Looking for some Italy advice

[huskem55]

Sign up for a cooking class- we did pizza and gelato in Tuscany. Definitely a highlight.

 

[8893]

It was having a Florentine steak at Natalia's,

Of course I had to have bistecca fiorentina too, but I was unaware that it is only served rare. I split it with one of my daughters and we are both medium-to-medium-rare people when it comes to steak, but as you probably knew, what they serve you is almost raw in the middle, which neither one of us like. I very politely asked the waiter if he could throw it back on the grill and he graciously obliged, but even then it came back barely a shade different--but much appreciated.

If you like citrus, add bergamot to that list. It's native to Italy. Kind of sour orange/lemony.

That's the main flavor of Earl Grey tea, right?

 

[August_West]

Thank you, I will 1000% be seeking out these flavors now. I am a huge believer in trying out the "uncommon" when it comes to food.

Read the e f fin book. ;-)

 

[District-Husky]

I really liked Siena, especially at night b/c the town is mostly car free and there are hardly any tourists at night.

 

[Frank06830]

Check out YESABRUZZO on instagra. My family is from the region. Beautiful seashore as well and mountains. Not sure if you are into taking biking trips but something to consider. Check out Majellano on IG. Abruzzo is a beautiful region with a wide range of cities like Pescara to small quaint mountain towns.
SULMONA is known for their candied almonds you see here in the US. Scanno is a small lake town with the women still knitting their lace on the doorsteps.

 

[8893]

Read the e f fin book. ;-)

You mean read Icculus?

 

[storrsroars]

Of course I had to have bistecca fiorentina too, but I was unaware that it is only served rare. I split it with one of my daughters and we are both medium-to-medium-rare people when it comes to steak, but as you probably knew, what they serve you is almost raw in the middle, which neither one of us like. I very politely asked the waiter if he could throw it back on the grill and he graciously obliged, but even then it came back barely a shade different--but much appreciated.


That's the main flavor of Earl Grey tea, right?

You really wouldn't like "Pittsburgh Rare"

Good palate memory. Yes, bergamot is a major note in Earl Grey, as well as many better coffees from Yirgacheffe and Sidama in Ethiopia. As gelato, it's a bit bracing at first, but I found it enjoyable. Also worth noting for OP, you can order two kinds of gelato in your cup at many places, so you can mix and match sour and savory, or bitter and sweet, or whatever.

 

[Palatine]

Pay extra to go into the Vatican museums early and go straight to the Sistine Chapel. If you're lucky it will be almost empty.

You can get by with 0 Italian if you ao desire.

Driving is terrifying.

Eat, eat and eat some more. I like to make reservations for dinner and wing it everywhere else.

Try some Roman-style pizza. It's different than neapolitan... thin crust, but REALLY good.

This is right about paying and going to the head of the Vatican line. Otherwise it can be a two hour or more wait.

Personally, I loved driving in Italy. Not for the timid. Rome is tough but doable, you may want to pass on that. Oh, school buses are NOT marked. They are yellow but that's the only clue.

If you can, spend some time in a smaller town. Find a walled town and spend the afternoon or evening, just walk around, drink local wine, eat at a small restaurant, talk to folks. You'll remember it forever.

 

[dvegas]

I'd be paging FfldCntyFan on this one, but looks like there's plenty of good advice in the thread already. I had an awesome day hiking around Lake Albano in Castel Gandolfo, eating Porchetta and drinking Frascati. Also hit up Cervinia while skiing in Zermatt (the Matterhorn is just over the Swiss border), and had my first pizza in Italy in the small town of Ventemiglia after taking a bus from Nice to the Italian border and hitchhiking into town because the French railroads were on strike. It was awesome in a region not known for pizza (very close to Monte Carlo)

 

[HCCForever]

If you don’t speak any Italian, get the Michel Thomas introductory language course (the one I had was on two CDs; there is also a deluxe one with eight CDs—if your library has this one just use the first two). Even in a couple weeks you can make enough progress for it to be incredibly useful (and very much appreciated by your hosts).

I’m a big fan of Rick Steves’s books and audio tours. Download them before you go. Most are free.

Buy advance tickets for reserved times for the Vatican, Colosseum and Palatine Hill; otherwise you will be waiting in line for hours, literally.

Stop in every church you pass by. Each one is a free art and history museum.

If you are renting a car, pay extra for the insurance to have your deductible covered. The roads are tiny and crazy.

