Back from Viva Italia

[Diskidatheart]

Well, my first ABD trip is in the past....so sad! We had an absolutely wonderful time. Our guides, Heidi and Marco were the BEST! For those of you that have not been on a trip yet and you read these reviews about how great the guides are, you will still underestimate how wonderful they actually are. i couldn't even imagine the trip without them. I will have a trip report later, more like a link to a trip report as I did a daily newsletter on my Mac summarizing each day with pictures, but I have to figure out how to create a website. Stay tuned, it won't be too long. The most amazing thing about the trip was that it rained almost every day, but somehow, Disney scheduled all the outside activities around the raindrops...:lmao:

To answer some of the anticipated questions that I would guess are coming, the hotels that we stayed at were fantastic. The locations were ideal. The place in Tuscany was a bit in the middle of nowhere, but it was nice after all the walking in Rome. Believe me, there is ALOT of walking. We absolutely loved Venice. It is everything that you think of and then some more. It's beautiful in it's own unique way. The food that we had was buonissimo (delicious). The wine was even better and we couldn't believe how cheap it was for such good wine. The biggest surprise was how good the olive oil and balsamic vinegar was. We brought some home with us and need to find a good place in Pittsburgh to buy olive oil in the future.

We're glad to be back and we met many great people on this trip! Thanks to Heidi and Marco for making our trip so spectacular...you really did make this trip special for all 40 of us.

[Turtlemom]

Glad you had a great time--can't wait to read the trip report!!!!!

We're going on the Bella Italia trip on 8-8-10, but we're doing Rome first on our own--so I would love to read about your experiences to figure out what highlights we should go for.

Also curious if you have any packing tips. . . . did you wear shorts??? Did you need to dress up? I've heard that the churches and perhaps some other sites won't admit tourists in shorts or with bare shoulders. (Both are part of our daily summer wardrobe--so some adjustments will obviously need to be made.)

Looking forward to the pictures too!!!!!!

Turtlemom :thumbsup2

[Diskidatheart]

Glad you had a great time--can't wait to read the trip report!!!!!

We're going on the Bella Italia trip on 8-8-10, but we're doing Rome first on our own--so I would love to read about your experiences to figure out what highlights we should go for.

Also curious if you have any packing tips. . . . did you wear shorts??? Did you need to dress up? I've heard that the churches and perhaps some other sites won't admit tourists in shorts or with bare shoulders. (Both are part of our daily summer wardrobe--so some adjustments will obviously need to be made.)

Looking forward to the pictures too!!!!!!

Turtlemom :thumbsup2

I'm sure you'll have a great time on the Bella Italia trip. One of our guides is starting to guide those tours also, so hopefully you'll get Marco...he is great! It was a bit chilly at times, but Rome was the warmest of the locations we toured. I wore shorts on several occassions, except when we went to the Vatican. Although we did see someone in the Sistine Chapel with shorts, I would recommend wearing long pants for all or capris/skirt for the ladies there and you definitely need to cover your shoulders. In August, it will probably be very hot in Rome, so I don't think you'll need long pants. All the restaurants we went to were very casual. The two that we ate at were Il Chianti near the Trevi Fountain and La Rampa which was near the Spanish Steps. Both were excellent and shorts and t-shirts would be fine at either. We packed umbrellas with us, so in the few instances it did rain, we were OK. I would recommend small ones, otherwise you will have to buy them from the guys on the street. Bring a washcloth with you. My wife and I both said it was so nice to shower this morning with a washcloth.

[Tozzie]

Well, my first ABD trip is in the past....so sad! We had an absolutely wonderful time. Our guides, Heidi and Marco were the BEST! For those of you that have not been on a trip yet and you read these reviews about how great the guides are, you will still underestimate how wonderful they actually are. i couldn't even imagine the trip without them. I will have a trip report later, more like a link to a trip report as I did a daily newsletter on my Mac summarizing each day with pictures, but I have to figure out how to create a website. Stay tuned, it won't be too long. The most amazing thing about the trip was that it rained almost every day, but somehow, Disney scheduled all the outside activities around the raindrops...:lmao:

To answer some of the anticipated questions that I would guess are coming, the hotels that we stayed at were fantastic. The locations were ideal. The place in Tuscany was a bit in the middle of nowhere, but it was nice after all the walking in Rome. Believe me, there is ALOT of walking. We absolutely loved Venice. It is everything that you think of and then some more. It's beautiful in it's own unique way. The food that we had was buonissimo (delicious). The wine was even better and we couldn't believe how cheap it was for such good wine. The biggest surprise was how good the olive oil and balsamic vinegar was. We brought some home with us and need to find a good place in Pittsburgh to buy olive oil in the future.

