Pre-departure Travel Tips for Italy

• Italy is very busy during the peak tourist season of June to September; plan to go either Spring April-May or Fall (Autumn) September- November, you'll find prices lower, queues shorter and the weather still reasonable.
• As for any overseas travel have a medical/dental/optical check-up to avoid nasty surprises on the road. Take out travel insurance for the trip.
• Check that your passport is valid for at least the length of your trip abroad. Citizens of most western countries including: USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand will be given a permission t o stay 3 months on arrival, assuming they are visiting as tourists and not studying or traveling for business purposes.
• Pack light - ideally a carry on bag should be sufficient. If you can't carry your own bags on and off trains and up and down stairs (not all hotels have elevators), you will have problems as porters are not common particularly on trains. Anyway you will need some space for the shopping won't you?
• Learn about the history and culture of Europe before you go. Rick Steves puts out a wonderful book called Europe101 "Written for smart people who slept through their history and art history classes" very readable and very useful. Of course not all of European culture is in Italy but an awful lot of the art and sculpture of such people as Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli. The Romans left ruins littered all over the place too! A bit of background information will help prevent museum overload, and the "oh god another splendid example of renaissance ecclesiastical architecture" when confronted with the 5th gorgeous church of the day!