Viva Italia 2008 - Tips

[glassslipper2004]

Bumping. This can't really be serious - you can't wear sandals into a church?

 

[Mamadis]

I don't think anyone in our group had trouble getting in with sandals, only bare shoulders or bare knees.

 

[3pirates]

Hi Mamadis!

What she said....the closed toe shoes didn't have anything to do with churches that I know....it may have had more to do with just the fact that there was a lot of walking, and in Tuscany it was in hilly areas.

 

[DisPrincess20]

Hello all,

I have been a frequent visitor of the Adventures By Disney discussion board, but haven't had a chance to do any posting. I recently traveled on the Viva Italia tour with my family, in May, and absolutely LOVED it! It was definitely an adventure of a lifetime!

There has been a lot of discussion about skipping different parts of the tour, and all I can say is DON'T! You really don't want to miss anything! The pasta making in particular was a wonderful experience! Everyone in our group young and old enjoyed it. And no, it isn't the same as sitting at home and watching the cooking channel and making your own pasta! You are in Tuscany at a beautiful villa which was once host to Leonardo da Vinci and the cast of Much Ado About Nothing! This villa is full of history and the views alone are worth the trip down the mountain! Really, that is another thing...the trip down the mountain from Artimino really was not that bad! Mario our bus driver did a fantastic job getting us safely up and down.

As for the stay at Artimino, it was just what I imagine Tuscany would be like! We also stayed in the old horse/carriage house and found it (forgive the cliche) magical! And as to it being rustic, hey, I've seen much worse here in the states! There was running water, electricity, a tv, and internet...what else do you need? And really, you won't be spending that much time in the room anyway!

I thought the time we had in Florence was enough. Honestly I was not as impressed with Florence as I thought I would be. We got to see the "big" things there and had plenty of time to shop and that was enough for us. By the way, the shopping in the market places in Florence was great! It was definitely a great place to bargain and buy leather goods!

Oh and I can't say enough about our guides. We had Tina and Marco and they were absolutely wonderful! They took excellent care of everyone and just made our adventure all the more enjoyable!

I highly recommend this trip to anyone. I am a college student and I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I would even go on the exact same trip all over again! It is worth every penny!

 

[eva]

Hello all,

I have been a frequent visitor of the Adventures By Disney discussion board, but haven't had a chance to do any posting. I recently traveled on the Viva Italia tour with my family, in May, and absolutely LOVED it! It was definitely an adventure of a lifetime!

There has been a lot of discussion about skipping different parts of the tour, and all I can say is DON'T! You really don't want to miss anything! The pasta making in particular was a wonderful experience! Everyone in our group young and old enjoyed it. And no, it isn't the same as sitting at home and watching the cooking channel and making your own pasta! You are in Tuscany at a beautiful villa which was once host to Leonardo da Vinci and the cast of Much Ado About Nothing! This villa is full of history and the views alone are worth the trip down the mountain! Really, that is another thing...the trip down the mountain from Artimino really was not that bad! Mario our bus driver did a fantastic job getting us safely up and down.

As for the stay at Artimino, it was just what I imagine Tuscany would be like! We also stayed in the old horse/carriage house and found it (forgive the cliche) magical! And as to it being rustic, hey, I've seen much worse here in the states! There was running water, electricity, a tv, and internet...what else do you need? And really, you won't be spending that much time in the room anyway!

I thought the time we had in Florence was enough. Honestly I was not as impressed with Florence as I thought I would be. We got to see the "big" things there and had plenty of time to shop and that was enough for us. By the way, the shopping in the market places in Florence was great! It was definitely a great place to bargain and buy leather goods!

Oh and I can't say enough about our guides. We had Tina and Marco and they were absolutely wonderful! They took excellent care of everyone and just made our adventure all the more enjoyable!

I highly recommend this trip to anyone. I am a college student and I thoroughly enjoyed this experience. I would even go on the exact same trip all over again! It is worth every penny!

Glad you stopped lurking and joined in the discussion. I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed all aspects of the tour. We plan on doing everything they have planned and just kicking back when they have nothing planned. I think that DVC has changed our entire way that we vacation. We no longer want to run from place to place and see everything possible. DH and I are longing to just wander around or relax at a cafe during free time. I stopped reading all the travel books and decided just to let it happen on this trip. We used to live in Germany and some of our best moments were when we were just walking around town or driving through the countryside. To be honest, I have seen quite a few catherdrals, fortresses, museums, and castles and it sure won't break my heart to miss a few here and there.