We're glad to be back and we met many great people on this trip! Thanks to Heidi and Marco for making our trip so spectacular...you really did make this trip special for all 40 of us.

Sounds like you had a great trip, I am very happy you enjoyed yourself and am looking forward to your trip report/photos.

I have a question about your flight home, I have been relentlessly checking on flights to and from Europe since Saturday when that Volcanic ash cloud started to cause trouble again. So how were your flight(s) home, were they delayed ect.

[glassslipper2004]

Neat - we had Heidi and Marco on our Viva Italia trip almost two years ago! We LOVED them. Although our guides the next year were also good, they just couldn't compare to these two. I'm glad you had a fun time.

[Diskidatheart]

Sounds like you had a great trip, I am very happy you enjoyed yourself and am looking forward to your trip report/photos.

I have a question about your flight home, I have been relentlessly checking on flights to and from Europe since Saturday when that Volcanic ash cloud started to cause trouble again. So how were your flight(s) home, were they delayed ect.

We were delayed. Our flights were supposed to leave Venice at 11:35, but were delayed until 2:20...then due to a strike, we didn't leave until 4:10. We flew by the ash cloud and I got some pictures...maybe I'll blow it up and throw darts at it :lmao: We missed our connecting flight out of Philly, but USAir got us on the last flight leaving at 10:45. We made it home at 1am. The flight also took a little longer since we had to fly around the cloud. i think we were in the air a little over 10 hours instead of 9 1/2.

[Turtlemom]

Thanks for the restaurant and packing tips!
Can't wait to go this summer. I'll start looking for some cute peasant skirts that come "pre-wrinkled" to deal with the heat!

Let us know when that trip report comes on-line!

Turtlemompopcorn::

[Dahly]

Thanks for your report. I am so looking forward to reading it! I FINALLY convinced my DH just this past weekend that this is the trip for our 15th anniversary next year. It will be good to have someone's report to share with him. Glad you had a great time and happy you made it home safely, even though it may have been a little late.

Dahly

[WeLoveABD]

Marco and Heidi together again! They were our guides on this tour back in 2007--our first ABD; they set the bar for us--and it was a very high bar. Great guides. I look forward to your report!

(And I'll put this out there again, just in case a Disney rep is "listening"--why not post photos and bios of the guides on the web site??)

[Bronxboy52]

Having just gotten back from italy (with a great flyover view of Greenland due to the volcanic ash cloud), I echo your sentiments. Heidi and Marco were the BEST! In fact, the one day we stayed over in Venice, we must have said with :music::dancer:, how we could have used Heidi & Marco. It is amazing how much work they put into the trip. The final dinner gala was great and the picture montage was wonderful. I can't wait to see the CD that they will be sending. I think what really made the trip great was how well we all got along, considering the age, geographical and other differences.

[helenk]

I'm sure you'll have a great time on the Bella Italia trip. One of our guides is starting to guide those tours also, so hopefully you'll get Marco...he is great! It was a bit chilly at times, but Rome was the warmest of the locations we toured. I wore shorts on several occassions, except when we went to the Vatican. Although we did see someone in the Sistine Chapel with shorts, I would recommend wearing long pants for all or capris/skirt for the ladies there and you definitely need to cover your shoulders. In August, it will probably be very hot in Rome, so I don't think you'll need long pants. All the restaurants we went to were very casual. The two that we ate at were Il Chianti near the Trevi Fountain and La Rampa which was near the Spanish Steps. Both were excellent and shorts and t-shirts would be fine at either. We packed umbrellas with us, so in the few instances it did rain, we were OK. I would recommend small ones, otherwise you will have to buy them from the guys on the street. Bring a washcloth with you. My wife and I both said it was so nice to shower this morning with a washcloth.

Thanks for the tips. My daughter and I are going on this trip in less than 2 weeks. I've got a folder for all the tips I've printed from the boards.

