12 Things You Should Know Before Going To Italy
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1. First Of All Italy Is Fairly Safe, Just Take Reasonable Caution
If you go to Italy, you can rest assured that it's not wildly dangerous, there is no risk of being attacked or mugged. Even the city of Naples which is notorious for organised crime does not feel like there's any risk of getting attacked. In the cities (especially Rome) you must beware of the bracelet scammers who will approach tourists in the busiest sites, they'll come up to you and strike up a conversation, then they'll tie a bracelet on your wrist and expect a 'tip.'
They expect you to give them amounts of about 25 euros and if you refuse them or confront them, they can get aggressive and confronting them won't work. I was violently threatened by one of them when I persistently asked one to leave me alone. The best way to avoid them is to simply pretend they don't exist, not paying them any attention will make them realise that they can't get money out of you.
Furthermore, you must be careful of pickpockets, they are a threat in every Italian city, they will be operating on public transport and crowded areas such as the Trevi Fountain. It's important to make sure you have secure places to store your belongings and stay away from the sketchy areas at night. Another thing to beware of in Italy that isn't crime-related is the mental traffic. Especially in Naples, the traffic is anarchic and there is a risk of being run over.
2. Italian Food Is To Die For And It's More Than Just Pizza
Italian food is possibly some of the best in the world and it's more than what you may think. Of course, there is pizza, but it is not like Pizza Hut or Domino's, it tastes purer. Nothing beats some pizza in Naples fresh out of the oven, Naples is where you can find some of the best pizza in the world and is possibly where the dish originally comes from.
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| This feast was 5 Euros |
What Italy can pride itself in is the great variety in pasta, if you go to the right place, you can eat pasta like you've never had it before. It's more than just spaghetti, there are pasta dishes of all shapes and toppings. However, choose where you eat wisely, if you go to a place in an area heavily frequented by tourists, you will see eateries that advertise they have cheap food, if you see this, just avoid. It won't be an authentic Italian experience and the food is always poorly prepared, like spaghetti straight out the microwave. Generally, if the menu looks legit and it has a clientele of Italians, then you've found the right place.
3. If You Can't Stand The Heat, Avoid The Summer Months
Italy is extremely hot in the summer months, when I was there in August, I don't think there was a single day under 30 degrees. Even for the Italians it is way too hot that Romans will flock out of the city to cool down and when I wanted to have a coffee outside in blistering heat, the waiter thought I was crazy. Walking around all day in such weather will have you exhausted in the evening and you will end up needing to rehydrate a lot. If you're not much of a fan of the heat, it might be better to avoid Italy in the months between May and August and in October, it is much cooler.
4. Make Sure You Take A Water Bottle
Trust me, it's definitely worth taking a water bottle with you as you walk around the cities, there are water fountains where you can get clean drinkable water all around the streets. When you're trudging through 30 degree heat, you will feel thirsty every 30 minutes and buying bottles of Gatorade would not be a frugal choice. Many of the vendors in tourist areas will straight up rip you off, I once paid 4 euros for a bottle of Powerade from a van selling drinks. Furthermore, unlike other places where you can find a Tesco or Sainsbury's on every street back home, it can be difficult to find a place just to simply buy a drink. A supermarket is the best place to buy a soft drink at 80 cents a bottle, however you can walk 20 minutes and not see a single one.
5. Beware Of Underwhelming Tourist Traps
These tourist attractions will be overwhelming with the crowds of tourists that accompany them, but will be underwhelming and not worth the hype of visiting. The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the most well-known of them and it is quite out of the way from where everything else is. I have heard that the vast crowds in Venice really ruins how elusive the place is and it is so crowded you will struggle to breath. The Vatican City in Rome might be worth visiting, but it's worth knowing that it is hugely crowded as well.
6. Unless You're Willing To Queue, Book Online
This is a very important thing to know, especially during COVID times, some places might not even let you in if you haven't booked online. Attractions such as the Colosseum attracts huge crowds and if you want to go in, expect to be waiting upwards of 40 minutes. Furthermore, the art galleries in Florence will have you waiting insufferably long to get in, all this inconvenience can be avoided if you simply book your ticket online and you don't have to wait so long.
