Travel Tips
I am often asked about “how to”, “where to” and “should I” … so here’s my personal take on the following questions:
“Should we rent a car? Where can we park it?” ~ CARS and Driving
Yes, I would recommend you rent a car, or several depending on your group size. There is a great little driving service/taxi in the next village and he and his partner are great, but nothing beats being able to jump in the car and drive through the countryside to see Pienza or have a lunch when everyone else in the group wants to stay put. There is a new, free parking area very close to my house. The nearest train station is Sinalunga which is not on a main line, but has connections anywhere you might want to go. The station in Chuisi is on the main line and Chuisi is about 25 minutes away by car. I am not a train expert as I am always weighed down with stuff and/or traveling with Madelyn.
For renting I use www.autoeurope.com — 800.223.5555. They are a broker in Maine. You tell them where you want to pick up, where you want to drop off, dates and car type and they will check all 4 agencies and give you the best price. They email you a voucher (don’t forget it!!) fold it and put it with your plane tickets. At the counter produce the voucher, a credit card and your driving license and you are on your way. If you want to use 3 day rentals to get to the village and then want to drop a car or two, there are drops for Europcar, Avis and Hertz in Chuisi, about 25 minutes away. This is by far easier that dropping in Siena, unless your group is planning a day in Siena anyway. I own a car so if I am staying over a week I sometimes use a 3 day rental to get me and my stuff and my daughter to town and then return the car in Chuisi. Depending on logistics, I sometimes pick up a 3 day to get back to Rome, too. (I usually have a lot of stuff – bits coming over and wine going back.)
Driving in Italy is no different than driving in the US. Perhaps once you get into southern Italy, but at least from Rome north, it is actually more orderly and manageable than driving in many parts of the east coast. I would recommend not driving in Rome, though I do it all the time. For the time you will spend worrying about it, is not worth the few €s to take a cab into town. I have friends who parked at the airport and took the train into Rome. Creative solution. You cannot drive in the centers of any of the major historic cities. Huge fines!! Park at the edge and walk in. Or I park just outside the zone and take a cab into Florence, since I go there all the time.
If you or someone in your group wants to go into Florence or Siena but either will tire easily or has difficulty walking, do plan on taking a taxi from the edge. They are not expensive and will save your energy to enjoy the visit, not the slog into the center. In Siena you can park at the train station and cabs are readily available there.
Generally, Italians do drive faster on the freeways, but really fast drivers are the exception. Normal speeds are like they are here. Just DO NOT CRUISE IN THE LEFT LANE whatever you do!! European driving licenses are much more difficult to get, so drivers are much better trained than here. On the country roads you will not notice any real difference in other drivers except that they view the center line as a suggestion.
People also ask about driving licenses. You can take your US license to AAA with $15 and they will issue you an international license, which is good for a year. I generally try to keep a valid international license with me, though I have never needed it.
“How do you fly?” ~ Airlines
I fly exclusively NW/KLM or British Air, because I prefer the single long leg to Amsterdam or London. SAS is great, too, but more expensive.
I always fly into Rome as I think there are more connections and things are a bit more price-competitive. Coming out of the Florence airport means moving from the north edge of Florence around the city to the west, on a freeway that is at capacity most of the day. It’s very doable, but at ‘rush hours’ it can get tedious. Without traffic I can get to the airport in about 1 hour 45 minutes.
Rome has a beltway, the Grande Raccordo Annulare (GRA) which is being upgraded to be really great. You get onto the GRA at about 9 o’clock on the clock face and get off to catch the A-1, northbound, at 12 o’clock. For the usual 6.20 am flight out I stay at a nearby convention hotel and return my rental the morning I leave. I can get to the airport without traffic in a little over 2 hours. I’m a bit of a fast driver and I know where I am going….by the way. So if you are more cautious add a bit of time to my estimates.
For groups of 4 or more you could contact my agent who buys through a wholesaler. I’ve rarely found any better pricing even on the internet (tracy@travelteam.com). She’s used to doing my connections. She does handle all airlines, if you want to travel another route. She does not deal with frequent flyer miles at all. Most agents don’t.
“How Should I Handle Money?”
I use exclusively my ATM card. The exchange rate is the most current without fees and none of the hassle of travelers’ checks. Credit cards are honored most everywhere you will be making major purchases.
I always keep €50 in my bag and use the cash machine first thing at the airport. I also make sure I have a €1 coin so I can rent a cart in baggage claim. I try to give you a few when I give you the keys, if I have enough.
“Do you have a Hairdryer?” and other questions related to Power and Appliances
The power is 220. Most of your cameras, computers and other electronics have transformers on their chargers. It’s written on the back in tiny print. So all you will need is a plug adapter. I keep a few in the ‘junk drawer’ under the computer in the kitchen. If you use one, just put it back there. If you want to have some of your own, most good travel shops have them, though you sometimes have to buy sets, which are useless. I buy them from www.magellans.com as I can buy only Italian adapters. It’s an excellent travel goods site, by the way.
There is always at least one Italian hair dryer upstairs. If you have a dual power dryer, all you need is the plug adapter.
“What stuff should I bring?”
Bring as little stuff as you can. The house is just like I live in it, so there are all manner of spices, herbs, herbs in the garden, usually a bowl of garlic and onions on the counter. I leave pasta, tea, coffee, filters, etc. in the cupboard. Whatever you use up, just replace. (If you leave anything in the cupboard or the frig, just be sure that you would have wanted to find it when you arrived. Unopened packages of pasta, crackers, beverages, butter, condiments okay, but beyond that use your judgment….)
One of the fun parts of travel is trying new things and adapting your own tastes to those of anther country. I bring some ‘stuff’ just because it’s less expensive and I can add things to my suitcases. I bring #4 coffee filters from Costco but you can buy Melita in the Coop most of the time. They carry all manner of English teas and Italians are very into herbal everything and there is an herbalist in the shopping area in Sinalunga. I bring American peanut butter and pancake mix, as Madelyn preferred this, but now has gotten fond of Nutella instead and finds that Italian cold cereals, pastries and French toast are pretty good alternatives.
Italian soaps, shampoos and toothpastes are either just like ours or better, so it’s fun to try some new things. I leave pump dispensers of liquid soaps in the bathrooms because Italians view bar soap is a bit uncleanly. The fragrances are great!! I leave bubble bath in the bathrooms that have big tubs, too. Enjoy!!
Italians view pocket tissues as a personal item, so you won’t find boxes of Kleenex all over the house or even commonly in the shops. They prefer little pocket packets of very nice quality tissues. These are sold in packages of 8 to 12 at the Coop. Or individually at tourist shops in the bigger towns. I usually leave some in the drawer under the junk drawer and in the credenza in the upstairs hallway, with other extra goods.
Similarly, you won’t find ‘wash cloths’ commonly in Europe. They, too, are judged personal items. I leave a few dozen in the credenza in the hall.
If you are still shooting film, you will save money by bringing it with you. It’s readily available but at ‘full retail’ and then some, depending on where you are.