[LEB]

I will be leaving on June 4 with my 23y daughter. :) It is very helpful reading what you have written and hope that we have the same good fortune with the guides. The tip about the washcloths was great. Do they have shampoos etc in the hotel rooms? I also wrote down your suggestions for restaurants in Rome. Thanks

[Diskidatheart]

I will be leaving on June 4 with my 23y daughter. :) It is very helpful reading what you have written and hope that we have the same good fortune with the guides. The tip about the washcloths was great. Do they have shampoos etc in the hotel rooms? I also wrote down your suggestions for restaurants in Rome. Thanks

I believe they did have shampoos and conditioners in each of the hotels, although we didn't use any of them. They had hairdryers at each place also, but my wife didn't like them because she had to hold the switch on the entire time using it, so she just used her own. You will love this trip. It truly is magical.

[helenk]

I believe they did have shampoos and conditioners in each of the hotels, although we didn't use any of them. They had hairdryers at each place also, but my wife didn't like them because she had to hold the switch on the entire time using it, so she just used her own. You will love this trip. It truly is magical.

Adding a hair dryer to our things to pack.

[helenk]

Just curious, how far is the airport in Venice from the hotel? Our flight back to Phila leaves VCE at 11:35 am, so just curious what time we will be shuttled over to the airport.

[LTFrench]

The airport is only 20 minutes or so from the hotel. Disney schedules you to be picked up about 3 hours before departure. It was a piece of cake. Now ordering coffee in the airport, that was another story, LOL!

We had a nice little Italian help us get all all luggage out of the boat/taxi, but remembered the Disney advice.... They did not have a paper with our name, Disney, nor Viva Italia on it and he pretended to speak no English as he tried to carry our luggage off saying "private car, private car". All I said was no money and he looked at me funny and left it all, LOL! Immediately the Disney people were there to pick up the pace. It was priceless.

[Diskidatheart]

Just curious, how far is the airport in Venice from the hotel? Our flight back to Phila leaves VCE at 11:35 am, so just curious what time we will be shuttled over to the airport.

We were on the same flight. We left the hotel at 9am and took the water taxi to the airport and were there by 9:30. The guides will give you all the instructions that you need. The one thing that they did forget to tell us (or more likely, I wasn't listening very well) was that there are 2 checkpoints after you dropped off your luggage at the ticket counter, one for security, which was a small line and one for customs, which was a long line. After we went through the security line, we went upstairs for a while since our flight was delayed and it was much quieter there. When we started to walk to the gate, we then noticed a very large line to get through. It took about 25 minutes for us to get to the gate, so just make sure you leave yourself a bit of time to get to the gate.

[Diskidatheart]

The airport is only 20 minutes or so from the hotel. Disney schedules you to be picked up about 3 hours before departure. It was a piece of cake. Now ordering coffee in the airport, that was another story, LOL!

We had a nice little Italian help us get all all luggage out of the boat/taxi, but remembered the Disney advice.... They did not have a paper with our name, Disney, nor Viva Italia on it and he pretended to speak no English as he tried to carry our luggage off saying "private car, private car". All I said was no money and he looked at me funny and left it all, LOL! Immediately the Disney people were there to pick up the pace. It was priceless.

We saw those guys too, but just totally ignored them. Fortunately the guy holding the Viva Italia sign was at the dock waiting for us. I would have loved to have seen the nice little Italian guys' face when you said no money.

[helenk]

We were on the same flight. We left the hotel at 9am and took the water taxi to the airport and were there by 9:30. The guides will give you all the instructions that you need. The one thing that they did forget to tell us (or more likely, I wasn't listening very well) was that there are 2 checkpoints after you dropped off your luggage at the ticket counter, one for security, which was a small line and one for customs, which was a long line. After we went through the security line, we went upstairs for a while since our flight was delayed and it was much quieter there. When we started to walk to the gate, we then noticed a very large line to get through. It took about 25 minutes for us to get to the gate, so just make sure you leave yourself a bit of time to get to the gate.

Thanks again for all your info.

[helenk]

The airport is only 20 minutes or so from the hotel. Disney schedules you to be picked up about 3 hours before departure. It was a piece of cake. Now ordering coffee in the airport, that was another story, LOL!

