I'm Goin' To Italy On Saturday...Any Helpful Hints ?

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by DJ_Critterus

I was raised in Naples. What do you want to know?

Should I bring a pile of cash and convert to Euros when we get there ?
We will be going to Naples also...
My main concern is the best way to manage the money, at the least cost , and bet exchange rate.
We will be on a structured tour the entire time, so I'll just follow the tour.

[GinnyC6]

Don't get too excited about Pisa. The only thing there is the tower. You will love Rome and Venice, and pick up a local made Pinocchio in Venice.

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by GinnyC6

Don't get too excited about Pisa. The only thing there is the tower. You will love Rome and Venice, and pick up a local made Pinocchio in Venice.

Ya, I heard that......Gotta do the Chevy Chase double take, and leave though...Well, the obligatory holding up the tower pic is a must do too...

[GinnyC6]

Oh yea, most all public restrooms in Italy are pay as-you-go.

[DJ_Critterus]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

Should I bring a pile of cash and convert to Euros when we get there ?
We will be going to Naples also...
My main concern is the best way to manage the money, at the least cost , and bet exchange rate.
We will be on a structured tour the entire time, so I'll just follow the tour.

I'd get a couple of Euros before leaving then get more over there as needed. Keep your wallet in your front pocket. I always kept a money belt with spare cash in it.

As far as the food, make sure to get an Insalata Caprese or Pannino Allo Caprese con Prosciutto.

The first is a Caprese Salad made with water Buffalo Mozzarella. The second is the same salad between two slabs of italian bread (hard on the outside but very soft inside) with some cured ham.

While in Naples I hope you get to see Vesuvius, Pompeii, Herculaneum, the Islands in the bay (see the blu grotto in Capri), and Sorrento. I have tons of inlaid wood art made there.

I also have a hand carved/painted marble chess set from Pisa I bought for about $300.00 when I was 13. I think it's valued at about 8-10K last appraisal I had.

In Rome, stay as far away from any kids trying to sell you a piece of newspaper. You'll pay for that if they get to close.

Oh, People will treat you much better if you simply try to use their language. Take a dictionary or electronic one, but try to pronounce the words first instead of simply showing them what you are looking up.

[Jeff '79]

It looks like every card that I have has a 3% foreign transaction fee attached to it....Oh well, such is life.....$30.00 on $1k.....
That's enough to piss any human off......
Oh well, at least they won't make any money off of interest, as I'll pay 'em off when I get back....
Copied all passports
Copied the back of the credit cards
Copied the travel insurance confirmation
Copied the Toronto parking confirmation
Hmmm...Now to print some money.......

[DJ_Critterus]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

It looks like every card that I have has a 3% foreign transaction fee attached to it....Oh well, such is life.....$30.00 on $1k.....
That's enough to piss any human off......
Oh well, at least they won't make any money off of interest, as I'll pay 'em off when I get back....
Copied all passports
Copied the back of the credit cards
Copied the travel insurance confirmation
Copied the Toronto parking confirmation
Hmmm...Now to print some money.......

Ask one of our Democrats and the Chinese about that one.

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by DJ_Critterus

Ask one of our Democrats and the Chinese about that one.

It's the American way.......

[Admiral Blue]

Whoa, whoa, whoa...slow down. This trip has not been approved by the finance department of VBOT. Who will watch the markets and render opinions in your absence? I know your S&P targets, but heck, you cannot just skip town on us! Well, OK, go ahead...and have a great time!

As far as I know, my Marriott Premier Visa card waives foreign transaction fees. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions about the card--I have 3 of them and have been using them for years. Be careful because they have a bunch of cards available. This is a personal card, not a business one and it is black, if that helps.

Jeff

[Joecooool]

Florence and Pompeii are outstanding Rome is way over crowded, Pisa is a tourist trap and Venice smells like shit in the summer time. If you have time to do a tour of Tuscany hill towns, take it. Pienza, Montipulciano and Montacino are magnificant.

Buy a international data plan from AT&T. Download Skype and put ten dollars in your Skype account. Connect to wifi when you can and only use Skype to call out. MacDonalds all have free wifi.

Don't bring any cash, hit the atm at the airport and pull out $500 euros. Charge as much as you can and pay cash when you have to.

Have fun, and remember you are a guest in their country. North of Rome everyone speaks English. South, not so much. Learn a few basic Italian words and try to speak to them in their language first.

