Jump to content

The Italy Thread


sidis

Recommended Posts

13 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

Watched the 2nd episode of the latest Stanley Tucci series on CNN. They make me so schizophrenic. I drool over everything he eats, and yet it's pure torture because I want to go to every place he goes. Damn, why am I not independently wealthy. 

That golden spaghetti - I need it in my life. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
3 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Am I reading correctly that you only need to show your vax card to get into Italy?  No testing?

Over here right now and we didn’t even need to show the vax card. I wouldn’t necessarily count on that, but there wasn’t even someone to interact with on a covid-related basis.

Definitely bring a KN-95 mask for ferries and whatnot. They were really enforcing that.

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

We watched 'Searching For Italy' with Stanley Tucci last season and for people who are watching this season (as we are); wasn't the London episode a feast for the eyes? I really really wanted to taste the scallop dish. That looked mmmmm. And the ragu.

Watched it last night. It was great. I want to eat everything he has, every show. The dish they made at his house perfectly exemplifies the food we had on our trip to Italy. Very few ingredients, and very simple dishes, but taste awesome. The cacio e pepe I had in Rome, which is just pasta, water, cheese, and pepper, is the best pasta dish I've ever had. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/20/2022 at 9:39 PM, Biff Tannen said:

Am I reading correctly that you only need to show your vax card to get into Italy?  No testing?

no one looked at my vax card or passenger locator form when coming in.  maybe it's because i flew into bologna rather than rome or milan.  i uploaded my vax card to united so maybe that was sufficient for entry. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When we went in December, no one checked out vaccination cards at any of the airports we went through. Granted, that was only Amsterdam and Rome, but I was expecting a full check prior to leaving the airport. Getting back into Rome airport to leave was a different story.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Expand on this please.

Aeroporti di Roma staff was checking at the terminal doors and skyway entrance for proof of vaccination and negative COVID test within 2 calendar days. They were doing this before allowing anyone to even get near check in, bag drop, or security. That said, they were the only ones checking. Airline staff, security checkpoint, and neither Italian or US customs asked. This was in January, so YMMV.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, elfenix said:

no one looked at my vax card or passenger locator form when coming in.  maybe it's because i flew into bologna rather than rome or milan.  i uploaded my vax card to united so maybe that was sufficient for entry. 

I thought they were getting rid of the passenger locator form

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heading out on Thursday for 17 days.  Verona, Ortisei, Bellagio, Tuscany, then down to Sicily.  Looking forward to driving in Italy again.  I have a BMW 3 series reserved, but hopefully can grab a convertible when we get there, but rental car prices are nutzo compared to when I first did this in 2018.  

Good food and amazing people and scenery, here I come!

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

but rental car prices are nutzo compared to when I first did this in 2018.

Yes they are.  So much so that it was cheaper for us to hire private drivers in Spain this month.  I did like sitting in the back of a Mercedes 500 checking out the Spanish countryside.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, VABuckeye said:

Yes they are.  So much so that it was cheaper for us to hire private drivers in Spain this month.  I did like sitting in the back of a Mercedes 500 checking out the Spanish countryside.

I looked it up.  16 days in a BMW convertible in 2018 cost $1200.  Over 5 grand now.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Starting from June 1, 2022, travelers to Italy will no longer be required to show the Green pass (i.e. Anti-COVID 19 vaccination certificate or recovery certificate, or a negative swab test) to enter Italy and are not subject to quarantine upon arrival to Italy if they do not possess the Green pass.

 

The timing of this is awesome.  Tomorrow, we leave for the Amalfi coast.    

Edited by bobcat1995
  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, bobcat1995 said:
  • Starting from June 1, 2022, travelers to Italy will no longer be required to show the Green pass (i.e. Anti-COVID 19 vaccination certificate or recovery certificate, or a negative swab test) to enter Italy and are not subject to quarantine upon arrival to Italy if they do not possess the Green pass.

 

The timing of this is awesome.  Tomorrow, we leave for the Amalfi coast.    

Yep. I just got into Venice this morning and didn’t have to show anything. Now in Verona. 

4FB05718-BCA1-41B8-805A-81F833B8CD97.jpeg

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/3/2022 at 6:09 AM, Biff Tannen said:

Yep. I just got into Venice this morning and didn’t have to show anything. Now in Verona. 

