Surviving in Italy Tips
- When you arrive to Rome's airport, either take a private car to take you to Rome's Center which is about 45 minutes away or get on the train. Anyone that approaches you with a "Better alternative" say "no grazieeee" See transportation.
- Italy is 9 hours ahead of the US West Coast. Drink Plenty of Wine, eat lots of pasta, take a long walk, a sleeping aid and you will sleep like a baby your first night. Make sure you get a wake up call or you will wake up 3 days later
- Best not to wear a T-shirt that says I AM AMERICAN, fanny packs, or a shirt that says VERSACE written across the front. Italy is a fashionable country lets try to blend in a bit : )
- Italy may be very tourist-friendly and known for fashion, but it is generally considered rude to walk around town in bikinis, beach attire, short shorts,flip flops and skimpy outfits.
- Don't expect to easily find a drycleaner in the Tuscan countryside, laundry facilities are hard to find outside large cities. There are a few in Rome center just ask your concierge. They are geniuses at getting wine out of anything.
- Remember that American and European DVDs and VCRs have different formats, so what works at home will not work in Italy, and vice versa.
- Returning or exchanging an item, even if it is flawed is uncommon in Italian stores. Your stuck with it!!
- When shopping for clothes, take note that many stores will not allow one to try on shirts and blouses and they will probably give you a dirty look and whisper.
- Italy has only started becoming handicap-accessible. Wheelchair access to restaurant bathrooms is almost nonexistent, ramps are rare, elevators in old buildings are uncommon.
- While Italy is very hospitable, keeping kids entertained can sometimes be tough. Hotels often don't have pools or videogames, while virtually nothing on the radio or television is in English just send them with alot of coins to play near a fountain in a piazza
- If you happen to see a Gladiator and want a photo with him, you will have to pay him for taking it with you, if you are a woman offer a cigarette or a phone number and you will get that golden photo.
- Get an adapter for your electronics before you leave the US or you will be knocking on hotel doors to borrow one
Living on Italian Time
- Banks are open weekdays 8:30am to 1:30pm and sometimes for an hour in the afternoon = Being a banker in Italy is where they came up with the slogan La Vita Bella. Good news is the ATM's = Bancomats are scattered around town posted usually along a wall of a palazzo. Exchange your money there. NEVER use exchange places around town. They like to keep a lovely commission.
- Most churches are open from early morning until noon, when they close for three to four hours, before reopening again, and close at 6pm. They are on every corner so if you sin the block before and after you can find a place to repent. A few major churches, such as St. Peter's in Rome, are open all day.
- Many museums are closed one day a week, often on Monday and any other day there is a soccer match.
- Pharmacies are generally open weekdays from 8:30am to 1pm and from 4-8pm, and Saturday mornings from 9am to 1pm, you can usually find great drugs that cure you with some formulations you can not make out what they say.
- Most shops are open Monday-Saturday from 9am to 1pm and from 3:30 or 4pm to 7:30pm. Clothing shops are generally closed on Monday mornings... sad news.. I know. Barbers and hairdressers tend to be closed on Sunday and Monday. Make sure they speak english or you will end up with bangs you didn't want. Some tourist-friendly stores in big cities such as Rome are open all day.
-
Wishing to use laptops, battery chargers, hair dryers and other electrical appliances in Italy will need to know how to convert the appliances to use the new voltage, and how to connect that appliance to the sockets in the wall.
Plug Adapters
Plug adapters are the interfaces between the American flat-pronged plug and Italy's two (or three) round-prong socket (see pictures below). These allow you to plug your electrical device into the Italian wall socket, but they do not convert the electricity to the American 110 volts. If your appliance is designed to run only on 110-120 volts, you are likely to see smoke, if not fire, from this potent miss-mating. You will need a step-down power converter or transformer to safely step the voltage down from 220 to 110. More on this later.
You can get along with just a plug converter for many of today's small electrical devices designed to run on dual voltages. Devices like this include most laptops, most recently produced battery chargers, and many small, electrical gadgets, especially those designed for world travel. You can check the back of the device or the "power brick" for the electrical input specifications. Here's one that you can just use with a plug adapter:
Dining
- Italian tap water is sometimes heavily chlorinated, so it's best to drink bottled water. Pana is the best!!. Also mineral water is available in all types : gassata (bubbly) naturale ( non-bubbly) and semi-gassata like Ferrarelle -somewhere in the between, or just go and drink out of a fountain on a side of a wall.
- Italians usually take their food as it is listed on the menu seldom making special requests, such as "hold the mayo." So no starbuck type orders people!!
- Spaghetti, virtually the national food of Italy, should be eaten with a fork rolled against the dish. Use a spoon if you must, but cutting your food up into little pieces is considered tacky and the other tables will start talking about you.
- Cappuccino and 'cornetto' is the standard Breackfast in Italy - forget sausages etc .So pack your cheerios.
- Don't wait for the check, you must ask for it... and it will take awhile so sit back and enjoy the view.
- Tipping is usually done with cash, and is usually 'servizio' is included but a small tip is always appreciated.
- Nice sit-down restaurants usually expect one to order two courses or side dish with the first course, not counting dessert. I know.. its complicated
- If you want a quick bite, stop at a pizzeria or just grab a caloric gelato
- Breakfast is usually served from 7-10:30am, lunch from 12:30-2:30pm, and dinner from 7:30-10pm. Peak lunch and dinner hours are 1 and 9pm. In between those hours you will starve, so plan your days around your meals.
- There are few restrictions on alcohol. It can be purchased at any time on any day. There is no minimum drinking age.... if you run into an intoxicated person they are probably a study abroad.
