Leaving for Italy tomorrow -- advice/recommendations?

[leftover_salmon]

Will be in Rome and Florence for four days and nights each, and two days/nights in each of Bologna, Cinque Terre and Venice. I've never even been to Europe so anything I should watch out for? Restaurant recs are welcome (we're three college grads so we won't be eating at La Pergola every night...trattoria, enoteche, pizza, espresso, gelato recs are very welcome; we also plan on eating well 2-4 nights of the trip, so good restos for that are welcome too).

 

[Cognacad]

Everything is pretty great, I wouldn't worry too too much about the food. Try to stay away from very touristic areas when you want to eat though, try to eat where Italians eat. Beware though, try to figure out what is on the menu before you order! With the amount of time you are there, you will be somewhat busy seeing all the amazing sights and should be eating mostly just for sustenance! Haha. That being said, many things will be delicious

Note: I am quite young and didn't want to spend too much money when I went to those places. Some may suggest some amazing places to eat, but when I went to those places, I always hoped I would have returned to the restaurant with the four tables in the back alley.

 

[Siggy]

Sounds like some great spots in Italy. It has been raining there for the past month, but hopefully the sun will finally stay out. At least you won't yet be in the tourist high season. Watch out for gypsy kids in Rome, they will try to pickpocket you...

ciao.

 

[magogian12345]

Do a bar crawl in Rome.

 

[Cognacad]

HAHAH! I still have my shirt!

I CAME
I SAW
I CRAWLED.

Amazing evening. Not an Italians on the crawl, but man, those Australian and Scandinavian tourists know how to have a good time.

 

[MetroStyles]

Go to Il Piccolo Abruzzo in Rome (on Via Sicilia). It is fantastic. No menu, just whatever plates the chef decides to give you. 5-7 courses. Affordable. You will be comatose but it is an excellent experience with friends.

 

[magogian12345]

Originally Posted by Cognacad

HAHAH! I still have my shirt!

I CAME
I SAW
I CRAWLED.

Amazing evening. Not an Italians on the crawl, but man, those Australian and Scandinavian tourists know how to have a good time.

Yah, I think its mostly Americans/Canadians/Assies and the like, but its a blast! The only Italians I ever saw on these bar crawls were creepy locals try to pick up American girls.

 

[skyman]

Originally Posted by Siggy

Sounds like some great spots in Italy. It has been raining there for the past month, but hopefully the sun will finally stay out. At least you won't yet be in the tourist high season. Watch out for gypsy kids in Rome, they will try to pickpocket you...

ciao.

+1, since Europe decided open Borders were a good idea, alot of eastern European professionl criminals have moved to richer pickings. Just watch you wallet in certain touristy areas. Other than that Italians are genrally very nice and welcoming. Plus that old town Europe rural areas are amazing and not to be missed.

Have a good trip.

 

[jamestimo]

I really dreamed to be in Italy.. wow doc.... good luck and have fun there! amazon affiliate software

 

[CDFS]

(I seem to recal) I had one of the best double ristrettos ever at the north-East side of Piazza Maggiore, Bologna. But as Cognacad says, a good espresso is common, very common, in Italy. And I forgot, there are many impressive sights in Rome, but if I was to make one recommendation it's Galleria Borghese, in Villa Borghese.

 

[Bravo340]

Originally Posted by Cognacad

Everything is pretty great, I wouldn't worry too too much about the food. Try to stay away from very touristic areas when you want to eat though, try to eat where Italians eat. Beware though, try to figure out what is on the menu before you order!

With the amount of time you are there, you will be somewhat busy seeing all the amazing sights and should be eating mostly just for sustenance! Haha. That being said, many things will be delicious

Note: I am quite young and didn't want to spend too much money when I went to those places. Some may suggest some amazing places to eat, but when I went to those places, I always hoped I would have returned to the restaurant with the four tables in the back alley.


Exactly. These are the best.

Have fun!

 

[Andrewc2232]

Yeah, watch out for the young gypsies who will try to **** your women. In Sorrento and Florence on multiple nights groups of young guys would follow me and my friends back to wherever we were staying trying to hit on the girls. Even if you're walking with a girl, arm around her shoulder, sharing a single milkshake with two straws , or ******* whatever, she will get hit on. Florence was absolutely amazing to me. Rome was a mixed bag (largely due to travelling during the 43rd transportation strike of that year). The most fun I had though was probably in Sorrento. It's pretty touristy, but it had a number of smaller, delicious restaurants a little out of the way. The bars were very fun and laid back, and it isn't far at all from Sorrento to the ferry to Capri.

 

[Cognacad]

Originally Posted by Andrewc2232

Yeah, watch out for the young gypsies who will try to **** your women.

In Sorrento and Florence on multiple nights groups of young guys would follow me and my friends back to wherever we were staying trying to hit on the girls. Even if you're walking with a girl, arm around her shoulder, sharing a single milkshake with two straws , or ******* whatever, she will get hit on.

Florence was absolutely amazing to me. Rome was a mixed bag (largely due to travelling during the 43rd transportation strike of that year).

The most fun I had though was probably in Sorrento. It's pretty touristy, but it had a number of smaller, delicious restaurants a little out of the way. The bars were very fun and laid back, and it isn't far at all from Sorrento to the ferry to Capri.

Man this guy speaks the TRUTH!

You can be grinding up with your GF in a club and these guys will literally kiss her without any warning.

 

[Siggy]

Originally Posted by Andrewc2232

Yeah, watch out for the young gypsies who will try to **** your women.

Gypsy douchebags or Italian douchebags? Or maybe both?

 

[Andrewc2232]

As an American, I equate Italians with gypsies.

Well, a few fashion designers but the rest gypsies.

More than once I almost resorted to fisticuffs because guys would literally follow us all the way back to the door of our hotel.

Too many times to count the girl I was with or one of her friends would be groped obviously and totally inappropriately at clubs or even sitting at a bar. Not to mention the catcalls.