We had a nice little Italian help us get all all luggage out of the boat/taxi, but remembered the Disney advice.... They did not have a paper with our name, Disney, nor Viva Italia on it and he pretended to speak no English as he tried to carry our luggage off saying "private car, private car". All I said was no money and he looked at me funny and left it all, LOL! Immediately the Disney people were there to pick up the pace. It was priceless.

Ha, No Money, that always gets a good response. I will make sure we look out for a person holding a card with either our names or Viva Italia and
I will make sure I have the Italian word for coffee written on an index card.

[LEB]

I believe they did have shampoos and conditioners in each of the hotels, although we didn't use any of them. They had hairdryers at each place also, but my wife didn't like them because she had to hold the switch on the entire time using it, so she just used her own. You will love this trip. It truly is magical.
Thanks for the info, I forgot to ask about the hair dryers so that was great information. I am excited about the trip, never been to Europe before. Traveling with my new college grad will be a real treat!

[helenk]

Thanks for the info, I forgot to ask about the hair dryers so that was great information. I am excited about the trip, never been to Europe before. Traveling with my new college grad will be a real treat!

:) I travelling with my daughter who just graduated from college, we are both getting very excited.

[tigger_ttfn]

This will be our second overseas trip - the first was ABD Ireland last year. Is it common for the hotels not to have washcloths? We didn't have an issue in Ireland so I'm glad you mentioned it. I absolutely must have one for a shower.

Thanks for all the advice and I can't wait for your trip report! So glad you had a wonderful time.

[LTFrench]

We did not have wash clothes in London, Paris or anywhere in Italy. I took old ones from home, tossed them as I used them and ended up with that much more space in my luggage for olive oil.
Something I wish I had bought *even* more of. You can not get olive oil like in Italy, in the states, anywhere, same for the Parmesan cheese and the olives. Yum, yum!!

[Diskidatheart]

One other little word of advice. Obviously you can buy souvenirs where ever you want, but some things that I found were as follows:

1.) In Rome, if you want to buy clothing, this would be the place for it. When I mean clothing, it's probably the same stuff that you can buy in the states, but it would be from Rome.

2.) Vatican City...Obviously, anything religious you would want to buy here. I bought rosaries that were blessed by the Pope. They vary in price from anywhere between 12 Euros up to 100 Euros.

3.) Orvieto...if you want to buy some very good wine at a very low price, you will have time to get it here. You can buy it here for about 3 or 4 Euros a bottle and it's very good. You can also get Pottery here. They have beautiful pottery here.

4.) Tuscany...more wine here. I didn't buy any wine here, but it was also very good as it's made in Aritimino. I think it was a little more expensive than in Orvieto, but certainly not expensive. The one thing that I would highly recommend to buy here is Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar. It is by far the best that I have ever had and as mentioned above, I also wish I had bought more.

5.) Florence - Leather, leather, leather. If you ever wanted that perfect leather jacket that looks oh so good on you....buy it here. It is really good quality and reasonably priced. I wouldn't call it cheap, but not outrageous either. They sell scarves here too which are really cheap. My wife was a little disappointed that she didn't get any since you could talk them down to about 3 Euro.

6.) Venice - Masks (you can get masks of all sizes here). We bought a whole bunch of little ones for 3.50 Euro eachas Christmas presents. They can be used as refrigerator magnets or Christmas ornaments. We could have bought them cheaper in Florence, but I personally think they were nicer in Venice and we wanted to buy Venetian masks in Venice. My wife also got a Murano glass necklace and earrings in Venice. They were pretty reasonable too, but you'll definitely have to shop around for good prices.

If I was to do it again, I would have packed some bubble wrap in my carry on to wrap more olive oil up and bring home...it was that good. The place in Orvieto recommended that she wrap our pottery in bubble wrap and take it with us rather than shipping it due to the cost of shipping. Some places will ship it to the US free of charge, but I'm guessing their prices are a bit higher to cover the shipping. Believe me, there are many other things that you can purchase in all of these places and it really depends on your taste and style. I just wanted to give everyone a little bit of my personal advice because you always end up wondering "If I buy wine here, will it be cheaper somewhere else?" or "If I buy these Venetian masks in Florence, could I get a better price in Venice?". Hopefully this helps.

[LEB]

Thank you so much for the shopping tips. I am going to print your suggestions and carry them with me. Did you bring the olive oil and vinegar on board the plane as carry on? Was that a problem with customs, etc? Would you have considered shipping more home or are the costs too high?

