Italy and Europe

[disneychik21]

Podcast Crew and fellow listeners.....

I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime to be an English tutor in Turin, Italy this summer. I will be there for the month of July. I will have a Monday through Friday work schedule of 10-4. I will be off every night and on weekends. My boss will provide me with a month long train pass so I can go anywhere in Italy without paying. I plan to explore as much as I possibly can.

I know many of you have been to Europe and I am wondering what should I not miss? I know I will be visiting Rome and Paris (Disneyland Paris). What else should I do? Turin is northern Italy, so I am not far from Switzerland and France.

What should I not miss? Is there anything worth skipping? I LOVE history, so I would like to see several historical things.

 

[disneychik21]

Also, how does customs work? Am I going to pay a tax on every little thing I purchase while I'm in Europe?

 

[vwlfan]

Sorrento too!

 

[jcb]

Do not miss Venice.

Get Dan Brown's book, Inferno. Make notes of what to see in Florence and Venice. Karen (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3181163&page=2) suggested this link for a shortcut. http://www.visitflorence.com/itineraries-in-florence/places-inferno-in-florence.html

Marilee has some suggestions on this page: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3181163&page=5

Switzerland is gorgeous. When we finished the ABD Viva Italia in may 2012, we took the train to Lugano and then rented a car to drive around Switzerland. We ended up in Lauterbrunnen for the weekend. If you like to see mountains, that is the place. In Turin, you'll also be close to Zermatt and the Matterhorn.

Hope you enjoy yourself.

 

[GAN]

My family lives in Lugano(and in surrounding village in the mountains) -so I would definitely second the Switzerland idea. As far as other parts of Italy go, Siena is one of my favorite cities in all the world and would put that on top of my suggestions.

Here's a great video:

http://youtu.be/Q5oRHoqTbSo

Enjoy your time there -you're very fortunate!

 

[disneychik21]

So here are my relative plans. Please feel free to offer more suggestions. I will have four weekends.

I plan to make a weekend trip to Paris to see Disneyland Paris, Eiffel Tower, and Notre Dame Cathedral.

I plan to make a weekend trip to Rome. I plan to take one of the tours offered because I want to see as much as possible.

I want to make a day trip to Switzerland. Lugano is only a 2 hour train ride away, so I can easily make a day trip. I want to make a day trip to Genoa. It is just an hour and a half train ride. In Genoa, I want to spend a lot of time at the beach.

I want to make a day trip to Florence. There is a lot I want to see there. If I can find extra time, I would love to spend more time there. I want to take a wine tour and see all of the obvious things. I want to make a day trip to Venice. I found some really cool things on TripAdvisor.

Also, If I can find the time, I want to go to Pisa. I read that all of the sights are in one central area, so it is easy to see a good majority within an afternoon. It is a longer train ride, so I'm not sure if I will find the time.

A month seems like so long, but when I think of everything I want to do, it isn't long at all. I really want to experience as much as possible because who knows if I'll ever have the chance to go back to Europe.

Thanks for the advice!!!!!!

 

[jcb]

I should have also said you should try to get to Orvietto. http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=45003229&postcount=708

We took a bus, but I think it is also very accessible by rail.

 

[FireDancer]

Siena. I loved Rome, Florence, Venice, and all the main cities most people think of in Italy but if I were to go back and had to pick one city to visit it would be Siena. Very close to Siena and easily drivable is Pienza which is worth seeing if it is an option.

 

[disneychik21]

Siena. I loved Rome, Florence, Venice, and all the main cities most people think of in Italy but if I were to go back and had to pick one city to visit it would be Siena. Very close to Siena and easily drivable is Pienza which is worth seeing if it is an option.

What did you see while you were in Siena?

 

[FireDancer]

What did you see while you were in Siena?

The Duomo (The Piccolomini Library was my favorite part), The Torre del Mangia, and the Campo in general. I prefer to avoid most of the really touristy parts of cities and try to find places the locals go. I found a morning market during an early run over near the Montepaschi Arena for example.

 

[disneychik21]

My goodness. Siena is gorgeous too. Is there anything in Italy that is not gorgeous? I'm finding that I want to add days to my trip.

 

[GAN]

What did you see while you were in Siena?

Siena itself is something to see -a walled city, with narrow winding streets -many pedestrian only. One unusual site, is that of St. Catherine's(Patron Saint of Italy with Francis of Assisi) head -located inside the San Domenico Basillica. The story is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Siena

You mentioned one-day trips -these are going to be difficult in my opinion. For Florence for instance, sure you could walk the streets and get a feel for the city -maybe see The David, grab a decent meal and a gelato. But to limit a city of that historical significance to one day would be short changing yourself. Is it possible to take a few days or a week prior or after your teaching schedule to commit to travel?

 

[disneychik21]

Siena itself is something to see -a walled city, with narrow winding streets -many pedestrian only. One unusual site, is that of St. Catherine's(Patron Saint of Italy with Francis of Assisi) head -located inside the San Domenico Basillica. The story is here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Siena

You mentioned one-day trips -these are going to be difficult in my opinion. For Florence for instance, sure you could walk the streets and get a feel for the city -maybe see The David, grab a decent meal and a gelato. But to limit a city of that historical significance to one day would be short changing yourself. Is it possible to take a few days or a week prior or after your teaching schedule to commit to travel?

I might be able to take an extra day or two, but I will be leaving at the end of summer school and going back just in time for the new year to begin. I will really have a time crunch. I am really going to have to figure out exactly what I want to do because of the time limit. I know for sure I will spend a weekend taking a train to Paris because I will not be in Europe and skip Disneyland Paris. I also know for sure I want to go to Rome. It is my dream and I want to attend mass at St. Peters. What I could do with Florence is go the night before. I get off work everyday at 4, so I could easily take a and early evening train and be able to be there at night and the entire next day. My "trouble" will be that I will want to see too much.