Italy Travel Guide

[bagaholic_chewy]

^ sis kiara_yao nasagot na yang tanong mo sa page 19, please backread na lang...

[paulina19]

Hi Mama Squeak...got my Schengen visa yesterday..and am soooo happy! I am going on June 30 to July 7 for a group tour sa four countries (  Ams - Ger- Switz- France ).  Then mag DIY ako sa Italy for the next 6 days.  I will be comign from Paris, since yun ang last tour namin.  What city in Italy i can easily get into, I like Venice, Milan, Verona and Rome. Among the four, I am confused paano ko sya aayusin into order na hind out of way. I have fro July 7 morning to July 12 free days ( 6days).  Need your help please in having my IT.  Thanks again and again and again ... even sa pag kuha ko ng visa, you are there also

[mama squeak!]

^Hey sis! Congrats! 

You've finally decided to join the tour group then? Madali lang mag-DIY in case you'll change your mind, it will be cheaper pa. Yun lang it will take some patience in planning and of course lakasan ng loob since solo travel.

Anyway from Paris, you can fly to Milan or Pisa. Check Easyjet, the earlier you buy the tickets the cheaper. I just did a mock booking for the 7th of July to Milan and Pisa, right now nasa EUR80 for Milan and EUR70 for Pisa. Ideally sa Milan ka mag simula para going down ka (check Italy's map).

If you start in Milan, you can take the train to Verona and Venice. These two towns malapit with each other. If you want to save a little in accommodation, you can base in Verona and day trip to Venice. It's around 30 minutes travel by train. But if you've got money to spare, you can overnight in Verona then two nights in Venice. Or base in Venice and day trip to Verona. It's all up to you. That's the beauty of DIY, ikaw ang may final say depende na lang sa time and budget.

From either Verona or Venice, it's only a 3 hour train ride down to Rome. You can back read on this thread for tips on your IT. You might also want to consider visiting Florence. If I were to choose, I'll visit Florence instead of Milan. Then save Milan for the next trip.

 

[paulina19]

Thanks for the big help Mama Squeak, i will take note all of this. Mas marami  ngang magandang lugaar sa Florence compare to Milan?

[mama squeak!]

^sis, kanya-kanya kasing preference yan. Depende kasi kung ano yung interest mo, yung gusto mong puntahan. For me mas preferred or should I say i-prioritize ko si Florence over Milan. Though I haven't been to both cities yet nagawa ko na yung IT namin ni hubby for Tuscany. Dun kasi original plan namin puntahan on our last Europe trip but ended up going to Amsterdam, Prague and Alsace instead. 

That's the beauty talaga ng DIY kasi flexible ka like what happened to us na bigla nagbago yung IT namin. Whatever you decide, whatever will make you happy, will be okay. It IS your trip.

 

[bagaholic_chewy]

I agree with mama_squeak, depends talaga sa personal preference. I've been to both Florence and Milan (April 2012), and i must say, i enjoyed Florence more vs Milan. Florence kasi is a good jumpoff point for Pisa/Siena/etc for day trips. Also, malapit sa The Mall na outlet mall (super-sulit to for me!). And mas nagustuhan ko din mag-explore within Florence mismo, lakad-lakad lang.. Sa Milan, we only went to Duomo and Castell Sforcezco (forgot the proper/correct spelling), then shopping na lang sa Galleria V. Emanuelle, via della Spiga, Montenapoleone, etc..  Nagka extra day kami na wala na halos magawa so we hopped on the train to Como (Lake Como and Brunate) na lang.

[JINJIN:*]

Hi Mama Squeak...got my Schengen visa yesterday..and am soooo happy! I am going on June 30 to July 7 for a group tour sa four countries (  Ams - Ger- Switz- France ).  Then mag DIY ako sa Italy for the next 6 days.  I will be comign from Paris, since yun ang last tour namin.  What city in Italy i can easily get into, I like Venice, Milan, Verona and Rome. Among the four, I am confused paano ko sya aayusin into order na hind out of way. I have fro July 7 morning to July 12 free days ( 6days).  Need your help please in having my IT.  Thanks again and again and again ... even sa pag kuha ko ng visa, you are there also

