Ciao Travelers!
We know that this looks like a lot of information - and it is! But especially regarding driving, parking, maps, and other topics, it is worth your time to read what we’ve written here - to minimize the chances of tickets, towing, delays, and other unpleasantness.

PASSPORTS / DOCUMENTS

Obviously you need a passport to travel between countries. What’s not so obvious is that if your passport expires within six months of your date of departure, you may be denied entry into some countries. It’s counterintuitive, but it’s worth knowing and definitely worth double-checking your expiry date.

New passport law in Italy: Visitors are now required to have their actual passport (not a copy) on-hand at all times when traveling in Italy.

When traveling, make a copy of your passport, and keep it somewhere safe - in the event that you lose your passport, this can save you a headache later. (Hopefully you’ll never need it!)

In addition to your passport: Starting in mid-2025, new regulations will require travelers from many countries to obtain an ETIAS, a travel authorization to enter most EU countries. You’ll need to show this along with your passport at international points of entry.

You can find info about applying here: www.europa.eu/etias
NOTE that europa.eu/etias is the only official government site for obtaining this documentation.
The ETIAS will cost around €7 and it is valid for 3 years (or until your passport expires).

DRIVING IN ITALY:

People are often intimidated by driving in Italy. The drivers are often fast and aggressive, and American drivers sometimes feel pressured to go faster by drivers who tailgate very closely. This is just a cultural norm in Italy - remember that it’s not personal. If someone is following you too closely, look ahead for a place to pull over and let them pass easily. Usually they’re not even paying attention to you, they just drive like this out of habit. If they are irritated at your slow speed, that’s okay - once they pass you, you’ll probably never have to see them again. Give them a little wave and cheerful “Ciao!” as they pass you by.

In general, Italians do not observe speed limits — but the government does, in the form of video speed traps that take your photo and then send a fine to you weeks or months later.  Speed limits are clearly posted so just keep an eye on those and ignore the “flow” of traffic. 

INTERNATIONAL DRIVER PERMIT (IDP)

Drivers in Italy must have an IDP. You get this in the US at your local AAA office (you don’t have to be a member). Bring two passport photos and $20, and they’ll create a document for you. (They’ll usually do your photos for you if you don’t have them, for another fee.) You’ll need to show the IDP to rent your car. Also, if Italian police (polizia or carabinieri) pull you over on the road, they’ll want to see it, and if you don’t have it they could hit you with a fine.

The IDP is valid for one year.

GETTING YOUR RENTAL CAR:

When you get your car, take a few minutes to familiarize yourself with the layout of the controls – especially headlights, mirrors, hazard lights, wipers, fuel and hood release levers, emergency brake, and defogger/defroster controls.

NOTE: If you want to be extra cautious about not getting charged for damage, take a few more minutes to look over the exterior of the car, taking note of anything that looks like it could be considered damage. Take pictures of every dent and blemish, and email them to yourself and to the rental company.

Insurance:

Check with your credit card company to see if and what kind of coverage they offer for rental cars. Some will not cover foreign country rentals.

TOLL HIGHWAYS:

We won’t put you on the Autostrada (limited-access superhighways like the US Interstate or UK Motorway) very much, but here’s how to handle it when your route might include some superhighway driving.

Upon entering the autostrada: You’ll get a ticket from the machine at the bank of entry booths. Look for the lanes that have the “biglietto” sign and symbol – you’ll take a ticket from a machine as you pull up through the gate. Keep the ticket handy; when you exit, you’ll insert the ticket first and then pay the toll. 

NOTE: Some of the highway entry slots are marked with a yellow sign that says “Telepass” – DO NOT go through these lanes. Telepass lanes have no gate, and are only for holders of a prepaid toll device (similar to “EZ-Pass” systems in the US).

Upon exiting the autostrada: Approaching a toll plaza to exit, you’ll see lanes marked in blue that say “Carte” (cards) - that’s the one we like to use. You can use your credit card in the automated machines to get through. Some of the lanes take cash - you’ll see the little money icons for those - so it’s always a good idea to have cash handy, in case a booth machine is broken or it doesn’t want to take your card for some reason. (Some lanes show both options for payment.)

NOTE: When exiting, DO NOT go through the tollbooth exit slots marked with the yellow “Telepass” sign (unless they also say “Carte”.) These are only for holders of a prepaid toll device, similar to “EZ-Pass” systems in the US.

ZONA TRAFFICO LIMITATO (ZTL)

Pay special attention to the street sign with the open red circle – this is a ZTL. These zones are designed to protect old town centers from too much traffic. If you enter a ZTL without a permit (and you definitely don’t have one) your tag will be photographed and a few months later you will get a hefty fine in the mail. You can’t drive into these – there’s no “temporary ZTL permit” you can get.

For more extensive and detailed information, here are two pages that show and explain many Italian road signs:
https://mominitaly.com/italian-road-signs/
https://www.rhinocarhire.com/Drive-Smart-Blog/Drive-Smart-Italy/Italy-Road-Signs.aspx

FUELING UP

Make sure your tank is full on Saturdays, as many gas stations are closed on Sundays.
And in general, don’t let your gas gage get down to near empty before thinking about refilling.

“Servizio” is the most expensive option; an attendant pumps your gas for you and sometimes washes your windshield as well.
“Al pieno, per favore” means “Filler up, please.” (You can also say pieno when you’ve eaten too much and don’t have room for dessert.)
“Fai da te” means self-service pumping. (Sometimes it just says “Self”)
Some stations only offer “servizio”.

Many of the service stations have do-it-yourself pay machines; these work (usually) but they can be confusing and difficult, and they won’t always take US credit/debit cards. If there’s a service guy, he can run your card for the transaction.

EATING ON THE HIGHWAY

The Autostrada and other highways have service areas with a bar/restaurant and maybe a store attached, as well as the gas station. These bars/shops vary from small roadside places to large complexes. (“Autogrill” is a very common chain, offering quite good food despite the less-than-picturesque setting.)

Getting a bite to eat at the larger service areas can be confusing to first-time visitors. Most of the time you’ll pay for coffee or snacks from the bar in advance. Typically you’ll look for the cash register - “Cassa” - and tell them what you want (“Due caffè, un panino prosciutto, Coca-cola, e un cornetto per favore” or whatever), then you’ll pay and get a receipt. Take this ticket to the bar and you’ll be served.

Sometimes the cassa is a part of the bar area itself, or it could be separated nearby. At the big rest area stores, there may also be a separate check-out for buying things at the store - bags of chips, sodas/water, candy, and so on.

PARKING

Again, having a small car helps with parking as well as with generally getting around. Parking lots for some smaller tourist sights have small gravel or dirt lots, with little room to maneuver; and street parking spaces are often very narrow.

Signs for parking will say “parcheggio” or, more often, you’ll see a blue sign with a big white “P”.

In street parking or paved lots, check the color of the parking lines to see what to do there:
- White: free parking (sometimes these are valid for a limited duration, indicated by signs - 30 min, 1 ora, etc.)
- Blue: paid parking (there will be a little pay machine* nearby - see below)
- Yellow: restricted – don’t do it.
(Note: a line of white spaces may sometimes be interrupted by a dotted white line - don't park where it's dotted.)

Pay parking lots vary in how they work – make sure you sort it out before you leave the car there. Some are flat fee; some have you pay for your choice of time at a pay machine* (see below) that gives you a ticket to display; some give you a ticket which is then presented at the gate upon exiting.
The most confusing (until you know the trick) is the one that gives you the ticket, but when you leave you insert it and pay at a machine in a booth right before you get back into your car. You then have a few minutes to get to the car, buckle up, and leave, inserting the ticket at the gate. If your ticket hasn’t been paid for, the gate won’t open, and you’ll have a bunch of irritated Italiani in the cars behind you, with nowhere to go.

