Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

B&B is increasingly an option for those who are traveling on a budget.
In most cases, travelers opt for B&B because it’s a less expensive solution than hotels, but also, because it offers an opportunity to better know tradition, habits, and culture of the country they are visiting.

Starting a B&B business in Italy is not a complicated affair. So many B&B were open in the recent years across Italy, in the large cities as well as in the small towns.

But in the recent days, it was issued a warning, about the state of B&Bs in Rome. Some were found dirty and breaching current regulations.

So, lookout, when you book online a B&B.
The Telefono Blu association has compiled a list of suggestions helping travelers to avoid unpleasant surprises.
We report the basic tips:
– you should require a contract at the time of booking;
– if what is being offered does not correspond to what was booked ask for the resolution of contract and your money back;
– if the B&B owner refuses to give back your money, report him to the authourity.

With summer approaching, people who plan to spend holidays and free time at sea, would like to get informed about the state of the beaches, waters, and coastal areas.

Italian Health Department released in the recent days, a reassuring report over the matter.

The survey was based on the last year’s monitoring of the marine bathing waters in Italy.
It reveals that the bathing water quality in Italy remains good, in many zones with peaks of excellence, with 93.8% conformity to European standards and stability with respect to the previous year.
The report, about the polluted coasts, says out of 7,375.3 km of coast, polluted coast is equal to 420.4 km (5.7%), that is 13.1 km less than last year.

A request for advice by Rebecca, UK, could be of interest for many more non first time Italy travelers

We are travelling to Italy for 2 weeks in April. We have been to the main cities (Rome, Florence, Venice) previously so would like to see different parts this time. We arrive in Milan. Would it be best to hire a car for the whole time or use the train system. We are on a fairly tight budget. Where do you suggest we go?

Let’s sum up:

1. You visited the main art cities in your previous travel to Italy

2. You would like spend your holiday in destinations other than Rome, Florence, Venice

3. You are traveling on a budget

4. You’ll be flying into Milan

For points 1. and 2. , as you having already visited Rome, Florence, and Venice, would be interested in traveling to other destinations, I would suggest areas such as Umbria, Southern Tuscany and Cinque Terre. Such destinations are among the favourite by travelers, so unfortunately crowded too, but enable you to comfortably plan, in an area not so large, a holiday including countryside, food and wine itineraries, art cities, and sea.

For point 3., you should consider accommodation as agritourism or B&B’s located close the border Umbria-Tuscany.
That will save you money, as Umbria is a bit less expensive than Tuscany, and enable you to plan excursions to centers such as S.Gimignano, Siena, Montalcino etc….located in the close Southern Tuscany area

Also, from there, you’ll be able to reach by train, Umbria destinations such as Perugia, Assisi, Todi, Spoleto, medieval centers perfectly preserved, which definitely are worth to see. It will take you a short time. So, coming to your concern over car hire, this solution would enable you to mostly travel by train, limiting the use of car just to your excursions in the Tuscan countryside.

After visiting classic Tuscan countryside and art cities, as in April you are likely to encounter fine weather, you could reserve some days for the seaside.
Cinque Terre could suit your plans, it is close to Tuscany, you can get there by train and stay there does not require you to rent a car. Also, it is not so far to Milan, assuming you’ll fly out from there.

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Advice on day trips to Cinque Terre

Would you recommend a day trip from Florence to CT (Cinque Terre) or would be better at least spend the night there?

First, an advice for you and for any foreigners used to write CT as an abbreviation for Cinque Terre.
Such abbreviation does not work in Italy. Better, for Italians that means the initials of car plate for the city of Catania, so if you ask any advice on the Internet boards by writing CT, no Italians will be able to help you. If you like to short the name, you could use 5Terre.

Coming to your question, from Florence to Riomaggiore, one of the villages of Cinque Terre, it take 2 1/2 hours by train, (InterCity, change in LaSpezia or Pisa station; details: see www.trenitalia.com), so you could do it in a day trip.

However I suggest to spend a night there, to be able to enjoy of the several activities Cinque Terre offer you.
Hiking between the five villages, dining in one of the typical restaurants looking down the sea and generally enjoying of the wonderful sights avoiding any rush.

Requests for advice on how to better arrange the transfer from Rome airport (Rome FCO) to the city are very frequent.

Any suggestions for Fiumicino airport transfer to Rome city?

You have many options, by choosing whether public or private transportation.

– By train

Leonardo Express train from Fiumicino airport to Rome Termini – the Rome central train station.
Schedule: every 30 minutes, from 6:37 to 23:37; ticket price: € 9.50.
Route time: 35 minutes, for more details see Trenitalia. In the airport, you can reach the train station from each terminal by using the elevated covered pedestrian walkways.

– By bus

During night-time bus replaces the train, so the connections with the train stations of Rome Termini and Rome Tiburtina are being operated by CO.TRA.L.bus company.
Schedule: 1.15 a.m., 2.15 a.m., 3.30 a.m., 5.00 a.m..
During day-time, connections by bus are operated by Terravision (www.terravision.it) company.

– By taxi

Taxis are available at the exit of the terminals.

– Shuttle service

There are many shuttle services specialized in the to move door-to-door from the airport to the center of Rome.
The rates range from € 20,00 to 50,00 per person, depending from the number of total passengers (VAT 10% not included). Expect to pay supplement for night-time and for the Italian Bank Holidays.
Here a few companies operating this service: http://www.rome-airport-shuttle.com , http://www.airportshuttle.it , www.airportconnection.it