Travel Throughout Italy on a Budget

With the world stuck in this financial crisis, it is no wonder that Italian tourism is suffering. Right now the only thing that can increase tourism and turn things around for the travel sector is the strengthening of the American dollar and the abundant travel bargains going on in Italy.

All throughout the Italian peninsula you can find special hotel, bed&breakfast, car rental packages and so forth.

Check out the following specials I found:

Bed & Breakfasts:
In Volterra (Pisa) you can get a double room in an apartment for about 40 euros per person. This is a 10 percent discount on their prices. Check out www.bbitalia.it for properties, pictures and prices. I suggest however that you try to get references before making reservations through the top travel forums. My favorites are www.italymag.co.uk and www.slowtrav.com.

Long Term Property Rentals:
Here is a partial list of some property rentals (long term) available right now in Umbria through www.diamanteimmobiliare.com:

-Castiglione del Lago vicinity: furnished apartment on the ground floor with large garden. Euro 500/month Ref.CDL0750
-Castiglione del Lago vicinity: furnished detached villa on two levels with garage,laundry, porch and garden. Euro 700/month Ref.CDL0729
-Citta' della Pieve vicinity: furnished apartment on the ground floor with private garden,cellar, and garage. Euro 500/month Ref.CDP0701
-Paciano: restored ground floor apartment with own entrance with living room, kitchenette,bedroom and bathroom. Nicely finished Euro 350/month.Ref.PA0631
-Cortona: unfurnished restored three story house with storage on the ground floor. Euro 450/month Ref.T0731

You can get more longterm property rental information through www.casa.it which lists all the major real estate agencies which on the most part also do property rentals.

Car rentals:
For car rentals, try www.italycar.net. You can rent an economy car for 23 euros per day. Again, get references from the travel forums if you can.

I will be on the lookout for more bargains..

Where to Eat in Chiusi and Cetona When You Travel to Italy

It has taken awhile to know the best places to eat in and around my town of Chiusi (Siena) Italy. One of the advantages of being married with a Chiusino is knowing the ins and outs of the best eateries. Keep these places in mind should you visit the Valdichiana area.

Chiusi (Lake)
The Restaurant "Da Gino" is literally one minute from the lake. Don't be put off by the look of this restaurant as it looks more like a big cafeteria than a quaint Italian restaurant. The owners Claudio and his sister Manuela have been running this place with their family for over 30 years. This place is a favorite among locals. The pici pasta are extraordinary and made by hand and the grilled persico is a lake fish favorite. I suggest both. The meat is also very very good. Don't forget cantucci and order the house red wine which is usually very good.

Chiusi (lake) Directions:from freeway offramp go right toward Chiusi. You will see a sign on the left with Lago written on it before getting to old town. Turn left and follow all the curves and signs until you reach the lake. You cannot miss it. They are open for lunch and do make reservations for dinner as it is always crammed with people.

Chiusi (near freeway offramp)adjacent to Il Patriarca Hotel
The locanda "La Taverna del Patriarca" is about five years old and has become a favorite of locals. The environment is quite nice, intimate and the owners have paid close attention to every rustic detail. My favorite dish here is Pasta con i Ceci, a garbanzo bean soup with homemade noodles. Very good.
Directions: from freeway offramp turn left. You will immediately see the Hotel Il Patriarca to the left. Turn into their parking area and the locanda will be to the right of the hotel.

Chiusi Scalo

There are two places that make a good pizza. Il Punto and Lo Scalo. I suggest either.
Directions: both are walking distance from the train station. Il Punto is directly perpendicular to the train station. Just walk straight and you will hit before reaching the Church. Lo Scalo is to the left of the train station.

Cetona
The restaurant "Da Nilo" is a must if you visit this area. The owners and cooks just know what they are doing and this place has been a favorite with the locals for many many years. The environment is nice, but loud. Be sure to order "pici a ragu" which is homemade pasta with a meaty tomato sauce.
Directions: once you have reached the cental piazza of Cetona on foot, on the left you will see a sign with the restaurant name. The restaurant is one minute by foot up the road on the left.

What to Buy When You Visit the United States

Due to popular demand I have put together a small list of the things we have learned to be worthwhile to buy in the United States and to bring back to Italy. With the favorable dollar you can really stock up in the USA. These are for both those who live in Italy permanently and for those who want to bring a gift back to friends in Italy.



For expats:

Tylenol and Advil- sounds funny I know but cannot get through the winter without them and no I am not addicted!


Cheerios original cereal- have found the honey flavored one but still have not seen the original Cheerios.

Office supplies



For both expats and Italian friends:


High count cotton bed sheets- I always buy new sheets in LA when I come home since I find the cotton to be nice, compact and you really don't even need to press them (great advantage). Remember that bed sizes are different in Italy and a Queen American size will fit a matrimoniale Italian size.


Designer Makeup- you can get some real bargains in the USA with the buy one free gift system. This just is not the case in Italy.


Athletic Shoes & Levi Jeans - These are very expensive in Italy.


Clothing - Casual wear like tshirts, jeans, and sweatsuits are much cheaper in the USA.


Electronics - these too are much cheaper in the USA


Baby clothes, toys, accessories- No, there is no Target out here so stock up on as much as you can!

Books and Music- I know you can get these off the net but they make good gifts to bring back. I like to buy English language books for my children too.

Housewares- kitchen towels, pot holders, table cloths, place setting table mats, runners, etc

Christmas decorations

I am sure there are a lot more but these come to mind. Let me know what your favorites are I may have left out.