 

[Bella O]

This is exactly how I feel! I'm always the planner - and while I like that role - esp. planning a trip to wdw! this time I really didn't want to have to think or deal w/planning a European trip - that's why this tour is perfect for us! It looks like it hits the "major" sites but not to the point of o.d. - ing on historical sites - there seems to be some variety - I think the Tuscany trip seems like a nice counterpoint to the major cities. I did buy a tour book - sort of to get excited about our upcoming trip - but actually, it just started to overwhelm me, so I put it away. I've decided on the free time we have to let serendipity take over. The last time I toured Italy as a college student, I spent six weeks - me and a duffel bag and a youth hostel guidebook Even then, the times when I got "lost" in Venice, or met an elderly man in Verona at the farmers market that spent the entire morning talking with me, or spending the larger portion of the day at the park outside Florence soaking up the sights - these are the times I remember well, along w/the Sistine chapel and La Pieta and David (not much can top David imo!) The Uffizzi musuem is very interesting for the art student, and if you are really into renaissance art, it's worth planning ahead and getting a ticket. For me, Madonna after Madonna after Madonna really got a bit too much for me, and feel my dd would rather spend time in the markets or streets of Florence - or even eating gelato or relaxing at a cafe! Thanks for all the posts - I will really have to plan for the churches - a trip in August requires light clothing - perhaps I'll carry a lightweight sweater around and wear skirts - all skirts need to come below the knees? Hmmmm.....may need to do a little shopping

 

[cydlei]

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[DisPrincess20]

Hi Eva and Bella O

My fam and I felt the same way you all seem to feel! We looked at all of the travel books and got overwhelmed and just decided to let it all wash over us. There was so much that we wanted to see and we knew that we would never be able to do it all, so we just figured that we will have to go back some day to see the rest! We did however, see the main things! We saw most of everything we wanted to see and also some things we didn't know we wanted to see!

Some of our best experiences were exploring Rome and wandering the canals in Venice. We had plenty of time in all of the locations to explore and go do our own thing. In Venice we wound up at this cute little wine bar where Venician families meet for a snack before dinner. It was nice to be hanging with the locals!

Tuscany really was a ncie counterpoint to the big cities. We had plenty of time to relax and explore Artimino, especially the day of the pasta making. When we got back, we had a few hours to kll before the BBQ, so a few of the other travelers and I decided to go explore the main Villa house and the little town (took so many wonderful pictuers!!!!). There is a museum on the bottom floor of the Villa which I definitely recommend going to check out. We didn't get to see the whole thing, because we went too late in the day, but from what I saw it was really neat! The little town was also great. It was a nice size to walk around and explore, and there is a nice little gelatto shop right near the main road.

Yes Bella, I would definitely recommend skirts or shorts that cover the knee. There were a few times I saw people turned away when their knees were showing. One of the times was at St. MArks (don't want to miss that one! It was beautiful!)

I hope you all enjoy your Italian Adventures!

 

[redzinner]

Some of our best experiences were exploring Rome and wandering the canals in Venice. We had plenty of time in all of the locations to explore and go do our own thing. In Venice we wound up at this cute little wine bar where Venician families meet for a snack before dinner. It was nice to be hanging with the locals!

Hi DisPrincess20,

Sounds like you had a marvelous time on your trip. Thanks for sharing your experiences and we would love to see some of your photos if you ever have the time to post them.

Do you happen to remember the little wine bar's name? Or maybe where it was in relation to our hotel? Grazie!

Ciao!

 

[eva]

Hi Eva and Bella O

My fam and I felt the same way you all seem to feel! We looked at all of the travel books and got overwhelmed and just decided to let it all wash over us. There was so much that we wanted to see and we knew that we would never be able to do it all, so we just figured that we will have to go back some day to see the rest! We did however, see the main things! We saw most of everything we wanted to see and also some things we didn't know we wanted to see!

Some of our best experiences were exploring Rome and wandering the canals in Venice. We had plenty of time in all of the locations to explore and go do our own thing. In Venice we wound up at this cute little wine bar where Venician families meet for a snack before dinner. It was nice to be hanging with the locals!

Tuscany really was a ncie counterpoint to the big cities. We had plenty of time to relax and explore Artimino, especially the day of the pasta making. When we got back, we had a few hours to kll before the BBQ, so a few of the other travelers and I decided to go explore the main Villa house and the little town (took so many wonderful pictuers!!!!). There is a museum on the bottom floor of the Villa which I definitely recommend going to check out. We didn't get to see the whole thing, because we went too late in the day, but from what I saw it was really neat! The little town was also great. It was a nice size to walk around and explore, and there is a nice little gelatto shop right near the main road.

Yes Bella, I would definitely recommend skirts or shorts that cover the knee. There were a few times I saw people turned away when their knees were showing. One of the times was at St. MArks (don't want to miss that one! It was beautiful!)

I hope you all enjoy your Italian Adventures!