Watch the Stanley Tucci “Searching for Italy” shows on CNN for the areas where you are going.

Eat wild boar, lardo and truffles every chance you get. Eat gelato twice a day (look for the places where the pistachio gelato isn’t green). Get espresso everywhere.

I've never been to Italy but hope to next year. I went to Natal Brazil about 5 years ago where nobody spoke English except for a former gf. I spent some time listening to Pimsleur CDs while driving in my car and Duolingo on my phone to learn basic Portuguese. I'm happy I put in the effort since I was able to somewhat communicate with people and they seemed to appreciate it.

 

[huskymedic]

Timing is everything…

 

[Drytortugas]

One of my favorite places in Rome is the Basilica of San Clemente. It’s a church that doesn’t really stand out from others but you can descend one level and be in a church that it was built over. Pretty interesting, but if you go down another level you’re in a Mithraeum, built by soldiers returned from Persia who discovered and worshipped Mithras. Look at the initiation pits and the sacrifice table and let your imagination go nuts.
Also, the one restaurant I always visit is Filetti di Baccala. They only serve cod filets, puntarelle salad and bread. Great place.

 

[MexicoHusky]

Keep the pepper boy away from your wife

 

[storrsroars]

About 2 hours south of Rome is Napoli which is right there with Rome as my favorite city in Italy. It's a little grittier and more hectic. Totally different than Rome and it will test your driving abilities but I loved it...

We'd planned on taking the train down to Napoli on last visit to Rome, but they were in the 3rd week of a garbage strike. We asked if it were still advisable to go anyway and were told repeatedly, "Nope. It's disgusting. Mountains of stinking trash everywhere." Apparently they take their strikes seriously over there.

 

[Peacefrog]

We'd planned on taking the train down to Napoli on last visit to Rome, but they were in the 3rd week of a garbage strike. We asked if it were still advisable to go anyway and were told repeatedly, "Nope. It's disgusting. Mountains of stinking trash everywhere." Apparently they take their strikes seriously over there.

Yeah, all my Italian colleagues advised strongly against Naples. I only went there once and that was just to get a ferry to Ischia. The pick-pocketing is bad in Rome; in Naples its in your face robbery. My father was connecting trains through Napoli and was looking at the schedule on the platform. A guy happened by and offered help. Once given he demanded 20 Euro. It looked terrible too. I don't think it holds a candle to Rome as far as things to see and do but to each his own.

 

[Conndog]

Umbria is where I want to go- have heard nice things about Todi in particular.

 

[Peacefrog]

You really wouldn't like "Pittsburgh Rare"

Good palate memory. Yes, bergamot is a major note in Earl Grey, as well as many better coffees from Yirgacheffe and Sidama in Ethiopia. As gelato, it's a bit bracing at first, but I found it enjoyable. Also worth noting for OP, you can order two kinds of gelato in your cup at many places, so you can mix and match sour and savory, or bitter and sweet, or whatever.

At the gelaterias there will typically be several sizes of cups and even small troughs. They will ask you "quanti gusti": how many flavors do you want and they will cram many in there for you. They divide the flavors up between "crema" and "frutta".

 

[Peacefrog]

Umbria is where I want to go- have heard nice things about Todi in particular.

Definitely do it. Its Tuscany's more mountainous and less touristy neighbor. Great wine (Sagrantino) and lots of wild boar dishes/products. Some black truffles too. I only spent a little time in Todi because the weather was awful that day so I can't speak much to that town. My favorite small town in all of Italy is Spoleto which is near Todi. Relatively uncrowded, medieval castle, huge old Roman aqueduct and happened upon the best little restaurant at lunch. We got hungry and happened to wander in at 12:58. They closed the door behind us because lunch is served at 1pm and only 1pm. If you want to eat, you better be there at that time. There was no menu, you get the seven course lunch they decide to make that day. At one point the old woman running the kitchen came out to greet the guests who were all locals except us. She scooped up our two year old in her arms and carried her back into the kitchen. I could picture her holding our daughter in one arm while stirring a big pot of polenta in the other. She brought her back about 15 minutes later. Our daughter just went with the flow, it was hilarious. We stayed at a nice little agritourismo but I'm not sure if I could remember/find the name. Very funny story about a meal there too but this is getting long...

 

[Drytortugas]

You ate at Il Matto.

