Packing for Italy 101

Before I begin, many people have asked how we were able to pack for Italy using just two carry-on's. To see the bags we used look at this previous post and scroll down for a pic. The bags were convertibles- they were about the maximum length and width of an airplane carry-on, but they had straps that can be pulled out that transform it into a backpack.  These were incredibly handy!  We didn't have to worry about paying for baggage or lost luggage. In addition, it made it much easier to travel from city to city by train.  I was so glad I did this when I saw tourists struggling with large baggage on wheels, trying (unsuccessfully) to pull bags over cobblestones and between the masses of people.  In fact, I actually found this pretty annoying to even navigate around.  


Here is a link to the bags we bought on Amazon: Click here for the best travel bag ever. 


Here is a list of what I packed that came in handy: 

• 4 skirts
• 2 pairs capris 
• 1 pair shorts
• 1 swimsuit
• 1 pair hiking sandals by Merrell 
• 1 pair flip flops
• 1 pair of athletic shoes (I wore these onto the plane.) 
• 1 lightweight scarf  (I rolled it up and kept in my purse at all times.  Most churches require your shoulders to be covered and this will work.) 
• 14 pairs undergarments
• 2 pairs socks
• 5 tank tops
• 2 short-sleeve shirts
• 1 long-sleeve lightweight cover-up (I never once wore this in July- even at night) 
• We each carried 1 quart-sized bag with travel-sized toiletries such as 
• shampoo
• conditioner
• soap
• sunscreen (We ended up buying  larger bottle when we got there, because we used mass amounts everyday.) 
• toothpaste
• mascara
• travel-size Tide stick
• anti-bacterial gel
• 1 quart-sized bag of dry toiletries
• toothbrush (We bought cheap ones and threw them away when done.)
• Pain reliever
• Immodium, etc.
• Allergy medication
• Bandaids (I used 5-6 per day for the blisters on my feet from my already-broken-in sandals.)
• Tweezers
• Small nail clippers
• Cotton balls and Q-tips
• Dry makeup
• Hair clips and bands
• Cheap disposable razor that can be thrown away
• Deodorant
• We each carried 1outlet adaptor
• 2 travel packs of baby wipes (Used them all- to clean hands after touching monuments or before eating, to clean gum off my backpack at the airport.) 
• 2 travel packs of tissues (Used them all.) 
• Money belt or secure day bag (A money belt is recommended over a traditional wallet or purse, but we never ended up using it.  Just too hot!  But this cross-body bag from Amazon came in incredibly helpful with carrying items around, it was safe and secure.) 
• Updated Passports
• Licenses
• 2 credit cards and 1 bank card
• €1,000 in cash (This worked out well- used all but 20 and used our credit card to supplement whenever possible.) 
• International Driver's Permit if you plan to drive.  These are now required by law in Italy and be purchases at any AAA, even if you are not a member. 
• Copies of licenses, passports, credit cards  (We left our passports and ID's in the hotel safes at all times and simply carried around copies in case we were pick-pocketed or something was lost.  This worked out well.) We also left copies with loved ones at home, just in case. 
• Swiss army knife (Definitely bring one with a corkscrew if you can.  If carrying on, buy one when you get there.  It will come in handy.) 
• Tiny flashlight or put a flashlight app on your phone as we did.  This came in very handy to read maps at night! 
• We each carried 1 iphone/phone charger (For international travel, make sure to turn OFF your cellular data and put it in airplane mode to avoid crazy expensive roaming charges.  Use wifi when possible to get online.)  I also downloaded the Dropbox app and made all our important travel documents available offline in the app. 
• 4 paperback travel books including Rick Steve's "Italy" 
• 1 collapsible acorrdian file with a tab for each location with all of our important papers such as hotel reservations, car rental info, flight information, important numbers, travel insurance info, or anything else on paper that we needed. 

What we brought and didn't end up needing: 

• Umbrella 
• Travel-sized curling iron.  (Yeah right- see below.) 
• Travel-sized hair-dryer  (Seriously- it was way too HOT to even think about drying my hair,  Plus I would just walk outside and sweat anyway.  Honestly, my hair went up everyday no matter what.  It wasn't fashionable, but necessary. Most of our hotels had hairdryers on the wall anyway.) 

We ended up buying these things: 

• Immodium
• Medicated powder
• More sunscreen
• Multi-tool with knife and corckscrew (We had to get rid of it before boarding, however.) 