7. To Get Between Cities, Use Trenitalia
I went from Rome to Florence and from Florence to Milan using the Italian train network. The best way to go from cities is the train because you can go from in less than two hours. The trains work very well, they comfortable and clean inside and you can see some incredible Italian landscapes. The tickets are very easy to buy, either through the Trenitalia website or using the machines at the station, you can even buy a ticket just before a departure. However, the train tickets are not the cheapest, I bought a ticket just before getting on a train from Florence to Milan for 50 Euros and that was a two hour journey. If you're on a tight budget I recommend using the bus as an alternative, a two hour bus journey would only set you back about 10 Euros, although it takes longer to get between cities on the bus.
8. Take Advantage Of Student Discounts
If you are a student in the EU, entry into most tourist attractions such as the Colosseum and the museums are reduced heavily. For the Colosseum for example, you will normally pay 12 euros as an adult, but if you are a student it will be two euros and this applies to almost every big tourist attraction. Make sure you take proof of age such as a driving license or student card as they may ask for it.
9. Don't Just Visit The Most Well-Known Cities
Some of the most famous cities in Italy might not be what you think, Milan for example is always thought of as a great place to visit due to its elegance. However it is not the main city to visit, I wouldn't recommend spending any more than two days there. The main things to see in Milan are admittedly really interesting such as the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Monumental Cemetery.
One of the biggest cities in Italy is of course Rome, even though the city is home to some incredible sites such as the Coliseum, the Roman Forum and the Trevi Fountain. However Rome is an overwhelming city to travel to, especially in the heat. Rome is super busy and it's exhausting to walk from place to place, the crowds, the scammers and the steep cobbled streets make it very far from laid back.
10. The Public Transport In Cities Is Not The Best
In every city I had visited, the public transport was sub par, however in Milan it is fantastic. Milan is home to the best metro I have used in Italy, they also have decent trams and buses which make Milan very easy to navigate. However, in Naples the public transport needs work, because it is such an old city with infrastructure that's hundreds of years old, it wouldn't be an easy task. I found it very difficult to find a train to get to Pompeii as the train line had been broken that day. Rome's public transport is quite poor considering that it's such a big city they need to seriously improve their transport systems. Florence as well doesn't have much public transport, however it is a very walkable city and is very nice to walk through the quaint streets.
11. Most People Speak English However Learning A Few Italian Phrases Is Not A Bad Idea
Most people in Italy have a decent knowledge of English, especially those involved with tourists such as those who work at hotels and hostels. However many middle aged people don't seem to be able to speak a word of English. The first Italian I bumped into when I landed in Naples didn't speak English and many people in Naples who aren't used to tourists don't speak any English. However if you are a tourist, it will be very rare you will have issues with the language barrier, if you walk into a pizza place and they only speak Italian, you can get by if you point at what you want.
Italian is a fairly difficult language to learn, however it is rather easy to know enough to get by, if you already know a Romance language, it will make it much easier. I feel that if you greet the restaurant staff and give your order in Italian, they will find it very nice and treat you with more respect. I highly suggest saying ciao (hi/bye) and grazie mille (thanks a lot) as much as possible, it will put a smile on the faces of the Italians you meet. Some more useful phrases are buon giorno, (good morning) buona sera, (good evening) mi scusi, (excuse me) dov'è il bar? (Where is the bar?) If you really want to be prepared, it's possible to spend some time learning the language on Duolingo before your trip.
12. Be Adventurous
Yes, that sounds extremely cliché, but if you plan to visit Italy the best possible experience is to be adventurous, my favourite days of travel are those that are unpredictable. Italy has so much more to offer than Rome, Florence and Milan. Florence and Rome are magnificent places to visit, but they are also hugely touristy and crowded. My trip was carefully planned so that it could be easy to travel during the pandemic, however I'd really like to travel to some less-crowded places when I have the chance. I missed out on the beautiful Amalfi Coast which some of the guys I met in Naples told me about and I've been told about how amazing the cities of Parma and Bologna are.
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