[polarbear]

Originally Posted by BuckyThreadkiller

Plan on taking 3 hours to eat dinner.

And enjoy it.

Keep one hand on your wallet at all times. We went with another couple and she lost her wallet on the subway in Rome and he got his picked at the train terminal in Naples.


Other than that, Italy was amazing. I'd go back in a heartbeat.

I love Italy- my favorite European Country (and I'm native German).

Am I the only person that leaves the cell phones at home when we go? We look at it this way- when you're 5,000 miles away from home, even if an epic emergency came up, there's nothing you can do about it other than worry.

[Icedancer]

Rome - get a PRIVATE Tour Guide (not a group guide) for the Vatican -
the lines form before sunrise and are hours long to get in.
The PRIVATE Tour Guides have their own entrance, immediate entry, and are let in about 10 minutes before the public line, if you do the early gig.

Florence - same as above to see the statue of David by Michelangelo.

Venice - Get a half-day private guide as above - same deal, private entrances, or the guide walks you straight to the front, NO waiting.

Venice - if you see a colored umbrella held in the air, walk the other way.
If you see a couple colored umbrellas held in the air, RUN - 200 Cruise ship tourists are coming around the corner, usually Japanese. Ever see a stampede in an old western flick?

Eat grilled cheese sandwiches if you have to, to afford a guide. Food is just fuel.

A half-day private guide in each of those cities will literally triple the experiences you will have, and the one-on-one education about the art, palaces, Vatican, etc will help you understand what you are experiencing to a depth that the general public does not even imagine.

Our Venice guide's husband was a Corvette fan - I shipped her two C6 polo shirts after we got back. I have her business card at home (I am not home). She will remember me.
If you are interested, my son may be able to find it in my contacts file. If so, PM me asap.

The private guides are registered, spend about 10 years to get certified in their City of specialization, and are walking encyclopedias.

Godspeed! And have a wonderful trip.

Semper Fi

[tshirts and jeans]

i agree with icedancer....get a private tour ....the others go at very slow pace and you don't see as much bcuz of the crowd.......also in some places if you sit down to eat --your food will cost more.....in other words you pay for the table.....buy anything made with italian leather as it never wears out....i have been carrying a purse for almost 5 yrs now...you have to catch a taxi in certain areas--they will not pick you up just off the street........take nothing valuable and watch out for pickpockets........enjoy

[island14]

I have not been there Jeff, but do know that most other countries DO NOT use 110 electric.

Make sure you DO NOT plug anything in like your cell phone charger, or laptop without first making sure it converts from 220/240 to 110 first.

If you can pick up a power converter before you go I would recommend it if needed..

Also not all places use our type of plug in receptacles, so you might have to get an adapter there.


Will you be anywhere near Ferrara?

A friend of mine "Guido" that lives there tells me they have been hit with almost daily earth quakes lately.

PM me if you want his email for a local contact. He is a car guy and would also probably enjoy meeting up with you if you will be close.

Sounds like you might take a bunch of cash with you to beat the credit card rates and exchange, so get a money belt, don't carry a lot of cash in your wifes purse or your wallet. and do not leave cash in your hotel room.

Also keep a smaller bit of cash in a separate pocket to ("tip" )the cops that might want to shake you down for jaywalking or some other imagined crime.
(that way they don't see what all you have and demand more)


Get lots of photos for us also! Cars, scenery, and most important! the womenz


I heard a lot of Italian girls have hairy nipples, please do some recon and report back to me on this.



And most important!



HAVE FUN!

[island14]

Recent Email from Guido 5/24

Hi Tim

Unfortunately here things are not going as we would like to see;

You know that in Italy we are having economic troubles but this is not the real issue; perhaps you heard that in Italy we have had a strong earthquake few days ago, this is the issue!

The earthquake center was less than 30Km from Ferrara ,where I live, some small towns very close to the earthquake had a 6.1 hit (Richter scale), fortunately they had only 7 fatalities but anyway there are now several wounded people and about 7.000-8.000 roofless people: Also in Ferrara we had some damages to houses , monuments and churches. I have some damages too in my house, fortunately it looks that my damages are only at wall surface level and not at structural level, anyway I will have a sure result in the following days after the expertise visit I’ve asked; let’s cross fingers!