Day 4: Cinque Terre

I woke early and sat on my balcony watching the local workers of Monterosso scuttle about. I journaled about the previous day and felt the sea breeze blow. Fishing boats littered the shore, catching tonight's dinner as the sun gradually rose above the mountains.


Before we begin, let's discuss hydration.  I have never craved water as badly as I craved it in Italy.  Water was of the utmost importance.  In Italy in July, it was close to 90 degrees F everyday. In most cases, we were walking several miles per day- almost all day.  We were estimating at least 26 miles and several thousands of stairs when we lost track. Between the heat and the physical exhaustion, we quickly learned that we needed to have water on us at almost all times if possible.  In Italy, most stores and stands sell 1.5 Liter giant water bottles.  We started buying these and would plow through one in a matter of minutes because we were so dehydrated.  Eventually, we just started carrying one with us everywhere we went and sometimes even refill it wherever we could.  By the way, we learned this a bit late, but in both Venice and Rome, there are several public fountains placed all over the city- in piazzas and campos, on corners- everywhere.  This water is perfectly drinkable and is actually very good!  Once we figured this out we refilled our giant water bottle several times per day, which made the heat and exertion tolerable and our costs down. We tried to keep track of how many liters of water we had gone through, but last track somewhere in the twenties... Take water everywhere with you! We also bought water at almost every restaurant whether or not we ordered wine or another beverage.  Water at restaurants is not free.  A good price is either €1 or €2 for a decent-sized glass bottle.  However, be sure to order your water "naturale" or say "no gas". We learned the hard way that most Italians drink soda water... yuck!


On the fourth day of our adventure we simply enjoyed the gorgeous Cinque Terre.  We got moving around 8:00 am and ventured down to the the train station.  The Monterosso train station is literally about 100 meters down the road from our hotel.  Here we sought the Park/Tourist desk, which is a separate desk located in the train station, and we bought a train and trail card.  You need to pay in order to hike the Cinque Terre trail, although it is considered a park.  However, you can buy a combo train and trail pass which allows you to hike whatever portions of the trail you like, as well as you use the train unlimited between the five towns throughout the day.  This way we could hike portions and skips towns easily if wanted to.  In fact, this was almost necessary due to the fact that one section (as of July 2012) between Manarola and Corniglia is still closed due to reconstruction due to the 2011 mudslides.  We purchased our day train and trail pass for about €10 each.  We bought them from a woman at the tourism office at the train station who was very unfriendly. She was definitely tired of the tourists, since we were in the high season, and she did not give us our change, and we did not argue. It was such a small amount and so far we had learned while in a foreign coiuntry, we had to choose our battles. We have now come to the conclusion that service in Italy is either outstanding or dreadful.


After purchasing our Cinque Terre , we walked down to the beach and reserved a spot.  Yes- most of the beaches here are owned and therefore charge for use.  There are two free beaches in Monterosso, but they are very rocky with little sand, small, crowded, and have no conveniences.  Reserved spots fill up fast! We paid  €23 for a spot on the beach for the entire day.  This included two lounge chairs, an umbrella with a small table, and use of the bathrooms and showers.  It sounds hefty and maybe it is, but it was worth it since we used it for several hours later in the day.  But first we planned to eat breakfast and then hike!  

Breakfast at La Spiaggia

We walked the few steps from the beach back to our hotel where breakfast was now being served. Again, it was a nice spread of the typical Italian breakfast.  Hard-boiled eggs, yogurt, cereal, fruit, pastries, meats, and cheeses. 

Meanwhile, from our view out of the window, the local produce truck pulled up. It distributed fresh veggies, farm fresh eggs, and more to the locals right out of the back of the truck!  Even the local restaurants were lined up at the back of the truck, which we found out comes by daily, to stock up on fresh herbs and goods for that night's dinner!  

We then departed by train for the opposite end of the Cinque Terre trail and started our hike in Riomaggiore.  The stretch of the trail that goes from Riomaggiore to Manarola is by the far the easiest.  Named the "Lover's Lane", it is a basically a  paved sidewalk and took only 25 minutes to walk.

 

Along the way, we saw many padlocks decorating nets and over bridges.  We found this to be common and learned from some Australian friends hiking the trail that this is common in Europe.  Lovers carve their names or initials on a padlock, clip it on a bridge or near the sea, and throw the "key to their heart" away in the water. Unfortunately, in this area, people were adding much more than padlocks.  We saw some very interesting items added to the nets: plastic bags, underwear, and even diapers...