*Pay parking machines: As noted above, some parking lots (or rows of street parking) require a pay-and-display ticket, that you get at a little machine - it looks sort of like a mini ATM, you’ll generally see near the lot entrance (or on the street on the same block). They all work a little differently, but the general idea is to put the money in and watch the display that shows what time your parking will expire - every euro will add a certain amount of time.
Sometimes signs will indicate that the lunch hours are free - that is, if you’re putting coins in, you won’t be charged for the hours between 13:00-15:00. So for example, if you arrive at noon, you only need to buy two hours to get you to 4 PM.
Similarly, some pay machines allow you to pay overnight; signs will indicate this also, usually indicating “pagamento 0800-2000” or some such. So, for example, if you arrive at your destination at 5 PM and want to leave at 10 AM the next morning, you’ll pay until (in this example) 8PM, then the parking will be free overnight and resume in the morning, so you’ll only pay for 5-8PM and 8-10AM.

Some parking machines have parking apps associated with them - you’ll see signage with QR codes enabling you to download and use them. You can download these on the fly, using the code on the sign in the parking area, and set it up with your license plate and payment card info - this usually takes just a few minutes. Then you can use that for any parking area that uses that app.
Two of these apps are: “EasyPark” and “Bmove”. There are several others - different municipalities and regions have different apps. But you may want to download at least these two, and set them up in advance, to save yourself the time once you’re on the ground on your trip, in case you encounter these parking systems.
These can be useful depending on the location - some allow you to alter the time, so you can extend your parking time later than planned without running back to “feed the meter” again; or you can leave earlier and get some of your payment back.

Note: When traveling, try to always have a good hefty pocket full of change (including €1 and €2 coins) for the pay & display parking machines. Though some of them say they take credit cards, many of them don’t accept US-based cards (and most don’t take bank notes, either).

DRIVING INTO SWITZERLAND

For our travelers venturing up into the Northern Lakes: You may be tempted to take a jaunt up into Switzerland (an area our itineraries don’t cover). Just know that you’re required to obtain and display a special permit sticker to drive in Switzerland; without that, you’ll be subject to a fine from the Swiss police.

For further driving tips, please check out our “Driving Me Crazy” article.

A NOTE ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION: Though Italy (and Europe generally) is famous for good public transit systems, we don’t generally use these ourselves; consequently we cannot advise about getting cabs, trains, and buses.
One point to note, though: In most cases, you’ll buy your biglietto (bus or train ticket) from a clerk or from a machine; but once you get on the bus/train, you have to insert it in a machine to stamp it and validate it for that ride. If you’re caught with an un-stamped ticket, the local police or carabinieri can issue you a hefty fine. (This is among the reasons why we like to drive everywhere!)

LODGINGS

Most of the lodgings we send clients to are small, family-run establishments. Especially in tiny medieval towns, castles, or farms in the countryside, you won’t find the same systems in place that you would in a regular hotel. There’s no 24-hour front desk personnel, often no elevators, no valet parking. Though the rooms are immaculately clean and sufficiently equipped (shower, TP, towels, sheets/blankets, etc.), they are often small and modest, without a microwave, iron, hair dryer, or even a TV in some cases. In these ancient towns the buildings are close together, and you’re close to the street, so expect some sound sound to filter into your room. (This is the unique experience of staying in a medieval village!)

Though nearly every place offers wifi, be advised that it may not always be working, or it may be that in a 500-year-old building with thick stone walls, the signal is quite weak. 

ARRIVING: Many of the lodgings we recommend are small family places, with designated hours you must check in. You should choose a check-in time in advance. If you have booked through Booking .com, it is easy to do this on your reservation. If you need our help contacting properties to select a time, please let us know, we are happy to assist. 
NOTE: Although self check-in is convenient, it’s no longer permitted in Italy; B&B owners in Italy are now required to be present in person to check in guests.

PASSPORT
When you arrive, your hosts will take a pic or photocopy of your passport. New law dictates that you are required to carry your passport at all times when traveling; therefore the hotel should no longer hold onto it as they did in the past.

DAILY VISITOR TAX
Your hotel bill sometimes excludes the “tasse di Soggiorno”, a sort of city visitor tax. It’s usually 1-2 euro per person per night, and often payable only in cash. This is also normal, so be ready to grab a few euro in change out of your pocket when you’re checking out.

BREAKFAST
A few places will offer breakfasts, but these are not the extensive omelet bars and waffle buffets that U.S. travelers are used to. Breakfast is not a huge thing in Italy; often there will be little more than a bread or pastry along with your coffee or juice. Sometimes a sort of deli tray is on offer, cold meats and cheese with bread. Don’t fill up if you have a great lunch booked!

AIR CONDITIONING, WINDOWS, FANS, and FLOORING
Most hotels and B&Bs will NOT have screened windows – meaning, in the summer, mosquitoes can get in if you have the windows open! It is standard practice here to shutter windows early in the morning, and keep them shuttered until early evening, every day in summer. This keeps the interior of the room cool (and also dark), and it’s how the majority of the country manages the heat in summer, as most people here do not have AC. 

If this is an issue that is important to you, you will want to double check that your lodging has AC, and that it is included in the price (not listed as an extra expense). If it IS listed as an extra expense, the exact cost is usually explained in advance (often something like €10/day). Keep in mind that AC here is typically used only to mitigate the heat, and is not set to “arctic blast” temps that we are used to in the US. There are also laws that govern what time of year it’s legal to run AC and/or heat, and at what temperature.

Italians manage their personal heat levels by resting, stopping at bars for cold drinks, eating gelato, and staying in the shade. Many restaurants, bars, and stores will not have AC, so you cannot count on taking a break from the heat by sitting in ice-cold AC in a Starbucks, for example. That is important to understand if you are traveling in summer, so you can adjust your expectations. 

The AC issue here in Italy is not only related to energy costs, but also to a cultural idea that moving air is harmful to your health. It is called “colpo d’aria” (literally “a hit of air”), a widely held belief that air moving across your throat will cause major health problems. Consequently, you will also find that standing fans or box fans are rare; Italians would consider those bad for their health. As the climate changes and each summer gets hotter and hotter, views are changing, and more AC is popping up and you’ll see an occasional little tabletop fan; but in general, if you are here in summer, you will be hot. 

Pro tip: pack a hand fan (one of those foldable fans that you see in movies about Victorian England). Zen carries one with her everywhere in summer, as do many Italian women. Battery powered personal fans don’t work very well and are bulky, but these old school hand fans can provide immediate, cheap relief.

HEATING: In contrast, in some lodgings (usually AirB&Bs or other private-rental places) travelers will find that heating costs extra, so watch out for the fine print in those cases as well. (It’s a lot easier to manage, as you just have to grab another blanket or sweater!)

FLOORS: Almost all Italian B&Bs and hotels have tile flooring or sometimes hardwood. Maybe they’ll have an area rug, but generally the floors are hard and cold. Plan accordingly if your feet are sensitive, with cushy socks, slippers, or whatever is your usual “footing”.

MAPS

Nowadays we use our phones to navigate, either Google maps, “Maps.me”, or other GPS apps. (Or you can pay extra for a GPS device in your rental car.)

Also, we strongly recommend scouting out each of these places (restaurants, lodgings, sights) on Google maps or Maps.me ahead of time. It will get you a good idea of the layout of the local geography, which will help when you’re actually on the ground. We even like to use Google’s “Street View” for some places, so you can actually see exactly what it will look like when you pull up to a place. This not only helps in navigating once you’re there, but studies have shown that people enjoy their trip more (and remember it more) if they spend more time anticipating it and preparing for it.

