My Italian experience ...
 

My Italian experience ...

So, I will try giving some cold facts, no offensive conclusions or
wow positive feedback, but facts only - just some real experience
I am currently having in Italy.

1. Entering the country and driving long distance without any real
pit stop station was a little nervous, you'd have to drive watching
a beautiful scenery while thinking if a gas station would appear
any time soon.

2. Since I have entered to Italy from Austria I was on roaming and was
waiting to get to the WiFi area to check emails, surf a little, navigate
google map and stuff. Well, i'd better be prepared that they dont have
any wifi on those Autogrill food stations, no ATM and no money exchange
at all.

3. The streets are real narrow and hotel parking lot can be tiny.
Cars get parked in 2 or 3 rows. So be prepared they would ask for your
car key at the hotel to move it here and there letting others going out or in.

4. A hair dryer is a mysterious thing to operate, first it needs a special
switcher to be on ( one of 3 in front of the bathoom door, fun is it's not
obvious which button would work ), then you'd have to switch a button on
the wall near the hair dryer On, and finally you can use the thing.

5. The room has a central air conditioning system that is easy to operate, but
at times you can hear music coming off the vent channel in case someone plays it
loud in their room below or upstairs.

6. I didn't know but Italy has a different electric socket system, so you'd need
a converter, imagine I have arrived iphone battery nearly dead and wanted to go
online on my PC - that's where I figured out it wont last long. Actually, internet
speed itself is rather ok then good, it gets stalled frequently.

7. Forget your dollars, they dont want it. Banks work only till 1 pm, i was unable to
find any money exchange office on the street, found 3 bank branches with 2 working ATMs - Unicredit and Banko Ri Rimini.

8. So I went to try buying a prepaid SIM card for mobile internet then. Firstly they
would ask you for your passport even if its a prepaid, you's have to buy their modem
even if you have one, SIM cards in Italy are blocked or even built in it seems, I was told my modem won't work with their SIM. And the minimum prepaid time is 3 months, comes to EUR99.

9. Here in Rimini, it seems like a 'Uzhnoe Butovo' - kinda a Southern Moscow - Russians are everywhere.

10. At some point everything is nominated in EURO and even McDonalds food is more expensive, at some point I must say you'd feel screwed by prices in EURO.

11. After 3 days I have become to a conclusion that this country means chill and relax at it's perfect, seems like no one is working, no one is offering you a better service, no one is competing for the client, they just go the beach and eat pizza all night long, since daily it's so damn hot even Italians prefer to relax.

12, It's definitely hot and you'd sweat all day long, especially on arrival, so you'd need
a spair change frequently. Or a laundry done once in 2-3 days. So, before I got the laundry room access key I spent 2 days figuring out how tos about it, apparently there is just one machine in the hotel that can be used by anyone. So then I went there and set for 10 minutes waiting when its done, took someones stuff out ( nobody showed up ) and put mine in for EUR3 a cycle. Next day i tried to find a couple of t-shirts to fit me but their shops are so messy and brutally unorganized i prefered to stick to my 3 shirts and a laundromat :)


13. The sea is amazing. Wide, long beach, very warm water you could stay in all day long.

I think I'll just go to Miami. Thanks! :thumbsup

Sounds about right for Italy. The trains are a nice way to go if you don't want the hassle of a car.

Lots of good info.. but about that hair dryer, who cares.

WAT? too many letters not enough pics.

interesting, how much you pay for your room?

That's a true adventure, with good and bad :)

Tru dat, but i made my way down to Italy from Poland, yo :) via CZ and Austria.

Related topic:
https://gfy.com/showthread.php?t=1076840

Well, bold Tony wouldnt, but my wifey did, any woman would, so she was like fuck EUR 160 room no hair dryer working?

Thats a 3rd row street that goes along the sea shore which is good, i dont hear any promenade sounds and music at night, its a suite hotel - means i have a 1 bedroom apartment with a kitchenette. EUR 160 a night, high season, booked 1 day before arrival.

Most would agree this one covers it all about Adriatic shore of Italy:

http://i48.tinypic.com/2qdmwsj.jpg

Rimini is the Italian version of Panama City,Florida.

You could have definitely picked a better place.

I dig Italy, and the people.
But in ski-season as soon as they're on the snow, they turn into the rudest mtherfckrz!!

Anyone try Sicily?

what do you mean by everything is in Euro? Its the currency they use, did you expect lira's?

And strange regarding different electrical sockets, when I visited all sockets were regular european style ..