We arrived in Manarola and then took the train to Vernazza, skipping Corniglia.  As mentioned earlier, the stretch from Manarola to Corniglia is still closed, and Corniglia is much higher up on the cliffs warranting an extra bus ride.  For this reason, we moved on directly to Vernazza, preparing to hike the most difficult stretch between Vernazza and Monterosso. Although we were only on it for a short 10 minute jaunt between towns, this bus was our first double-decker, and we sat on the top! 

We hopped off in Vernazza and has to walk through town in order to get to the rest of the Cinque Terre trail.  There were no directions, but in such a small town, we figured we would eventually find it.  Besides Monterosso, Vernazza was hit the hardest from the floods and mudslides last October and the reconstruction was a little more evident here.  Crews were had at work restoring roads and buildings, although it was not overbearing and tourists were already crawling over this sweet little town. See more about this town's reformation here. We enjoyed these beautiful views from the harbor of Vernazza: 

Love this pic! 

We eventually found the opening of the trail- a set of stone stairs wedged between two old stone buildings- and it began to climb fast!  There were SO many stairs!  We just kept going up and up and up... Many people we talked to during and after the hike agreed that it really was a fairly difficult hike, even for avid hikers.  It was definitely doable, but more challenging than you would expect.  It is almost all uphill in either direction, but it is highly recommended that you go in the direction from Vernazza to Monterosso rather than the other way around, as the ascent is even steeper and rougher on the knees going in that direction. It took us about an hour and a half to do this portion of the hike. Regardless of the difficulty, the views were outstanding!

We saw this cat on a picnic table placed randomly on the trail, along with a sign that  indicated that he lives here and donations of food or money to feed him are to be left in a lock box.  

Sam on the CT trail. 

The trail is VERY narrow in some spots- barely big enough for one person.

Heading back down towards Monterosso.

Once we arrived back in Monterosso around 12:30 pm, we quickly headed to the hotel, changed into our swimsuits, and rented beach towels from our hotel.  These were  €2.50 each and totally worth it to not have to pack beach towels in our bags. Sam was debating buying a snorkel all day, but they were almost  €20.00, and we would have to throw it away when we were done due to lack of space.  Then we saw someone throw one away on our way down to the beach and we reluctantly grabbed it out of the garbage. We took it back and washed it thoroughly and even soaked it in liquor to try and decontaminate it!  We were laughing about the ridiculousness of this, but we were too cheap to spend that much on a one-time-use snorkel!   We marched straight out to our reserved beach spot in the front row.  All of the rest of the spots were taken by this time, but ours awaited us!  Sam immediately went swimming and snorkeling. On the other hand, I went to sleep on my lounge chair and soaked up some rays with the long strap of my purse wrapped completely around my waist and my hand over it to avoid any pickpockets. Yes, this is a big problem in Italy!

A bit later I also went swimming in the sea and then we took a break to split a tomato and mozzarella panini and 2 large Peroni's we bought from the local beach snack bar, Stella Marina Bar.  It was actually quite good.  Read the review here. We also enjoyed some fresh coconut we bought from a vendor.  We stayed on the beach for about five wonderfully relaxing hours. 

Later we made another stop at the local grocery store, La Bottega and then tried to hit Cantina Micky for dinner since we had heard such great reviews, but unfortunately they are closed on Wednesday nights, so we missed out.  Instead, we decided to go to Bar Gio next door, which was actually only steps from our hotel. We sat outside under the stars and enjoyed the evening ocean air.  We ordered the "menu turistico" (a predetermined menu that includes several courses and usually wine).  We started with two appetizers including the area specialty- seafood!  We started with a plate of fresh anchovies and then a fritto misto- a mixed fried seafood appetizer, including fresh calamari, anchovies, and shrimp.  For those of you that know me well, you know that I despise all seafood, but considering I was in Italy and on the coast known for its phenomenal seafood, I was brave and tried both the shrimp and calamari.  I am glad I did!  Then Sam had the trofie pesto, and I ordered the spaghetti alla bolognese followed by a fresh salad. We split a 1/2 carafe of the house white wine. Bon apetit!

Fresh anchovies

Fritto Misto

Spaghetti all Bolognese

Trofie with Pesto- a CT specialty!

Yummy salad with fresh mozzarella! 

After dinner we went back up to our room, drank a bottle of wine made by the owner of our hotel (It wasn't that great), and sat on our balcony before going to bed.  This night was much more quiet than the night before and a good night's sleep was had by all accompanied by the sea breeze blowing in our window. 