 

[BigTenFan]

Since this is the Boneyard.... I highly recommend checking out: Capuchin Crypt

La Cripta dei Frati Cappuccini, the bone chapel in Rome

You can see it in less than an hour. Purchase tickets ahead of time

 

[uconnfan68]

I was surprised by how many people spoke little to no English, but I we didn‘t stick only to the tourist areas and did a lot of our food and wine shopping at local grocery stores and markets.

They understood every word you said.

 

[AZHuskiePop]

100% agree

X

I will be going on my first ever trip to Italy in about 3 weeks. I've always known the Boneyard to be a great (or mostly great) source of expertise on many subjects.....so I'd love to hear people's tips, advice, must-do's, don't-do's, food recs, best "old stuff" to see, best things to make feel like Anthony Bourdain Junior, etc.
The itinerary is pretty much set in stone. We are spending 3 days in Venice, 3 days in the Abruzzo region (Pescara and elsewhere) and 4 days in Rome.

Where are you flying into and out of the country.
That can change your ability to take in different places.
St Marks Square at night is special
Taking a water taxi down the grand canal is a OMG moment.
I loved Orvieto but unless your going to Rome from Venice Through Umbria it is out of the way.
I’m assuming your driving because Abruzzi is not a typical tourist area. My daughter loves it. My grandson studied in Rome and fell in love with it.
If you go through Rimini on the way try the Capaletti in Brodo . Mine and Fellini’s favorite dish.
My family came from the Marche region not far from there. I still have many relatives scattered in the area .
My grandson discovered Abruzzi on a class trip when he studied in Rome .
My daughter also loves this area she has been back a few times before COVID.
Castelvecchio especially
I thought I would try to speak Italian they told me to stop and speak English .
My cousins wife whose a language teacher told me I spoke a dialect no longer used and spoke it poorly..

 

[8893]

They understood every word you said.

Nah, not at the Coop market outside Siena where we shopped for groceries and wine several times. Just getting the right meats from the deli required a lot of pointing (and some tasting).

Nor the older Italian men I met in Rome when I got lost on my morning run the first morning we were there. I asked them how to get back to Trastevere and they had no idea and had never been there, even though it was a less than a mile from where we were. Once again, most communication was through pointing and looking at my map.

 

[SubbaBub]

I will be going on my first ever trip to Italy in about 3 weeks. I've always known the Boneyard to be a great (or mostly great) source of expertise on many subjects.....so I'd love to hear people's tips, advice, must-do's, don't-do's, food recs, best "old stuff" to see, best things to make feel like Anthony Bourdain Junior, etc.
The itinerary is pretty much set in stone. We are spending 3 days in Venice, 3 days in the Abruzzo region (Pescara and elsewhere) and 4 days in Rome.

Venice: Book a photo walking tour. I recommend Stefano Mazzola. You can google him. Eat dinner at Navodi. Again you can google it. Don't pay for a gondola ride. Instead, take a semi private shared water taxi from the airport. (50€pp) You can sit on the bank near the Realto Bridge and have a bellini and watch the gondolas instead. I like staying on the lagoon near St Marks, much quieter.

Rome: Book a free evening walking tour from the Spanish Steps. It hits all the major old city sights. Pay extra for the Colesseum underground tour. Get the earliest access Vatican tour you can.

Cacio e pepe or pasta Amatrciana is all you need to know for lunch.

Eat at Cipasso for dinner. Order the Cacio e pepe crustini. Gelato is everywhere and it's all good. The best place is called Giolitti. If you are staying near Piazza Novana, you can walk everywhere, just don't eat in Piazza Novana.

Mr 100 Tiramasu is a unique experience.

 

[SubbaBub]

It's the polite thing to try to do anywhere but ultimately unnecessary to get by. I've traveled to something like 25 countries now and learn 4 phrases before I go: hello, thank you, do you speak English, where's the bathroom. And that's more than you need in any kind of tourist areas. Shoot, the public transport is easier to navigate than NYC in Rome by far.

Only time I've felt a little out of it because of the language barrier was rural Tanzania, and my dad speaks Swahili fluently so I was fine.

Also learn how to ask for a table (tabla) at a restaurant, the menu (il Menu) (men-oo), the bill (il conto, literally the count) and how to properly address your waitstaff (Cameriere). Please, thank you, of course.

Mi scusi cameriere, il conto, per favore! Gratzi mille.

However, I prefer, "per cortesia" instead of per favore when asking for the bill. It's one step above the typical americano translation.