Post: #1

Will be living in Florence with my gal from June through August. Taking short trips up north to Veneto region as well. Then hitting up the west coast (Cinque Terre through Genoa) in late August, and finally down to Tuscany until we have to leave in September.

Anyone living in the area or visiting, PM me if you want to meet up.

I'm looking for some advice from people in the area (or travellers with a vast knowledge of it).

The point of the trip is to connect with the Renaissance and get a firmer understanding of the foundation of modern western culture. The secondary point is to live as a local, and enjoy as much food and wine as possible.

I've been before, but only for 1.5 weeks (Venice, Florence, Rome).

By the time I arrive, I will know enough of the language to get around, order food/buy things, and ask/answer everyday questions. Won't be above the level of pleasantries in conversation, but will continue working on it while there.

So:

- any landmarks / minor works of art off the beaten path that I should be aware of, that most tourists miss?

- what's a good neighborhood in Florence to hang out in, drink some coffee, generally experience real Italian life without getting raped from tourist prices / rushed quality?

- what is a good central area in Tuscany to stay in the countryside and bicycle to vineyards / small cities? We want to hit Montelpuciano, Pienza, Montalcino, Siena, and the various hot springs (San Filippo, Vignoni). I was thinking Pienza is roughly in the middle, but any advice would be appreciated.

- every place I've booked (so far) says they have WiFi, but I remember it being pretty weak the last time I was there. I will need to work 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. My main client pays for my phone plan, which includes long distance and data while abroad -- but of course you still need some kind of signal. Any thoughts on other strategies for connectivity?

- muslim immigrants: most of the places I want to be in are fairly safe, but my much younger girlfriend will be with me, so I want to be aware of any no-go areas in those cities...

Post: #2

Siena has a horse race in the city center in July. While I wasn't in the city during this race, its by far my favorite city in Tuscany.

Post: #3

Is it reasonable to stay in Siena and bike to the neighboring medieval towns? Or does one absolutely need a car in this region?

And what about supplies like groceries and wine? Or is it all just higher priced tourist shops?

Post: #4

I really enjoyed the festivals in that part of Italy. See if you can make it to the Giostra del Saracino in Arezzo, the Palio in Siena and the Calcio Storico in Florence.

You can reach a lot of towns by train. But you will probably need to rent a car at certain moments to fill in some gaps and get out into the countryside. If you network well, you might be able to find another couple to spend the day / weekend with and split the cost.

As well as internet signal, you will want to avoid background noise if you are on voice calls. Make sure you travel with a good headset in that case. A cell phone with 4G data should be fine as a plan B if your Wifi is no good.

Post: #5

The festivals seem interesting -- thanks Tigre and Stakes Is High.

What about train travel? Did anybody save money using those Eurail passes (3-8 days of unlimited travel within 1 month)?

We'll never really take more than 1 trip a day (eg. one morning ride to Venice, next evening ride back), for a total of about 10 train rides.

I guess what I'm wondering is if it's just cheaper to go down to the station and buy a ticket in person. Or if there are any deals to be had buying certain days/times.

Post: #6

(04-19-2016 07:54 PM)TooFineAPoint Wrote:  What about train travel? Did anybody save money using those Eurail passes (3-8 days of unlimited travel within 1 month)?

We'll never really take more than 1 trip a day (eg. one morning ride to Venice, next evening ride back), for a total of about 10 train rides.

I guess what I'm wondering is if it's just cheaper to go down to the station and buy a ticket in person. Or if there are any deals to be had buying certain days/times.

Definitely not Eurail.

There used to be a train pass just for Italian railways called Chilometrico (you pay by the kilometer traveled). Looks like it's being phased out. The replacement is a mobile app where you pay for each single journey.

Post: #7

Bumping this thread: leaving in less than two weeks.

Will any of you guys be in the area? Get together for a drink?

Or any last recommendations/advice for getting the most out of Italian culture?

Post: #8

I was there few years ago during April. I took a local bus from Florence bus station and went to a small town called Greve in Chianti. It was very nice wine town between mountains, had some good cold local white wine and some meatballs there. Other then that I remember there were some big outdoor pools in Florence which were closed in April but during the summer they should be open. Also you can take the tram which goes like 1 hour along the city to get out of the touristic side and get into the real side of the city.

Post: #9

Don't worry about no go areas and sharia law; we ain't Sweden or France.

As for your Venice trip, I'm afraid you're going to have to bite the bullet on that one and get ready to shell out some major cash. Ain't no such thing as non-touristy places in La Serenissima, but it's going to be worth it.

Lastly, I would avoid buying an Eurail pass, but it seems that topic has already been covered.
There are travel plans that allow you to take 10 trips with trenitalia.com called Carnet. They will allow you to get one trip for free and travel on very comfortable, mostly on-time trains (FrecciaBianca).

Good luck

Post: #10

So I'm out here in Italy, and my girlfriend and I were in an enoteca (wine shop). They sell wine by the bottle and glass, and also in bulk (you bring your own bottles and they fill you up with young wine -- pretty much the greatest place ever).

We start a convo with some dudes who are painters.

End up becoming friends with them because I mention that I like the Art Renewal Center (basically the red pill of the art world). Turns out they teach at a studio accredited by the center.

New best friends.

After hanging out with and conversing with the one guy a few times, it dawns on me to ask him "are you aware of red pill... the Roosh Forum, etc"?

He says he's not a member of the forum but he reads Return Of Kings all the time.

Friends everywhere, gents.

Silent majority (not really, but you get the point).

Go forth in great confidence!