What to buy when you visit Italy

My family has been visiting Italy from the United States for over forty years and before that my parents lived in Italy and now I live in Italy. So I can say we have become experts in knowing what products to buy in Italy to bring back to the U.S. Although the euro/dollar exchange rate has not been favorable, there are still must haves:

Clothing/Shoes/Jewelry
There is no doubt that if you can still find Made in Italy clothing in Italy, go for it as they just fit better!
There is no comparison. Italian shoes are the best in style, comfort, and assortment.
It is not easy to find 18 kt gold jewelry in the USA that is also stylish. You will not do wrong by buying it in Italy.

Leather Handbags,Wallets,Belts
You can still find very affordable ones at local mercato.

Coffee
We don't know why but the coffee you buy here, even if has the same brand name, just tastes better. If you buy a bag of coffee beans at a bar, beware as is very costly. You are better off getting a brand name bag at the supermarket. We like Illy.

Parmigian Cheese
Is much cheaper in Italy than in the USA. Make sure you get it vacuum packed and keep it in the fridge until ready to pack.

Big Salt (Sale Grosso)
I heard you can find this now in LA but in case you cannot, buy it in Italy (very cheap). Throw a dash of it in your boiling water when you make pasta to make it taste great!

Zafferon, Funghi Porcini (dried)
I am not a big user of these but heard friends rant and rave about buying these in Italy

Olive Oil and Wine
I have not found a suitable way to bring these back so welcome input by you guy:)

Do not even think about bringing back prosciutto, salami or anything of the sort. It does not go over very well with the customs people!

Travel Tip for Italy

It may seem like a really simple piece of advice but knowing ahead of time the day of rest or "giorno di riposo" of stores in Italy is very important for the traveler. There is nothing worse than finding everything closed down in a town you had planned on spending the afternoon in. In Italy every week stores, pharmacies, bakeries, etc close a half day. Depending on the town you are in, this day of the week is different.

For instance here in Chiusi all the grocery stores are closed Wednesday afternoons except the big grocery store called PAM in the shopping center (Etrusco). This shopping center is almost adjacent to the Chiusi freeway exit. All the other stores are closed Monday afternoons and everything is closed on Sundays. Remember also that everything is closed during lunch hours and very few stores have "orari continuati" or open during lunch interval. So that means stores are open from 9 am to 1 pm and then reopen at 5pm to 8 pm. Banks are open from 8:30 am to 1 pm and then reopen from 2:30 pm to 3:45 pm. They are closed on Saturdays too. You really need a calendar to write and remember all these hours!

The stores in larger cities of Milan,Rome and Florence may or may not adhere to this because of huge tourist traffic. Usually if there is a sagra or town festival like Eurochocolate (Perugia, 19-26 October) all the stores stay open to accomodate visitors.

In any case it is a good idea to do your homework beforehand and contact the city hall or "comune" of the town you will be visiting to find out when everything is shut down. Hope this helps!

Air Travel With Children

I promised myself that I would write something informative and helpful about traveling with children since we have now done Italy - Los Angeles roundtrip four times with the children. Each time I learn more and more about making the trip more pleasant for me, my children and the fellow passengers. I have also learned a bit about jet lag with kids. Read on:

Preparation

Clothing and food/drinks:

Make sure you bring a complete change of clothing for your children (pants, sweater, shirt, undershirt, underwear or diapers and socks) and an extra shirt for yourself. During my last trip and one half hour into the flight, my 3 year old son spilled a cup of water all over himself and thank goodness I had a complete change of clothing.

You will need to bring enough food, snacks and bottled water or formula to fill the tummies and also keep them busy. You could easily be stuck on board and not have them serving anything. Don't depend on the airline as you could be disappointed. Also their snack food is usually not nutricious. Don't forget their sippy cups and /or baby bottle. For very young children you will need homogenized jars of fruit and meat dishes and whatever he or she usually eats at home. Other good snacks for travel are fruit, crackers, cookies and hard lollipops (I like Sees candies) for sucking on during landing. Call ahead to get childrens' meals as aside from being more kid friendly, they serve them first!

To prevent ear pain during landing I used on numerous occasions the following trick: bring a dropper and have handy some tea (sugared) in a bottle. When you are beginning the descent, start giving your baby the drink a drop at a time with the dropper. He or she is forced to swallow and the movement will pop their ears so as to prevent pain. Continue this until your own ears have popped too. I learned this from a German couple on a flight home one year. Their child had no problems while mine refused to suck, drink or use a pacifier. In the end mine cried the whole time due to the pain.

Toys and Activities:

Make sure you bring a variety of toys or activities for your child. You cannot always depend on the monitor in front of you since sometimes they are not working properly. A portable dvd player is great as well to see his or her favorite movies.

Be Early

Make sure you get to the airport at least 3 hours early for international flights to secure your seats. It is still a mystery to me why seat reservations are not respected but they are not so get there early and be persistent that your entire family sits together. I don't like bulkhead seats for the simple reason that those arm rests do not lift up. These arm rests, my friends, are lifesavers as you will need them to rise in order to lay your angels down when they are sleeping.

Jet Lag

Children are much more adaptable than adults. I don't believe in keeping the kids from sleeping if they are tired so they will sleep through the night sooner. I believe that if they are tired, they should sleep. You too should try to get a nap in while they sleep as the nights can be brutal otherwise. Know that it takes a full week to get over jet lag (Italy -Los Angeles trips) so be patient and hang in there.



I cannot say if it is better or worse to travel after a child is a certain age. It really depends on a lot of factors and each child is different. My oldest son (3) now is a great traveler and he adapted well in both places to the time and climate differences. For him it is all a wonderful adventure and is already asking about his next trip. So don't put off traveling because of the kids. Try to make it the best possible trip and just be prepared. Buon viaggio!!