August 26, 2007

Travel Tips to European Countries: Italy

Filed under: Travel Stuff, Universe Of Leisure, Adventure @ 2:12 am

Italy is considered as the birthplace of pasta and pizza. Weather here is the best in spring and autumn with pleasant temperatures and scenic views. At that time of the year, the place isn’t crowded much and things can be enjoyed in leisure.Italian is widely spoken and is the official language. English isn’t very familiar to the locals. There is a great impact of the Roman Catholic Church on the culture here. At social gatherings formal wear is expected. At some religious places, sleeveless shirt and shorts are frowned upon.

The first foremost place of tourist attraction is the leaning tower of Pisa. At places like museums and art galleries, photography, especially flash photography is restricted. Check out the ticket counter for more information. Coaches and trains are a good option to get to a tourist spot.Shops here are open from 9am to 8pm, closed for lunch. Shopping is a bargain since you will nearly every time get good quality goods at reasonable prices. Italy is famous for top designers of the world, so buying clothes and accessories is a must. Cruises have formal gatherings in the evening, so ensure to buy a cocktail dress or some formal wear, though casuals can be worn at other times.

Alitalia is the national airline of Italy. Many other flights connect to Italy from USA, Canada and Australia. As is expected, airports offer duty free shops, bank, car hire and restaurants. Following duty free items are allowed:

1. 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 cigarillos or 250g of tobacco
2. 2liter of wine and 1liter of spirits (over 22 per cent) or 2liter of fortified or sparkling wine
3. 50g of perfume and 250ml of eau de toilette; 500g of coffee or 200g of coffee extract (if over 15 years of age)
4. 100g of tea or 40g of tea extract
5. Gifts not exceeding €89.96 (if entering from an EU country), €175 (if entering from a non-EU country).

Brindisi, Ancona, Naples and Venice are the major seaports of Italy. Italian State Railways connects many European cities. But, Eurostar provides the fastest train service. DO remember to carry international driving license and international insurance certificate in case you are planning to driver on your own.. Roads connect Italy to France, Austria and Switzerland.

You can get more information about Italy and top European Destinations here.

Author: Jasper Knowapp from http://travel-sites-info.co.uk