Lastly, “Maps.Me” is a smart-phone app that lets you download a pretty detailed map when you have a wifi connection, then access it any time without having to be connected and burn up data. It is a free app, and an excellent partner to Google Maps, especially since it uses no data. (Note: Google Maps now has an offline map option as well.)

See below for more on smartphone apps.

MOBILE PHONE DATA / WIFI

Check with your mobile service provider (AT&T, Sprint, or whichever) and inquire about international data usage. You may need an international data package, which can usually be a one-month add-on. These will vary in specifics, depending on length of your trip and how much data you’re getting. You’ll typically pay a fee that includes a certain number of MB/GB of data, plus texts and calls at a reduced rate. You’ll use the data when you check your email, use GPS/mapping apps (except MapsMe; see above), or browse the web. Make sure you know what happens if you go over your data limit - different companies handle that differently. (And be sure to cancel the data plan once you return to your home country!)

WIFI:

Wifi used to be present and free in nearly every bar and restaurant, but post-pandemic, it is hit or miss. Many businesses have ceased offering free wifi, so you cannot always count on it in every location. Most lodgings will have wifi, but it may be out of service, or the signal can sometimes be quite weak in ancient stone buildings, so be prepared with a backup option (like a data plan add-on mentioned above).

SMARTPHONE APPS:

Here are a few apps that we highly recommend, to make your trip easier.

- Google maps: This is probably the most commonly used navigation app, and it generally works great - as long as you can get a data signal and you have data to burn. Other apps (e.g., Waze) may or may not work abroad.

- “Maps.me”: As mentioned earlier, this is a free app that, once you’ve downloaded (at home on wifi) the relevant maps for the areas you’ll be traveling, you can turn off your mobile data altogether. The app will still geo-locate you based solely on your phone signal. You can pin places that you’ll be going (hotels, restaurants, points of interest), zoom in and out to see road detail, and get directions from point A to point B - all without burning up any mobile data.

- Booking.com: If you use this booking site for some of your lodgings, this app is great help, particularly in communicating with your hosts regarding your arrival times. For our itinerary service clients, we can try to call your lodging if you need to change an arrival time or get other info; but more often it’s faster and easier to contact them via the app. They’re not always reachable by phone, especially in the afternoons during riposo; but they’ll get a note on their phone from the Booking app at their end.

- Google translate: Again there are various alternatives to this translation app, but Google’s is fairly well designed - but remember, you need a data signal or wifi for it to function correctly. In addition to inputting words or phrases, you can now hold your phone up to a sign or menu, and your camera will read it and translate it for you. This is great for parking signs, informational signs at parks and historical sites. Moreover, in conjunction with Google photos, if you take a picture of a sign, you can tell it to read and then translate the text.

[Note: Despite that a lot of this seems like a commercial for Google, Little Roads Europe has no affiliation with any of these apps or their companies, nor do we receive any kickbacks or perks by suggesting their use. Unfortunately. :) ]

ELECTRONICS

Coming from the US, you’ll need a couple of outlet adapters for your phones, tablets, etc. Though the electric systems are on 230V (rather than 120V), those communication devices are typically rated for the higher voltage as well, so a converter is not necessary. Look for the label on the side of the device - it will usually say “100-240V”. Problems arise with larger electric equipment - hair dryers, some razors, heating pads, tea kettles, toasters. Plugging these into the wall via an adapter will likely short out the system, your appliance, or both. Best to leave such things at home, or check with the manufacturer ahead of time. 

BAR CULTURE

Italy’s main social scene is at the various neighborhood or roadside bars. This is where you get your coffee in the morning (or any time of day really), your aperitivo before lunch, your drinks and such before or after dinner.

Ask for a caffe and you’ll get the tiny, very strong espresso. Cappuccino, with its frothy steamed milk on top, is typical in the mornings only, though they will make you one any time. Sometimes they will shorten the word “cappuccino” to the slang “cappucci”. There’s also caffe corretto (espresso mixed with grappa); macchiato (espresso with just a dollop of foamed milk on top); caffe latte (espresso with more steamed milk than a cappuccino). Don’t ask for just a “latte” unless you want a glass of plain milk.

Note: In some bars, especially in larger cities, there’s one price for getting your coffee standing at the bar - which you’ll do for no more than a minute or two; and a slightly higher price for sitting at a table, where they’ll bring your coffee to you. It’s not a huge mark-up (and again, nonexistent in small places), but it’s just something to notice.

Other common drinks: 

Spritz Aperol (sweeter) or Spritz Campari (more bitter) orange or red cocktails of prosecco and mixer; Campari and soda; and Negroni, a mix of gin, Campari, and red vermouth; and of course there’s always prosecco or other wine.

Recently we’ve seen a rise in cocktail bars, offering specialty cocktails like Moscow Mules, but that is not ubiquitous. If you try to ask for a martini or a cosmopolitan, it probably won’t be what you’re looking for - we recommend sticking to the Italian cocktails.

In the last few years many bars have begun to offer Italian-made artisanal beers.

You can also get juices in bottles, and sometimes spremuta (fresh squeezed orange juice - you’ll see a machine behind the bar with a basket of oranges if they have this). At the bar you can also buy a bottle of water (naturale for flat; gassata or frizzante for sparkling), which you can drink there or take on the road.  

The bar is a great place to try a shot of the endless varieties of Italian “amari”, or liqueurs. Ask for “un amaro”, and just point to the one you’d like to try. Cynar (CHEE-nar) is made from artichokes, Montenegro from herbs, Averna also from herbs... It can be fun to give them a try, each will cost 2-4€. They will probably ask you if you want it with ice (“con ghiaccio”). 

If you order a cocktail (e.g. Aperol spritz, or an amaro), many bars will also bring a little dish of nuts or olives, tiny sandwich bites or other snacks. Those are free with your drink. If you’re happy with the drink and service, it’s nice to leave a Euro or two as a tip. (Note: baristas do not generally expect tips, but they happily accept them!) 

RESTAURANTS AND FOOD

If you’ve engaged our itinerary service, we’ve either made your lunch and dinner reservations for you, or recommended where you should eat and coached you on how to make your own reservation. 

NOTE: Post-pandemic, reservations are highly advisable, due to reduced seating space in restaurants. Although it’s theoretically possible to walk up and get a table without an advance booking, it’s likely you’ll be turned away. 

BOOKING A TABLE

When making reservations, a restaurant is expecting you, and they’re turning away other diners while holding your table. If for any reason (traffic or other delays, or just because you’re just too full 🙂) you have to miss a meal, it’s a matter of courtesy to call the restaurant to cancel your booking, so the restaurant can release the table to other diners.
[If you’ve engaged our Itinerary Service, we’ve made all your meal reservations ourselves. If you need to cancel, let us know as soon as possible, and we’ll handle that call for you!]

RESTAURANT CATEGORIES

Restaurants have many names in Italy: Ristorante, Osteria, Trattoria, and Locanda are the most common.

If there’s a specific restaurant you want to visit, even if it’s a casual place, it’s best to book ahead - otherwise, you may be eating at the gas station on the Autostrada. We have always recommended making reservations whenever possible, even before the pandemic. 

If the restaurant has space, reservations can be made the same day, even an hour in advance. (Walk in at noon and ask for a 1:00 table.) Basically you are just reserving a table and getting a head-start on the lunch rush. No ties/jackets are required at the places we recommend (though you are welcome to wear them if you like). Some of the restaurants we recommend are real mom-and-pop places, and some are upscale, but all will allow you to eat there wearing regular clothing. (Shorts and flip flops will probably be frowned upon, however.)

