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Italian Travel Tips
THESE
NOTES DO NOT NECESSARILY PERTAIN TO ANY SPECIFIC PROPERTY OR TOUR THAT
WE OFFER BUT CAN HELP PREPARE YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCES YOU
CAN EXPECT BETWEEN THE U.S. AND ITALY.
Because
it is different, one's first tendency is to think of Italy as being
loose and unorganized, but it is actually very organized.
Telephone
Having
access to the telephone system is very helpful. It is also a great
learning and humbling experience. Of course, the easiest thing for
telephone access would be to
rent a cellular
phone
which will work in Italy.
However,
if you decide not to do this, and use the Italian standard wired system,
you first need to get a phone card at a local TABACCI shop. Sometimes,
such as at airports, you may find vending machines from which you can
purchase the cards. You can get a card for Lit.10,000 which should
handle most of your needs such as getting the local operator for your
long distance provider to make calls to the US.
Once
you have the card, you need to break off the corner at the score point
to activate the card. Many phones have two places to put a card, the top
one is the one you want. The steps are:
If
you are dialing an Italian number you do not need to use the leading
"011 39". The next part, beginning with a "0", is
the area code. Only use the area code if you are calling from another
area. (Until very recently, when dialing a number in Italy from the USA,
you had to omit the "0". Beginning in 1998, however, the
"0" must be included on international calls as well.)
Phone
numbers in Italy are not the same length, ranging from 5-8 digits!
“Pronto”
is the typical Italian greeting when answering the telephone.
Remember
to remove your card when you are done.
Parking
the Car
There
are several types of car parks. Most small parking lots have a wandering
attendant. There will be a sign showing the hours when he is present.
You are only charged for those hours. If you are going to be gone beyond
his closing time, such as going to dinner at a restaurant, you will be
asked to pay first.
In
major parking areas, as at the town walls in Lucca, the attendant has a
palm computer where he enters your car license number and the time you
leave. He will prepare a bill for you when you return. Rates are not
high and it is nice to have someone looking after things. We have found
the attendants to be generally helpful, though with limited true
English. In the business section of a small town, parking restrictions
will be posted.
There
may be a vending machine on the block where you buy a ticket and place
it on the dash.
Or
there might be restricted free parking. 2 hours, etc. Italian cars have
a stick-on clock face on the windshield. Just set the dial to the time
when you parked.
Local
Transportation
Buy
bus, street car, or local train tickets at the TABACCI, or you may find
a note on the station door showing where tickets are sold. Many stations
are no longer manned. You need to punch your ticket before riding. The
machine which punches you ticket can be found at the station or on the
bus. This marks the ticket as used. Transit police may come on board and
check tickets. The driver just drives.
Grocery
Stores
Like
most other stores including local gas stations, groceries are closed
from about 12:30 to 3 or 3:30 and on Sunday. You will not find grocery
carts left in the area because they are chained together in the parking
lot. You slip a L 500 (TWO TONE) coin in the slot on the handle to free
the cart. When you return the cart you will get the coin back. Or, you
may find a "free lance" cart returner in the lot who will keep
the coin.
Buying
produce has special rules. At the local produce shop, the shop keeper
will select the produce for you. She may ask if it is for today or “domani”
(tomorrow). Produce is usually washed and very ripe. At the Supermarket,
you also do not touch the fruit. There are disposable plastic gloves
with which to pick up the fruit. Place the fruit or vegetables in a bag,
note the number of the item on the sign, and place the bag on the scale,
Press the number of the item and a bar code sticker will be printed for
check out.
You
may be charged extra for a carry out bag. Italy has gone “GREEN”.
The small farms are being certified organic, water is being conserved,
and people bring their own bags to the grocery store.
Building
Maintenance
Looking
old is in. The more stone showing, the better. Exterior painting is on a
50 year cycle and then only if really necessary. Stucco may be patched,
but will not be painted unless absolutely necessary. Stucco is a last
resort used only if repainting the mortar is just too expensive. As a
result, things that look rundown to Americans, are things of beauty to
the locals.
Food
This
is an area that is really organized. Casual food, the Bar, Autogrill
etc. will have coffee, and simple sandwiches that are pre-made. They may
heat them in a machine like a waffle maker. You will frequently pay
first at a cashier and then give the receipt to the food handler who
will fill your order. Sandwiches may come from a different person or
area than the drinks.
