Tag: Italy

Being a tourist in Italy

The trip is really my friend’s bucket list item so she picked the cities we’re going to and has made all the tour reservations but I don’t think I would have selected any differently. As I may have mentioned, we’re starting in Rome, then traveling by train to Venice and Florence before returning to Rome.

We’re going to hit all the big tourist areas:

  • The Vatican
  • The Colusseum
  • Trevi Fountain
  • The Spanish Steps
  • A gondola ride on the Canals in Venice
  • The Duomo

And I’m sure we’ll hit a lot of other things too. For those of you who have been to Rome, Venice or Florence, what would be attractions that might not be on our radar but that we shouldn’t miss? Let me know in the comments!

Going to Italy!

Next week I embark on a trip to Italy so I thought this week I would theme my entries for the trip. I booked the trip with a friend before I was laid off so you know I’m going!

This is my first trip to Europe since 2008 so to say I’m excited is a little bit of an understatement. Also – I was the weirdo that took 2 years of Latin as my second language in High School so I have a bit of affinity for ancient Rome. We’re going to Rome, then Venice, then Florence and back to Rome before heading home again. We’ll be hitting all the big tourist sites and packing as much in as we can in our 10 days. I have a collection of links about each of our destination cities – what to see, what to eat, what wines to try – it’s kind of overwhelming!

I’ve got lists for everything – what to pack, things to do this week before we go and things I need to be sure to take care of when we get home. I have the kitty sitter reserved and a neighbor watching my flowers outside to water if needed.

I understand pickpocketing is a real issue in the tourist areas in Italy so I have a new bag to carry that fits right up against me and has zippers or a button on every pocket. I just have to remember how I managed my bags when used to ride the subway when I lived in NYC and I think I’ll be OK.

Want to know what is freaking me out the most? Whether my electrical adapter will do the job! I bought a new one but I still have to figure out whether it will work for my hair dryer. LOL! I have to laugh – currency conversion doesn’t bother me at all but electrical conversion scares the life out of me!

Second on my list of things that might freak me out? Italian phrases to use. When I went to France, I had a lovely couple correctly spoken phrases to use to ask if the person could speak English. I have no idea if my pronunciation of Italian is any good. And I really hate being the rude American who just assumes everyone will speak English! I’m hoping maybe my Latin classes will help – but let’s face it, that was decades ago and Latin isn’t really so much a spoken language.

Am I missing anything to think about before the trip? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!