I haven't been able to be a contributor yet, but I have read your advice and hopefully gleaned as much as possible. Thank you to all for your generosity in sharing your experiences. I printed out practically a book of restaurant reviews...now if I could only eat five times a day! This trip, I am not going to be able to actually "slow travel", as my companion has never been to Italy and wants to see Rome and Florence and parts of Tuscany, so we're doing a little bit of ambling, but not as much as I'd like. Next time. My main question concerns the cell phone. I called Cingular a couple of months ago and was informed that I could use my phone in Italy, but it would cost $2.00 a minute! So lkthen I read about the phones available for use overseas and was about to order one when I decided to give Cingular one more try, and someone directed me to their international department. The gentleman there contacted Motorola and they emailed me an unlock code and instructions. Has anyone had experience with this? Should I be prepared to find it's not going to work? But...presuming it does, I merely by a sim card there, for use within the country, is that correct? This may be a stupid question, but will my car charger work there? OK I realize that one was really a panic question. If I can charge in foreign car here, why not there? Can you feel the excitement mixed with panic in my questions? So, I'm taking only enough euros to pay the limo in Rome and for incidentls and am assuming that like France, I get the best rate of exchange from the ATMs. What about small villages? Should I get enough money out in places like Lucca for the smaller meanderings?
Should I send an email to the hotels to confirm?
If the limo company advertises 35 Euros for the trip from the airport to our hotel in Rome and we only have one bag apiece, what would be a fair tip for the driver?
Per advice that I read here, I didn't book a train ticket from Rome to Florence, as I think I read that they run every hour. I'm going to print out the pictures of the ticket machines. Any thing else I should know?
We're renting a car in Florence when we leave there. I thought that we could take the day and wind through Chianti before heading to Lucca. Am I being too ambitious? I don't need to stop for any wine tastings, as I read that reservations are a must, but will there be any roadside stores open where we can buy their wine or olive oil? Is this the wrong time of year? I'm hoping for a little spring weather, as Chicago is in the 30's again.
Alright, I've overwhelmed you with enough questions. Thanks again for past and future advice. I'm soooooexcited! Pati
Posts: 21 | Location: Northwest Indiana/Chicago area | Registered: 04 January 2006
- If you unlock your phone, you can buy a SIM card at a phone store in Italy and use it in your phone. You can order them from Telestial or Cellular Abroad while in the US, so you have your phone number before you go - but you don't have time for that.
- I think the charger should work in the car, same as here. Make sure to bring a plug adapter so you can plug it in and charge it in your hotels too.
- It is best to use ATMs to get cash. You will find them in many places, maybe not in the really small villages. Get extra money out when you are in the larger towns, just in case.
- Email or phone all hotels to confirm the week before you go on your trip. Make sure to bring your confirmation emails with you (printed) for when you check in, just in case there is a problem or the rate is different than you were quoted.
- Tip for limo. People do not tip as much in Italy as we do in the US, but I would give the driver a 5 Euro tip. Someone else may have better advice on this (I am an over-tipper.)
- In Rome, you can book your train the day before by going to a travel agent - you will see their offices with a sign saying they sell train tickets. Be sure to book the non-stop Eurostar - you will get seat reservations too. You can also just buy your ticket at the train station - the trains should not be sold out at this time of year.
- You can do a nice drive from Florence south on the S222 - that road goes through the main Chianti towns - Greve, Panzano, Castellina. From Castellina, head west. If you are pressed for time, hop on the Raccordo - the main highway from Siena to Florence - then to the autostrada south of Florence to Lucca. If you have time, meander west across more of Chianti to Lucca. It will be a nice day of driving.
- You will find Enotecas selling wine in the towns in Chianti and some estates have shops also. Bring a good wine guidebook with you. Wine and olive oil are available to purchase year round.
This may be a silly question, but any hoo... Can you use a plug adapter to charge a lap-top or MP3? I have heard that hairdryers will over heat. As much as I would hate to burn up a 10$ hair dryer- I'd really hate to burn up a computer! I am really out of the time with this- ask my teenagers!!
Look at the lable on your laptop. I have yet to see one that doesn't say it works from 110 to 240 V. Look for CE on the lable, which means it fulfills European community conventions. I have never seen one that didn't. Most peripherals also self convert. The electronic traveling age has been handled pretty well and the computer self-senses to handle the voltage change and the cycles don't matter. Hairdryers are different. I've never had one get damaged if I switched the voltage switch, but some draw from 1200 to 1600 watts and that fuses the hotel or house. That's why so many places have hairdryers that don't mess up the electrical service. NB: if you forget to change the voltage switch, anything will burn up. Iron, hairdryer whatever.
We bought our phone in Italy and it came with minutes that we never fully used. Reception was great. It was vodafone. It worked perfectly the next year. We just went to one of their stores and had it reactivated and bought a 20 euro card that never was fully used. The minutes lasted forever! My question is if you unlock your US phone and purchase a sim card, do you have to join one of their companies? How does that work?
Posts: 276 | Location: Connecticut | Registered: 02 December 2005
The sim card is available from many companies in Italy. Some companies offer different plans with different charges for calls. There is sometimes a different rate for cell to cell calls vs a cell to land line call. With the SIM, you can buy more time at any shop with a sign of the company you have chosen. Wind and TIM are quite frequent, there are others but I forget their names. You will need to add minutes once avery 14 months to keep your phone number active. When you get home or if you want to make a call with your "normal number, you just switch the sim cards back.
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