Buongiorno! My husband and I went to Italy for 7 days to celebrate our one year anniversary last year and it was the trip of a lifetime. Italy is a place with rich culture and history. We were there for about a week, but honestly, it was not enough. Italy was beautiful, but there were some things I wish I knew before I went there. Here are some tips and tricks for your trip to Italy!
1) Uber is basically just requesting a Taxi
When doing my research on Italy, I found that especially in Rome you could get around easily via the transport system and Uber. We chose not to rent a car since we were mainly staying in Rome. When we got to the airport, we requested an Uber because it just seemed like the easiest way to get to the Hotel we were staying at. But little did we know that requesting an Uber is basically just getting a taxi from the company iTaxi. Expect to pay a varying amount of money when using an Uber because the driver will have a meter running, even before they pick you up because it starts when they receive the request for a ride. Although convenient, taking an Uber around Rome is not the most budget friendly way to get around. I would personally recommend getting an Uber if you are going to and from the airport, or if you do not feel safe walking to your destination at night. We had days when it was very late walking back to the hotel from the train station or bus station, and depending on if we had souvenirs, we would take an Uber. But overall we chose to take public transport to save money.
2) The Public Transport System is one of the best ways to get around.
The trains and buses and Italy can literally get you anywhere. They are about 1.50 Euros per ticket and the bus tickets will allow you to take any bus for about 90 minutes! I actually did not know this until a friend we visited pointed it out to us. Imagine getting around the city for only 1.50 Euros! In regards to the trains though, the ticket is only valid for one train ride, but you could also purchase a day pass or even a week pass that allowed you to take unlimited rides on buses and trains for the allotted time frame. Personally, we would at times buy the 24 hour pass, but it also depended on how many times we planned to take the bus or train. It is about 7 Euros for the day pass which is not much, but, if you only plan on taking the train or bus 1-2 times within that time frame, then you are better off just purchasing the tickets because you save a few Euros. But how you choose to travel is entirely up to you, and the prices of tickets are subject to change. But Rome is a very walkable city, we would walk miles a day instead of taking public transport.
3) Food is Pretty Cheap in Italy.
My husband and I stayed near Vatican City at a place called Your Vatican Suites. It was the most affordable place we could find for the amount of time we were there and looked like a nice option. Next to the hotel, was a little cafe run by a husband and wife. The wife would bake all the pastries at home and bring them to the shop. My husband and I had breakfast there almost every morning. We would buy each of us a sandwich half, a coffee for my husband, a soy cappuccino for me and pastries for both of us. The total would amount to about 11-12 Euros for the both of us! The only time we paid more was when we requested scrambled eggs and still only paid 14 Euros. This is such a massive difference from the States where one Entree is about $14-$19. Despite being a small mom and pop shop, this cafe has amazing food and coffee. Even at restaurants we would pay about 20-30 Euros for the both of us. Some would be more depending on the restaurant. But, my husband and I are not big drinkers so these prices do not include alcoholic beverages. We had a blast trying the different types of foods and pastries as we ate our way through the city.
4) Eating Dairy Free can be somewhat of a challenge.
I am technically dairy free, with the exception of butter which is kind of weird, and sometimes baked goods. I get swelling in the glands and sometimes have asthma. Because of this, I try to avoid dairy as much as I can. Eating dairy free was definitely somewhat of a challenge in Italy. Many foods are cream based or have cheese or milk. It was even difficult at times to find coffee that I could drink if the cafe did not have soy milk. I noticed that the only alternative milks that cafes would carry was soy milk. I also noticed that the only drink they were able to make with soy milk was a cappuccino. I was not a huge coffee person before I came to Italy, but during our trip I did develop a taste for it. Knowing the terms for milk (latte), cheese (formaggio) and cream (crema) in Italian definitely helped me avoid dairy. Although for some strange reason, buffalo cheese didn’t really bother me. The human body is definitely an interesting thing.
5) The best places to eat are usually the hole in the wall and the mom and pop shops.
The first full day we were in Italy, we went out to dinner. We were in a touristy area and decided to pick a restaurant with pasta. For our first pasta in Italy, it was not the greatest. But then we were told by some of the locals that restaurants located in touristy areas are not always authentic Italian cuisine because they are made to appease the tastes of the tourists. We then set out to eat at small restaurants and local places, the best place we had spaghetti was actually a restaurant called spaghettis near Vatican City. It was a small little restaurant, there were more locals than tourists which was a good sign. We overheard the owner tell some of the tourist patrons that they do not make their spaghetti the way that restaurants in tourist areas do, they strive to make it authentic. It’s actually interesting that in Italy, spaghetti is actually very simple. It is spaghetti noodles with tomato sauce and basil, but it is delicious. Another restaurant that we had gone to that was the best pizza in Rome was at Il Grottino a Testaccio. It was recommended to us by the man who owned the cafe near our hotel. He told us that he and his wife would eat there sometimes once a week and that the spaghetti and pizza were great. When we went there it was definitely delicious. When a local recommends a restaurant or cafe, definitely take it into consideration.
I hope these tips help you on your trip to Italy! Have you been to Italy? Leave a comment as to what you enjoyed when there!
Ciao,
Priya