Travel Italy: Vacation Packages, Tips, Tours of Italy

With airlines increasingly adding fees for checking baggage — charging for checking a second bag as well as raising fees for overweight or oversized bags, travelers are continuously looking for ways on how to travel light.

Traveling to Italy in the Fall allows you not to pack too much, if your concern about packing is mostly about clothes you should take with you.

Here is the advice we gave to one of our readers heading to Italy from U.S. in November, not willing to pack too much and concerned about what clothing to take with her.

In November the weather is not chilly really and not warm either throughout the Peninsula. Despite temperatures vary a little from North to South, you need not voluminous and heavy clothes.  You still have the chance to pack light.

What you need most for this season, is a down jacket, better if made of techno fabric. It is very useful because the wheather can quickly vary from warm to rainy and a bit cold and viceversa.  Also I recommend comfortable clothes including, jeans pants, wool sweaters and sneakers. You can add a more shoes pair for the evening. However I recommend the comfortable ones.

Unlike what most of non-Italians believe, dining out at Italian restaurants does not require evening dresses or formal dresses — unless you are invited for special occasions, such as special parties, dinner gala etc… where a formal dress to be required, or, you are going to dine at top-top class restaurants.
Wearing jeans, shirts, and sneakers is ok in Italy even when you are dining out. Of course you’ll have to wear decent clothes — not the same you are using for hiking, bicycling etc…

With the end of the Holiday Season, in Italy the annual fashion sales season kick off.

Beginning January 5, the fashion and accessories shops all across the country start their main sales. It’s an unmissable opportunity to grab fashion deals and fill up your wardrobe.

The Kick off date depends on region. Below you have the 2008 sales calendar by region.
Abruzzo: Jan 5 – Feb 18
Apulia: Jan 5 – Feb 28
Basilicata: Jan 7 – Mar 7
Calabria: Jan 15 – Feb 28
Campania: Jan 2 – Mar 31
Emilia-Romagna: Jan 5 – Mar 5
Friuli-Venezia Giulia: Jan 12 – Mar 31
Lazio: Jan 5 – Feb 15
Liguria: Jan 6 – Feb 19
Lombardy: Jan 5 – Mar 4
Marche: Jan 5 – Mar 1
Molise: Jan 5 – Feb 28
Piedmont: Jan 5 – Feb 29
Sardinia: Jan 8 – Mar 8
Sicily: Jan 5 – Mar 15
Tuscany: Jan 7 – Mar 7
Umbria: Jan 7 – Mar 6
Valle d’Aosta: Jan 10 – Mar 31
Veneto: Jan 5 – Feb 28
T.A.A.(Bolzano): Jan 7 – Feb 17
T.A.A.(Trento): Jan 7 – Feb 29.

Take your time to choose the right shoe for your holiday in Italy.

Even though you plan just to walk in the cities, it is worth spending time and money to get the right comfortable shoes. Indeed, consider the sidewalks and streets paved with cobblestones you have to face for your visits to museum, churches, archeological sites, and historical areas.

Narrow and climbing streets are a typical feature of the historical centres in Italy, in the large cities as well as in the small towns.

If you plan to spend your holiday there in summer, also expect temperatures ranging from 30°C to 40° in most cities of the country, so boots and similar footwear might be too hot. I would recommend a comfortable flatter shoe with a thick sole to protect against the cobbles or sandal with good support.

(See a large selection of Italian designers shoes)

However, (more…)

– How to dress for my holiday in Italy?
This is a very common question among the tourists traveling to Italy.

For the clothing choice based on weather matter, keep in mind the temperatures can vary widely from north to south of the peninsula.
So, basically, have a look to the temperature average of the destinations you are going to visit, before you pack your luggage .

Also more concerns are about “how to look not out of style”. The comparison with the myth of the italian elegance is the risk that scares many women traveling to Italy.
Advice: don’t try to imitate what italian women wear. Wearing habits are the result of culture-rooted traditions.

– A few tips for special events
Restaurant: unless you are going to dine in the top-class restaurants formal dresses are not required.

Social meeting: formal dress is required when it has been stated in the invitation you received. When an invitation stating informal dress, you may want to wear casual but good-quality clothes.

Visiting churches and monasteries you’ll are required to avoid shorts, tops and similars.

Buy Italian designer clothing
Search for Hotels, Apartments, and B&B’s in Italy