Day 3: Venice to the Cinque Terre

On our third day in Italy, we woke up early at 6:00 am. We were a little overzealous, as we knew we had to walk to the train station to catch our 8:30 am train.  Although we knew which way we intended to go, by now we knew better that it doesn't always work out that way in Venice.  So we wanted to leave ample time in case we got lost once again. We went downstairs to check out, which ended up being a fairly lengthy process.  As I have mentioned in this previous post, I had verified with the owners that I could pay in Traveler's Cheques in American dollars.  Although these are not commonly used anymore (and almost impossible to use in many places), several private B & B's such as this still take them, since they have a cash-only policy due to high costs of accepting credit cards.  Since we were staying in many places such as this on our vacation, we got traveler's cheques to lessen the amount of actual cold, hard cash we had to carry. Although the owner had pre-approved this- and of course he was not here- the man on duty seemed extremely confused by this.  He made several calls (at 7:00 am) to the owner because he was not sure of the procedure or how to handle the exchange rate between dollars and euros.  After about 20 minutes of figuring this out, we were on our way toward the Santa Lucia train station with only one wrong turn. We even stopped by a small bakery in an alley and picked up two pastries to go for only €2.40. 

At least the cappuccino was pretty...

We arrived with plenty of time to spare so we decided to stop by a small coffee shop next door- just at the stairs of the Scalzi Bridge. It is called Bar Olimpia.  See the full review here. Never. Go. There.  We got suckered into this high-tourist trap since it was so conveniently located next to the train station. Sam ordered a cappuccino, and I ordered a small bottle of Coca Cola Light.  We sat down and relaxed as we waited for boarding time.  When our bill came we were in shock!  His cappuccino was €3 and my soda was €6!!!  Those are insane prices, and I don't think I will ever forget my diet coke that cost me about 8 bucks!  We grudgingly paid and left, griping all the way back to the station.  Lesson learned!  


We still had quite a bit of time, so we sat on the train station steps and watched the world go by...brave squatters sleeping on camping mats on the station steps, vaporetto buses carrying the rush hour load, and travelers entering the city for the very first time.  Here are a few more Venice pictures before we depart: 

Gondoliers..we only watched.  They are quite expensive! 

The fresh produce boat outside our hotel. 

Musicians who were playing songs from the "Pulp Fiction" soundtrack in front of a church????

A boat full of wine! 

Leslie boarding the train.

We then easily boarded the train and found our seats.  The trains are very well-kept and super easy to figure out.  Actually, the train travel ended up being a very enjoyable part of our trip.  With no security lines and easy do-it-yourself machines to buy your tickets, it is fairly hassle-free. Just don't forget to validate your ticket (time stamp it) in one of the small yellow or gray and green machines on the platform before you board!  Trenitalia employees came through and checked our tickets for validation on every single train we rode.  If you do not, there are hefty fines.  Luggage is stowed overhead or behind your seat and the seats are fairly roomy- about double the size of an airline seat.  Most newer trains have a table in front of you as well.  Once you are moving (and they go pretty quick!), you can simply enjoy the scenery, read a book, or chit chat with those around you.  In fact, we met so many different people from all over the world during our many train rides! On this trip, we met a woman from North Carolina who used to live in Italy.  She gave us several useful tips about the culture of the country. This particular train ride was our longest, as we were headed to the opposite coast- from the Adriatic Sea to the Ligurian Sea. Our route included two legs that totaled about 6 hours- from Venice to Milan and from Milan to Monterosso al Mare.

During the second leg of our trip, we were in a small cabin with four others- a young couple from Canada who were traveling Europe for the summer, as well as a couple vacationing from Switzerland.  We had nice casual conversation. Sam and I lunched on a mozzarella and tomato sandwich that we bought at the Milan train station.  We both read books on our iphones and soaked in the scenery of the mountains of northern Italy. Once we rolled into Genoa (Genova) and along the Ligurian coast, it was simply breath-taking landscape!  Here is a taste of what was to come...

Monterosso al Mare is the northern most town in a series of five (Cinque) small towns (Terre) clustered along the Ligurian Sea and within walking distance of one another.  The Cinque Terre is absolutely beautiful!  Monterosso is probably one of the most popular and touristy towns because it is the only town that has an accessible  beach.  The other towns (going from north to south)- Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore-

La Spiaggia Hotel

The private hotel we stayed at in Monterosso al Mare was La Spiaggia, meaning "The Beach" in Italian.  This is because the hotel sits directly on the beach, literally 12 feet from the sand, 10 feet from a gelateria, 10 feet from a bar/restaurant, 10 feet from an Enoteca, or wine store, and about 40 feet from the local grocery store. What more could you need?!  In addition, our second floor room had a balcony facing the sea.  See the review here.  I must say, this hotel had by far the BEST service of any place we stayed.  They were more than accommodating. Both Ella and Andrea, the owner, made you feel right at home.

