to mail the tickets.  I got mine 355 days later.  
• We used Hertz, but I was told there are some European rental car agencies less expensive.
• Research if your credit card has the additional car insurance.  Some don't cover Italy.  If you have to get the additional insurance at the rental car location it can be more than the rental.  My AMEX didn't cover rentals in Italy, but my Visa did.
• Bring small luggage.  Cars are small in Italy.  You don't want to drive a big car because there are a lot of narrow roads.
• Driving in Northern Italy and Southern Italy are very different experiences.  There are less scooters in Northern Italy.  So it makes it a little easier.  
• In Tuscany you lose GPS in some places, so make sure you know where you are going ahead of time.  My wife bought a paper map.  I made fun of her until we ended up needing it...

Other things to note:

There are so many other little things we learned along the way.  Below are some random thoughts.

• Make sure at least one person has International service on their cell phone.  Plan ahead for that.  Verizon is $10 per day and was well worth it to be online with Google Maps and to be able to call people.  
• A lot of the local venues, especially when using AirBnB use the app WhatsApp.  You may want to get that setup before leaving and learn how to use it.
• Overall the people were great, very friendly and accommodating.  However, there are a few things to watchout for in some of the cities.
• Pickpockets are supposedly common.  We didn't see any, but were careful about purses and wallets.
• In Venice if you are carrying your luggage around pay attention to some young men who will politely offer to carry your luggage across some of the bridges.  They will politely just take the luggage and start walking.  If you are okay with the help then negotiate the rate before they take off with your luggage.  We had 4 young men take my wife's and mother's luggage.  By the time I noticed they had them in a location away from the crowds telling them they wanted 60 euro for the work.  
• In a few of the Italian cities, it is against the law to eat while walking around or sitting on some of the major attractions, especially in the "historic" parts of the city.  Check for these types of laws.
• In Florence there are some "artists" that have drawings on the sidewalk with some small paper sketches you can purchase.  They make a practice of sliding the artwork under the feet of tourists and then making a big deal about how the art has been ruined and get aggressive about making the tourist pay up to 20 euro for the damaged artwork.