[Diskidatheart]

Thank you so much for the shopping tips. I am going to print your suggestions and carry them with me. Did you bring the olive oil and vinegar on board the plane as carry on? Was that a problem with customs, etc? Would you have considered shipping more home or are the costs too high?

We actually kept them in the boxes that they provide and I packed them in my suitcase. I put plastic bags around them and then surrounded all the boxes with clothes to secure them. I didn't carry them on because the 3 oz rule applies in Europe as well. Ours ended up fine as I did really secure them in our luggage, but I would have been more comfortable if we had wrapped the bottles in bubble wrap. The hotel in Tuscany did have bubble wrap at one point, but ran out. I don't know how expensive it would be to ship, but I don't think the hotel was set up for shipping. That would be something to ask your guides. I know there was a limit of 2 bottles of wine per person that you could bring back, but I don't know if there was a limit of olive oil per person. We only brought 3 bottles back in total, so it wasn't an issue for us.

[Bronxboy52]

Having been on the same trip as Diskid, I concur with all of his recommendations. We did bring bubble wrap with us, which gave us more peace of mind that the bottles wouldn't break when the baggage handlers used our luggage for the Delta Airlines version of the Olympic Hammer Throw. My wige and I brought back 2 bottles of wine each, as well as 2 big bottles of olive oil and 3 smaller bottles. The olive oil is definitely worth bringing back, especially from Tuscany. Based upon recommendations from our tour guides, we also brought back 2 large cans of Italian tuna, which once you are there, you will understand why. I would also suggest that you bring back vacuum sealed parmigiana reggiano. If vacuum sealed, it can stay unrefrigerated for a long time until you get back home. If you do, however, you will have to go through an additional customs check for agricultural products. this took all of about 10 minutes.
Two pieces of advice. Be prepared to pay for using many public toilet facilities and watch out for the lunatic drivers. Even while walking on the sidewalks in Rome, you must be vigilant and alert!:dancer:

[LEB]

BronxBoy and Diskid - I can't thank you enough for your suggestions. I am a first time visitor to Europe and I can surely use all the advice I can get!!!

[tigger_ttfn]

Thanks for all the great shopping advice. I always hate that feeling when you get back home and think "Man, I wish I had bought xxx!"

[helenk]

How were the hotels in Tuscany and Venice? The ABD website lists Hotel Paggeria Medicea as the hotel in Tuscany, but my booklet indicates the hotel is Borgo di Artimino.

[LTFrench]

How were the hotels in Tuscany and Venice? The ABD website lists Hotel Paggeria Medicea as the hotel in Tuscany, but my booklet indicates the hotel is Borgo di Artimino.

Those are the same hotel, or at least the same property, in Tuscany. It's an old estate dating back to the 1400's (?) belonging to the Medicea family. The AbD group pretty much filled up the stable rooms. You are on top of a mountain with pretty much nothing but this estate and the views. The ride to the top is very interesting, pick your side of the bus carefully, LOL! This is the place to get the olive oil. Be sure and save space. This is also the place to enjoy the local olives, at the wine tasting. They are not grown by the estate, but down the road. We did not find them available for purchase, so eat all you can get, and some for me, too!!

The Venice hotel we stayed in was the Dei Dogi and it was very, very nice. 3 bridges away from *the action* which was perfect. Far enough to be quiet but still plenty close enough.

One thing that we noticed is that the Italians really don't want you to enjoy coffee in your room. My DH usually goes and gets me a cup to enjoy as I get around, not easily done on this trip and definitely not done with a smile when you can make it happen.

[helenk]

Thank you, I thought that the website for the the "2" hotels looked very similar and that explains it.
I am going out today to get some bubble wrap so I can buy olive oil to bring back.
I get so excited each time I get more information. This time next week we will be doing our last minute packing because we fly out Tuesday evening.

[Diskidatheart]

Helen - You are going to have such a wonderful time. It really is magical! I'm envious that you are leaving in week even though I just got back. As much as I hated the long flight, I would hop on a plane again today to do it all over again. One other thing that I remembered is to make sure your adapter is compatible for Italy. The one we bought was good for everywhere in Europe except Italy. It probably is, but it's good to double check anyway. We didn't read the small print and were fortunate enough to be able to borrow one from one of our guides.

