What to Pack for Italy in Spring
January 15, 2023Spring brings a dramatic uptick in Italy trips after the relatively quiet winter months, and it’s one of the best seasons to visit Il Bel Paese. From March through May, Italian cities, towns, and even coastal resorts (beginning from Easter)…
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Shopping at Street Markets in Italy
December 31, 2022Over the many years of planning custom Italy itineraries for clients, we’ve realized that travelers often have misconceptions about shopping Italy street markets. Many imagine a souk-like maze of stands that sell a bit of everything for one-stop art, clothing,…
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Italy Travel Tips
December 15, 2022After two decades of giving Italy travel advice and planning Italy trips for independent travelers, I sat down and put together my top 100 Italy travel tips. Read on for insider intel for visiting Rome, Florence, and Venice plus how…
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How to Get a Tax Refund in Italy
December 02, 2022We’ve had a number of clients ask us recently for information about how to get a tax refund in Italy. VAT is the sales tax (called IVA in Italian) that is applied to most purchases—including consumer goods like clothing and…
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The Best Photo Ops (and Instagram Spots) in Italy
October 16, 2022Sharing travel exploits with the folks back home has been a large part of the pleasure of travel since the first voyagers sketched far-flung lands and peoples in ink on parchment. The tradition has evolved through slideshows and Kodachrome to…
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Using Cell Phones in Italy: Dos and Don’ts
September 30, 2022Smartphones have become just as essential a travel accessory as a passport and credit card, since they now serve the purpose of everything from an HD camera to a dual-language dictionary. It’s almost unthinkable to take a trip today without…
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Rooftop Restaurants in Rome: Best Places to Dine with a View
September 18, 2022Rome has one of the best street-life scenes in Italy, and dining at a sidewalk table while watching the world go by is a unique pleasure in the Eternal City. That said, there are times that even the most ardent…
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Five Ways to Visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery (and One to Avoid)
August 29, 2022In the many years that I have been creating itineraries for independent travelers to Italy, I’ve never met a traveler who wanted to go to Florence and didn’t want to visit Florence’s Uffizi Gallery. But the Uffizi is a huge…
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What To See and Do in Umbria: Our Top Picks
August 15, 2022Most first trips to Italy include one or all of the country’s top five destinations: Rome, Florence, Venice, the Tuscan countryside, and the Amalfi Coast. It comes as no surprise that these five headliners top most bucket lists, as between…
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