It’s not unusual for us to have made a reservation and then be the only people eating that day. Sometimes the reservation just insures that the restaurant opens at all! In the US if you saw an empty restaurant you’d know that was a sign of poor quality, but that is often not true in Italy, especially in very small towns. No reservations are required (or even possible) in pizzerias and small sandwich shops, reservations are only for sit-down restaurants. 

Once you have a dinner table, it’s typically yours for the night - there will be no turnover or pressure for you to leave. (This is not true in cities like Rome or Florence, where many restaurants do double seatings each evening.) It’s generally considered very rude to put “il conto” (the bill) on the table. Therefore, wait staff will almost certainly expect you to ask for the bill, or just pay at the cashier on the way out the door. Meals are slow, and there can be a good amount of time in between courses (see below), as they are making your dish from scratch. If you want a faster meal, try a Panificio (sandwich shop), pizzeria, or bar, or grab a picnic lunch at a grocery store.

NOTE: When paying the conto, we recommend that you don’t try to split the bill with your fellow diners. It’s not something that’s generally done in Italy, and in most cases and most places, it’s considered by the restauranteurs to be a pain in the neck. If you’re in a group, consider taking turns from one meal to the next, or sorting it out with cash between you all, so only one person is paying the full bill at the end of the night.

MENUS

In general, if a restaurant doesn’t have an English menu (or translations under each item in the Italian menu), and there’s something on there that you do’t recognize, the hope is that one of the staff will have enough English food vocabulary to at least give you a rough idea. Barring that, your best bet is not Google translate, but a simple web search for a particular dish - from there, you’ll see photos and recipes and such, and you’ll be able to see readily whether or not it’s something you want.

Bonus tip: Don’t ask for salad dressing - they’ll dress their salads their way: Usually just some fantastic oil and salt, maybe vinegar depending on the ingredients. Ranch, Thousand Island, or “Russian” are not options!

Substitutions on menus are not a thing here. The dish is served as the chef presents it, so if there is an element you do not like, best to just choose another dish. One notable exception for this is allergies — some restaurants are now offering gluten free options for celiacs, for example. But in general, how the dish is listed on the menu is how the dish is intended to be ordered, so if there are things you prefer to avoid, read carefully. 

MEAL TIMES

Seatings for pranzo (lunch) generally happen no earlier than 12:30 and no later than maybe 2:00. Shoot for 1:00-1:30 to be safe. If you’re looking for a place to eat at 2:30, you may be totally out of luck. 

Cena (dinner) starts at maybe 7:30, and goes on until everyone is done eating. Again, if you wait much later than 9:00, they may turn you away.

Breakfasts: Some lodgings offer colazione (breakfast), from a full-service spread of meats, cheeses, fruits and breads to a packet of biscuits and a yogurt cup in the mini-fridge. We almost always skip it altogether; if you need breakfast, you didn’t do dinner right.

ITALIAN MEAL COURSES

There are a lot of differences between eating in Italy and eating in the States. Here are a few tips on what to expect, and how to enjoy the Italian dining experience to its fullest.

The first thing that will happen at any restaurant is the cameriere bringing bread and asking what kind of acqua (water) you would like. This will always be bottled water, and can be naturale (flat) or frizzante/gassata (sparkling). Don’t ask for tap water — this would be like asking for a drink out of the garden hose.

Bread will usually not come with butter or a dish of oil; it is meant to be used to soak up sauces on your plates. You’ll see that a per-person coperto (cover charge) is indicated on the menu. This is typically a couple of bucks, and is meant to stand as a minimum service charge.

Meals are served in courses:

Antipasti — appetizers
Primi — pastas, soups or risotto
Secondi — meat dishes - this will be just meat; if you want a side dish, order a contorno to go with it
Contorni — vegetables, potatoes, salad
Dolci — desserts; occasionally this list will include a cheese plate
Caffe / digestivi — coffee (don’t get a cappuccino!) or digestive liqueur, like an amaro or a grappa

Diners are not obligated or expected to order a dish from every course; we frequently skip either the pasta or the meat course. However, if you find yourself in an especially charming or romantic location, settle in for what we refer to as an “epic” meal.

Once you have a table, it’s yours for the night - there will be no turnover or pressure for you to leave. (But see below regarding big cities.) It’s generally considered very rude to put a bill on the table, so often the service staff is waiting for you at the end of a meal to approach them at the bar or the cassa (cashier’s desk) to ask for “il conto” (the bill).

Meals are slow, and there can be a good amount of time in between courses, as they are making your dish from scratch. If you want a faster meal, try a paninoteca (sandwich shop), pizzeria, or bar, or grab a picnic lunch at a grocery store.

Most small-town restaurants are family-owned, and as a result they won’t always adhere to their stated schedules. If one of their family members has a baby or a sudden medical need/wedding/vacation, they might not open up as usual. In the case of your trip, if we’ve called for your meal reservation you should be good to go; but if you’re winging on the fly, places may be closed despite having an “Aperto” sign.

NOTE: Post-pandemic, In some restaurants in the bigger cities (e.g., Roma, Firenze), they’ll book you in at either 7:30 pm or 9:00 pm. The staff for the earlier seating will sort of rush your meal, and they expect you to evacuate the table prior to the later seating.

WATER

No one in Italy drinks tap water (though it’s generally perfectly safe to drink!). Instead you’ll order a bottle of water soon after you’re seated - either still (naturale) or sparkling (frizzante or gassata). Bottled water is not expensive here, and often restaurants will serve it to you in their own containers because they have their own filters.

One quirky note: if you get a glass bottle of water at lunch or dinner, you should not take it away if you have not finished it. Some restaurants have arrangements with water distributors and they return those bottles, or they may be local regulations about it. Taking the glass bottle of water away with you from the table may cause some distress to the workers.

Your hotels will often provide a free bottle of water, but you will probably want to purchase some of your own. If you do not want to purchase bottled water, ask your hotelier if the water is safe to drink (it is always safe to use for showering, brushing teeth, etc). Italians are very serious about their water — you will notice that there are dozens of types of sale in any supermarket. Some are purported to have particular health benefits (e.g. great for skin/nails).

You can also bring your own refillable water bottle. Many towns have little “water houses” (called casetta dell’acqua) which dispense ice cold flat or sparkling water, usually selling for 5 cents a liter. Some hotels will have in-house filtered water for guests. In Rome you can fill up your water at the public fountains called “nasoni”, which provide free drinking water. Read about them here: https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/nasoni-romes-free-drinking-fountains.html

WINE

If you’re a serious wine aficionado, you’ll want to order a bottle from the restaurant’s wine list, the carta dei vini. The cameriere can help you select one if you wish; for instance, you can ask which one is più secco (more dry) or which ones are della zona (from the area).

Most restaurants will offer a vino della casa - house wine - both rosso and bianco (red and white). It is always good and inexpensive. You can order it in a carafe, asking for a mezzo litro (half-liter) or a full litro, or a little quartino (quarter-liter). Sometimes the house wine is in bottles only, a regular 750 ml bottle.

TIPPING

Servers and baristas in Italy don’t generally expect tips, but of course a little extra is always welcome! Each meal will include a “coperto” or “servizio” which is a per-person charge of a couple of euros. If you receive exceptional service - e.g., accommodating a special seating request or helping with good advice about the menu - consider leaving an extra few euros (but not like the 15-25% that’s standard in the US).

In lodgings, we sometimes leave a euro or two on the dresser for the housekeeping staff – again, it’s not expected but it is appreciated.

