Advice on Italy trip needed

[marcr1230]

Some notes for you trip

Good eats in Rome: hard to go wrong
Map everything to find the exact directions

Pizzeria alle carrette, via modonna del monte 95, Awesome pizza, central location in a little alley off the main street.

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/2011/07/our-local-pizza-joint-pizzeria-alle.html?m=1

Another amazing choice:

Santa Christina di Quirinale - http://www.tripadvisor.it/Restauran...e_Santa_Cristina_al_Quirinale-Rome_Lazio.html

Il Bacaro - near pantheon , nice small place , pasta and meat dishes

Fiaschetteria Beltrame, close to the Spanish steps (lunch) - hole in the wall place, great food and not swamped with tourists

I ate ate all the above and they were recommended to me by Italian friends. Really good places

Lastly - there's a place called "ad Hoc" I've never eaten there but it gets fantastic reviews in trip advisor

Tourism
Most museums closed on mondays but I think the Vatican museum and Sistine chapel are open but check.
Vatican museum opens at 9, if you can pay extra and take a guided tour starting at 8, you will see the Sistine chapel before it gets mobbed. A guide is advisable otherwise you don't really appreciate what you are looking at.

See the capitoline museums at campidoglio , behind piazza Venezia - fantastic collection, architecture of the square done by michelangelo

Colloseum and forum - hire a guide , I have a good guy I met my last trip, really good and worth the expense - Alberto Purchi - pm me if you want his email

Guides also get to cut to the front of entrance lines - worth it at Vatican museum and coliseum

High speed train from Rome to Florence is great , 90 minutes each way


Florence - reserve in advance to book a time and ticket to see Michelangelo's David at galleria accademia you save an hour long line

Book tickets at uffizi gallery in Florence otherwise you are unlikely to get in

Cameras and equipment - like everyone else says - travel light , and with a wide angle lens as primary

Those are my tips - enjoy you vacation

 

[GaryLH]

I do not like distortion in imaes when traveling, if possible. A 21mm is already very wide.

The 15 on the rd1 ends up a 23 and if I remember correctly does not have much distortion given the 1.5 crop compared to full frame.

Gary

 

[Krosya]

Thank you EVERYONE so much for your advice and ideas! I feel very excited and intimidated at the same time - seems like there is so much to do! I welcome all your ideas, so please keep them coming! Thank you again!

 

[Richard G]

M5 is heavy to lug around, so the Hexar RF. I would take your 21/4 and the fast 35. I agree that the Villa Borghese in Rome is a wonderful experience. Walking around Rome is a must. There are two worlds in central Rome, the one on view, the Eternal City, and the one where the Romans go about their business, sometimes accessed by a barely shoulder width gap between two buildings. There you can buy cheese and bread for lunch for a fraction of what it costs to eat on the high street. Some rudimentary Italian language ability is a good head start. In Florence the Palazzo Vecchio is certainly worth a visit, and the Palazzo Pitti, the adjoining Boboli Gardens and the Belvedere above.

Lucca is astonishing and San Gimignano, the 'Manhattan' of Tuscany, is also intriguing for a photographer.

 

[moreammo]

The best restaurant to have dinner at on Via della Croce is "Otello alla Concordia" because it's an authentic old family-ruled trattoria, where Romans still stop by.

http://www.otello-alla-concordia.it/

The Antica Enoteca is a nice tourists trap... okay, it's nice enough too.

There is one other place on this road i can not remember the name. when you walk in there are two rows of tables, one to the left and one to the right. this is a place where you will find the locals as well, and very good food. you end up sitting right next to whom ever else comes in so you get to know people very well. you can not go wrong with food in Italy

Have a great trip!