What do you mean? I mean why this pic covers specifically only Adriatic shore? Post pics of the beach, I hear beach at Rimini is not the nicest Italian mainland beach (not even talking about the islands)

in 15 days i will be bathing my ass here:

http://www.discover-sardinia.com/bea..._San_Paolo.htm

There are better places of course, this one is pretty remote for the drive and still has many last minute affordable suite hotels I could book at one day before arrival. I was booking everything being on the go from Poland, made 1300 km one way.

I'd go down to Alba Adriatica , that's 300 km more, but with kids even this trip is pretty exausting - spent 2 nights in CZ and Austria before reaching Rimini.

Rimini is on Adriatic, most of the towns there look similar, and they have more or less similar beaches and infrastructure.

I've been to San-Remo once, I'm not sure it's better but it was a double price comparing to Adriatic.

Some pics:
http://i48.tinypic.com/311wetc.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/ztvkt1.jpg
http://i45.tinypic.com/261kpk9.jpg
http://i50.tinypic.com/iz2op5.jpg

At times they use euro sockets but mostly its like this:

http://www.adaptelec.com/images/plug...-socketfit.jpg


I'm not saying I was expecting liras but that pricing in EURO is higher then in USD for the same shit.

next time you go to another country, read a little, get some info. All beginner mistakes.

Rimini is good because its a big town so plenty of action/nightlife.
What other italian beach towns can offer similar amount of party action?
I mean there are LOTS of beautiful beach towns, but most of them are very small and not much party

Sounds like you didnt prep properly.

:Oh crap Who the hell goes to Italy and then eats at MCDONALDS?!?!?!?! :Oh crap

Exactly my thought, Mc Donalds??

This is the hottest summer of the last years in Italy and you're right about the wi-fi in the public places, we're at a third world level.

Btw, you were simply unlucky with the internet in the hotel, we've a good DSL usually. I live in a small town and the Banks here are open till to 3.45 pm, so i doubt that in Rimini is different. And about the dollars, well, do the shops in US accept euros?

There is no competition in Rimini in July and August because hotels, restaurants, and clubs are all full and they don't need it.
You would have a different perception in June or September. Btw, for 160 euros you could find a much better service and a working hair dryer.

I would rather stick to my country , italy? Thanks anyway

Nice pics, however I've seen much better beaches...

Really where the fuck did you drive? It isn't as good as France but better than most of North America for pitstops

Really? Are you sure you went to Italy?

Sounds like you stayed in someone's house not a hotel

It's called safety, water and electricity don't mix.

That is called being in a multi dwelling complex, walls are not always soundproof

You still haven't told us much about where you've actually been, just talking shit about a shit motel you stayed at again.

Dollars in Europe? How fucking dumb are you? ATMs don't have siestas but I think you need a long one if this is your review of Italy.

News flash! Things are different in different countries! And this kind of contract is pretty common in most places for mobile internet, it is still a new technology, give it time and you'll be able to tell more people about how bad Italy is because you couldn't connect to the internet, use a plug socket and tell the world about it.

Perhaps this is your problem, did you go to a shit area of Italy?

Maybe this is why the dollar isn't welcome there! Euro is the currency you thick turd.

Oh dear what a pity nevermind, when in Rome do as the Romans do, sounds like you went to Italy and expected an office cubicle with McDonald's and good internet with a bank machine in the corner of said office, what a trip!

Again, where the fuck did you stay? Hostels in Amsterdam have better services!


Maybe you should have done!

Si, you are a rude fuck.

Excuses, excuses LOL.
Booking on the go a day before arrival, consider that.

i can not read all that

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh

Some correct things (yes, regarding internet we are a thrid world country, and many shops just dont give a shit of offering a good service) and some (lots) of totally unreal experiences.

Either:
- You didn't prepare well for the trip (tripadvisor, wikipedia...many things to read before visiting a new country)
- You've been unlucky

But...a few things i really MUST say:

- MC DONALD's!?!?!??! You come in Italy and you eat that shit food?!?!? (and NO, i'm not suggesting Pizza)

- Coming in Italy just to stay in Rimini is the same as going to Miami for its historical monuments. Looking for a great seaside? Go to Sardegna or Puglia. Looking to TRULY enjoy Italy? Then visit Tuscany, Rome, Venice, Naples, Milan, Verona,etc.etc.etc. Rimini is mostly famous for its nightlife.

- If i come in USA i dont expect them to accept Euros. Yes banks have stupid open times...but ATMs are EVERYWHERE

My Italian experience. The good and the bad….

Rome: History perfume. There's really nowhere else you can see so much history packed into such a small space. Too bad it is completely choked in tourists. Expect to wait in line for hours to get into the colosseum. I'd really prefer to spend my vacation time in the worlds more far flung locations with literally no one around.