i LAV THIS THREAD..LOL

sis..from Milan pwede ka na mag train to Venice...Venice is a must, then Florence or Tuscany for the Leaning Tower of Pisa then Rome. You have 6 days naman, thats more than enough. Super super daming makikita sa Rome. Venice naman, chillax lang. Lakad lakad ka lang. Dont forget to buy the paper masche of Ventian mask, nasa 30-40euros yan.May funny moment kase ako sa venetian mask, i remember na bumili ako at naka plastic lang siya, hindi kase pwedeng tiklopin yun aken at madudurog ang ornaments niya, so bitbit ko siya til airport papuntang Spain. Eh parang haharangin ata ako sa Airport dahil marami akong hand carry, dapat daw isa lang. Aba ang sabi ko pag hindi nila pinyagan eh isusuot ko nalang yung mask pasakay ng Airport hehe, pero syempre pinayagan naman ako at nakita naman nila na mask lang yun. Anyway sis, enjoy mu lang ang place, wag ka masyado magtour, you can only have enough of Museum diba. Lakad lakad, kapekape tambay tambay lang...mas enjoy yun. Goodluck sis!!

[mrs. sweet]

Planning to tour Italy on September of this year. Anybody here tried Italian Intermezzo of Insight Vacations?

[mama squeak!]

^That's the one for 8 days only at $2399 per person based on twin sharing, right? IMO spending almost $5K for a week is way too much money. Well, if you have the money naman and you don't want the hassle or don't have the patience of planning a DIY trip then I guess that should be okay.

I've seen the itinerary and inclusions and in my honest opinion kayang-kaya i-DIY. It will come out cheaper pa.   

 

[mrs. sweet]

^Yes sis, that's the one. Easy ba to transfer from 1 city to another? It will be our first time there, hubs is afraid and don't have the patience mangapa

[mama squeak!]

^sis, you're OT na. We have existing Schengen visa threads. Please backread first on those threads before asking your questions as most of your questions have been answered there already.   

@mrs. sweet, sis if you have been back reading on all the European threads and the country-specific threads you will observe that most of the GTs have done their travels DIY-style. It is just a matter of careful planning and of course lots of patience.

The one thing I love about Europe is their public transpo system. They are so efficient and easy to use once you get the hang of it. For the hard to reach places, easy lang to rent a car and if you have a GPS you can never get lost. Hubby and I never joined package tours even on our first trip to Europe. We prefer kasi to see a place at our own pace. Ayaw namin ng may nagmamadali sa amin or giving us fixed schedules. Ayaw namin ng Amazing Race style of travel. Hate na hate namin yun. 

The places mentioned in the Intermezzo IT can be easily reached through train travel. Backread ka here and the other threads to get an idea how to do it. Or you can read mga blogs too. All it really takes is patience to plan your trip. But if di ka mapasensya and you prefer everything to be done for you then an expensive package tour is your option.

 

[mrs. sweet]

^thanks for the reply sis. Matigas ulo ni hubs, ayaw nya DIY reason naman nya, kaya travel para rest and vacation, ayaw na daw nya mastress pag nasa trip hahaha

[riksy07]

^well sis, if you can spend that much eh why not di ba? But for me hindi naman super stressful ang planning. There are a lot of sample itineraries you can follow (I recommend Rick Steves') or follow the tour itinerary but book everything yourself. It's not as stressful as it seems to be. I so agree with mama squeak na it really is best when you can take in Europe in a slow pace because that's how it's meant to be experienced. I just got back from my solo DIY Eurotrip (London, Paris, Rome) and it was such a joy strolling down streets and waking up every morning na alam kong my day will be spontaneous and I can do what I want. Transpo is efficient but do read signs sa metro kasi they announce transpo strikes/ scioperos, that is if you're to go around on your own. I was only armed with my printed bookings/vouchers, a small map, and a GPS map on my iphone. I just let myself get lost, wander around, and then be able to find my way to the next metro with my GPS map.

[aquacharly]

Planning to tour Italy on September of this year. Anybody here tried Italian Intermezzo of Insight Vacations?