 

[dct]

Krosya, I will not repeat many of the good tourist and photo advice you got already here. Will be in Italy for a short trip too, but more to the north (Trento). It is the same city layout there, with few big squares and almost very tight alleys. My 28mm will be again my standard lens for this visit.
Wish you a interesting trip and I'm curious about the story you will tell us.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Be sure to check the prices of items on a menu before ordering at restaurants and cafes etc., and do the math so you know how much you're up for when paying. The chances of getting overcharged are very high. Of the 40 or so countries I have traveled in, Italy was by far and away the worst with regard to bill padding. We got so sick of it while in Rome that we bought food at a local supermarket and cooked meals each night at the apartment we were staying at which thankfully had a small kitchen.

There was a big story in Japan not long after we were in Rome about a Japanese couple who had similar problems. They were charged 700 Euro for a meal at a restaurant in Rome. The bill included a 207 Euro pasta dish and a 115 Euro service charge. It became such a big deal here in Japan that the Italian government apologised to the couple and offered them a free trip back to Italy. The couple turned the offer down.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/1200-restaurant-bill-couple-snub-offer-20090803-e6ha.html

 

[Highway 61]

Be sure to check the prices of items on a menu before ordering at restaurants and cafes etc., and do the math so you know how much you're up for when paying. The chances of getting overcharged are very high. Of the 40 or so countries I have traveled in, Italy was by far and away the worst with regard to bill padding. We got so sick of it while in Rome that we bought food at a local supermarket and cooked meals each night at the apartment we were staying at which thankfully had a small kitchen.

There was a big story in Japan not long after we were in Rome about a Japanese couple who had similar problems. They were charged 700 Euro for a meal at a restaurant in Rome. The bill included a 207 Euro pasta dish and a 115 Euro service charge. It became such a big deal here in Japan that the Italian government apologised to the couple and offered them a free trip back to Italy. The couple turned the offer down.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/1200-restaurant-bill-couple-snub-offer-20090803-e6ha.html

Well in my (limited, maybe) experience the trick is not to behave like dumb and rich tourists. This is to be put in practice wherever you'd be. But at "Otello alla Concordia" we were seating near two very rich looking Japanese women wearing watches which would cost me six months of my monthly salary and believe it or not, they got charged what was written on the menu prices, and what applied to us too. Unbelievable but true, uh ? And this, in spite they kept being very nitpicking with the waiters and what was in their plates all dinner long...

I once had evening dinner in a restaurant which was a tad smarter than some others but the final billing price was still on par with something normal. The restaurant's name is "Il Baccaro" and it's located Via degli Spagnoli so I am playing it safe here. And I recommend this place with no problem.

Nolens volens, Italy still has this reputation about overcharging and ripping off but this is nothing but a cliché IMO. Italian people are just... normal.

Not all people living in the center of Rome are rich, if you go and explore Trastevere (one of the nicest areas, btw the most beautiful overview of Rome might be between Trastevere and the Vatican, from the Gianicolo's balcony, it's more panoramic than from the Pincio, the terrace located north over the Spanish Steps) you will even notice that most of them are modest.

And the place I've experienced the highest restaurant billings so far is CANADA, where the food isn't the best you can find ever !

Anyway - a good guidebook advising for food places where local people use to stop by is mandatory, of course. But, if you are a good observer enough, you'll find them.

Last tip : you can't go wrong at the "Hostaria Antica" located Via dei Uffici del Vicario. An old restaurant of some repute, and nobody will rip you off there.

And don't forget the GROM gelati, which were recently awarded as the best gelati in the world (which they deserve actually !).

Buon viaggio e belle fotografie !

 

[Michiel Fokkema]

I found the food in Rome rather cheap and of very good quality. BUt we don;t eeat in posh restaurants. More the small family run pizzeria's and students restaurants. Good enough for us and as said if well chosen good food for very reasonable prices. I have not noticed any bill padding. But of course one should know what the price is before ordering anything. Isn't that common sense. You wouldn't order a camera without knowing what you have to pay?

