Essential Italy Travel Tips – Roaming Historian

Over the course of our travels, we have spent about half a year traveling in Italy. Over our trips, we’ve tried to act like temporary locals and assimilate into the sweet life—la dolce vita. This article covers the essential Italy travel tips we’ve gathered over our Italy vacations.

Italy Logistics/Cultural Norms

• Be aware of daily closures at lunch and Sunday closures. Some businesses and many churches close for lunch in the early afternoon; Sunday closures are also quite normal. Some museums, even “big” ones might only be open for half a day, so check ahead of time. I try to balance one or two “big” attractions a day with smaller activities, such as exploring shops, wandering down lanes, going on city walks, visiting parks, and piazza sitting. Restaurants, too, open for lunch then close and reopen for dinner at 7 or 7:30.
• Many Italians that I’ve met use WhatsApp for texting and calling—even many businesses list their WhatsApp number on their business card. Since international phone plans can be expensive, you might want to follow their lead and upload this app. WhatsApp runs on wi-fi or data, so as long as you have connectivity you can call or text anyone with the app—including back home.
• Buy one bottle of water and carry with you. Some places, like Rome, have amazing water flowing from fountains all over. Get a disposable bottle of water when you’re there so you can just refill.
• Don’t be surprised if a bathroom doesn’t have toilet paper (I generally carry some tissues in my purse) or if a public toilet doesn’t have a toilet seat. Some free public toilets might not have toilet seats, more true in Rome, so prepare to squat.
• Don’t go in August. Not only is Italy very hot in August, but it is also a popular month for Italians to vacation, which means restaurants, shops, and other venues may be closed.
• Be safe. Italy is generally quite safe, but pick-pocketing seems to be an art in the bigger cities. Use a cross-body bag that zips and you keep in front of you. Men should keep their wallets in their front pockets and secure them. You may want to consider a money belt that goes under your clothes. Also, avoid scams. In the bigger cities, people will try to sell you “art” that they lay on the ground—if you step on it, they demand a fee. They might also try to put (quite aggressively by the way) a “free friendship” bracelet on you, generally while shaking hands with you. They will then demand…