Planning your ideal vacations to Italy

Italy is the ideal vacation destination if you are a lover of all things arts. From love of Roman history, ancient architecture, Italian language holidays, Italian cooking, museums or explore the Vatican in Rome. You can choose from city vacation in Rome, Milan, Venice or Florence or try something truly authentic Italian at our Italian farms holidays. Every season there are festivals towards end February to mid-March our popular carnival season takes places in cities and small villages all around Italy the most notable carnival is the one in Venice. You can always find a food festival happening somewhere the Italian call them Sagra. Whatever is your vacation of choice, we have plenty to offer you on your vacations to Italy.

Consider an unusual growing popularity in heritage tours to Italy. It's new to us too. We found out that a company in the U.S is offering this special service and they even help you to find your Italian roots - track your family tree. This is truly unique and custom designed to your family history. Italy Mondo is the company.

Back to our section here, it is dedicated to help you plan your ideal vacations to Italy providing you with all the important travel information you need to make sure you do not face any hiccups when you land. Map provided below is to help you find your bearings of cities around Italy. Italy is divided into 20 Provinces. Chart below the map will help you mapped cities to region.

To travel domestically within Italy cheap alternative is to use the Italian trains this is provided you have more than two weeks vacations planned here otherwise we suggest you take the planes. Planning ahead you are able to find good prices with budget airlines such as Blu Express or Meridiana.

 

MATCHING ITALIAN CITIES TO REGIONS

 

	REGION	CAPITAL
	1. Abruzzo	L'Aquila
	2. Aosta Valley	Aosta
	3. Apulia	Bari
	4. Basilicata	Potenza
	5. Calabria	Catanzaro
	6. Campania	Naples
	7. Emilia-Romagna	Bologna
	8. Friuli-Venezia Giulia	Trieste
	9. Lazio	Rome
	10. Liguria	Genoa
	11. Lombardy	Milan
	12. Marche	Ancona
	13. Molise	Campobasso
	14. Piedmont	Turin
	15. Sardinia	Cagliari
	16. Sicily	Palermo
	17. Tuscany	Florence
	18. Trentino-Alto Adige	Trento
	19. Umbria	Perugia
	20. Veneto	Venice

 

INTERESTED TO COME VISIT? Let us help you design your unique Italian farm or language holiday experience. Try our Italy Trip Planner service. Subscribe to upcoming news related to Piedmont Italy Your Email:

 

 

PLANNING YOUR VACATION TO ITALY

Important information to note when planning your Italian holidays.

TIME: Local time in Italy is GMT +1 (GMT +2 between the last Sunday in March and the Saturday before the last Sunday in September).

ELECTRICITY: Electrical current in Italy is 230 volts, 50Hz. A variety of plugs are in use including the European-style two-pin plug. Many hotels do not provide adapters. Best you bring one of your own.

LANGUAGE: Official language of Italy is Italian. English is understood in larger cities but not in remote parts of the country. You should buy an Italian phrase book for emergency use.

TRAVEL HEALTH: There are no specific health risks associated with travel to Italy. EU citizens can make use of Italy's health services provided they have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). Cases of the deadly bird flu were found in swans in Southern Italy and Sicily, but there is a low risk of human infection; as a precaution all close contact with wild, caged and domestic birds should be avoided. If you order poultry and egg dishes make sure they are cooked well.

TIPPING: Tipping is not customary in Italy. If you wish to tip add 10-15% of the bill (unless, as is increasingly the case, a 15% service charge has already been added to the bill). Hotels add a service charge of 15-18%, but it is customary to tip the service staff extra. Italians rarely tip taxi drivers.

SAFETY: Tourists are vulnerable to pick-pocketing and muggings in the bigger cities, particularly on public transport, in crowded areas and around tourist sites, and should exercise caution when carrying large amounts of cash and valuables.

Be especially careful in Rome on bus 64 to St Peter's Square (this is on your way to see the Vatican City) and around the main train station, Termini. Visitors should be wary of groups of children, some of whom will distract attention while the others try to steal what they can. Strikes by transport workers take place regularly throughout Italy and delays are possible.

Tourists in Italy should be vigilant to ensure their safety in public places and tourist sites as the Italian Government has warned that the risk of international terrorist attacks has increased. Domestic terrorism continues, but targets are usually Italian authorities, however there is a possibility of being caught up in attacks.

LOCAL CUSTOMS: In Italy, it is an offence to sit on steps and in courtyards near public buildings, including the main churches, in Florence; eating and drinking in the vicinity should also be avoided. Shorts, vests or any other immodest clothing should not be worn inside churches.

BUSINESS HOURS: Business hours are usually 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday, but can vary according to season and region. Lunch hours are typically 2 hours. In many places businesses closes on Sunday however in smaller towns you may find different schedule.

TELECOMMUNICATION: The international access code for Italy is +39. The outgoing code is 00 followed by the relevant country code (e.g. 0044 for the United Kingdom). All numbers must be preceded by 0, whether originating in Italy or out, unless calling a mobile phone. City/area codes are in use, e.g. 02 for Milan and 06 for Rome.

There can be high surcharges on calls made from hotels and it is generally cheaper to use a pre-paid calling card. Public telephone boxes take phone cards for local and international calls, which can be bought from newsagents or tobacco shop, you see Tabacchi signs outside . The local mobile phone operators use GSM networks and have roaming agreements with most international operators. Internet cafes are available in the main towns and resorts. Many hotels do provide Wi-Fi services but you will have to pay for use on hourly basis.

DUTY FREE: Travelers over 17 years old from non-EU countries do not have to pay duty on 200 stick of cigarettes, or 100 cigarillos, or 50 cigars, or 250g tobacco; 1 litre spirits with alcohol content higher than 22%, or 2 litres dessert wine not exceeding 22% alcohol content and sparkling wine, and 2 litres of table wine; perfume up to 50g or 250ml eau de toilette, and other goods for personal consumption to the value of €175 per adult or €90 for children under 15 years.

Prohibited items include narcotic drugs, medicinal products, arms and weapons, explosives and protected animal and plant species.

PASSPORT EXPIRATION FOR ENTERING ITALY: Ensure your passport has minimum 6 months validity if you plan to vacation in Italy.

CHEAP FLIGHTS TO ITALY: We suggest you read our flight services to Turin where you can find information on airlines.

 

 

For Quick and Easy Guide use Amazing North Italy sitemap to find information

 

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