4FB05718-BCA1-41B8-805A-81F833B8CD97.jpeg

Went to the United app to upload and documents and, aside from passports, there were no requirements to scan vaccine cards like last year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, texasdago said:

Went to the United app to upload and documents and, aside from passports, there were no requirements to scan vaccine cards like last year.

We got an alert two days ago that Italy has lifted all Covid related restrictions. Double check that because the internet, but it seems to be accurate so far. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ok. Am I the only one that thinks the ferry schedule on lake como is IMPOSSIBLE to understand?  Now, I’m not a smart man, but dammit, there has to be a simpler way. I saw 90% of the other people in line with the same issues too. Figure it out!  Everything else in Italy is easy and awesome. Why does this part suck?

Here’s some pics

2A7E4934-BD73-4E2A-A465-755FD6AA6733.jpeg

5F635F0E-2921-4D2C-B049-95AC2066373B.jpeg

  • Hook 'Em 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/8/2022 at 1:52 PM, Biff Tannen said:

Ok. Am I the only one that thinks the ferry schedule on lake como is IMPOSSIBLE to understand?  Now, I’m not a smart man, but dammit, there has to be a simpler way. I saw 90% of the other people in line with the same issues too. Figure it out!  Everything else in Italy is easy and awesome. Why does this part suck?

Here’s some pics

2A7E4934-BD73-4E2A-A465-755FD6AA6733.jpeg

5F635F0E-2921-4D2C-B049-95AC2066373B.jpeg

i'm dying reading this.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Only had to wear a mask once, in Capri.  Only had to show my vax card once, at the Naples Airport returning to the states and no Covid test to come home.  No masks on the plane going or returning home!!

 

The Amalfi coast was beautiful.  We stayed in Positano and Ravello, took day trips to Amalfi and Capri!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, bobcat1995 said:

Only had to wear a mask once, in Capri.  Only had to show my vax card once, at the Naples Airport returning to the states and no Covid test to come home.  No masks on the plane going or returning home!!

 

The Amalfi coast was beautiful.  We stayed in Positano and Ravello, took day trips to Amalfi and Capri!

The Alalfi Coast is indeed beautiful, but the bus ride that I took there was nothing short of terrifying. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, bobcat1995 said:

The Amalfi coast was beautiful.  We stayed in Positano and Ravello, took day trips to Amalfi and Capri!

Indeed it is.  I was married there in April of 2004, in a tiny town called Furore, located between Positano and Amalfi.  According to the Mayor who performed the civil ceremony (we were married the following day by two Italian Anglican priests), we were the first American couple married in that town.  We stayed for about 5 days in Positano after the wedding and took day trips to Capri, Ravello, and Pompeii. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This year, we're going to take a day trip down to Numana and explore the beaches below Monte Conero... really looking forward to exploring the area and enjoying a day out on a boat to do some swimming.  Will post pics afterwards.  Le Marche is an area that is traditionally overlooked by American tourists.  I think the countryside if wonderful and the beaches range from typical "beach with a lido" that is so popular in Italy to wild, untamed stretches of cliffs and coastline.  While we've been to Vallugola and Senigallia before, we really look forward to checking out places like this near Portonovo and Sirolo...

Due Sorelle beach riviera del Conero Numana Marche Ancona adria Photograph  by Luca Lorenzelli | Fine Art America

Riviera del Conero: Portonovo, Sirolo, Numana - Il Blog di Setweb.it

Things to do in Numana Bassa | Traxplorio

750 Numana Stock Photos, Pictures & Royalty-Free Images - iStock

 

 

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It looks like we are targeting September 2023 to go back.  It will be a 12 day trip with friends who haven't been to Italy.  We'll probably do Venice, Florence and then Tuscany.  I'd like to squeeze Lake Como in as well but with our other destinations I will have to work to sort out travel that makes sense.  As long as I get to visit the enoteca in Greve and Montalcino I will be happy along with my favorite little vineyard in Gaiole in Chianti.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

Sicily for the first time. Near Castellammare del Golfo in a little town called Scopello. 
 

 

9094A63B-9F59-4B7D-80F0-5B393CBE8B6E.jpeg

C7CF19C5-1843-4AC3-A160-34B2A572477F.jpeg

B904E85F-DBC5-4FF8-AEAD-523531F00648.jpeg

D0D9997E-9BCA-44D5-829D-FBF83615B467.jpeg

We had a trip booked to Scopello years ago but had to cancel because, well, baby on the way.  BUT... a few years later we went to San Vito Lo Capo on the other side of the Riserva dello Zingaro (where you took that picture).  Good for you for going.  I think you picked the "right" side of Sicily to visit... fewer package tours, great food... its amazing.  If you have time, Trapani and Erice are great.  We went swimming off the very tip of Trapani which was very cool.  The salt flats between Trapani and Marsala are also worth visiting.  Enjoy!!!! 