BOOKING A RESTAURANT ON THE FLY

For dinners, your lodging might be able to help you set up a reservation. Alternatively, stop by the restaurant earlier, perhaps at 11:30 for a 1:00 lunch. You can also stop at lunchtime to ask for a dinner reservation, or at dinnertime to ask for a table the next night.

“Buongiorno / buona sera” (Good day / good evening)
“Per favore: É possibile, prenotare un tavolo, per due, per pranzo/cena?” (Please; is it possible to reserve a table for two, for lunch/dinner?) 
all’una (at 1:00) / alle otto (at 8 PM)
oggi / sta sera / domani (today / tonight / tomorrow) 

[Then they’ll ask your name - “Nome?”]
Dentro? o fuori? (Inside? Or outside?) 
“Grazie mille! A dopo!” (Many thanks! Until then!)

Or if you’re walking in on the fly right at mealtime, just ask, “Due, per pranzo?” (Two, for lunch?)
Again, use “per favore” and “grazie” liberally!

PIZZA

Pizza isn’t always as ever-present as one would think, and it’s not all really excellent. A few things to keep in mind:
Some places calling themselves “Ristorante/Pizzeria” won’t be offering pizza during the lunch hours, only firing up their ovens for dinner. Make sure you ask before you sit down for lunch if pizza is your goal.

A whole pizza is typically meant for 1 person – it’s usually not a giant US-size pie.

Look at the menu: Not all the types of pizza automatically come with red tomato sauce. Look for rosso or pomodoro (tomato sauce) vs bianco (white, without sauce or maybe with just oil).

A couple of key phrases to look for on the signage outside a pizzeria: Forno a legna (wood oven), and lievito madre (dough made with mother yeast, a sign of a specialty pizzaiolo).

GELATO

Everyone loves a sweet treat from an Italian gelateria, and it’s usually easy to find. But, like the pizzeria, not all gelato is created equal. Read our best tips on finding truly excellent gelato here.

SEASONAL EATING

Italians eat seasonally; many foods aren’t available year-round - e.g., strawberries, broccoli, tomatoes. We think it’s best to know what’s seasonal and order or buy accordingly.

Here are a few of our fruit and vegetable favorites, by season:

SPRING: asparagus, artichokes, peas, strawberries, agretti, fava beans, baby lettuces, puntarelle
SUMMER: tomatoes, peaches, melons, plums, cherries (in June)
AUTUMN/WINTER: porcini mushrooms, chestnuts, kale, pumpkin, artichokes, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, pears

GROCERY STORES

Italian grocery stores have the most un-Italian sounding names: Co-op, Conad, Pam, DeSpar, to name a few. A “Centro Commerciale” sign on the road (often with a shopping-cart icon) indicates a big, American-style shopping complex, where you’ll usually find a grocery store, bar, shoe store, pharmacy, and assorted other stores under one roof. A Centro Commerciale is generally open on Sundays and also during riposo (the 3-4 hour afternoon break). 

In smaller towns, the shops close from about 1pm-4pm (13:00-16:00) or so.

BUYING PRODUCE: At some of the small frutti-verdure shops, the shopkeeper will help you choose produce; you are not supposed to touch the fruits and vegetables yourself.

Where you are allowed to do so (e.g., in a supermarket), you put on a plastic glove, bag the produce, and place it on one of the scales in the produce section, press the button corresponding to the produce (either a picture of the fruit, or a number indicated on a placard on its shelf), and a sticker pops out with the price. Put it on your bag of fruit or veg - it’s necessary to do this before getting to the cash register, or the clerk will have to do it for you and you’ll be embarrassed in front of everyone.

Plastic bags at checkout cost money there, so consider bringing a reusable bag from home. Or, better yet, buy one at the store as a souvenir and use it at home. 

In our luggage, we pack a sea salt grinder and mini pepper mill, a few napkins, plastic cutlery, a paper cup or two, and a travel corkscrew with us. (But not a waiter’s corkscrew, which has a little knife on it – it’ll be confiscated by airport security!) That sets us up nicely for an impromptu picnic if we see a particularly beautiful spot, or just want a quick lunch - in that case, a quick market trip for bread, cheese, wine, meats, and fruit makes for a lovely lunch.

MARKET DAYS (mornings, unless indicated otherwise)

Small towns have weekly open air markets, where you will find housewares, food, crafts, clothing, and more. Some are better than others, but they are always fun for a little walk through. Keep an eye out for parking signs indicating no parking permitted in preparation for the following days’ market. Markets are often held in piazzas, parking structures, or along streets. Locals always know that the market is happening because they are consistent, but as travelers we have to be sure we read the signs (which are always posted) to avoid fines or towing. Markets usually open at 8am but the spaces need to be clear by 4am.

We can’t list every town here for obvious reasons, but if you are curious about a town you will visit, just Google the name of the town and “weekly market” and you will see the info listed right away (if the town has a market; some do not). 

TUSCANY
Greve in Chianti Saturday 
Radda in Chianti 4h Monday of the month, afternoon
San Casciano Val di Pesa Monday 
San Donato in Poggio Friday 
Panzano in Chianti Sunday 
Pienza Friday 
Montalcino Friday 
Buonconvento Saturday
Castiglione del Lago Wednesday 
Chiusi Tuesday 

LAKES
Arona Tuesday 
Baveno Monday 
Stresa Friday 
Desenzano di Garda Tuesday 

TOWN FESTIVALS

Most towns will have various festivals, scattered throughout the year - food festivals, religious festivals, medieval festivals, and sometimes all of those combined. You can seek them out, or seek to avoid them, depending on how you feel about crowds.

Finding the festivals is easier said than done, though – the organizers of these events aren’t always good with establishing or updating online information about upcoming events. If you’re our client, we’ll let you know if we get wind of a festival happening when you’re traveling, but it’s not realistic for us to be able to know the special days of every town.

The advertising for town festivals is often old-school - your best bet is to look for posters on the roadside or plastered on walls as you walk or drive through town. If you see a sign for an event you’re interested in, check the location and the dates – it may be a poster for an event happening a couple of towns away, and it could be the next day or the next month.

PHARMACIES

Very large grocery stores will have a small section of typical pharmacy items. (All grocery stores will have soap, shampoo, tissues, etc). Otherwise, if you need ibuprofen/antihistamine/Dayquil or similar, you’ll need to head to the pharmacy (Farmacia). Ibuprofen is very expensive in Italy. We suggest that you travel with a few doses of ibuprofen, Dayquil, anti-diarrheal, or whatever are your favorite over-the-counter remedies. Pack just enough to manage during your trip if you have an issue; if you need more doses you can go to the pharmacy. We also bring Alka-Seltzer, and for upset stomach, caraway seeds. (Caraway is a natural remedy for queasiness and general digestive discomfort; just take about ½ to 1 teaspoon worth of seeds with a glass of water and you’ll feel better in about 10 minutes.)

BATHROOMS

Toilets and sinks come in all shapes and sizes in Italy. Some look just like standard toilets in the US, others are pretty old fashioned. Occasionally you’ll see the dreaded “toilet hole” - a ceramic hole in the floor with indented spots to put your feet to squat. (This is rare.)

Sinks can be automated, or with standard handles, or operated by foot pedals. Be aware that all bathrooms are equipped with an emergency alarm pull for medical emergencies. This usually looks like a string hanging from the ceiling or wall near the toilet. It is NOT a flush mechanism - don’t pull it unless you want to embarrass yourself, as we have both done.

In small towns and remote places, you may not always find soap or toilet paper. For this reason, we travel with soap leaves (a matchbook-size packet of 20 dry leaves of soap), and a few packs of tissues. It barely adds any weight to a bag or coat, and if you find a toilet-paper-less stall or a soap-less sink, you’ll be thrilled that you have a solution.