Our room at La Spiaggia

The bathroom at La Spiaggia

Our balcony overlooking the beach 

Check out this video featuring the view from our hotel:

This hotel, like others, was very energy-efficient.  In order to turn on the lights or use any electricity, you have to place your key card into this holder.  Therefore, you cannot leave with the air or lights on.

We decided to walk ten minutes along the coast to old town Monterosso.  The old town is just charming- definitely a small village feel!  There are less tourists on this side of town, winding small streets and locals selling their wares.  We stumbled upon Ciak, a restaurant.  I recognized it from the reviews, and we thought we would give it a try. We sat outside in a small, shaded alley amidst the locals.  I had the BEST salad I have ever eaten.... with fresh mozzarella, corn, lettuce, tomato, onion, and carrot. (By the way- the only salad dressings available in Italy are olive oil and vinegar.) Sorry- no ranch here! The salad was perfect! It was the freshest salad I have ever had, and I remember thinking that even the lettuce tastes better in Italy! Sam had the bruschetta Romana with anchovies.  Both were excellent and the cold beer hit the spot on a hot day in July! When we were done, the waiter offered us complimentary shots of Lemoncino and shared the history of the restaurant with us- as well as gave us the honest low down on Italian tipping. See the review here. 

Lemoncino is liquor made from fresh lemons from the CT.  It is VERY sweet and VERY strong! 

Tipping in Italy is a bit more complicated than here.  First of all, servers do make more there than they do in the states.  Several "upscale" or touristy restaurants include a "cupertino" (cover charge for the extras such as water and bread) or "servizio" (tip) in your total bill.  Do not feel as if you have to tip beyond this.  However, if your service was outstanding (and it was at Ciak!), then you may leave a tip if they went above and beyond. 

Walking in old town Monterosso 

Wonderful lemons are produced here! 

After dinner we strolled through old town and visited several shops and Sam even bought some of his own lemoncino. Later he admitted he was still a bit toasty from the shot of the lemoncino at dinner, otherwise he probably would not have bought more! It was a bit too strong and sweet for us.  We couldn't even bring it back to the U.S. since we only brought carry-on's.  We ended up leaving it unopened in our room in Tuscany for some lucky travelers. 

 We then walked along the beach, dipped our toes in the water, and hit the local grocery to stock up on snacks and cheap beverages.  We bought more water, 2 small cans of coca cola light, several cans of Peroni beer, a bottle of wine, some local cheese, meat, crackers, and bread. We then took it back to our hotel, and enjoyed the drinks from our balcony with a great view!  We picnicked on the balcony and ate the cheese, meat, and crackers as a late night snack. Thank goodness for that multi-tool we bought in Venice! 

Later we chose to grab some gelato from the place literally at our hotel's doorstep, Gelateria Produzione Propria.  Horrible.  I had the hazelnut and Sam had the mora, or blackberry. I do not recommend it. The girl behind the counter could not be more rude and inconvenienced. See the review here.  The gelato was not anything to rave about- so much so that it left Sam so dissatisfied that we walked down to another gelato place (Once again...do not judge.) and tried new cones from the place down the street, which was much better.  We continued to sit outside on our balcony and people watch.  Here are some of the views of Monterosso:

We decided to go to bed at about 10:30 pm.  I had just started to fall asleep when...  along came the marching band!  What?  A marching band at 10:30 pm you say?  Yes.  At 11:00 pm on a Tuesday night.  What was the occasion?  I have no idea, but apparently this was not unusual.  They stopped directly below our balcony and almost serenaded us while a crowd gathered.  Check it out in this video: 

 Although fun, new town can be pretty loud at night.  Since we slept with our window open (no air-conditioning), it got quite noisy.  There were people drinking at the bars and restaurants below, and it was quite difficult for me to sleep.  I would guess that we had about two good hours of quiet between 3:00 am and 5:00 am before the street crews came in to empty the garbage and clean up the litter (Litter is much more prominent in Italy than that states.) and the construction crews started to arrive to work on rebuilding the parking lot across the street quite early as well. (The Cinque Terre was hit by torrential flooding and mudslides last fall.  They should be commended on their brilliant recovery! Check out Rebuild Monterosso for more details.)