Italy Travel Guide

Italy in July

Summertime in Italy can be glorious, so it’s no wonder that in the month of July in Italy it feels like the country is absolutely overrun with every last tourist on earth. The further south you go, the warmer the weather will get - this is true year-round, but in a month like July this can mean that places in Calabria and Sicily can get furnace-hot. Of course, you might be into that kind of thing. And the fact that the locals in the hottest areas are spending as much time as possible in the water should be a clue to your own behavior.

So, that’s the trade-off of Italy in July - great weather throughout most of the country (beach-going weather in many areas) and massive numbers of tourists. Oh, and another downside of Italy in July is the higher prices, because the high season prices will be in full swing. Everything will cost you more, from souvenirs to accommodation to airfare, in most parts of Italy. Yes, it is hard to find cheap tickets to Italy in July, but that doesn’t seem to keep anyone away… Savvy travelers will be wondering why anyone still travels to places like Italy in July, given the crowds, but for many this is the only time of year when they can get away - especially if you’re talking about a family with kids who would otherwise have to be pulled out of school - so it’s not surprising why the crowds persist in the summers.

Italy Q&A: Getting from Fiumicino to Florence

Here’s question I got via email, so here’s another post in my Italy Q&A series. Allan wrote:

I arrive into Rome at about 7pm on a Friday night and need to connect to Florence to meet up with my family.

I note trains are about $65 and leave every hour or so, which would be fine, but I was wondering what alternatives I have.

eg Is there a bus service that runs to Florence, perhaps departing from the airport? I arrive into Fiumicino.

If not, do I have long way to travel to a train or bus station that would take me to Florence?

Thanks for the question, Allan. The good news is that Rome’s Fiumicino Airport is so busy that it is pretty well-served by multiple transportation options. Here are the options I’ve found that would get you from your arrival at Fiumicino to Florence.

Train to Termini, Train to Florence - There’s an express train that connects Fiumicino Airport with Termini Station and the ride takes roughly 35 minutes. It’s called the “Leonardo Express,” and it runs every half-hour between roughly 06:00 and 23:30. As I write this, the ticket costs €9.50. You can find out more about the Leonardo Express (including specific timetables) from the Trenitalia website here. From Termini, you’d then take a train directly to Florence S.M.N. - and you can choose either the high-speed Eurostar or a slower train, depending on your schedule and budget. (And by the way, second class is the way to go to save money, especially on the Eurostar - the second class cars get there just as quickly as the first class cars!) Find out about train ticket prices and schedules here.

Italy Plays for Euro 2008 Championships in June

As I’ve mentioned in the past, I wouldn’t ordinarily describe myself as a sports fan. I mean, I like to watch a few sports now, but before marrying a sports fan I was pretty much indifferent. And the sports I’ve found myself most interested in now, of course, are some of the ones the husband follows most closely. (Although I can’t get into motorsports, no matter how much he loves it.) It is with this background that I bring my own relatively uninformed but no less enthusiastic introduction to the upcoming Euro 2008 soccer tournament.

Euro 2008 is shorthand for what is technically called the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship. The UEFA European Football Championship is a tournament that takes place every four years, between World Cup competitions. So, we had the last World Cup in 2006 (which Italy won, of course), we’ve got a Euro championship this year, the World Cup will happen again in 2010, and then another Euro competition in 2012. It’s a clever way to keep people who mainline international soccer tourneys from slitting their wrists during the lull between World Cups.

More importantly for those of us who are Italophiles first and sports fans second, it’s a great opportunity to get enthusiastic about a national Italian team without having to get bogged down by the politics associated with choosing a Serie A team to root for. See, there are connotations for being a fan of Lazio as opposed to Roma, and if you’re not familiar with them picking your favorite team can be a daunting task. With the Italian national soccer team, however, it’s easy - you just cheer for the Italians and everyone’s happy.

Rome Transportation 101

Unlike some of the great cities in the world, where the tourist attractions are all concentrated in one or two specific and compact areas so that - if you feel like it - you can hoof it from one sight to the next without ever having to figure out the public transportation system, Rome is spread out. It’s so spread out, in fact, that if you don’t get used to using the bus and metro you’ll miss out on half the things there are to do and see in Rome.

Okay, yes - you could walk everywhere in Rome, too, resolutely avoiding learning which bus to take where, but you’d wear yourself out in no time and just might end up not having a very good time in The Eternal City. So, here’s a quick guide to Rome’s public transportation system.

Your Transportation Options in Rome
There are several ways to get your body around Rome to see the sights, not to mention getting to and from your hotel or hostel. They vary in terms of cost and speed, so you’ll have to figure out which one balances the two to your satisfaction.

Taxi - There are almost as many taxis in Rome as there are tourists, so you’ll have no trouble finding one if that’s your style (at the right, that’s not a parking lot for white cars - it’s a small army of taxis waiting outside St. Peter’s Square - and they moved through the lines pretty darn quickly). Rome’s traffic can be horrible, however, so taking a taxi isn’t necessarily the fastest option from Point A to Point B. It’s often the most hassle-free option when you just arrive in the city, either by train or plane, because you’re tired and disoriented and not interested in mastering the bus system just yet - and there are taxi queues at both Fiumicino Airport and Termini Station just waiting for you. But unless your hotel or hostel is way off the public transport beaten track or you’ve got an allergy to buses, taking taxis on a daily basis probably isn’t the smartest choice.

Shelley of At Home in Rome once published an excellent guide to help you not get ripped off by taxis in Rome, which, if you’re planning to take a cab (especially from an airport or the train station) I highly recommend you read.

“Italy vs. Europe” Video

I am the first to admit that I’m a bona find Italophile. I’ll defend my love of Italy to anyone who asks, but I’m not so blinded by mozzarella that I don’t see Italy’s faults. On the contrary, many of the things that are “wrong” with Italy are things I find charming or amusing. Now, there’s no telling how charming and/or amusing I’m going to find them if I’m faced with them every day - but for the moment Italy’s quirks are still, for me, part of the appeal.

With that in mind, I recently re-discovered this little animation that I first saw several years ago. Even before visiting Italy, it was funny to me - and now, after visiting several times and seeing first-hand that the artist isn’t so much kidding as he is just representing the facts in an amusing way, it’s even more hysterical. So, without further ado, I bring you Bruno Bozzetto’s masterpiece, “Italy vs. Europe:”