We recommend avoiding public bathrooms, with the exception of the rest stops on highways, which are (usually) fine. If you are in a small town and need the loo, just stop in a bar, buy a bottle of water or a prosecco or a coffee, and use the facilities.

MONEY

Check with your bank about international ATM withdrawal fees, so you know what to expect at an ATM (“Bancomat”). Use them as necessary, as the exchange rate is the same or close to what you will find at the airport. We much prefer to use ATMs in towns rather than an airport exchange counter. We suggest that you look for the ones that are attached to actual banks, as opposed to free-standing ones in rest areas, convenience stores, or bars. Even most smaller towns have at least one bank with an attached Bancomat.

Call your credit card company shortly before you leave, to let them know that you’re traveling internationally, and on what dates.

Note: We’ve found that most places that accept cards do not accept American Express, since their commission fees are so high. Mastercard and VISA are generally fine. Discover Card is NOT accepted in most if not all locations.

Credit cards notwithstanding, cash is king. Italian law now mandates that all merchants must have a method to accept credit/debit cards; but the letter of the law doesn’t always reflect how things work in practice. We prefer to adhere to the following approach.

Nearly all restaurants and hotels accept credit cards, but some might not on any given day; so make sure you know before you eat or stay. Bars will reluctantly accept cards for larger tabs, but you will generally need cash for those. (We never use a card for a conto that’s less than 15-20 euro.) Italians also have a deep love for exact change; efforts on your part to produce exact change will be appreciated. They also have a love of small bills. Trying to buy a €1 espresso with a €20 note may garner you some dirty looks, and in small towns, they may not even have enough change for that.

That said, it’s always good to try to accumulate (in the course of each day’s transactions) a hefty pocketful of change, for parking machines or other “coin-op only” situations.

Keep in mind, as you do with your car’s fuel gage, not to let yourself get down to nearly empty - we like to try to keep a stash of a hundred euro or more while we’re on the road; you can’t always count on ATMs working every time.

Exchange counters at the airport (if you decide to use one) offer ‘deals’ that allow you to exchange unspent Euros on your trip back without fees. Or you can just keep track of your spending in general and work your way down towards the end of your trip. But do keep a cushion “just in case.”

How much cash do you need? It’s impossible to predict your own personal potential spending habits. Given our broad guidelines and suggestions above, you can decide for yourself how many times you’ll be in cash-only situations – for example, how many coffee stops or panino trucks or fruit stands you might be visiting daily.

DRESS CODES

Restaurants: the places we visit require no particular dress, though we think it’s a good idea to leave behind the shorts and t-shirts and tank tops and flip-flops, in favor of a collared shirt and some sort of long pants and actual shoes.

Churches (and some museums associated with them) have a few typical requirements/restrictions: For men and women both, the rule is that you have to have your knees and shoulders covered. Also, take your hat off as you walk inside, pretty much anywhere – that’s a timeless gesture, and some churches strictly enforce it.

Beaches: Beachwear is not acceptable as clothing in towns anywhere, and some towns will enforce fines for walking around in just your swimsuit and flip flops. That stuff is for the beach only.

SIGHTS

Many of the monuments and sights in Italy are hundreds if not thousands of years old. Often you’ll find that they’re either closed for renovations or open but covered in scaffolding and other construction materials. This may spoil your photo-op, but keep in mind that they’re doing what is necessary to preserve these ancient edifices.

NOTE: Post-pandemic, almost all the big ticketed tourist sites require advance purchase of tickets. It’s best to work out in advance as much as possible, and book online accordingly.

FLIGHTS

SEARCHING FOR FLIGHTS:

Searching vs. Purchasing: We recommend that you don’t use Orbitz, Expedia etc to actually buy your flights - if problems arise, the corporate two-way finger pointing will be frustrating to say the least. Instead, use those aggregators to search around so you can see who is offering what flight routes/schedules, and then go directly to the airline to actually purchase your flight.

Vacation packages: Some airlines (particularly Delta and United) offer a package “Flight + Car” deal - you can often find great prices for a combo purchase if you are flying into and out of the same airport.

Multi-city tickets: Sometimes called “Open-jaw” ticket options, this involves flying into one airport and out of another (e.g., flying into Rome FCO and out of Milan MXP). This will mean a couple of things:
- A multi-city itinerary usually allows you to visit a wider variety of places in your visit - covering more regions means different foods, landscapes, and sightseeing in general.
- Rental car drop-off fees may apply, though they’re not nearly as punishing as out-of-state rental drop-offs in the US).
- Flight + Car deals (see above) won’t be an option with a multi-city ticket.

Flight Schedules: Generally, we recommend aiming to arrive into Italy as early as possible, and leave as late as possible on your departure day. Also be mindful of layover time — try to find your happy medium between a long enough layover that you can make your connection easily, but not so long that you’ll spend $500 on cocktails and crappy club sandwiches in the airport.
It can be worthwhile to pay a bit more for a better schedule, that will make your travel days less stressful and more enjoyable.

Global Entry: If you travel overseas frequently - even just once a year - you might find it worthwhile to get Global Entry. It’s a bit of paperwork and time (and about $100 for 5 years), but it includes TSA Precheck; better yet, when you return to the US, you’ll breeze through the reentry process at passport control and customs.

GENERAL AIRPORT/AIRPLANE TIPS:

There’s no good way to say this: Airplane food is pretty gross. We travel with our own food (sandwiches, fruit, chips, etc.) The food is better, we know where it came from and how it was made, and we feel better physically after eating.  

We bring a travel-pack of Clorox wipes and wipe down our tray tables and TV screens. This may sound a little paranoid, but we’ve been following the (very funny) Facebook page called “Passenger Shaming” - managed by flight attendants who post pictures of outrageous behavior by passengers. After seeing diaper changes (and worse!) taking place on those tray tables, we started wiping them down. 

If you’re coming from the US, it’s extremely important that you sleep on the overnight flight to Europe.
You may want to bring a sleeping pill with you for the flight from the US to Europe. Space in coach has gotten quite cramped and sleeping on the plane can be challenging. We bring a small knit blanket with us as well – between that, airplane pillows and blankets, and wadded up sweaters or coats, we create a little nest that allows us to sleep as much as possible on the flight over. You’ll be arriving in Italy in the morning, and you want to make the most of your first day. Sleeping for most of the flight is the best way to cut down on any feelings of jet lag on that first day on European time. 

Once you arrive in the airport, you’ll need to go through a passport check. If you take the stairs when possible, you’ll pass by everyone else on your flight, who just mindlessly herd onto the escalators. You’ll be among the first at the passport control, and therefore through the airport and to your car first. Wait to use the restrooms until after passport control to avoid getting stuck at the back of the line.

TRIP INSURANCE:

At the end of the flight purchasing process, you’ll be offered the chance to purchase trip insurance. We’ve never purchased this ourselves; since we were always traveling multiple times a year, we always decided to chance it.

But if this is going to be your trip of a lifetime, you might consider it. It’s a matter of each individual’s risk tolerance, how important the trip is to you, how likely you’ll be to experience medical or family problems necessitating rescheduling your trip, how difficult it might be to absorb extra costs in case of mishaps, and countless other factors.

We are reading about an increase in the number of problems that travelers are experiencing – some caused by climate change: Water or power shortages resulting in closures in some towns (or even whole islands closing!), unexpected weather causing flight delays/rerouting and therefore missed connections, and of course the occasional pandemic.

[NOTE: If, after we’ve crafted your itinerary, your trip is interrupted, delayed, rescheduled, or otherwise altered, we will discuss a “re-do”, with an additional fee determined on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the degree of change necessary for the new itinerary.]

