This past week has been tremendously challenging for folks traveling to and from Europe. The volcanic ash cloud has caused numerous cancellations. People have been stranded at the both airports in Rome waiting for ANY opportunity to “get out of town.” We’ve had friends stranded in London, Madrid, and Brussels for days. My wife was [...]
After a very hectic Christmas Holiday Season in Rome we decided to explore new vistas… and so we booked flights on Wizz Air to Bratislava. We’d never been to Slovakia before – actually never heard of the country. The opportunity to see a new country, and be within one hour of Vienna by train, was [...]
One of the most confusing aspects of traveling by train in Italy is which ticket to buy. There are probably – on some runs – more than ten different types and classes of tickets to purchase. And how do I get those great low-price tickets that I hear about? As a traveler, and if you’re [...]
As an ancient city, Rome has many narrow, one-way streets. There’s also monumental traffic jams… and then of course, there are the driving habits of Romans. All these contribute to make the metro system in Rome a good alternative for getting around town. Romans called the subway system Metropolitana . Unfortunately, there are ONLY two [...]
Pulled directly from the Trenitalia website, here are the current “Summer” promotions. Most of these are good until either August 31 or September 30, but do check the fine print! With the loss of the Amica fare availability on most trains tourists will use, these are perhaps your best alternatives. The challenge, of course, is [...]
NOTE – In October 2009, the Terminal names were changed at Fiumicino (FCO). This posting has been updated to reflect those new Terminal names. One question that always comes up on travel boards is, “We are arriving ahead of other people in our party and would like to know where would be the best place [...]
How do you find out if Luggage Storage (deposito bagagli) is offered at a train station on the Trenitalia system? Simple, if you know where to look! Once you follow these instructions, you will see charts that will tell you if there is a Ticketing Office, if Self service kiosks are available, if Other Ticket Vendors [...]
One of the most beautiful villas in Italy is certainly Villa D’Este. The Italian garden of Villa D’Este is included in the UNESCO world heritage list. There are more than 500 fountains in the garden. Also incredible statuary, and beautiful flowers. The gardens were created by Cardinal Ippolito II D’Este after the disappointment of his [...]
By Mike Simmons We had many day trip possibilities on this vacation but didn’t really spend much time away from Rome, with one exception… Orvieto. I had checked TA for lodging options beforehand and had narrowed it down to two B&B’s in the historic (as opposed to the modern) town. I had hoped to make [...]
One of the few discounts available to non-EU travelers in Rome is the Roma Pass. The Pass, currently priced at €25 (effective February 1, 2010) , has multiple benefits. First, it serves as a 3-day transportation ticket, good at all local metro, bus, and tram connections… and second, it acts as a museum or “site” card that gives you [...]
I’ve replied to many questions regarding the Train Station at Leonardo Da Vinci Airport, also known as Fiumicino (FCO). The train station is easy to find and very convenient to get your tickets, helping you to avoid the long lines at Termini. You can get your Leonardo Express Tickets, your FM1 tickets, or those tickets [...]
By “Kent of Oregon” Will your Italy itinerary or day trip unexpectedly turn into a Death March as you realize you’re seeing more of the inside of trains than the sights you went all that way and paid all that money to see? And all because you didn’t fully appreciate the travel time it [...]
On many travel sites, this seems to be one of the most frequently asked questions. Many travelers ask the question differently. Most often it’s phrased as, “I have an early morning flight from FCO and would like to know the best Airport Hotel to stay at – Can you make a recommendation?” Like many folks [...]
Continue reading about Getting to Leonardo Da Vinci Airport (FCO) Early in the Morning
We’ve discussed purchasing a train ticket (see March 05, 2009 posting) so let’s talk about riding trains in Italy! Here, train travel is much less expensive than in other parts of Europe. But on the downside, the trains tend to be more crowded, especially the Regional or Local lines. Seats can be hard to [...]
NOTE – In October 2009, the Terminal names were changed at Fiumicino (FCO). This posting has been updated to reflect those new Terminal names. The first step of a vacation in Rome is just getting here! Sometimes that can prove to be quite a task, especially if you’ve never traveled to Europe. If you’re flying [...]
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