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Ever been to Italy?

marcom
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Posts: 63
Joined: April 27th, 2008 12:11 pm

Postby marcom » November 4th, 2008 7:25 am

Dear juv3n7u5,
I am glad you liked Bologna, I think it is a rather strange city.
Not many tourists go there compared to the Big cities like Roma or Venezia, but it has everything in it. History, arts, business, young people.
And nearly everything is at walking distance.

Talking about hotels, I was instead surprised when receptionists in other countries told me I could keep the key (especially the card key)! Every time I went out of the Hotel with the key in my pocket I felt as if I was stealing something. :shock:

Ciao
Marco

brit
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Joined: July 25th, 2008 1:35 pm

Postby brit » January 12th, 2009 8:18 pm

my mom and i are leaving for venice and bologna in march - just 8 weeks! I cant wait! we rented an apartment in venice for a week so we can hang out and experience italian life. anyone have suggestions on what not to miss?

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tamatha204
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Joined: June 28th, 2008 3:59 pm

Venezia

Postby tamatha204 » January 18th, 2009 2:16 am

Hi Brit!

I am so excited for you and your mom. I was there (in Venice)for four days only (one month total in Italy). I have a word of caution for you. The maps are different from the streets. The streets aren't as straight as they seem on the map. I got (slightly) lost 4 times :lol: . But what fun! There was a great walking tour I went on. It was a Marco Polo tour called City Sightseeing. You walk through San Marco‘s Square, The Basilica, Doge's Palace, The Bridge of Sighs and the prison. They also offer (with this tour) an optional trip (for free) to a Murano glass factory called Ferro-Lazzarini. You get to watch a master glass blower! They are extremely talented! The show room was exquisite! Take an excursion to the islands too. You will see Murano a second time but you also go to Burano (a small fishing island famous for its hand made lace) and Torcello (just a cute little island). While strolling through San Marco‘s Square go up the bell tower. I believe it was 7 euros to ride the elevator up, but you will have the most stunning panoramic view of Venice! You can also go on the roof of the Basilica for a great view. If you want to go on a gondola ride it may be cheaper to buy a tour from you travel agent as the gondola rides are rather expensive when you are there. But a great economical alternative is simply to take the water bus for a ride aroud Venice.

I wanted to go to Bolognia but I ended up spending more time in Florence than I had planned. So please let me know all about Bolognia when you get back! :wink:

Buon Viaggio!
Tamatha
Tamatha
...sono nell'amore con l'Italia!!!

marcom
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Posts: 63
Joined: April 27th, 2008 12:11 pm

Postby marcom » February 11th, 2009 2:43 am

I'd suggest also spending some time around the "Chiesa della Salute", especially at sunset. I used to go there on weekends to watch the sun slowly change color and thus making the buildings and scenery look so beautiful.
To get there from San Marco square you have to cross the "Ponte dell'Accademia", the biggest wooden bridge in Venice.
Send us some pictures if you can.

Ciao
Marco

misstig
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Joined: February 5th, 2009 3:01 pm

Venice

Postby misstig » February 11th, 2009 8:39 pm

Brit, I am so jealous!

My suggestion is to bring an empty suitcase for everything you will want to buy in Venice! I only spent 1.5 days there, and spent almost one whole day on Murano. It is incredible. My husband owes me a chandelier. :D

marcom
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Posts: 63
Joined: April 27th, 2008 12:11 pm

Postby marcom » February 12th, 2009 2:13 am

Murano is a must see!
I had the honor of working with a Japanese glass maker artist, and although I didn't have the chance to be in a furnace while they were blowing the glass, just touching class creations is a unique experience!

Ciao

Marco

suprin
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Joined: March 20th, 2009 12:00 am

Visits to Italy

Postby suprin » March 20th, 2009 1:00 am

I Love Italy!! For some reason I have had a fascination with the country ever since my son came back from his trip as a backpacker through Europe and described the country to me. I finally got to go in '05 when I went with a British tour group through Venice, Bologna, Florence, Lucca, Pisa, Orvieto and Rome. Last year ('08) I went back and spent 2 weeks in Rome just to explore every nook and cranny I could get to. At the end of that trip I took a train up to Umbria (2 hrs) and spent a couple of days in Spoleto. I had the most wonderful food and my small room on the top floor of the hotel (located just below the church at thet of the hill) overlooked the 'old' town and the valley below. It was the most beautiful site! The older part of town is full of narrow little streets which wind around the mountain up to the very top and was not overrun with tourists - I was told it was what Tuscany used to be like before it became so popular.

I do have to say, so far, my favorite city is Florence. I actually had to catch my breath when I turned a corner and caught my first glimpse of the Duomo. The marble and the surroundings are not to be missed. I did not shop but I was soooo tempted by the beautiful leather goods, etc., in the Florence shops. Lucca was also one of my favorites because of its long history.

Then there is Roma-- I walked all over the city and was so happy just to take my time exploring the side streets and visiting the different neighborhoods. My aha moment came when on My first morning I had decided to walk from my hotel by the Piazza de Republica (& Termini Station) to the Vatican for a tour of the Necropolis below (very inexpensive but you must book in advance) and turned a corner just to find myself staring at Trajan's Column! And the piazzas-- like the Piazza Navona at night--gorgeous! Wow! I'd recommend all of the towns and cities I mentioned above for a visit and can't wait to go back -- must get to the north & south, including Napoli, sometime. During my trip I also found a favorite gelato - a crunchy cherry flavor that still makes my mouth water just thinking about it. Also would recommend a visit to Ostia Antica and maybe see how many obelisks you can find in Rome.

This is getting pretty long so just let me say I really appreciate the podcasts as I'm 'restarting' my lessons and look forward to hearing more - Thank you Marco & Cinzia, Ciao!

jjdon4453
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Joined: August 19th, 2010 6:04 pm

Visiting Italy

Postby jjdon4453 » October 12th, 2010 11:04 pm

We just returned from Italy 5 days ago - my third trip, my wife's 4th. We stay with relatives in a small town on the Italian Riviera - Verazze - that is 10km below Savona and some 30km from Genova. We see Portofino in the distance from our house. This trip we went to Rome for 4 days and had an overnight trip to Venice. We've also been down to Pisa and then across Toscana to Rimini and points in between. Plus 4 days in Milan, last year, and uncounted small towns, too. Quickly: Rome is wonderful, as are Firenze, Milan and Genoa. Assisi is a wonderful, beautiful place. IMO, there's no reason to go to Pisa except to see a crooked tower swarming with tour groups. I hated Venice for the same reason, but that's just me. If you like venerable old places that have been turned into tourist attractions, then Venice is for you. Same for Cinque Terra.......

My suggestion would be to ~~go~~ to Italy, as we do. Sure, we looked at the Colisseum and saw the Sistene Chapel. After that we go out walking the streets, finding great little restaurants and shops where the tourists generally don't go. We travel with our Italian relatives and speak Italian as well as we are able. Hint: It's Italy. They speak Italian. That's why we are here, on ItalianPod. If you are in a place where most people speak English then you are in a tourist-oriented place. There are those who think a tour bus is the way to go, but that's not us. We walked into a little ceramic shop in Albisola one afternoon - met the owner, he took us in the back and showed us some new inventory. Had a great time, met new people, all that. Largely because I speak the language to a degree as they spoke zero English. Italy isn't just monuments, it's a whole country - don't forget that and you'll enjoy it a whole lot more... One afternoon we went to a tiny little mountain town - i forget the name, near Sassello..... They had a fungi feast with polenta and porcini gravy, dancing, wine. As Italian as you can be and some of them may have never seen an American. The real Italy......

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