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July 14th, 2015

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Girl Guides and Boy Scouts will tell you that any adventure - even one of Avventure Bellissime’s thoughtfully designed Italy Tours and Italy Vacation Packages - is much better with a little planning.

What do you need to know before you arrive for your vacation experience in Italy? Here are some travel tips from our Italy experts at Avventure Bellissime:

Can you carry your luggage? Not just across the room, but could you carry it in and out of a vehicle, up and down stairs, and along a cobblestone street? Pack what you can cart around yourself easily because the old-world charm of many Italian destinations means elevators are scarce and walking not unexpected. A small suitcase you can lift and a carry-on bag is ideal for any Italian vacation, whether it’s a wonderful rendezvous in Ravenna, an adventure into the Veneto region, or a fun getaway to Florence.

Choose practical footwear. Sure, you might want to look chic if you’re touring the fashion powerhouse city of Milan but you simply have to dress for the occasion. Walking tours, day trips, and excursions all incorporate quite a bit of exploration on foot so you want to ensure your soles and tender toes are not sore and blistered. Trust us: While the pretty new sandals or heels might be stunning, you’ll keep up with the group much more happily if you’re wearing trusty walking shoes for a Small Group Tour of Ancient Rome. Here’s a great post from @TravelFashionGirl on the best travel walking shoes.

Pack versatile clothing. The weather can vary slightly from region to region and certainly depending on the time of year you visit Italy. Bringing clothing you can layer, mix, and match makes sense not only for temperature variations but also times when a little more modesty is required. Tours of the Vatican or other churches, sacred space for Christians in the Catholic tradition, require men and women to dress in clothing that covers their shoulders and knees. You also might want to dress up a bit for dinner, concerts, or nightlife.

Plugs and voltage are different in Italy. If you are coming on holiday from the UK, Canada, or the US you might buy a plug adapter so that you can use your electronics or hair straightener while you enjoy exploring the past on an exclusive Rome to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast trip. What you need to know - at risk of ruining your belongings - is that Italian electricity runs at a voltage of 220. Even if you buy an adapter that is a power converter it may not meet or exceed the requirements of what you plug into it. It might be better to leave those things at home than risk ruining them abroad.

Need to call home? The most cost-effective way to call long distance is to go to a newspaper stand or tobacco shop and get a long-distance calling card. They typically run around 5 euros for 90 minutes, a way better rate than you’d get from a hotel. Whatever you do, do not call the numbers posted near public phones offering long distance calling to North America because those overcharge significantly.

If you wish you could have more information about survival phrases in Italian, currency exchange, banks and ATMs, seasonal temperatures, and other critical information (especially if this is your first Italy vacation), we can help.

Scroll to the bottom of our website home page to sign up for our Avventure Bellissime newsletter. Not only will you be among the first to find out about new tours and special offers, we’ll send you our free e-book full of tips for first-time travellers.

Ready to book your dream Italian vacation? Avventure Bellissime can help: Visit us online now to build your Italy vacation packages