The
next level up is Pizza. Pizzas are for one person. Don’t assume
anything is included. You may not be ordering the toppings, You are
probably ordering the ingredients. You may need to request cheese and
tomato sauce. Crusts are thin. The pizza is more like California Pizza
Kitchen than Round Table. Pizza Margherita is a standard, Tomato,
Mozzarella and Basil. Other combinations may come as separate areas,
rather than mixed together.
Trattoria
is a casual restaurant where you are not expected to have all courses,
will generally be less expensive, and will be simpler food preparation.
A
ristorante is the top category with an extensive menu. Courses
will be served in the order they are on the menu. Salads in the Contorni
section will be served last, Salads in Antipasto, will be served
first. Each course will be served to everyone. If someone in the group
does not order one of the courses, they just sit that one out. The
problem can come when someone intends the pasta to be their main course
and others have ordered a meat course. They may hold others meat course
until the pasta is finished. Try to tell the waiter what you are doing.
Unlike our system, the main course of meat is probably just meat,
nothing else may be on the plate. It is not the main event, just one
part of the complete dinner.
Plan
to have antipasto, This is where Italian cooking shows its great
variety and creativity and is a good chance to try things.
The
big meal is traditionally at noon. Dinner restaurants generally start
about 8 pm. If you try to go around the “rules” you will really
confuse the staff who may not understand why you are doing things
strangely when you look well dressed and accustomed to eating in
restaurants.
Coffee
Traditionally,
coffee drinks that include milk are only for the morning. In areas where
Americans have preceded you Cappuccino may now be available in
the evening, but otherwise they may not have milk available to make
it. If you order a caffe, you will get a small cup of espresso.
If you want a bit more than a demitasse, order a doppio (double).
In areas which cater to tourists, when you ask for a caffe (and
are taken to be an American), you will often be asked to verify that you
do, in fact, want an espresso.
If
you want a cup of coffee "American-style", you need to order caffe
Americano. However, English or American coffee is
generally not available except in locations catering to tourists.
Of course, even if you order American coffee, it will often taste
terrible. Obviously knowing how to do espresso is no guarantee
that you can brew all forms of coffee!
Italian
coffee is generally from African beans. We find it high in caffeine but
much easier on the stomach than South American coffee beans.
Bathrooms
Figuring
out the bathrooms is one of the adventures of international travel
generally, and Italian travel very specifically. It seems that
every geographical area, and often each building has its own system of
fixtures, knobs, buttons, doors, chains, and water flow. When you
enter, don't get flustered, smile and enjoy the little puzzle you have
before you. The function of the extra
fixtures (often a bidet) is beyond our scope here, but we will cover the
missing items.
Toilets
now are generally recognizable. The old floor models are almost gone.
All toilets are water savers working on pressure rather than water
quantity. Most tanks are up on the wall and the lever has been
modernized from a pull chain to a great variety of buttons located
anywhere in the general area. Older toilets operate mechanically, but
the newer ones may have a remote switch which allows for even more
creativity in placement. There is always a brush available since the
water often does not do a complete job of cleaning the bowl.
Showers
range from hand held unit in the tub with no shower curtain (good luck
on keeping things dry without practice!) to a handheld unit on the wall
with a drain in the middle of the floor to reasonably recognizable
shower units in the more modern and touristed areas. Shower curtains or
glass doors are common additions but the areas enclosed are generally
very small and not necessarily watertight. Other than the modern
systems, all of them require some new skills to be learned. Try facing
out so the water sprays towards the wall.
There
are lots of single control faucets. It is the bottom of the handle that
points left or right for hot or cold, not the top as we have it. Note
that "C" is for Caldo (HOT), "F" is for Freddo
(COLD). In many homes there is probably no hot water tank. Hot
water is made as you need it so you don’t run out but you may need to
have only one shower going at a time. Energy is very expensive ( gasoline
is about $1 per quart ).
Summing
it up
The
differences between America and Italy are a part of the travel
experience, along with the churches and artwork, food and culture,
beauty and speeding cars. Observing the different solutions to common
problems of everyday life can frequently lead to an understanding of
what will be coming to us next. Don’t laugh too hard at the crazy
clothes worn by the Italian kids, your kids may look like that next
year!
Enjoy
your trip and the travel experience.
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