Are tour companies really losing access to the Colosseum? Do Italians actually refuse cappuccino after 11 AM? Is that rule someone posted on TikTok something you actually need to follow?
I’m going live to cut through the rumors, viral videos, and Facebook group panic with what is actually true about traveling in Italy right now.
If you’ve read something online that you’re not sure is true, or a post that has you panicked or confused about your trip, bring it. I’ve lived in Rome since 2001, I’m married to a Roman, and I’ve been running Romewise since 2009, which means I’ve spent more than 15 years helping travelers tell the real advice from the clickbait.
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*OUR FAVORITE TOURS AND EXPERIENCES*
These are the tour companies I trust and use myself.
🏛️ ROME TOURS
Rome in a Day Tour, including Vatican, Colosseum, and Historic Center: https://fas.st/t/djZidMk4
Pristine Sistine Early Entrance Small Group Vatican Tour: https://fas.st/t/cp91Xcf1
🖼️ FLORENCE TOURS
Tuscany Day Trip from Florence with Chianti, San Gimignano & Siena: https://fas.st/t/yrKmcvii
Florence: City Center, Accademia and Uffizi Gallery Tour: https://gyg.me/IgFwokdG
🇮🇹 NAPLES AND POMPEII TOURS
Pompeii Private Tour with a Local Archaeologist: https://fas.st/t/MS9hdg5w
Vesuvius Wine Tasting Tour with Lunch from Naples: https://gyg.me/kqCz4ZOK
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14 Comments
Elyssa, my wife and I will be in and around Italy in Oct-Nov this year. Our cruise stops in La Spezia on Nov 1, and we are taking an excursion to Florence. I understand that Nov 1 is All Saints' Day, which is a big holiday in Italy, and that we should expect crowds, but I also understand that since it is the first Sunday, we are unable to visit the museums (Accademia, Uffizi, etc) on a skip-the-line ticket and we will just have to stand in line with the rest of the visitors. Is my understanding correct? If so, our plans will be to see as much as we can in the limited 5 hours or so in Florence with a walk around the Duomo. Ponte Vecchio, Piazza del Signoria, and the other outside sights, and especially to visit Michaelangelo's grave at Santa Croce.
We will end our trip with two days in Rome, including our 35th anniversary (we traveled to Rome on our 20th as well).
Love your videos. They are a big help!
Would love it if you did a Florence video for those of us coming in from a cruise ship.
After traveling to 30+ countries and living in four, here’s my 2 cents: The problem with a “conversational Italian” course isn’t learning the phrases. The problem is with the replies, which usually come back at you a million miles an hour, and often using local slang or idioms, leaving you baffled. A course can’t hurt, but I’m not sure all the hours to produce one will truly pay off.
Would like a video om regional cusine especially Rome in October.
There is not a skip the line at the Vatican or early entry even though several of the tours groups say this~ Walks with Italy and Context tours. That changed when the Vatican started opening at at 8:00 for everyone included tours.
Hi Elyssa, love all your videos. I will be in Rome the last week in June with my 13 y/o granddaughter. My question is about using the tap n go for public transportation. Would it be ok if I put my CC on my granddaughters phone, would this be acceptable for her to use with the tap n go process?
Love your videos and appreciate your hard work ❤
I would love to see the menu and ordering explanations video. It makes me feel more confident when I know what to expect from something beyond the most basic touristy ordering. Thank you for all of the information on all of your sites. We visited Rome in 2022, and I am having fun planning future trips while watching your videos and plugging in the sites on my Apple Maps.
Example: How to avoid the rookie error of ordering a fish the size of the table… 😂 We still laugh about that. Expensive mistake, but at least it was delicious. 🤷🏻♀
I would love to learn some Italian! Coming June 2027. Watching from East Texas. (Replay)
The webinar sounds very interesting.
Are there any Catholic Churches near City Center that offer mass in English on Sundays
And if you make a faux pas it’s not fatal- you’re on vacation – is it really so bad? In Ravenna, I think I ordered “un cafe latte” and the reaction was like the moment in a movie where the DJ scratches the record and stops the music and everyone stares at you. My Italian companion came to my rescue and ‘fixed’ my order ( I honestly can’t remember how it was corrected, maybe a latte macchiato?). Yeah it was a little embarrassing but it was less than 5 minutes of my life and I’ll never see anyone there again. Also in Rome when I ordered a cafe latte I never got this reaction. I think the distinction as explained to me in Ravenna by my host was a cafe latte was something one had at home in a mug but a latte macchiato was more appropriate to order out at a cafe bar.
I would be interested in learning basic Italian phrases