A typical first trip here runs about $900 to $1,225 per person for 7 days at a mid-range style, before flights. Get your own number from the Budget Calculator.
- Regional pasta dishes vary by city (carbonara in Rome, pesto in Genoa)
- Pizza originated in Naples - thin crust, wood-fired
- Gelato is everywhere and incredibly fresh
- Coffee culture: espresso at the bar, cappuccino only before 11am
- Carnevale di Venezia (Venice Carnival) - elaborate masks and costumes
- Palio di Siena - historic horse race (July and August)
- Ferragosto (August 15) - summer holiday, many businesses close
- Opera season at La Scala, Milan
Italian is primary. English is common in tourist areas.
Learning basic Italian phrases is appreciated. Italians are expressive and gestures are important in communication.
- Greet with "Ciao" (informal) or "Buongiorno/Buonasera" (formal)
- Dress well, especially when visiting churches (cover shoulders/knees)
- Don't order cappuccino after 11am (considered breakfast drink)
- Dinner is late (8-9pm or later)
- Tuscany: Florence's Renaissance art and architecture, Siena's medieval piazza, rolling hillside vineyards, and the world-famous Chianti wine route
- Rome: Ancient ruins including the Colosseum and Forum, the Vatican and Sistine Chapel, and an eternal city layered with 2,500 years of history
- Venice: Unique canal city with gondolas, elaborate Carnevale masks, and extraordinary Byzantine and Gothic architecture on water
- Sicily: Ancient Greek temples at Agrigento and Selinunte, active Mount Etna, Baroque towns, and a distinct Arab-Norman cultural heritage
- Amalfi Coast & Naples: Dramatic clifftop villages with vertiginous sea views, the birthplace of pizza in Naples, and the ruins of Pompeii nearby
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