When it comes to a travel wish list, Italy comes first for any traveler. Why wouldn’t that be? You get a package in Italy. Everything a traveler’s mind craves is available here. Food, nature, art, and architecture everything is here. You name it and Italy will serve you with grace. That’s why most travelers get staggered seeing everything in here. But it’s sometimes uncomfortable for everyone around. So what can you do to prevent being that kind of traveler? What you shouldn’t go overboard with? Let’s tell you in this article and hopefully next time in Italy you will only enjoy it. Here we go
Enjoying too much of the culinary delights of Italy
The first thing that comes to our mind when we think of Italy is food. Their pizza, pasta, and gelato are what a foodies’ heaven looks like. Here the travelers make mistakes. They just can’t stop eating pizza or pasta. Can’t blame them though as it is super delicious. But you have to remember you can’t fall sick during your traveling. Don’t we all try overeating in other places? Keep them the same in Italy as well. Because this mistake can ruin your whole trip. You will only be able to see the nature of Italy through the bathroom window. Don’t let that disaster happen to you. Keep food intake balanced, enjoy the food but don’t overeat. You can enjoy the flavors but don’t overdo it.
Not eating regional food correctly
Would you eat deep-dish pizza anywhere other than Michigan? No, it is not at all like Michigan in any other place. This is called a regional dish. We all know pizza and pasta are all our Italian dishes. But do we know that carbonara is the best in Rome? You will find it in other cities but it won’t be as good as in Rome. Naples has the best pizza ever. But you will surely find pizza everywhere in Italy. It wouldn’t be as great as Naples. And when you are in Venice, try their spaghetti. You will not get the same taste anywhere in the world. So, you must know regional food. To make things easy, ask the shopkeeper what the best thing in here is? It should be hyper-local. It will make the food tasting experience much better.
Don’t eat pizza in Venice as the city doesn’t have a wood burner. There is something about the weather or nature of the city. The wood burner is what makes pizza special. Without that, you wouldn’t like pizza. So avoid Venice.
Jamming everything in a day or two
Italy is a dream trip for everyone. We can’t afford to back every month or even year. So we try to pack our activities in one or two days. So we are just roaming to and fro. From Rome to Milan, car to car andPlace to place. we end up enduring the worst thing that is in Italy. And that is being stuck in traffic, lugging the bags, and looking for a place to stay. It’s not fun at all. It’s just exhausting and doesn’t feel like an enjoyable trip. What you can do instead is take your time. Try to save some money and then come to this dream destination. Enjoy your stay at a chill pace. If you can’t afford don’t go everywhere. just go to some places and enjoy those little moments. Don’t even eat in fine dining restaurants. Street vendors have provided a lot of flavors and you will surely like those.
Planning trip around summer
Where are you from? If you are from a colder place in the world then I warn you to not plan an Italy trip around summer. Even people from warmer countries complain about the heat being unbearable. The winter in Italy is pretty cold and harsh. It snows and all types of good stuff. But in summer Italy is blazing hot. And the worst part is most buildings there are not equipped with air conditioning. Because you will visit the ancient cities where that’s not a thing. You will just boil in the summer sun and feel exhausted. So plan your trip around fall or winter. Or even late winter is a great opportunity. You will not feel too cold or too hot.
Not carrying enough cash
Aren’t we all used to virtual money by now? You must be thinking what do I need cash for? And then you will be looking at the street vendors with temptation in your eyes. But those street vendors don’t accept cards. So you just missed the opportunity to eat the best street pizza or gelato in the world. Not just food, in Italy you will find luxe bags that street vendors sell at a cheap price. Don’t miss these opportunities and grab some euros before starting the Italy exploration. Use cards whenever there is a chance but keep cash as well.
Tipping ritually
In America, waiters mostly live on tips most of the time. So tipping is expected most of the time. In Italy tipping isn’t a customary thing to do daily. You are not expected to tip everywhere you dine no matter the restaurant or bar. Italian restaurants make a bill with a service charge on it. So you are already paying for the service charge. Have you asked for extra bread or olive? That will also be included in the bill. No need to pay the waiter for that. If you are generous and loved the service of a restaurant then go ahead and tip. Otherwise, you don’t have to if you don’t want to.
