Just like the old saying, “all roads lead to Rome”. So if you haven’t experienced the land of Prada, pizza, pasta, wine and style then your bucket-list destination isn’t complete. Italy is one of the most iconic places tourists could consider for a vacation considering the high mountains, historic architecture, artistic graffiti views, prominent cities, fantastic museums and some of the best wines in the world.
What’s special about Italy?
Ancient cities and rich history
There are instances when we wish we could turn back the hands of time and relish some epic moments beyond mere pictures. Besides the great Vatican city or Rome, Venice is described as one of the most colourful and fun cities in the world worth visiting. Florence and Milan should be added to that list. If you are a lover of historical moments, museums, and architecture, take a walk back in time to explore these cities laden with large archaeological artifacts, architecture, and some of the finest museums in the world.
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Food and Wine
If you love seafood, pizza, pasta and wine, you are in for a big treat and guaranteed a great meal wherever you find yourself in Italy. You can give yourself a treat with meals between €2.50 (₦1,000) to €12 (₦5,000). Here are some amazing restaurants worth visiting if you find yourself in these cities;
- Florence – (I’ Girone De’ Ghiotti, Panini Toscani, Fattoria Rossi Firenze, La Boheme etc)
- Milan – (Pomet, Piadineria Artigianale Pascoli, The Lab, Domino’s etc)
- Venice – (Cocaeta, Ristorante Alle Corone, Baci & Pasta, La Bottiglia etc)
- Rome – (Borghiciana Pastificio Artigianale, Paninoteca Slurp, PanDinivo, CiPASSO etc)
Transportation
Manoeuvering your way around Italy is pretty easy and convenient with the great train system (Trenitalia), which is fairly priced and connects all the major regions and cities. A smart and cheaper way to consider is subscribe to transport sharing and carpooling apps like “Blablacar” or scooter-rides apps like “Scooterino” just a download away. Its also a fantastic way to tour the city and regions.
Fashion and Style
Italy is home of fashion and lifestyle. We have become fond of many great Italian designers from the past and even the present, like the Versaces, Armanis, Pradas, Cerrutis, Feragamos, Fendis etc. Shopping can be a humongous task with the array of options of perfumes, leather shoes, bags, belts, watches, jackets, suits and dresses to choose from.
Accommodation, cities to consider and best travel times
Luxury accommodation like hotels, apartments or resorts will be in excess of €200 (₦85,000) per night, but with less than or equal to €100 (₦42,000) you can get clean, private en-suite bathroom facilities and air conditioning bed-and-breakfast (B&B) depending on the period of travel. You will need to leverage on travel sites to help streamline your search ahead of your travel.
Florence
It is known for its remarkable architecture and arts, and a huge attraction for tourists. January is the best time of the year to travel with lesser crowd and take advantage of January sales, making the most of bars and restaurants. Some hotels and their prices to consider as at January 2019 are:
- AdAstra hotel – €140pn (₦60,000)
- Hotel Tornabuoni Beacci – €96pn (₦40,500)
- Villa Cora – €280pn (₦118,000)
Rome
None comes close to the historic sites and status of the city of Rome. The winter is a nice choice to make that trip, although anytime of the year is fine to tour the special Vatican city. Some hotels and their prices to consider as at January 2019 are:
- – Margutta19 – €325pn (₦137,000)
- – Palazzo Navona Hotel – €148pn (₦62,500)
- – Casa Fabbrini – €112pn (₦47,000)
Venice
Known as the romantic, colourful and alluring city of Italy. You don’t want to miss the amazing carnival between late February and early March. Some hotels and their prices to consider as at January 2019 are:
- – Corte di Gabriela – €260 (₦110,000)
- – Bellevue & Canaletto Suites – €175pn (₦75,000)
- – Hotel A la Commedia – €96pn (₦40,500)
Milan
Home to excellent fashion, cuisine, opera and iconic museums, which house one of the best collections of historic arts in Italy without denying the Leonardo da Vinci heritage. Pre-winter around November is one of the best times to make that trip as well as catch a game or two at the prestigious San-Siro stadium of the great AC Milan football club. Some hotels and their prices to consider as at January 2019 are:
- – Hotel Manzoni – €240pn (₦100,000)
- – The Square hotel – €160pn (₦68,000)
- – LaFavia Milano hotel – €98pn (₦42,000)
Shopping in Italy
Italy is, without a doubt, a shopper’s heaven whether you plan to window shop, get souvenirs, art, or fashion items. Here are the cities to help with endless options:
- Florence – The streets of Via Tornabuoni, Via della Vigna Nuova, and Via dei Calzaiuoli in the historic center of Florence guarantee great luxury fashion and vintage wears, shoes, leather, high-quality jewelry, perfumes and crafts, and its hometown to Ferragamo, Gucci, Pucci etc. Fairly-priced items can be obtained from stalls around the Central Market, but Giovan Battista Zannoni in Florence comes highly recommended.
- Rome – There is hardly anything you desire that you won’t find in Rome. Most of the household names in Italian fashion hails from Rome. The likes of Fendi, Valentino, Bulgari etc have their flagship stores sited. Via Del Corso in Rome is one place to recommend. Some of the most popular shopping districts in Rome include, Via del Corso, Via Condotti, Via Cola di Rienzo and Via del Governo Vecchio. Some of the shops are Galleria Alberto Sordi, Centro Commerciale Porta di Roma, La Rinascente
- Perugia and Umbria regions in central Italy is the go-to place for home ceramics, cashmere, textiles, chocolates and local crafts for home use. Perugia is known for Baci chocolates usually on sale in stores and cafés.
- Venice is a place to get mass-produced items, with stalls where glass merchandises are sold and a place to buy books too. Le Mercerie in Venice can be considered.
- Milan – Thinking of one of the best cities for luxury hotels, restaurants and boutiques? Think Milan! Via Montenapoleone is one shopping spot to consider for pure sophisticated fashion items, exquisite shoemakers and big fashion brands like Dolce&Gabbana, Prada, Armani and Gucci who by the way, permits customizing some of their products to create personalised souvenirs from Italy.
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Flights to Italy from Nigeria and average fare rates
There are several main international airports in cities like Rome, Milan and Venice depending on the city you plan to visit.
Flying from Lagos:
- To Milan – 2 stops – Egypt Air – ₦183,000
- Direct – AirItaly – ₦95,000
- To Venice – 1 stop – Lufthansa – ₦330,000
- To Rome – 2 stops – AirItaly / Royal AirMaroc – ₦312,500
- – 1 stop – AirItaly – ₦125,500
- To Bologna – 2 stops – Kenya Airways – ₦200,500
Will advice to be weary of pick-pockets just like you have them in major tourist cities around the world. You can pass for a bit of pidgin English but will advice you learn a little Italian key words or phrases to help engage the locals of the city.
Fai buon viaggio…(Have a great trip).