 

Favignana kicks so much ass if you have a day to take the ferry.

Edited by texasdago
  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

We had a trip booked to Scopello years ago but had to cancel because, well, baby on the way.  BUT... a few years later we went to San Vito Lo Capo on the other side of the Riserva dello Zingaro (where you took that picture).  Good for you for going.  I think you picked the "right" side of Sicily to visit... fewer package tours, great food... its amazing.  If you have time, Trapani and Erice are great.  We went swimming off the very tip of Trapani which was very cool.  The salt flats between Trapani and Marsala are also worth visiting.  Enjoy!!!! 

 

Favignana kicks so much ass if you have a day to take the ferry.

Sweet. We are heading to Taormina for three more days tomorrow and then home. A lot of people on this trip, so I’m just kinda doing what everyone else wants to do. 

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

just booked dinner at da vittorio for when my wife and i are there in late july.  went there in 2011 and it was phenomenal.  looking forward to my highly anticipated return.  the drive from tremezzo to brusaporto and back can be...interesting but should be worth it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 6/14/2022 at 7:48 AM, South Austin said:

Indeed it is.  I was married there in April of 2004, in a tiny town called Furore, located between Positano and Amalfi.  According to the Mayor who performed the civil ceremony (we were married the following day by two Italian Anglican priests), we were the first American couple married in that town.  We stayed for about 5 days in Positano after the wedding and took day trips to Capri, Ravello, and Pompeii. 

My wife and I took our honeymoon in Sorrento

  • Hook 'Em 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
24 minutes ago, htown85 said:

I’ll be in Bellagio (Lake Como) and Tuscany in September with my wife and our two small children (I realize a lot of people think that is insane).

I’m looking for any suggestions, but specifically day trips in Tuscany…

We were in Tuscany last September. Did a day trip to San Gimignano. Great city to wander through. Any of the hill towns in the Chianti region are always a good choice. Sienna is also a given. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Mo Horn said:

We were in Tuscany last September. Did a day trip to San Gimignano. Great city to wander through. Any of the hill towns in the Chianti region are always a good choice. Sienna is also a given. 

Thanks. It would likely just be some wandering, an easy lunch with wine, more wandering, gelato, and then heading out. How easy are strollers in these towns?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, htown85 said:

Thanks. It would likely just be some wandering, an easy lunch with wine, more wandering, gelato, and then heading out. How easy are strollers in these towns?

They're all hilly, and streets and sidewalks aren't always even and smooth, so pushing a stroller will take some work. But all your other things are all everywhere. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, htown85 said:

I’ll be in Bellagio (Lake Como) and Tuscany in September with my wife and our two small children (I realize a lot of people think that is insane).

I’m looking for any suggestions, but specifically day trips in Tuscany…

September is a great time to go.  Way better than the summer.  Day trips in Tuscany for me are just drive.  Hit San Gimignano if you want (crowded when I went), but definitely Greve and Panzano.  Shit, just drive through the hills in that area and stop at places that look good.   I don't have kids, so not qualified to answer that stuff.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, htown85 said:

I’ll be in Bellagio (Lake Como) and Tuscany in September with my wife and our two small children (I realize a lot of people think that is insane).

I’m looking for any suggestions, but specifically day trips in Tuscany…

Also, I should have asked, where in Tuscany?  Montepulciano and Montalcino are awesome if you are more south.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Mo Horn said:

We were in Tuscany last September. Did a day trip to San Gimignano. Great city to wander through. Any of the hill towns in the Chianti region are always a good choice. Sienna is also a given. 

When you go to Sienna, drop a pin when you park your car.  It's easy to get lost.  But yeah, it's a must-see.  I hear that the Opera company is quite good.  We didn't go because I was wearing casual-summer clothes, but later I was told that it's very informal. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

When you go to Sienna, drop a pin when you park your car.  It's easy to get lost.  But yeah, it's a must-see.  I hear that the Opera company is quite good.  We didn't go because I was wearing casual-summer clothes, but later I was told that it's very informal. 

We parked at the football stadium, so we had a landmark to return to, but great advice if you park somewhere else. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...