The decision to use a travel agent didn't come lightly after traveling extensively over the years, but since we had a 5 word vocabulary in Italian (two of which were cuss words) I went to the professionals just to see what they could offer to make life on the road easier. It was the correct move.
The folks I worked with had recently returned from our destination and provided valuable advice regarding ground transportation, in country air tranportation and tickets for guided walking tours of attractions. When options would have cost me an agency surcharge they gave the information to book myself online and save the additional charges. Through the agents we booked two guided tours in Rome and one in Florence. They also found us a day trip (11hrs) through the Tuscan countryside including a lunch stop at an active vinyard and winery in the hills. Yes. There was plenty of wine to drink and places to see in that gorgeous countryside.
All 4 guides hired were very good. Each exhibited the ability to take the potentially tedious drone of a bored employee to that of a proud citizen of their city thereby elevating our experience to another level. Two guides were Superb. You were able to live the tour. On one we were told to assume the haughty airs of the Roman citizen. Proper tilt of the head as as to be able to look down your nose on those poor fools without citizenship. He tied that attitude to seeing "god" in the form of Caesar preside over miracles performed at the coliseum. He was mesmerizing (though, as he admitted, he talked too much). The young man who took us through the Vatican at the crack of dawn was the best of all. His humor, his partiality toward a particular artist (not Michelangelo believe it or not) whose work adorns many walls of the museum as does the work of his mentor, his insights and consideration of his charges brought the overwhelming museum, Sistene and St Peters to life.
Walking the same ground with a handheld recorded tour would have been dry, uninspired ultimately making for a much shorter perusal of the site. I used one on an unguided tour solo excursion in Rome and halfway through it the device flickered, burped and demanded a password the docent never provided. By the time I returned to the booth and finished waiting in line I decided to turn it in and fled the building.
Avoid the line is a good thing. It eliminates you having to stand in two lines. The line to buy tickets and then the line to actually enter the site. You see, those that paid to skip the line are now in the line to enter and you will have to que up again to join them. Now, skipping isn't free. It can cost $15 additional and up per person to make the jump. We found tickets for a museum in a kiosk that cost 12 Euro each. If we wanted to buy online and skip the line it went up to almost 60 Euro for two (current exchange rate $1.20=1 Euro).
Guided tours are expensive, but worth the cost. All are skip the line so a chunk of the price goes there and let's not forget what we can call the Value Added Tax. It falls on everything and can vary by city. You can count on 6 to 9 Euro for two people to sit and order at a cafe, bar, restaurant, or buy anything at a shop or pay for a hotel room. It's how the city survives while maintaining the sites you want to visit. You can't escape it, but you best consider it in the cost of travel. We found it isn't included if you prepay for your room. It's added when you check out. I booked a room through the IHG group and the person on the phone said they had no such charge showing. When we checked out...there it was added to our bill. USA hotel rooms can have an occupancy tax among other charges so it isn't out of line, but just make sure you add it into your trip budget.
Our Tuscan day trip was 11 hours looonnnnggg. The countryside was beautiful and, after visiting Siena and Pisa on the dash (time limits and meeting places) along with the farm/vinyard fresh lunch stop was great, it's not the way I would want to travel. We booked a morning tour our first full day and then a 3pm tour the following. We then visited sites on our own. The idea was to experience life in the places we stayed. Have a coffee in a sidewalk cafe and watch the people go by. It can be a somewhat harrowing experience as you are repeatedly approached by beggars, street individuals shoving selfie sticks in your face, roses shoved in your hand with a demand for payment, purses, scarves and in Pisa I was offered a great deal on a Rolex, but more about this part of the Italy experience in a later post.
Some notes:
In Italy you won't get a glass of water with a meal unless you pay for it. They will ask if you want still or with gas.
If I have to pay for it I want sparkling spring water.
Use the john in your hotel room before you journey out. It's free and has a seat. A public WC costs 50 cents and most
likely has no seat. The squat is a way of life there and I suggest doing some excercises to build up that muscle group.
If there is no public WC to be found the surrounding cafes and eateries will have one, but you can't use them...unless
you buy something. A pack of gum or a bottle of water will get you the use of the toilet (no guarantee of a seat however)
One of our female guides said if you have to pay 50 cents you might as well get something for your money.
Water is available on the streets, literally. There are spigots with running drinking water all over the city. Folks
carry empty water bottles or cup their hands to have a drink. The water has been flowing for centuries.
The Italian people we met are for the most part multilingual which, in a way, is embarrasing and made for some wonderful
conversations about their lives and day to day living in their city. When they come to the US how many of us can greet
them much less assist them in their language.
We in the United States have a rich history, but it only goes back to 1776. The colonies date back to the end of the 17th
century. We saw the byproducts of advanced civilizations from 500 years before Christ. Their brilliance was their ability
to look inward and discover themselves as human beings and develop insights we take for granted. We spend our time
looking forward and so little on introspection. We can be proud to be who we are, but we must also realize how young
we are in the history of the world. We need to listen more and talk less. No. We need to endeavor to hear and
understand the world from the other side of the pond.
MD