It happened at 4 am. I have been woke-up by a tremendous rumble and the bed jumping; for 2-3 second I thought that the roof was to collapse and that we were arrived at our path end. By sure nobody is relaxed now, in fact we are having now an average of 40 small earthquakes per day, some of them is small and are not perceived and some other are not strong as the first hit but are well perceived.

Some people prefer to sleep in the car or caravans, if they have one, and some other like me sleep at home but ready to jump out….it is a very bad way of living! Of course the most unlucky ones, those that have no more home, are sleeping in big tents set-up by government emergency management; and they are by sure much more sad than me. Worst thing is that hits are still going on and nobody can say till when and how strong…..It’s terrible.



I am happy for your good news about Steve arrival and wish you the best for him.



Best regards



Guido

[NEED-A-VETTE]

Originally Posted by wwomanC6

Northern Italy was hit with another deadly earthquake today, second one this year.

Know what to do in a disaster and where in the region to seek help. Ask the tour guide what to do and key phrases to remember in the local language!

Don't leave your safety solely in their hands, be prepared and know what your going to do.

The cruise ship that sank off the coast of Italy had a boat drill scheduled the next day. How many people died because they did not know what to do?

The only one really looking out for your family is YOU!



Have a great time! Take lots of pics!

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

That could make it really interesting......

Register your travel with the U.S. Department of State. If a disaster happens, they'll know you're there. They get US citizens out and can offer other assistance, if needed.

If something catastrophic were to happen, they've been know to get people out, even when local infastructure (such as airports) is not running. During the Japanese tsunami, planes were chartered for evacuations even when the airport was closed. I believe in some cases, military bases and planes were used.

Obviously not something you hope will happen, but better to be prepared and not need it, than to need it and not be prepared.

The Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) is a free service provided by the U.S. Government to U.S. citizens who are traveling to, or living in, a foreign country.
STEP allows you to enter information about your upcoming trip abroad so that the Department of State can better assist you in an emergency.

STEP also allows Americans residing abroad to get routine information from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.

U.S. consular officers assist Americans who encounter serious legal, medical, or financial difficulties. Although consular officers cannot act as your legal counsel or representative, they can provide the names of local attorneys and doctors, provide loans to destitute Americans, and provide information about dangerous conditions affecting your overseas travel or residence. Consular officers also perform non-emergency services, helping Americans with absentee voting, selective service registration, receiving federal benefits, and filing U.S. tax forms. Consular officers can notarize documents, issue passports, and register American children born abroad. Most embassies and consulates have web sites with more information.

[Jeff '79]

Originally Posted by Admiral Blue

Whoa, whoa, whoa...slow down. This trip has not been approved by the finance department of VBOT. Who will watch the markets and render opinions in your absence? I know your S&P targets, but heck, you cannot just skip town on us! Well, OK, go ahead...and have a great time!

As far as I know, my Marriott Premier Visa card waives foreign transaction fees. Check it out and let me know if you have any questions about the card--I have 3 of them and have been using them for years. Be careful because they have a bunch of cards available. This is a personal card, not a business one and it is black, if that helps.

Jeff

Don't do anything until I get back......

S&P to 1275......Then buy !

I don't think that I can get the Marriott Card in time. Can I borrow yours ?

[Jeff '79]

We are on a private tour for the entire time, so getting to the front of the line will not be a problem... That's one of the big reasons that we took an all inclusive tour.
I guess I gotta get a plug converter thing, hu ? I'll go to Radio Shack later.

Thanks for all the tips so far. There are some things that I never thought of, and simply didn't know.......

[Admiral Blue]

Hmmm...same first names...I actually thought about that for a minute, however the consequences for both of us could be severe.

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by Jeff '79

Should I bring a pile of cash and convert to Euros when we get there ?
We will be going to Naples also...
My main concern is the best way to manage the money, at the least cost , and bet exchange rate.
We will be on a structured tour the entire time, so I'll just follow the tour.

Don't take a bunch of cash, just some and use your CC or debit card for all the stuff you can. Reason? Well, they charge a VAT there that is pretty damn stiff. If you pay with your CC, that gets refunded back when you get back to the states. If you pay cash, HAH! They keep the VAT. When I bought a nice suit in Rome, the VAT alone was around $200.

You can find tremendous leather goods like nice belts and shoes there for really good deals and the quality is top notch. Pick up five or six belts, you'll be happy you did. I think I paid around $10 or so for each one I bought there.