Insight Tours are good. Quality of hotels ok. The london-Paris tour is a good start. After the tour, we stayed an extra week in PARIS  on our own, then did 3 weeks  in Italy from Milan  to Venice, Florence, Psa, Siena, then Rome.
Then flew to Madrid and Barcelona

BUT the more efficient route is to do France, then Spain , then  Italy -- then fly out of Rome to Manila.

We have gone on organized group tours. Insight tours are easy & well, I haven't experienced disappointing accommodations.  But after your 1st swing, you won't do another group tour coz hello, nakita mo na.  So, there are travel agencies that package personalized tours. We have done that too -- it's for tamad people who want to just vacation. You get perks like someone ferrying you  to airports, cars driven for you, reservations done for you.  Magastos din. Kaya lol, no friend/sibling wants to go with us on our trips. Waste of money & time daw. Yeah, agree can do better. 

If you can do forward planning (kasi kami ora-orada, depends when we can leave the business for awhile) --  do it the way MAMASQUEAK does it.    Plan, plan and compute through.  Mas challenging & satisfying ths way, IMO. 
She shares her efficient tips naman.  We can also ask mga sis based there, that's an advantage.

In Italy, magaganda their walking tours.  If you take the Vatican Museum walking tour -- you get to pass through the back corridors and move along faster (the crowds inside are thick!) to see the major works.  Advantage pa, someone is yakking in your headset about what you see.  Haynako, 2 hours ang average waiting to get into the impt museums. 

I agree with MAMASQUEAK - Florence over Milan.  Great walking tour too.  The greatest thing in Florence:  The Uffizi & the gorgeous duomo.  I also observed that a lot of Italians go shopping for high end designer shoes & bags in Florence, not in Rome.   Day trip nila.  But in Milan --  there is a side trip that brings you to a very protected The Last Supper painting complete with pressurized doors (if I recall correctly. MUST keep a travel journal!).  Not much to see in Milan but accdg to the husbands -- the nightclub scene is very very very raunchy.  Lol

The itinerary of MAMASQUEAK that ends in Rome is good. 

[little_princess]

Hubby and i's trip to italy this october is confirmed! Will do our post nup shoot there with pat dy and prolly take a few days to explore rome, venice and maybe florence. Will have to plan as we are flying from london.

Risky07, how did your itenirary go?

[JINJIN:*]

^thanks for the reply sis. Matigas ulo ni hubs, ayaw nya DIY reason naman nya, kaya travel para rest and vacation, ayaw na daw nya mastress pag nasa trip hahaha

for me mas stressful kaya pag may tour..kase you have to follow timmings, eh pano kung trip mu pa mag stay sa isang luagr..tapos dapat talaga stick kayo together pano kung naihi ka na..hahanapin mu pa sila. Hindi ka pwede mawala sa group. Or yung kabaligtaran naman, pag me mga pasaway, imbis na next stop na, you have to wait for them pa. hayyss ayaw ko na ng tour guide.

[mrs. sweet]

Yes, tiring ang tour, pero mas worry free kasi. And sometimes, mas maraming mararating. Kami kasi ni hubs, both tamad hehe He dislikes most yung maghahanap pa ng transpo going to this or that.

Both, have pros and cons naman talaga. Depends na lang sa preference ng traveler.

[JINJIN:*]

^^ tama sis.. kami kase ng travel buddy ko...we are not into museums, i mean I can only get enough of museums, mas gusto namin na chillax lang. hindi naman kelangan mapuntahan lahat, ang importante you enjoy the scene, you enjoy the ride and you dont waste time going to places that doesnt really interest you. So tama ka depende sa tao. Yes worry free and tour but its not for everyone.

[mrs. sweet]

Anybody been to The Mall in Florence? Worth it ba to spare a day doon?

[little_princess]

^ i know people who really make a stop to Florence for the outlet shopping

i have a dilemma, we will be flying in to Italy from London from Oct 8 (baka 7 if i can twist hubby's arm) until the 14th. Then post nup photoshoot on the morning of the 12th or 13th in Rome. I don't think kakayanin ng Venice-Florence-Rome. So given a choice, Florence or Venice? I have been to Venice before but hubby hasn't and we both haven't been to Florence. Pero agenda ko there talaga is shopping hehe

Or kakayanin ba to fly to Florence then train to Venice then last stop Rome?