 

[Krosya]

And again - thank you , everyone, for your advice and tips. Reading some of the posts - I think another question is in order - What to Avoid? What not to Do?
I have heard about some overcharging in the restaurants and about the pickpockets in Italy. So, maybe things/places to be careful with/at?
Also, this may be a naive question, but what about payments? I mean - is using a Credit Card common/safe? Are CCs accepted in most of those smaller places/restaurants? Or should I have cash everywhere? How easy is it to exchange US dollars or should I use ATMs to get cash out as I go ? - These questions are not just for Rome, but other places as well. Thanks in advance for your answers.

 

[yinyangbt]

You had very good advices here . You have to know that tripods are not allowed in the great monuments (San Pietro ,etc) so you have to be able to shoot with some fast lenses .The light in San Pietro is somehow better than Firenze Dome . You'll need probably 800 ISO + fast (or wide - 21-24mm or wider)
If you go in Tuscany , at Firenze , you MUST stop in Siena . Take some good travel guides at least two and check them carefully
In Rome I recommed The Campidoglio, Piazza Navona , The Pantheon , The Santa Maria Maggiore , The Forum , of course the Vatican and san Pietro, Piazza del Popolo
I suggest to see very well one pace and don't waste the time traveling very much . Just wandering in Rome should be wonderful . I'd skip Venice and Naples and leave them for the next time.

 

[marcr1230]

re credit cards - they are accepted everywhere you would expect.
find out if yours charges a fee per foreign transaction - this can make it more expensive
ask your bank if they have a reciprocal ATM arrangement to avoid fees taking out cash.
most major banks in the US have partners in Italy.
Capitol One credit cards have no extra fees on foreign transactions and the exchange rates they use are bank rates - very reasonable.

enjoy yhe trip

 

[Highway 61]

And again - thank you , everyone, for your advice and tips. Reading some of the posts - I think another question is in order - What to Avoid? What not to Do?
I have heard about some overcharging in the restaurants and about the pickpockets in Italy. So, maybe things/places to be careful with/at?
Also, this may be a naive question, but what about payments? I mean - is using a Credit Card common/safe? Are CCs accepted in most of those smaller places/restaurants? Or should I have cash everywhere? How easy is it to exchange US dollars or should I use ATMs to get cash out as I go ? - These questions are not just for Rome, but other places as well. Thanks in advance for your answers.

What to do ?

Do use your CC wherever you want to, keep the least cash on you. CCs are accepted everywhere.
Of course you don't want to use your CC to buy a €3.50 panini.
Common sense matter.

What not to do ?

Climbing into an extremely overcrowded subway car or getting overcrowed somewhere in a queue or in a museum. This is where the main pickpocketting risk is. Other than that, no particular pickpocketting risk.

Italy ain't Syria or Pakistan.

 

[silent1]

And don't forget the GROM gelati, which were recently awarded as the best gelati in the world (which they deserve actually !).

Buon viaggio e belle fotografie !

I live in Rome and we are very passionate about what is the best "gelateria" in town. You will find a long line outside GROM, but it is common opinion among the locals that GROM is just average.
My personal favourite is Rivareno, close to San Giovanni.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Well in my (limited, maybe) experience the trick is not to behave like dumb and rich tourists.

It's amazing how many tourists do look dumb and rich, or just dumb
I was stunned while in Paris in July. Tourists with wallets hanging out of their back pockets, back packs hanging off their backs left wide open. An open invite to a pickpocket. Here I am! Come and get me

Italy still has this reputation about overcharging and ripping off but this is nothing but a cliché IMO. Italian people are just... normal.

We certainly had a different experience, Nicolas. IMO the reputation is real and deserved. It probably helps that you look like a local. I traveled in Italy with my partner, and the locals probably thought she was Japanese (she's Chinese) as we talk to each other in Japanese. Clearly tourists. Mistaken for easy targets maybe (we're not ). We have a fair bit of travel experience and took the normal measures, but still had to question mysterious extra charges about half the time when eating at restaurants there. After a week in Sicily it was already old, so we didn't bother dealing with it in Rome. I've had problems in other countries too, but Italy took the cake for the frequency and brazenness of their bill padding. The clear world champions IMO

I have not noticed any bill padding. But of course one should know what the price is before ordering anything. Isn't that common sense. You wouldn't order a camera without knowing what you have to pay?

