Tips For Exploring Italian Cities Like Venice And Rome

Italy is a magnificent country to visit, offering distinct scenery, extraordinary ruins, museums, churches, food and wine. Most people have heard of Rome, Venice, Pisa, Florence and Milan, along with these beautiful cities are the lesser well-known destinations of the Lake District in the North of Italy, Tuscany & Umbria, the Amalfi Coast or the stunning islands of Capri and Sicily.

Before you go on that long deserved holiday, you could do a little research about the destination, like its culture and the people. This way you will not have any surprises when you are there. Here is a little fact: If you go to Italy, it is very important to know how to drink your coffee. In the morning, you should only drink cappuccino to wake up and to be gentle to the digestion, then after 12 you can only drink espresso or café Americano. The locals will definitely know you are a tourist if you order a cappuccino after 12. Maybe even learn a few sentences in the language like good morning, how are you and thank you. The locals appreciate an attempt to understand and respect their culture and its tradition. It will make your holiday more enjoyable as well.

One of the first things to consider when visiting Italy is clothing. In the foyer of most churches are posted dress codes and rules. You might think that as you are on holiday it is acceptable to dress in shorts and tank tops but it is worth remembering that a church is there for people to pray and not just for tourists. If you have bare shoulders or knees, some churches will not let you enter, especially in Rome at St. Peter's and the Vatican Museums and at the Basilica di San Marco in Venice.

Depending on what you would like to do and when you would like to go, the weather in Italy is something to think about when you are booking your holiday. Up north in the Alps, it can be cold and snowing during winter, springtime in Tuscany is cool at night and soft during daytime. The summer months, June until September, can be very hot from Venice all the way down to Sicily. Light clothing, sunglasses, hat and sun cream are inevitable as it is easy to get sunburn if you are sightseeing all day long.

If you need to call abroad, it can work out very expensive to call from the hotel especially for long distance and international calls. The best option is to buy a telephone card and use the public phones. The country code for Italy is 39. Dial 176 for general information in English and 170 to place international telephone calls through an operator-assisted service.

As with any city in any country, be wary of bag snatchers and pickpockets. If you are travelling with public transport, be extra weary, as thief’s can smell you being a tourist. The purse of a friend of mine was cut with a knife on the bottom of the bag. The thief snatched everything while walking next to her and never noticed it. Leave your passport and credit cards in a safe at the hotel, put your money in a money belt and hide them under your clothes.

Italy has many types of accommodation from hotels and hostels to bed and breakfasts, apartments and guesthouses. Italy also has a type of accommodation known as Agriturismo, the word is a combination of the words agriculture and tourism in Italian and are farmhouse resorts and particularly suited for families. Meals supplied will usually be prepared from freshly grown produce from the farm. Some farmhouses let you get involved in the working activities such as taking care of the livestock and crops. Regardless of the rustic surroundings, the accommodation isn’t always basic, many Agriturismo offer a high standard of lodging, and some even have swimming pools.

If you love to stay in the city Rome in Italy then the choices of hotels in Rome or Hotels in Venice are ranking from one to five stars but slightly different from other countries. It is a good thing to do some research and read reviews. If you have enough money to spend and you need some luxury do not go any lower then a 3 start hotel, but still check out the facilities carefully because standards differ. Three-star hotels should provide TV, telephone and a bathroom including the bidet. Some might have minimal amenities, whilst others will have large rooms with an elegant furnishings and a full breakfast. Rooms in four-star hotels should be quite large and include telephone, satellite TV and bathroom. You can expect plenty of choice at breakfast and on site facilities such as a bar and free ADSL. The five-star hotels should have everything you expect from a luxury hotel, but again check facilities and reviews.

Whether you are intending to visit a popular Italian city such as Rome, Venice, Milan or Venice or heading to the country for a quieter break you can be guaranteed to find friendly people and a unique experience.

Article Source: http://www.articlemonk.com

Richard Greaves writes articles for Cheaperthanhotels.co.uk, which is a website on which you can book several worldwide accommodations like hotels in Venice or other hotels in Italy likehotels in Rome.

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