[helenk]

Helen - You are going to have such a wonderful time. It really is magical! I'm envious that you are leaving in week even though I just got back. As much as I hated the long flight, I would hop on a plane again today to do it all over again. One other thing that I remembered is to make sure your adapter is compatible for Italy. The one we bought was good for everywhere in Europe except Italy. It probably is, but it's good to double check anyway. We didn't read the small print and were fortunate enough to be able to borrow one from one of our guides.

I am not looking forward to that long flight. I am so use to the 2 and half hour flights to Florida! Last year I went to California and I just want to keep asking "Are we there yet"? I will definately take some good books to read.

I will have my daughter check her adapter today. She used it when she went to Ireland, but I did not think to look to see if it could be used in Italy. If not we have time to run to our AAA to buy another one.

[Bronxboy52]

A few other bits of information that may be helpful. When in Orvieto, definitely get a porchetta sandwich. There are many places that sell them. They are roasted pork (either stuffed or unstuffed) and are "indescribably delicious"! I am sorry that I didn't by an extra one to take back with me. Also, be prepared for the "restaurant pimps" in Venice. The competition among the restaurants is so fierce that an employee stands outside and as you walk by tries to convince you to sample the restaurnat's fare. It is pretty amusing, although after a while, gets somewhat annoying. We actually went to 1 place along the Grand Canl based upon the description of the pizza. However, we got up and left because the manager would not allow the 4 of us to split 2 pizzas. He insisted that we had to buy 4 entrees. We did find an out-of-the-way small pizza shop not far from the Rialto Bridge that served the thicker cristed pizza that we are used to.

[glassslipper2004]

It's amazing, we have done two great trips since Viva Italia, but it is still so fresh in my mind and brings back such wonderful memories.

We ate at a wonderful place on the Grand Canal in Venice. We did each order our own entree (we weren't forced to, we just did), including some of the best linguini with clams I have ever had. It was lovely to be able to sit right there, with one of the world's most amazing views. Don't discount the lovely views at the tourist places - that lunch and one in Rome on a piazza were among my favorites.

I wish I had known about buying olive oil in Tuscany - I'm not sure how I missed that! But I did get some great pottery in Orvieto. I only wish I had had more time there, or had tasted the sandwich a poster mentioned above.

You will adore this trip, and the guides (when we were first confronted with a pay toilet, as I rushed my daughter to one in Rome, Heidi even came up with the change!)

[LTFrench]

We tasted the porchetta at the meat and cheese shop, bought a small amount to munch on later, no bread necessary! Then had the meat and cheese trays at L'Oste Del Re, a sliced tomato on the side and all the relishes they offered for the cheese. A liter of house white (like drinking water!) and some bread with their olive oil, a lunch sent from heaven! We bought their olive oil, their spicy, sweet relish and took their recommendations for which cheeses to go back and get at the cheese/meat shop.

[DisFan10]

Here's another tip for those who use hair dryers. While at the Bernini Bristol, I plugged my Conair 1875 watt dryer into the dual-voltage outlet as I thought it would be compatible. Well, it wasn't because the entire room went black once I turned on the dryer. I had to call the Front Desk to restore power to my room but they were very understanding... :rolleyes1

[wdwsos]

Turtlemom, I was thinking of you this week when I FINALLY put up some of my Bella Italia photos from last year! http://picasaweb.google.com/DottiSaroufim/2009BellaItalia?authkey=Gv1sRgCO3J3KyV3-znDQ&feat=directlink

They're a bit people-intensive, but all 19 of us were friends, so I got a little carried away. I have a lot more to put up, but these 200+ will have to do for now. :)

A note on hairdryers and adapters vs. converters. An adapter only takes the plug of your electrical appliance and adapts it to fit into the socket -- period. If you are taking something as powerful as a hairdryer, you need an electrical converter or you will destroy it immediately. Some laptops, cell phones, iPod chargers, etc. have the converter built in, but many don't so be especially careful with those!

Dotti

[Diskidatheart]

A note on hairdryers and adapters vs. converters. An adapter only takes the plug of your electrical appliance and adapts it to fit into the socket -- period. If you are taking something as powerful as a hairdryer, you need an electrical converter or you will destroy it immediately. Some laptops, cell phones, iPod chargers, etc. have the converter built in, but many don't so be especially careful with those!

