🇮🇹 20 life hacks for a perfect holiday in Italy
Italy is undoubtedly the country that is worth visiting at least once in your life. Mind-blowing architecture , nature , cooking, wine – what else is needed for happiness? But if everything were so perfect, such texts would not exist. So catch a selection of life hacks that will help make your Italian vacation Instagrammable, and not “Oh my God, where did I end up.”
Medicines
I’ll start with some “grandmother” level advice: pack a first aid kit at home, especially if you take something regularly. With a prescription from doctors in your country, they are unlikely to sell anything in Italy, and if you catch a cold, you will drink a mild antipyretic for the price of a local bag, even a replica.
Language
Once in Turin we went into an elite-looking restaurant where the menu was only in Italian, but it turned out that this was a place for raw foodists. A snack made from raw minced meat is an unforgettable experience. Therefore, do not rely too much on your English, it is not as widespread there as in other parts of Europe. This leads to advice: connect a local SIM card and use online translators if you don’t want to get into an awkward situation again. In tiny, colorful Italian villages, the chance of bumping into an English speaker is reduced to an absolute minimum.
Phone charger
It is quite common to see Italian rosettes with three holes. There are hardly any of them in new hotels, but they happen in old hotels or apartments. The reception usually has suitable adapters, but you may find yourself running around the city looking for an electrical appliance store. So take care of this in advance.
Tips
They are usually already included in the price, but leaving more separately is not prohibited. Sometimes you even want to leave an unusually large tip, because Italians provide very high-quality and sincere service in restaurants, especially family restaurants, with delicious home-cooked food. Be sure to try it!
Working hours
Italians love to sleep in the afternoon, so long afternoon breaks in local shops are a common situation. Of course, this does not apply to tourist spots (practically), but the markets for Italians will be more colorful.
Safety
Italy is still not Norway, where you can leave your wallet on the street and they will return it to you. Therefore, if possible, leave valuables in the hotel safe; do not take all your bank cards and a lot of cash with you. Also, make a copy of your passport and carry it with you, but leave the original safe.
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Water
Drinking water in Italy is excellent, the further north you go in the country, the better. You can drink from the tap. Therefore, stock up on a reusable bottle in advance. If they understand English in a restaurant, they may well pour some water directly into your container. Otherwise, look for drinking fountains. I heard that machines with clean water are also starting to appear in large cities.
Excursions
Almost every major city has free tours from locals. You can save money on museums using tourist cards. And every first Sunday of the month, all state museums in Italy are free to visit.
Shopping
The discount season in Italy lasts from January to March, and summer sales from July to August. Only in large cities will shopping centers be open until 20:00-21:00, so make time for shopping during the day. Almost no one works on Sunday with rare exceptions. And at the end of August there is a “low season” in the country in terms of shopping. All trade stops, they say, “everyone has left for the sea.” Of course, you will always find something, but the choice will be small. This does not apply to souvenirs.
Agree, all these are not such serious obstacles as not to go to delightful sunny Italy and taste all kinds of “gelato” and pizza. The only things that made me a little nervous were problems in communication due to lack of knowledge of the language and the insanely variable schedule of establishments. But you can handle it, so have a bright and delicious Italian vacation!