PACKING

Note for US travelers: For information about how much “stuff” you can legally bring with you back to the States, here’s a link from a US government website.

Packing on a trip is extremely important in terms of saving effort and time. We don’t recommend checking a bag (read our tips on packing on our website: https://www.littleroadseurope.com/packing-smart-1), but if you checked a bag on the way over, and you’re a pair of people or more, we recommend that you split up - one of you wait for the bags while the other heads to the car rental agency. Using this method we are able to get out of the airport in less than an hour and begin our vacation immediately!

We usually pack fewer clothes than we need for the week, and plan on washing items in sinks and air drying them overnight. (Lodging bathrooms sometimes have those heated towel racks - great for drying your socks!)

We often carry just an overnight bag into the lodgings, leaving the bulk of our stuff in the trunk of the car. Each morning we rearrange the bag at the car, substituting dirty clothes for the next day’s clean ones. We typically don’t sweat leaving our bags in the car overnight because...

If you’re traveling by plane within Europe:
Most of the smaller airlines that handle intra-European flights (like RyanAir or Wizz) have baggage restrictions that differ greatly from the big trans-Atlantic carriers. This goes for checked luggage and carry-on bags alike. So read the fine print VERY carefully when figuring out what to pack, and in what bags.

CRIME / SAFETY

While car break-ins, pickpocketing, or other theft can be a real concern in big touristy cities, in the kinds of small towns we visit, crime is virtually nil. Do be mindful and lock your car no matter where you are of course, but in general you can feel confident in small towns when leaving your bags in the car overnight - especially since you’ll have all the really important stuff (passports, electronic devices, prescription meds, etc) with you in the lodging anyway.

(See below for more tips about crime in the big cities.)

LAUNDRY

If your vacation rental has a washing machine, it will likely be smaller than those in the US, and you’ll almost never have a dryer, so you’ll have to hang your clothes on a line. A typical washer cycle takes a lot longer than in the US.

Barring your own laundry machine, there’s basically three options:
- Find a wash-n-fold, and pay the price; or
- Find a self-service lavanderia and spend the time - keep in mind this will take a LOT longer than you’d expect in the US; or
- Hand-wash in your hotel sink and hang-dry, as mentioned above. In our opinion this is the best use of time and money.

For more detailed info on laundry, here’s a useful article by a fellow travel-writer.
https://mamalovesitaly.com/doing-laundry-in-italy/

GLOSSARY

Here are a few key terms used in general greetings, booking a table, ordering drinks, and finding places. Check your phrasebook or dictionary for pronunciation as needed.

buon giorno / buona sera - good day / good evening (after 3pm or so)
ciao - hi
per favore - please
grazie - thanks
mille grazie - thank you very much (“thanks a thousand”)
arrivaderci - goodbye
ciao - bye
ci vediamo - see you later

Posso/possiamo avere...? - Can I / we have...?
Due, per pranzo/cena? - Two, for lunch / dinner?
prenotazione - reservation
tavolo - table
nome - name
due persone - 2 people
oggi - today
all’una - at one o’clock
alle otto - at eight o’clock 

bottiglia - bottle
acqua frizzante / gassata / con gas - carbonated water 
acqua naturale - natural water
due bicchiere di prosecco / vino spumante - 2 glasses of prosecco/sparkling wine
vino rosso/bianco della casa - red/white house wine 
mezzo litro - half liter
altro - another

abbiamo fame - we’re hungry
siamo pieno - we’re full
troppo cibo - too much food

sinistra, destra, dritto - left, right, straight 
Dové...? - Where is...?
... un bar - a bar
... un buon ristorante? - a good restaurant
... il bagno? - bathroom
... vicino? - nearby
... Waldo? - Waldo

A FEW QUIRKY ITALIAN LAWS AND CUSTOMS

Here are just a few things to look out for - some of which are covered above:

• When leaving a bar or store - anywhere that you’ve spent money - you should wait for the clerk/server to hand you your “scontrino” (receipt), even for a €1 coffee. This is a matter of law for the shopkeeper; and prickly police have been known to give a hard time to tourists who fail to get and retain their scontrino upon exiting the bar.

• As noted above, new laws now prohibit self check-in processes - be sure you communicate with your hosts to coordinate your arrival.

• Don’t forget that you’re not permitted to drive in the center of many cities/towns - review the ZTL info above. 

• Most regions in Italy have restrictions on the use of AC and heating - your lodging owner/manager will let you know ifAC is permitted, or what’s the max/min allowed temperature.

THE “BIG CITIES”

As we discussed, the big cities aren’t "our thing", but here are a few points about visiting those larger touristy places that you should expect.
(Scroll down for our best info on Firenze and a few little suggestions about Rome.) 

– Pickpockets/theft: It’s always been a concern in large cities - pickpocketing, snatch-and grab, and other such theft is something to guard against. Hold your valuables close. Never leave your phone or a purse/wallet sitting on a table outside. Thieves spot tourists a mile away, and they’ll be ready if you let your guard down.

– Flower/trinket vendor scams: You’ll definitely encounter Men and women meandering through the high-density tourist areas, laden with stuff to sell - trinkets or roses (or sometimes, for some reason, socks and packs of tissues!). Often they’ll approach you as if they know you - very friendly, maybe they’ll introduce themselves - and they’ll press a bracelet or something into your hand. They’ll refuse to take it back, pretending it’s a “gift”… but then they engage you in conversation, and eventually ask for a Euro - or three, or 5 - or they’ll ask you to buy them something to eat. If you give them a Euro, but they see you have a handful of coins (or worse, if you open your wallet and they see your bills), they’ll try that much harder to get you to part with more of them. It’s awkward and uncomfortable - and it can lead to you being targeted for more aggressive theft. This kind of thing is among the reasons we stick to small towns, where scams of this nature are practically nonexistent.

FIRENZE (FLORENCE)

Florence Museum tickets: Save yourselves from waiting in line with everyone else and purchase tickets online in advance for the Uffizi and the David, you advance to the front of the line: 

Uffizi: https://www.uffizi.it/en/the-uffizi

David: https://www.galleriaaccademiafirenze.it/en/tickets/
[Note: After getting your tickets online in advance, you need to take your confirmation email to the ticket office (across the street and down a few doors from the museum entrance) to get your physical tickets before lining up to enter the museum.]

A good resource in Firenze is an American woman, moved from Texas, her website is called Girl in Florence: http://girlinflorence.com/

If you feel inclined, you might venture south of the river and wander the streets there a bit - far less touristy, it's more of a "real" neighborhood.

Another helpful website is Curious Appetite, which has local eating tips (check the blog) as well as options for guided tours: https://curiousappetitetravel.com/

For market tours in Florence, check out Judy Witts Francini at Divina Cucina: https://www.facebook.com/DivinaCucinaTours

And for a good overall source of information on Florence: www.florencewise.com/

EATING/DRINKING:

Note: Restaurants in Firenze, especially the popular ones, book up fairly far in advance. We suggest calling about 3 weeks ahead of time to make reservations.