Dotti

My wife bought a hairdryer that was 1875 watts for this trip. It stated right on the box that it is good for 110 to 240 volts. Our battery charger did not say it was good for 110 - 240, so we went out and bought another one that was compatible. As Dotti said, this is very important or you will fry your stuff. If it doesn't say 110 - 220(or 240), then don't trust it. 240 is better because the voltage could vary slightly from place to place, but it needs to be at least 220.

[helenk]

note on hairdryers and adapters vs. converters. An adapter only takes the plug of your electrical appliance and adapts it to fit into the socket -- period. If you are taking something as powerful as a hairdryer, you need an electrical converter or you will destroy it immediately. Some laptops, cell phones, iPod chargers, etc. have the converter built in, but many don't so be especially careful with those!


I was in Target yesterday trying to decide whether to buy an adapter or converter. I was not sure what the difference was, beside the higher price for the converter. They did have the converter that also had the adapter plugs so I guess that would be the better way to go.

[Diskidatheart]

I was in Target yesterday trying to decide whether to buy an adapter or converter. I was not sure what the difference was, beside the higher price for the converter. They did have the converter that also had the adapter plugs so I guess that would be the better way to go.

Helen - The converter is what is needed to convert any items that you have that are 110 volts to 220 volts, which is what is used in Europe. This is what allows your items to be used without frying them. The adapter is basically a plug that you plug your item into before plugging them into the wall. At a minimum, you will need an adapter that will work for Italy. The outlets in Italy have 2 large round holes that you plug your items into (opposed to the flat prongs on plugs in the US). The converter is only needed if your electrical items are not universal (i.e. only are compatible with 110 volts). It should say somewhere on the item in small print whether it is good for use from 110 - 220 volts. We bought a small hairdryer at target for about $15 that did not need a converter and then we checked our battery charger and it needed a converter, so instead of paying $30 for a converter, we bought a new charger at Radio Shack for $35 and now have twice as many rechargable batteries. All of our other electronic items (laptop and phones) only needed the adapters. I hope that helps.

[helenk]

Helen - The converter is what is needed to convert any items that you have that are 110 volts to 220 volts, which is what is used in Europe. This is what allows your items to be used without frying them. The adapter is basically a plug that you plug your item into before plugging them into the wall. At a minimum, you will need an adapter that will work for Italy. The outlets in Italy have 2 large round holes that you plug your items into (opposed to the flat prongs on plugs in the US). The converter is only needed if your electrical items are not universal (i.e. only are compatible with 110 volts). It should say somewhere on the item in small print whether it is good for use from 110 - 220 volts. We bought a small hairdryer at target for about $15 that did not need a converter and then we checked our battery charger and it needed a converter, so instead of paying $30 for a converter, we bought a new charger at Radio Shack for $35 and now have twice as many rechargable batteries. All of our other electronic items (laptop and phones) only needed the adapters. I hope that helps.

I really appreciate all your tips and advice. I am such a dweeb when it comes to getting all this together.

[Diskidatheart]

I really appreciate all your tips and advice. I am such a dweeb when it comes to getting all this together.

I'm glad I could help. I'd hate to see someone fry their battery charger or hairdryer in a foreign country because they didn't understand the differences.

[aduck126]

wow, sounds amazing! I'm so jealous! This is my dream vacation, maybe someday we will be able to get there.

[sayhello]

Ha, No Money, that always gets a good response. I will make sure we look out for a person holding a card with either our names or Viva Italia and
I will make sure I have the Italian word for coffee written on an index card.I found out towards the end of my Med ABD that if you want 'American-type' *coffee* ask for Cafe' Americano. Otherwise you get the teeny cup of very concentrated cafe'. Which is very good, but VERY strong, and, for me, not as satisfying as a big cup of coffee (the Americano is basically just cafe' diluted with hot water).

Sayhello

[LEB]

Speaking about money, where is the best place to use an ATM? Did you travel over with euros? I leave Friday and keep getting conflicting information. People say in the airport at an ATM others say find a bank and still others say not at a bank. Help! Your thoughts board members.

[Diskidatheart]

I took some Euros with me, probably too much. In Rome, there was an ATM/bank right around the corner that you could use and in Venice there are ATM's all over the place, but you have to walk to find one. I believe there are also ATM's in Florence, but really didn't look. The best thing to do is to use your credit card whenever possible and you'll get the best exchange rate.