Thanks for the extra hints. I feel sorry for DH. I can wear capris every day. But he is stuck wearing Dockers on the days that we visit churches. I definitely need to stock up on a few more pairs of capris before we leave. I believe that Italy is still pretty hot the middle of September.

 

[Cinci]

Eva,,,,,,, our Viva trip is the 21st of Sept. Get your hubby some zipper pants. We purchased two pairs. They are long pants that have a zipper at the knee. You zip off the bottoms when you come out of the churches. They look like long cargo pants.
Patty

 

[Aero]

Can I ask about attire?

We are going to Italy in 2 weeks and have had several people tell us that we should not wear shorts (even below knee length) or sneakers.

Is this true?

Camicar, are you going on the June 26 trip? If so, we'll see you there!

- Aero

 

[eva]

Eva,,,,,,, our Viva trip is the 21st of Sept. Get your hubby some zipper pants. We purchased two pairs. They are long pants that have a zipper at the knee. You zip off the bottoms when you come out of the churches. They look like long cargo pants.
Patty

Cinci, sorry we will be missing you by a week. We are on the September 14th trip. Thanks for the tip. I'll give it a shot with the zipper pants. But DH is in his mid 40's and somewhat conservative when it comes to clothes. I really can't imagine him ever wearing cargo pants.

 

[Cinci]

Eva,,,,,,, Actually my hubby is in his sixties!!! When and if you start looking at them online or in stores, you'll see they have different styles and material. They are practical for traveling because of the extra pockets they have in the legs too. Is that Cargo? Believe me, my hubby would not purchase them if they were too stylish, young, and hippie. He too is very conservative. Ha.

 

[eva]

We'll give it a try. But he won't even wear a pair of shorts unless they are Dockers with pleats.

 

[DisPrincess20]

The little bar was called La Cantina. There are actually two wine bars near the hotle with the same name. You have to pass one to get to the other. the one we went to was about at 10-15 minute walk from the hotle. I can't remember exactly where it is, but i can try to give you a general idea ( I hope I don't get you lost! But it isn't too far from the hotel and is on a bigger street) There is a restaurant called Vesuvius which the guides will point out to you (it is near the hotel and is a good reference point! Also, it is a very good restaurant, my brother and I both enjoyed their pasta with ragu sauce!). Right past the restaurant, you will come up to an "interesection" it is more of a major street, go left and just keep walking for a few blocks...I would say you go over about 4-5 bridges. The wine bar will be on the right, it is right next to a few little shops with masks and glass and other nice souveniers. I'm sure if you get lost, or cannot find it, that someone will be able to give you directions. We enjoyed a nice bottle of wine and some local snacks. One was a piece of bread with bruchetta and salami and the other was a type of Italian sushi. It was a piece of fish on a piece of bread with a sauce (I am not big on sushi, but this was actually very good!) When we got there, we just asked the server to bring us something delicious and he did! We were very pleased!

Hope you can find it! Enjoy!

 

[whayes]

My fam and I felt the same way you all seem to feel! We looked at all of the travel books and got overwhelmed. Yes Bella, I would definitely recommend skirts or shorts that cover the knee. There were a few times I saw people turned away when their knees were showing. One of the times was at St. MArks (don't want to miss that one! It was beautiful!)

Sorry to bring this up again. I just want to make sure I won't be turned away from the churches. I am planning on packing very light. I recently purchased what I am calling "male capris". I see European/Canadian men wearing them all the time, but they are not prevalent in the US. They are a long short that goes well below the knee. Do you think these will be acceptable? I can get the zip pants but I don't want to pack a lot if I don't have to. Thanks for all of your advice!!

 

[glassslipper2004]

Bumping to find out the answer... my DH says he will just wear long pants, given the zipper pants option. I think he is going to be very hot!

 

[3pirates]

Sorry to bring this up again. I just want to make sure I won't be turned away from the churches. I am planning on packing very light. I recently purchased what I am calling "male capris". I see European/Canadian men wearing them all the time, but they are not prevalent in the US. They are a long short that goes well below the knee. Do you think these will be acceptable? I can get the zip pants but I don't want to pack a lot if I don't have to. Thanks for all of your advice!!

I have begun to see the male capris...I don't understand why they would be a problem, they cover the knee and that is what many of the women wear!

I don't want to say this and be wrong, but I saw the guides tell one fellow traveler who just had long shorts that were exactly knee length that those were fine. I also saw a few young ladies (not on our trip) whose shoulders were not covered at the Vatican. Nobody seemed to be bothering them about it, but I can't say it never became an issue.

For my guys they wore long pants the day of the Vatican visit....for me that was just about respect. The rest of the time going into the churches was optional and a small portion of the day and my sons weren't going to go in for any length of time anyhow. Peeking in or popping in quickly could be done with the length of shorts they had, since they like to wear them long anyhow.

Hope that helps!