1. Pizza

You can eat good pizza in any Italian city. Not all pizza is created equal but you don’t have to be in Napoli to enjoy it. Pizza pies and pizza by “the slice” can be found in any city. Don’t be sheepish if you’re in the mood for a fresh, hot pizza. Just be sure to look for what a restaurant is using to cook the pizza. If they have a legit pizza oven then it’s likely they’ll be spinning out some good stuff.

2. Opening Hours

Opening times of museums, restaurants, and businesses are sporadic and inconsistent. Expect many places to close on Sunday, Monday, and often Tuesday. I’ve seen churches open at 9 and close for lunch, churches that don’t open until 3pm, and others that close unannounced for services. While In Verona, we had planned to visit the Juliet’s House museum since we had a little bit of time and none of our other options were open. When we arrived there were dozens of people crowded around a gate reading a small handwritten sign. It read something to the effect of “the museum is closed right now.” We weren’t able to squeeze in another time slot to see what was inside.

To make matters worse, Google Maps lists the wrong hours for establishments. If it’s part of your plan or agenda, double check the timing on the actual website (assuming you can find it, and that they have kept it updated). We typically vacation with a large amount of flexibility instead of planning everything out. However, there are some places you have to put a schedule together – like Florence. There are tickets that include several attractions and museums and to see them all you will need to do some planning. We totally messed this up. We saved the archeological museum for a particular day and on the last valid day of the ticket. When we arrived we discovered the museum was closed. We had trusted the hours on Google Maps and it was incorrect. Turns out the museum is open alternating half days, and we were unable to go back another time.

3. Public Transportation

Not all public transportation works great in Italy, but trains are consistent and largely on time. Because of their speed and abundant schedule, they are an efficient option for exploring nearby cities. We relied on public transportation extensively especially when we spent a few days in Emilia-Romagna.

If you’re wondering how to get from A to B, check Seat 61 for an outstanding guide on rail travel. We downloaded the Trenitalia app and used that to check schedules and purchase tickets (if your U.S. credit card does not work, try the Paypal option and pay with a credit card that way). For the long trips, we also compared Italo Rail on their website. There are other sites that aggregate train travel (like trainline.com) which would be helpful if also adding some local trains.

4. Wine

House wine is delicious. If you’re not sure what to order off the wine list or perhaps the tavern you’re at doesn’t have one. Just ask for a calice (caw-LEE-chey) of house wine. House wine in the U.S. and Italy are very different. Usually in U.S. restaurants the house wine is a cheap bulk label from California, and anything good is on the expensive glass pour list. Instead in Italy you’ll often find hyper-local grape varieties that pair well with the dishes being served. We’ve been able to try new wines just by drinking the house white and house red.

5. Authentic Experiences

You don’t have to go far to get out of touristy, high trafficked areas. We love to travel off the beaten path and we found it easy to quickly exit busy plazas in Venice and discover cheap student hang outs in Florence. Venice is a stunningly beautiful city but it can seem overwhelmed with tourists, backpacks, and selfie sticks. So how do you find yourself out of the $$$$ zone? Sometimes all it takes is to just walk to the other side of the building. Don’t be afraid of getting lost, in fact, get lost a little! Exploring with your eyes and making up a route as you go can lead to rewarding destinations.

Another way to set a course is to look at Google Maps for an interesting park, site, restaurant, or store that feels a little far from the tourist core. Then walk, bike or bus there. When you stop seeing tour groups and people trying to sell you sunglasses, then you’ll know you’re “off the path.”

Hope you enjoyed reading about what we recently learned. We have a travel diary post for each region we travelled to in Italy. Check those out to see the amazing sites and photos.

• Florence
• Verona, Venice, and the Veneto
• Friuli Venezia Giulia
• Bologna and Emilia-Romagna