I'm going to Italy!

[Coventina]

Part business, part pleasure. Going to research a study abroad program.

As a professor of Art History, it's about time I went there.

Two weeks in July, going to hit Venice, Florence, and Rome.
Side trips to Pisa, Siena, and Pompeii

I'm taking Covid-tested flights so I don't have to quarantine.

Airfare was pretty cheap. I got round trip to Rome for less than $800.
Hotels are pretty cheap as well.

Just putting that out there, in case someone wants to look into it themselves.

[Hamlette]

1. lucky you

report back and tell how it is re: covid

[Coventina]

3. Well, it will be awhile, I don't leave 'til July 1

But I will certainly report back!

[vercetti2021]

5. Wow

Your vacation is the same day as mine!

[vercetti2021]

2. Awesome!

Have a good time

[róisín_dubh]

4. I'm hoping to get to Spain for work...

Though with the new rise in cases, again, in the UK, who knows.
Have an amazing time!!!

[peggysue2]

6. How lucky for you!

Hope it all comes together as planned. And when it does? Have a fabulous time.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

7. Congrats, my dear Coventina!

Take lots and lots of photos, OK?

I hope you're in shape for lots of walking. It's a great way to see the sights.

We loved Rome! But we're too old now for those sorts of trips. You need lots of energy to enjoy them.

And I hope the business part is great too!

[Coventina]

9. My dear CP!!!

I will definitely take lots of photos.

My gym just recently re-opened, so I joined a week ago.
I need to get in shape for sure!
I turned into a jelly roll during the lockdown.

But, I'm already starting to shed a few pounds between better eating and more exercising.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

13. Good for you! That is doing it right!

You'll enjoy the trip a lot more if you're anywhere near being in shape! And depending on how much walking you do, you might even lose some weight from all the walking you'll do.

I took a pedometer with me and was astonished at how many steps I had every day.

[elleng]

8. FAB!

Check out Trastevere while in Rome; daughter took me there, while SHE was 'studying abroad.'

[woodsprite]

10. My daughter did 2 Art Conservation study abroad sessions to Sardinia and Rome.

She absolutely loved it! They had marble carving and preservation classes with Peter Rockwell while there, but she said the highlight was touring The Vatican’s conservation labs and assisting with mosaic excavation/preservation and working on the prehistoric warrior figures of Monteprama with Roberto Nardi.

You are going to have a blast! Just make sure you take or have access to water bottles and stay hydrated. I had purchased a couple of collapsible ones for her to take. She said it was really hot walking all around and working in the sun. She really appreciated them. Also, if you like wine/liqueurs, she brought back some Mirto (both dark and white). It’s awesome drizzled over vanilla ice cream 😁

[elleng]

11. Great studies she did, and Mirto sounds interesting:

Mirto is made from the berries of the myrtle bush, which grows abundantly on the island. Its berries look like elongated blueberries but taste like juniper, allspice and pine, which give the mirto liqueur its spicy flavor, similar to amaro.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

12. Congrats sister! That sounds friggin awesome. Jelly! (nt)

[GulfCoast66]

14. Good for you! Been to Venice 3 times.

The food is the best I’ve had in Italy if you can avoid the restaurants that cater to tourists. Otherwise it will live up to its reputation for bad food.

The food in the Venice area is unlike any other in Italy. Lots of seafood and rice.

Make sure you try to get lost there wandering around. The entire city is one big architectural museum. We actually took a tour that visited the birthplace of Titian up in the Dolomites.

I am jealous.

[Myrddin]

21. Good advice - I lived there (Veneto) for a while.

I'd just add...

There is a very defined tourist path from the rail station, and Ponte degli Scalzi bridge, to Piazza San Marco. Pretty much everything along that route is over-priced. However, wander even a couple of minutes walk away from that route and there is excellent eateries at lower prices.

If you're not keen on seafood, or fancy a complete change, cross the water to the mainland where the local quisine is more 'game' based. Try wild boar sausages, like pork only PORK!

[DET]

15. Have Fun!

That sounds fantastic. But it’s an extremely ambitious itinerary for two weeks. Be sure to factor in a little bit of down time (especially if you’re not a twenty something). Wish I was still young enough to do this.

[BlueMTexpat]

18. THIS!

There will likely also be more than the usual travel-related quirks and frustrations.

[smirkymonkey]

16. Wow! What an amazing trip!

I haven't been in so long, but Italy is beautiful! Been to Venice, Florence, Rome and Pisa, but not Siena or Pompeii. Would love to get there eventually and to the lake district. You will have to take lots of photos to show us when you return!

And tell us all about your travels! The people, the culture, the food and the politics! Can't wait to hear of your adventure! Have a wonderful time!

[BlueMTexpat]

17. The best of luck to you!

I am scheduled to return to the US from Switzerland for several weeks, beginning in late July.

Unfortunately, my airfare was prohibitively expensive; I also have one layover en route, which could make things iffy as well. I am still keeping my fingers very crossed that these reservations do not get cancelled, as they were in 2020.

I've had both Covid-19 vaccinations (Moderna), am still taking all recommended measures wrt social distancing, masking, etc. and will have to get tested for Covid-19 3-5 days before flying. It doesn't look as if I will have to be quarantined once I arrive in the US. But I may be subject to quarantine in Switzerland upon my return, depending on whatever restrictions are in force then.

If so, I've got plenty of lovely friends & neighbors who will help out if needed and groceries can be ordered on-line and delivered.

As a legal resident of Switzerland (this also grants me EU privileges), I shouldn't have other problems with flying back.

