Tips For Planning Your Dream Italian Vacation!

Crumbly buildings, cobble stone streets, ancient ruins, on my! Italy is packed with ancient history, historic sites and ruins.

I love history, especially the crunchy, old stuff. I actually think of the people from hundreds of years ago who may have walked on the same cobble stone streets as I am, as I stroll the streets of these old towns and cities.

Here in America, we make historic sites out of buildings and places that are a few hundred years old. In Europe, the sites are thousands of years old. I dream of renting an ancient farm house in Italy for a summer, digging a garden and finding an ancient Roman Coin. How cool would that be?

Okay, really though, you cannot travel to Italy without checking out at least a few of these awsome sites and cities. The walled City of Lucca, surrounded by an ancient wall so large there is a path and parks along the top with trees, benches, paths. You can rent bikes and ride around the city on top of the wall. How cool is that?

Then there is the Cinque Terre (The Five Lands) Corniglia, Manarola, Riomaggiore, Vernazza and Monterosso. With ancient houses, all in pastel colors, stacked helter skelter up the cliffs, looking like they are about to tumble into the waters. If you want the quintessential small town, great seafood, off the beaten path, by the ocean, Italian experience, these five towns are it! (Riomaggiore is where I bumped into Rick Steves)

Or the Ponte Vecchio bridge in Florence, built in the 1330's. There are actually apartments and shops hanging out over the water off the bridge. And you can't go to Florence without a visit to the Uffizi Gallery to see all the art.

Then of course there are the sites of actual ancient Roman Ruins, which are amazing. Not much to say about that, they speak for themselves!

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Okay, so when I went to Italy I went in early May. The weather was perfect and I was just ahead of the tourist season. We started in Venice and in the mornings it seemed as if we had the place to ourselves. The cruise ships dump their hordes around 9:00am, but that usually starts around the 3rd week in May. Since we stayed in Italy for 3 weeks, and departed back from Venice, we definitely experienced the crazy mobs on our few days in Venice on the back end of our trip, but again, most of the tourists are on cruise ships so, by 5 o'clock they are gone and you have the place to yourself again.

On our return to Venice, on the back end of our trip, it was a completely different place. We tried to go see the bronze horses in Piazza San Marco because we missed them when we first arrived. We waited in line for over an hour before throwing in the towel. We were at that time well over an hour still to wait in line at the rate the line was going. I don't know about you, but I hate wasting my day waiting in line to file past a site for 2 minutes. Drives me nuts. That was a lesson learned well for me. Arrive early in the season, hit all the touristy spots early and first, then spend the rest of your time in less touristy, off the beaten path places. It will make a huge difference in your experience, unless of course you love crowds and waiting in lines in the heat of summer.

If you want to go to the major cities and sites, I would strongly recommend trying to go off season. The prices for hotels and events are cheaper and the crowds much more manageable. You will most likely also pay a lot less for your airfare.

Bottom line... Plan your success, lessen your stress! Learn The Best Time To Visit Italy! Where to Go When!

When I first started planning my trip to Italy, I did not think I would want to spend more than a few days in Venice. I had heard the canals stink and it is over crowded and the food is bad.

But the minute we arrived I was a goner. This little city is amazing. Winding alleys, bridges, canals. You can't get lost for long, as you are on an island. No cars, walking or boats only. The buildings are amazing, so incredibly old. Step off the beaten path where all the tourist dwell and delve just a few meters into the smaller streets and you will find the local treasures. Some of the restaurants along the major streets, where the tourists flow, can definitely be over-priced and the food is not so good. If you take the time to venture just a few streets off the major through fares, or better yet ask a local for a recommendation, you will have amazing, authentic, fresh food at much better prices.

Venice is a wonder. No city in the world is like it. A city you must see before you die! Learn More About Venice Italy!

And no, the canals did not stink, but I was there in May... I can't speak for July/August.

Okay, what should you buy in Italy? Well, of course that is a bit subjective, but I will tell you what I bought and what I was looking for.

Everyone knows Italy is famous for Leather. Italian leather belts, Italian leather HANDBAGS, Italian leather luggage, Italian leather briefcases, Italian leather wallets, etc. In case you haven't guessed, I was after Italian leather handbags and luggage. I was also looking for hand-made and painted Italian crafts, pottery, lace, paintings, drawing, lithographs and of course Italian Fashion.

Be very careful, there are loads of fakes made in China that locals will try to pass off as authentic. The fake leather can be hard to determine if it is good. Smell it, touch it, it should feel and smell like leather. Look at the stitching, often if it is a Fake the stitching will be poor, imprecise and the fabric on the inside, if any, will be of acrylic or polyester. If you can see a folded edge (seam) of the actual leather you should be able to see it is is real leather by the back side of the leather. I bought a red leather handbag that I loved, only to find out later it was fake. I could not believe it later, that I did not see it. I think I was so excited about getting a red leather handbag, the owner of the shop I was in at the time was very nice and was saying how we had to be careful of fakes, and then he sold me one. So, beware!

I hardly need to mention this, but I will anyway, the handbags sold on the street on blankets or sheets are neither authentic or real leather. That should go without saying though.But if you want a cheap fake designer bag, go for it. I personally am a stickler for Authentic.

For pottery I only bought in small towns. Look for distintive diferences from one piece to the next, that shows they are painted by hand. If they are signed on the bottom, slightly different sizes and shapes,etc. Buy Murano Glass on the island of Murano. The bottom line is, if you like something buy it, but if you are searching for Authentic something or other, know what to look for in advance. There are always people willing to take advantage of the tourists in any country.

In the end I did get some great leather bags there. One an incredible leather carry on for about 220 Euros that I love and is totally awesome. I bought it at a street fair in Florence, bargained and checked around for similar bags with other vendors. It was the best and the price came down when I walked away and returned later. I still have it to this day and love it. I also still have the cute pottery olive oil dispenser on my counter with hand painted olive branches and San Gimignano painted on the bottom. A memory forever... or until my husband breaks it.

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