Trattoria Camillo: Old school, very traditional, popular with locals and food writers. Two seatings for dinner so if you want a leisurely meal choose the later time. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. No website but here is some info:
https://www.cntraveler.com/restaurants/florence/trattoria-cammillo

Trattoria Sostanza: Very tiny place, renowned for its butter chicken, and its artichoke omelette. One of our favorite places. Two seatings for dinner, so choose the later one or you must leave the table in 1.5 hours. Closed Saturday and Sunday. No website but some info here: https://www.instagram.com/trattoriasostanzafirenze/

Mad Souls and Spirits: Fun cocktail bar, with quirkily named artisanal cocktails. Tiny place with a big, fun attitude. Open every night at 6pm.
https://www.madsoulsandspirits.com/

Semel Street Food: Little sandwich shop just off Sant’Ambrogio market. No seats; you just order your sandwich (and maybe a glass of wine while you wait) and eat it standing. Very unusual flavor combinations. Great place for an affordable snack that is inventive and delicious. Highly regarded by locals. Open Mon-Sat from 11:30-2:30; closed Sundays. Cash only.
https://www.cntraveler.com/restaurants/florence/semel

Il Santo Bevitore: A collection of restaurant, bakery, and gastronomia, all highly regarded. Check website for hours and location of each. Excellent eating guaranteed at all three.
http://ilsantobevitore.com/

Drogheria Italian Hamburgheria: Hamburger and cocktail bar making the biggest hamburgers ever! Large and extensive cocktail list. Very hipster place, a fun night out. They make their own herbal amaro here, which you can buy a bottle of to bring home.
https://www.drogheriafirenze.it/

Antica Trattoria da Tito dal 1913: A small, very hip place in a quiet neighborhood north of the main tourist sites. Run by cool hipsters, they turn out excellent traditional and authentic plates. Grilled meats are a feature of the restaurant - it’s a great place to get a bisteca fiorentina. (This is one of those places that will rush you out after 90 minutes, so do yourself a favor and study the menu in advance so you can order right away.)
https://www.trattoriadatito.com/

HOTELS:

There are four hotels we prefer when staying in Firenze. The first is the most spectacular, which is right across from the Duomo. The second is also in the ZTL, but in a quiet neighborhood north of the main tourist sites. The other two are pretty nondescript, but they are outside of the ZTL (Zona Traffico Limitato), so you can drive to them without entering the ZTL and incurring a major fine. Both are within easy walking distance of Firenze’s major sights.

Palazzo Gamba:

Right across from the Duomo, Palazzo Gamba has several rooms, a few of which have stone balconies that overlook the Duomo itself. “Raffaele” is our favorite. If you stay here you must either park outside the city and walk in, or take the train in (carless).
https://www.palazzogambaflorence.com/

Terra Artis Guest House:

In a quiet part of the centro storico but close to many of the big sites, this guest house is a fantastic place to stay. Friendly and helpful staff, clean and nice rooms, easy entry. No parking (it’s in the ZTL) but it’s a 10-minute walk from the Parterre parking lot to the north.
http://www.terraartis.it/

Forte 16 Hotel:

This is the easiest hotel to get to if you have a car. Just outside the ZTL and the town walls, it is ideally located. There is a heated pool on the ground floor; you get free access but must make a reservation as they only allow a few guests in a time. Robes are provided in your room. There is a jacuzzi on the rooftop terrace that you can book time in for an added fee (terrace is free to visit). Rooms are nondescript, very corporate looking, but immaculate. Parking is underground; when you arrive one of the staff takes your car on an elevator to the parking structure. Parking extra but affordable.
https://www.forte16.com/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic

Hotel Horto Convento:

A little trickier to get to but still outside the ZTL; just map it first to make sure you arrive without crossing the ZTL. This is an old restored convent; beautiful grounds, with parking (costs extra but still affordable). Rooms are pretty nondescript, also pretty corporate, but very clean and comfortable.
https://www.hortoconvento.com/

SIGHTSEEING:

Travelers don’t really need our help finding sightseeing in Florence, of course. But one spot that’s often overlooked is the Piazza Michelangelo, a little bit out of town to the south. Easiest reached by car. From here the whole city is spread out below you.

Better yet: From that piazza, walk or drive up to the Abbazia di San Miniato al Monte for more spectacular views of Firenze, as well as a stunningly beautiful Basilica to visit. (Note: There are lots of steps!)

https://www.sanminiatoalmonte.it/

PARKING:

For cheap long-term daily parking, Parcheggio Villa Costanza is a big lot that has its own exit off of the Autostrada to the west of town. There you can leave your car for €7/day, and take a tram ride into the centro storico for about €3. (Ask for “biglietto andate e ritorno”, a round-trip ticket.)
All the info is available here in English. https://parcheggiovillacostanza.it/en/

For shorter term day-trip parking (not overnight), we like Parcheggio Sant’Ambrogio, on the east side of town. It’s just outside the ZTL/centro storico. It’s just a block from the Mercato Sant’Ambrogio, the oldest market in Firenze.
https://www.fipark.com/parcheggi/santambrogio/
https://mercatosantambrogio.it/

Note: In both of these lots (and many others all over Italy), you’ll take a ticket upon entry. When you’re ready to leave, before you go to the car, you’ll insert the ticket in a machine and pay the fee for the time you were there; the machine will validate your ticket and give it back, and you use this to exit.

For a relatively easy in-and-out on the north part of town, good for overnight, we like to park at the Parterre parking garage. From there it’s about a 20-minute walk to the Duomo area.
http://www.fipark.com/parterre/

SHOPPING:

Farmacia Monastica at San Miniato al Monte - A great selection of monks’ products - oils, tinctures, soaps, perfumes, liqueurs, biscotti, honeys, jams. At the Abbey above Piazza Michelangelo (see above).
https://www.sanminiatoalmonte.it/farmacia-monastica/

Francesco di Firenze - On the south side of the river. (Via Santo Spirito 62, 50125) An old-school shop for handmade leather goods: purses and bags, shoes, belts, wallets. High priced, but top-quality and hand-made pieces.

Officina Profumo - Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella - specializing in perfumes derived from herbs and flowers locally-grown by the monks of Santa Maria di Novella. The place is a free museum as well as a shop.
https://eu.smnovella.com/

ROME

Again, Rome is definitely NOT a “Little Roads” thing; but here are a few suggestions.

GENERAL INFO:

We love this site, run by an American woman who has lived there for decades: www.romewise.com

In general, we recommend staying in the Trastevere zone of Rome - this is a more residential, “real” part of the city, south of the Vatican area.

LODGING:

One specialty lodging option, especially if you’re taking the train in:

The Beehive https://www.the-beehive.com/
This place is run by Americans who have been living in Rome for a very long time. They can help with a lot of location-specific tips for visiting the city. You can also choose to eat here, they prepare vegetarian meals with vegan and gluten-free options.

Another lodging option that has parking on-site:

Fauno Urban Resort http://www.faunoresort.com/en/home-2/
This place is just a block from the Circus Maximus and a 10-minute walk to the Colosseum. It’s in a little residential walled enclave, with parking inside its enclosure, as well as a little swimming pool. Best of all, you can drive to it without crossing a ZTL.

Another with easy parking underground:

Hilton Garden Inn Rome Claridge
This is a Hilton chain hotel, not fancy but reliable; you can drive right up and park directly underneath for €25/day. It’s in a neighborhood dominated by various countries’ embassies. Easy walkable to the Villa Borghese park and the Museo Galleria Nazionale (but farther from the main part of town, like the Colosseo, Forum, Trevi fountain, etc). Several restaurants and bars are within an easy walk.

PARKING:

For long-term parking (hourly or overnight), there are a lot of garages; we think the easiest is this one. It’s about €35 per day, but it’s just a few blocks away from the Spanish Steps. Also convenient to the Villa Borghese park and grounds.
https://www.sabait.it/it/parcheggio-roma/parcheggio-saba-villa-borghese#

TAXI CABS are the best way to get around Rome, though they’re hard to find, and quite a bit more pricey. But they’re much quicker and easier than the bus or subway systems. Uber also has a growing presence in Rome, though not ubiquitous as it is in the US.