Frankly, I would not have tried to fly this year at all. But it is my spouse's 90th birthday in August. It could very likely be his last, although we are both blessed with good health, thank heavens.

Because of the pandemic we haven't seen each other in person since Jan 31, 2020.

************
I wish you all the best with your visit to Italy!

[BigmanPigman]

19. You'll love it.

I lived there while I attended art school. Piazza Navona was fun when the weather was good.

[LittleGirl]

20. Yay!

My favorite part of Italy is Pompeii. I could not believe they had running water back then. I loved the mystery of the place. It's hot in July. and Humid. so icky weather.

Have a great time, cheers!

[GoodRaisin]

22. Congrats on your trip. One word about the hotels in Italy from an old business traveler who spent

much of his career working over there. July in Italy is, let us say, warm. If you need air conditioning to sleep at night, make sure your hotels have it. Not every hotel does, so it's worth a call to find out if needed.

[Solly Mack]

23. Yay! Sounds wonderful.

[DFW]

24. Hotels are cheap in Rome?

This is the first time I heard that. Although we live just a 2 hour flight from there, and I speak passable Italian, it is one place we have never been. I‘ll be interested to hear your report.

You will LOVE Siena!!

[cate94]

25. Have a wonderful time!

As a Art History minor, I loved Florence, Venice and Rome. Pisa not as much. Unfortunately I missed Pompeii due to illness... You will love it all! It is amazing to see! Take pictures and share!

[mnhtnbb]

26. Lucky you!

I've been to Italy several times. In Siena, in late June one year, I had the best Caprese salad I've ever had in my life. The tomatoes in July should be wonderful! It will be hot!

I do not care for Rome, but I only speak tourist Italian. People are much more friendly in Venice and Florence. You will be overwhelmed by the availability of beautiful leather handbags-- and other leather goods-- in the outdoor markets in Florence. If you're planning on bringing home a new bag, Florence is the place to shop for it.

I have been invited to a 70th birthday dinner with high school classmates in Lucca in early September, but I just yesterday decided I'm not going. Several classmates cooked up this idea at our 50th reunion two years ago when they discovered they all love Lucca, where I've never been. Pre- Covid, I would do it in a heartbeat, but personally, I'm not willing to risk all that travel at this point.

I'm looking forward to seeing all your photos!



Here's a shot of the last Caprese salad I had in Italy in 2019, in Rome. It was pretty good, too!

[Hortensis]

27. How exciting! Italy and a love and knowledge of art history. Just has to be.

[empedocles]

28. If you have any Italian ancestry, you might look at your Italian town roots.

We did, in the Abruzzi. Got a strong sense of ancestral history.

[ProfessorGAC]

29. My Family Is From The South

Way south! As in half from around Reggio (village of Paneterria), and the other half from across the straights, near Messina (Sicily).
I've been to Italy 40 something times, but never down to the ancestral roots. Never been south of Napoli.
If I could have taken my wife, I'd have burned a few vacation days & taken the train from Milano down there.
But, no.

[empedocles]

31. My maternal grandmother was from Messina. Grandmother lost a sister to

'the volcano' - presumably Mt. Etna.

I recommend just walking around.

My paternal grandfather was from Pescara. We walked around the farm of relatives near where
Zopito [American name, 'Frank', no idea where that came from] was raised. Olive farming big in the hilly
area. Way back when some of the peasant women, picking the olives, big bag around the neck,
still wore all black - and black farm boots.

Relatives very old house was half home, half barn. Women ate separately, way back then.

When my son an wife went to Sicily year and half ago, they reported that in the different small
towns where the wife was from, the dialects still differed from town to town. Son's wife, father from one
of the small towns they visited, is blond and blue-eyed, old Sicilian invasion heritage.

[ProfessorGAC]

38. Dialects

95% of my work there was in Milano, Florenzia, Torino, & Roma.
When I spoke Italian, my contacts would tease me that I spoke hillbilly Italian with an american accent.
And, I'd use a few very common phrases that the Milanese didn't understand! Because they don't speak up there like they do in the south.
I only know around a thousand words, so it's not like I was speaking in Italian constantly. Just more out of courtesy than anything else. If I could say something in Italian, I would. But, I knew when I was in over my head and relied on THEIR English!

[jpak]

30. Eat drink and gain 50 pounds

[brooklynite]

32. Um, with all the best wishes for your trip...

...I can observe (as someone who went to school in Italy, and goes to Rome every year for business) you are committing the classic mistake of over-scheduling your itinerary. Hitting the big three cities AND three side trips in two weeks is really impractical. I would strongly suggest two cities and a side trip in between at most (nb - you can skip Pompeii and instead go to Ostia Antica just outside of Rome).

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

33. Have a wonderful trip.

I have never been to Italy, and probably never will get there, alas.

[malaise]

34. Enjoy

[Totally Tunsie]

35. How exciting for you, Coventina!

You'll fall in love with Italy. It's such a wonderful place to vacation. The people are delightful, the food is amazing, and the views are incredible. I hope you enjoy every moment.

[panader0]

36. Have a great time and we want photos upon your return.

Years ago, about '71, I lived in a big house in Eugene, Ore. A couple that lived in the back bedroom
was headed to Italy on some scholarship thing. So on every thing in the house they taped a paper
with the Italian word for what it was. Hot water, cold, window, door, cabinet, etc., all over the house.

[MissMillie]

37. "I'm in Italy now!"

(That's Penelope on SNL.)

I hope you enjoy your trip.