[tigger_ttfn]

Diskidatheart - Did you find that you could use credit cards at most places? I assume that I would need cash for gelato and other smaller dining places.

[LEB]

I took some Euros with me, probably too much. In Rome, there was an ATM/bank right around the corner that you could use and in Venice there are ATM's all over the place, but you have to walk to find one. I believe there are also ATM's in Florence, but really didn't look. The best thing to do is to use your credit card whenever possible and you'll get the best exchange rate.

Thanks for the information. I do plan on charging but I assume there will be times I need cash. Did you tip the guides in Euros? What can I expect to pay on average for a typical dinner - just want to get an idea how food prices compared to home? Can't believe trip is a few days away. :yay:

[Diskidatheart]

Diskidatheart - Did you find that you could use credit cards at most places? I assume that I would need cash for gelato and other smaller dining places.


I thought you could use credit cards at most places. Most restaurants were no problem and since gelato is pretty inexpensive, it's better to use cash. We did need cash for one of the restaurants, but they do have a notice on their menu if they don't accept credit cards. It's best to ask when you sit down to be sure.

[Diskidatheart]

Thanks for the information. I do plan on charging but I assume there will be times I need cash. Did you tip the guides in Euros? What can I expect to pay on average for a typical dinner - just want to get an idea how food prices compared to home? Can't believe trip is a few days away. :yay:

You are going to have such a wonderful time. I tipped the guides in US dollars. We figured we would be tipping the max so we set aside enough in envelopes and locked them up in each hotel room. The food prices vary as they do in the states and it depends on how much you eat. I thought that prices for the main course were very reasonable, such as 10 - 15 Euros a plate. However, we got appetizers at most places and those would be anywhere from 8-15 Euros, depending on what you got. Venice was a bit more expensive than Rome. If I recall correctly, our meals in Rome were about 60 Euro total for 2 and I typically had a half bottle of wine and my wife would drink a soft drink or water. In Artimino, the dinner that was on our own was a little more than Rome also and probably around 80 Euros for the two of us. In Venice, the dinner that we had was probably about the same price as in Artimino, 80 Euros for 2 of us. Don't forget, there is no tipping necessary in Italy. Was a little strange not tipping, but not necessary.

[tigger_ttfn]

Since we are discussing food, I have a question about breakfast. I haven't been to Europe but only to Ireland. The breakfast buffets had normal "American" type food as well as Irish favorites. I was just wondering what types of food Italians have for breakfast.

Also, were you 80 euro dinners considered the nice restaurants? If so, that is pretty reasonable.

[Diskidatheart]

Since we are discussing food, I have a question about breakfast. I haven't been to Europe but only to Ireland. The breakfast buffets had normal "American" type food as well as Irish favorites. I was just wondering what types of food Italians have for breakfast.

Also, were you 80 euro dinners considered the nice restaurants? If so, that is pretty reasonable.

Breakfasts in Rome was a combination of Italian and American. There were lots of cheese and breads. They also had scrambled eggs, bacon, and very delicious sausage. Lots and lots of different types of bread in each place we stayed. The breakfasts in Venice was similar (not quite the same but similar). Tuscany was a little scaled back. Mostly just breads and pastries, which were wonderful, and cheeses. There was also ham on the buffet in Tuscany.

The 80 Euro dinner in Tuscany was a little fancier. The one in Venice wasn't quite so fancy, but we sat outside. Most restaurants that I saw in Rome and Venice were very casual and had outdoor seating. Not real fancy, but oh so delicious.

[LEB]

Thank you Diskidatheart for all your help!:)

[Gr00vyChc]

Did you itinerary in Venice include some mask making for the kiddos? May I ask where and what shop you did this in? Were the prices for the craft making reasonable? Thank you!

[Diskidatheart]

Did you itinerary in Venice include some mask making for the kiddos? May I ask where and what shop you did this in? Were the prices for the craft making reasonable? Thank you!

We did do mask making in Venice. I'm sorry, but I don't know what the name of the place was called. It was set up by ABD as part of our trip so I don't know if the cost of the mask making was expensive or not. As a side note, our trip was an adults only trip and I know the adults enjoyed this and I'm sure the kiddos on the regular trip enjoy it as well.