Common sense, you'd think. But its amazing how many people don't follow their common sense.

Restaurants and taxis. Always gotta be careful with restaurants and taxis.

 

[silent1]

And again - thank you , everyone, for your advice and tips. Reading some of the posts - I think another question is in order - What to Avoid? What not to Do?
I have heard about some overcharging in the restaurants and about the pickpockets in Italy. So, maybe things/places to be careful with/at?
Also, this may be a naive question, but what about payments? I mean - is using a Credit Card common/safe? Are CCs accepted in most of those smaller places/restaurants? Or should I have cash everywhere? How easy is it to exchange US dollars or should I use ATMs to get cash out as I go ? - These questions are not just for Rome, but other places as well. Thanks in advance for your answers.

CC are widely accepted, but expect some grunts if you try to pay a 1 euro coffee (that's how we call an espresso in Italy: just coffee, or "caffé" in Italian) with a CC.
Depending on your CC/debit card conditions, it might be cheaper to withdraw money from an ATM, because it's your bank or CC company that fixes the exchange rate.
As for overcharge, I've never had any bad experience, but then again I'm a local so YMMV. Just check your bill with respect to the menu card if in doubt, and don't be afraid to ask the waiter/owner for clarifications. If the restaurant applies a "servizio" or "coperto", that must be clearly stated in the menu, and usually should be less than 2 euros per person. If a restaurant charges a "coperto", I usually don't leave any tip. Otherwise it is common habit to leave 1-2 euro as a tip, depending on your satisfaction level.
I also heard about that Japanese couple horror story and luckily that restaurant was shut down after that episode.

I can't give you any advice on what not to do, because that really depends on your interests and on how much time you've got.

Well, for any other questions just PM me, I'll be glad to help

 

[Highway 61]

I traveled in Italy with my partner, and the locals probably thought she was Japanese (she's Chinese) as we talk to each other in Japanese.

Just marry an Italian beauty before your next trip and everything will run tutto bene.

 

[Krosya]

Well, whenever I travel, I like to do typical tourist stuff for a couple of days and then I try to blend in with the locals - go to places where there are less/no tourists, try to get a taste for a Real local culture, cousine, atmosphere. I will have a Birthday wile there and would like to go to a nice/more expensive place for a dinner, but I'm looking for some good and tasty food, good wine and very good service over the "disigner" plated food, where it may look pretty but you dont get much yet pay a lot. Hope this makes sence.
I would like to possibly meet some forum members if possible - I have done this on my trips to Germany and Scotland and it was fun. Though back than I was single and now I'll be travling with my wife (not Italian beauty, but Romanian one - close enough? ), so not sure how/if that would work out.
Anyway - great advice from everyone and pls keep them coming. We'll be in Italy for about 3 weeks so I hope to have time to see many things and try many dishes/wines.

 

[mfogiel]

"Will be in Rome, plan to visit Vatican, Venice, Florence, maybe Naples"
It is as if you said that you will see the whole of North and South America plus Africa and Australia...
Italy has 60% of the world's art treasures, not to mention picturesque landscape and architecture.
My advice:
2 bodies, one with a 50 and the other with a 25/28 lens, 50 rolls of film, off you go...

 

[daveleo]

"Will be in Rome, plan to visit Vatican, Venice, Florence, maybe Naples"
It is as if you said that you will see the whole of North and South America plus Africa and Australia...
Italy has 60% of the world's art treasures, not to mention picturesque landscape and architecture.
My advice:
2 bodies, one with a 50 and the other with a 25/28 lens, 50 rolls of film, off you go...

In 2009, my son and I went for the first time. We just got off the train in Venice (our first stop), he went into a cathedral while I hopped into the men's room. I came out, he had just exited the cathedral. "You didn't bring enough film" was the first thing he said.