Dressing properly
By no means is Italy a religious country or something. They don’t care what people wear. They wear pretty modern clothes. But do you realize when you go to Italy and visit their architectural wonders those are churches? Those are churches or religious places. So a sacred place for worship deserves to be respected properly. And thus you must wear proper modest dress for visits like this. If you don’t want to wear long dresses then carry a shawl that can cover your shoulder or knee by any chance if you need one. Without proper dress, you wouldn’t be able to enter some places. That will be sad and a waste of time. So keep your cute short dresses for sightseeing tours but not for the Vatican.
Not validating train tickets
It’s new to most of the people in the united states. It’s not necessary for her. But in Italy, you must validate your train ticket. You go to buy a ticket from the train station. Now you will think that’s it I’m done. The next thing is just riding on the train. No, there are boxes around train stations and you take stamps from there and put that on the ticket. If you forget to do so they will not let you ride the train.
If you don’t want to involve in all these then just buy your tickets online. Online tickets don’t fall into that category of validating. You will just show the online ticket to the conductor and done.
Planning sightseeing on Sunday
Before going anywhere you need to know about the culture. Italians rest on Sundays. They don’t work on Sundays. So that means on your sightseeing tour you will not see most street vendors, restaurants and small shops. Some shops are partially open on Sunday for a small amount of time. But that will not be very helpful if you want to enjoy the place a hundred percent. Before planning something or some venue check if the place will be open that day. What you can do on Sunday is have a chilled lunch and rest at the hotel. On other days exploring with full energy. as Italy is sleepy on Sundays you also should do the same.
Not Buying tickets ahead of time
You do realize that you are going to Italy. One of the oldest countries in the world. It has some history that people love to know about. So don’t just go to the venue and then decide to buy the ticket. You will get none. The tickets are mostly sold out or there are long queues you don’t want to wait for. You have to have an agenda and plan everything ahead of time. Otherwise, you are going to miss out on many historical places. Roaming around with no agenda seems to be fun .its exciting as you get surprised every step of the way. But going to historical places and not planning means you will miss it for sure.
Going to Italy only to visit Rome
Yes, I understand the hype about Rome. The stunning architecture of the roman empire, historic monuments, and the smallest country in the world everything is in Rome. So why wouldn’t people want to visit this historical place! but what you don’t know is visiting Rome only is the biggest mistake. You are going to Italy, and only visited Rome? How is it even possible? You must not come back to your country before visiting Tuscany. Go hiking in the Cinque Terre to visit the most beautiful village with beautiful colors. There is crystal clear water here as well.
The cobblestone alleys of Florence aren’t less impressive than the Rome. You will surely love everything here just like in Rome. And don’t forget the paddle canals of Venice. How could you be in Italy and not visit Venice! Don’t miss the best pizza in Naples. Sicily, Amalfi coast and Milan all these cities provide different types of entertainment for different people. One thing is sure it does feel great to be there. You can go on a shopping spree in Milan. It is like a shopping lover’s paradise. See? How many things you would miss if you only visited Rome!
Drinking cappuccino after 11 am
Do you want to roam around Italy like you are local person? Then don’t embarrass yourself by ordering a cappuccino after 11 am. Italians don’t drink it because they think milky stuff give digestive issues after a meal. Get your cup of cappuccino before 11 am. To keep yourself awake in this exciting travel experience you can order an espresso. Macchiato is also a great option if you hate espresso. It has a tiny amount of milk that will not taste like coffee only. For those of you who prefer traditional filter coffee, you can ask for an Americano. Or if you just don’t care what people say or think get your cup of latte or cappuccino. Who’s stopping you to have your type of drink!
Falling for fake souvenirs
Don’t we all love to bring something home from the place we traveled? It’s like a reminder of where we went and reminding us about the great time we had. Most people buy a small shot glass, keychain, or replica of the architectural beauty of Italy. Guess what? All these are made in china. You are bringing china home. Just like all the other things at our home these souvenirs are also Chinese.
Then what do you bring home? I would suggest bringing some food type of thing. It will be satisfying to make Italian recipes even when you are not Italian. Balsamic vinegar is a great choice. buy it from Modena. Buy the best kind of olive oil from Italy, pasta although fresh handmade pasta is superior to anything.
Handmade crockeries and ceramics are a great option as a souvenir. You will be able to use it and cherish it for the rest of your life. For leather and gold, you must go to Florence. It’s the best place for leather. Everything is way cheaper here as well. But those are also made in china. If you want the good stuff, buy it from the local boutique shops. They charge an insane amount for leather bags or jackets. But it’s all real.