Naples: Undoubtedly one of the worst cities I've ever been to. Do a google image search for "Naples garbage" and you'll see why. Apparently there's no more landfill and it's all controlled by the mafia. Highway construction that seems to have stopped half done 15 years ago. Rude people.

Positano: Definitely worth a visit. Lots of character and great views from the hillside villas. The road to this town is awesome with white knuckle cliffside curves for miles.

Trains: What an awesome way to travel. Wish we had high speed trains in North America.

I seriously had the best food I've ever eaten in Italy. The Italians are the world's best chefs. However you gotta know where to go. We were just lucky to have awesome hosts in a private villa with an awesome cook. The restaurant experience was a different story. In Italy there seems to be no concept of competing for a customer, no clue about customer service and an attitude of "the customer is always wrong". Expect to get nickel and dimed for every little thing including water, ketchup, dinner rolls, and even an empty plate. You could say this about many places in Europe.

I'd like to see a travel show like Rudy Maxa, Rick Steves, etc. with a difference in that they tell you both the good AND the bad. Every place has it's pros and cons but they never tell you the negative stuff.

visit EXPERIENCE
 

Italia always wonder to visit.......most beautiful faces are there.....nice sharing....

Regarding mcdonalds - this is universal place where tourists likes to eat. So I do not see nything strange there. Plus eating at restaurants in Italy is not cheap, few TIMES more expensive than MCD. So what would you suggest if you are not a rich fuck? :)

And people - can anyone recommend me a beach town in Italy with decent nightlife?
It looks like its either Riminy or other towns that are too small to have good nightlife.
maybe something similar to Portugals Algarve (Albufeira etc)?

By the way can someone explain to me why hotels cost twice as much as in Spain? Almost everytime I compare prices I get double. If I can find cheap hotels at 25Eur in Spain becah side (even mallorca) same hotels in Italy is 50Eur and so on.
Hotel business in Italy would yield very good returns. You can have prices 30-40% lower than all you competition and still turn great profit. Hotel prices in Italy is a strange thing for me.

I'm not calling it bad or unlucky, it is different. I dont have to be prepared to anything like this being in Poland, it works fine but here in Italy it works different and except of getting only positive vibes i ve been thru some little turdic hassle.

You didnt read that i took a drive that is 1300 km itself, and Rimini is the most close that has many hotels I could book on a 1 day arrival basis.

Yes, kids love McDonalds and pizza, they dont give a single fuck about other fine and complex food that takes ages to be ready when they are starving.

True Venice was a daily nightmare, canned heat and tons of tourists, man. And I assure you when you are in Poland ATMs are EVERYWHERE not in Rimini, Italy.

Add this silly 'security' system where you enter to the bank thru the motherfucking portal, then they ask you to live your bag heck knows outside where you see all the darkies roaming offering street shit for sale, then they tell they need your passport on every single fart and you cant exchange more then 1kUSD a day ... Mate, this shit hasnt changed since 1997 in Italy.

Ive been to Rome and Napoli too, but taking kids other place then sea shore would be insane - i dunno where are you from but for me even now its effing hot here, we go to the beach and stay to 12 then take a nap and go again around 5 pm.

Travelling on your own is different, i'd second your Rome experience but I liked Napoli even better because of its truly unique character.

You cant prepare yourself to that. For some reason I cant complain a single fuck about Austria , they dont even ask for your passport.

http://i50.tinypic.com/skug7k.jpg

http://i46.tinypic.com/51do2.jpg

Italy doesn't work that well, that's the charm of it. I've done from north, Courmayeur right down to Sicily. Hopped over to Elba on the way down, great island.

Florence is lovely but full of roma knicking stuff.

The passport for prepaid mobile is the same as Spain, they claim it's those damn terrorists fault.

Same reason that after the metro bombings they put airport style scanners on the high speed expensive train lines, claiming safety from terrorists. It was the metro that was bombed not the highspeed line, more like worry about the expensive trains fuck the people.

Because Spain's got a shitload more beds and go for cheap tourists, Italy try to keep the scum out, that's why its nice.

In Europe, only London and Paris have got more hotel rooms than Benidorm.

what the best country you have ever visited?

very nice pics..

Sounds like you could have benefited tremendously by doing a modicum of research prior to visiting.

I live here in Italy and my only complaints are:

1. Everybody smokes
2. Graffiti everywhere
3. Lots of litter/dog shit on the sidewalks
4. Too many girls have never heard of rhinoplasty

Other than that, this place is paradise.

When I go to CZ, Poland, UK I go unprepared and NEVER had ANY of the enlisted situations.

Most comfortable for me is Poland.
I also like UK midlands excluding the cost of living.
And I like East Coast USA.

But I would prefer Canada, Halifax.