A Traveler’s Guide to Strikes in Italy
March 31, 2023When we alert traveling clients that there may be scheduled train strikes in Italy coming up, they are often confused. “What do you mean, the strike is scheduled?” they often ask..followed by “How can the trains just not run?” Disruptions…
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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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Tipping in Italy
November 14, 2022Almost all of our clients ask us about tipping in Italy before leaving on their trip, including guidelines about who should be tipped, how much is a typical tip, and how tips should be paid. The short answer is that…
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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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What to Pack for Italy in Winter
July 31, 2022By far most of the Italy itineraries we create for clients are for summer trips and the months between May and September are perennially the most popular to explore Il Bel Paese. That said, we’ve also seen an uptick in…
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