Planning a Trip to Italy this Summer?

Experienced travelers already know better than to book travel to Italy during the height of summer, preferring family friendly staycations or the occasional weekend trip to grandma’s house. Trips to Italy are carefully reserved for off season travel by these globetrotting savants, when they know they can enjoy its solemn beauty and opulent heritage in the relative peace and quiet of crisp, autumn afternoons.

As for the rest of us who are less initiated, less jaded, or simply more determined to return from summer vacation with a framed family photo of our smiling kids in front of the Colosseum, be prepared to spend months squirreling away elaborate travel tips and itineraries torn out of the travel sections of our favorite magazines and newspapers. We will scour the internet for hours in search of websites and blogs that describe idyllic strolls through Italian towns festooned with Renaissance statues. We will save the foodie reviews of trattorias (ahem, “trattorie” in proper Italian) not to be missed along the way. Upon completing our exhaustive research, these coffee-stained, dog eared pages are carried in our purses or jeans pockets everywhere we go - a handy show and tell of our much anticipated plans. While our friends feign polite envy, we prattle on about summer afternoons we plan to spend sipping espresso in elegant cafes surrounded by Eurofashionistas wearing cool eyeglasses and the latest Gucci car shoe.

Earth to Major Tom…unless you own a private jet ready to whisk you away to a mega yacht nestled somewhere off the Mediterranean coast, or are planning to enjoy spectacular views of Venice from the comfort of your couch while watching The Talented Mr. Ripley on DVD, be prepared to sip thimble-sized espresso priced at five euro a pop, nose to nose with millions of cranky tourists from all over the world. During the heavy travel months of July and August especially, the only Eurofashion in sight will be sported by throngs of tired looking day trippers discharged from the massive cruise ships that pull into Italian ports daily. They look less like fashion monikers, and more like dazed sheep following commando-paced tour guides toting Louis Vuitton knock-offs. These guides are typically named Francesca or Maria, and they lead cultural death marches for a living.

Of course, if you’re not one for the endless displays of martyrdom paintings gruesome enough to make Quentin Tarantino squirm, you can always forgo the museums in favor of a gelato and a dip in the ocean - especially if you don’t know (or care to know) a Titian from a Tintoretto, or a Caravaggio from a chiaroscuro... but if it’s another bright summer day in Italy, fuhgeddaboutit. Your chances of being invited to George Clooney’s villa on Lake Como for a Campari and soda are infinitely better than your odds of touching a grain of sand. What little sandy beach can be found along the Italian Riviera will be buried under a cram of rented beach chairs, umbrellas, and Speedo-clad sunbathers - Speedo optional, by the way. Even by European standards, Italian beaches are simply unapproachable during these hot summer months.

So how can millions of tourists be so wrong? Despite the crowds, the lines, and the sky high euro prices, over 37 million people travel to Italy each year – a country roughly the size of the state of Arizona. Approximately one out of ten are American travellers paying dearly for their European vacations. These days, the vast majority of international visitors to Italy come from neighboring European countries via newly deregulated, low cost airlines, express trains, or Smart car. Statistically speaking, these Eurotravelers tend to shop less, stay for shorter periods of time, and avoid luxury hotel chains. Much to the chagrin of Italian proprietors, they rarely tip, they know how to haggle, and they dine out less often and more casually than their American counterparts. Given the dour economic climate of the past few years, the changing dynamics of European travel is placing a heavy toll on Italy especially, where tourism is heavily concentrated in and around popular historical city centers which are the least equipped to handle the volume of excess traffic – and it is starting to show in the forms of unsightly graffiti, petty vandalism, and grimy waterways.

This means that for those of us stateside, we can expect a severely downgraded version of our Roman holiday since the heyday of Audrey Hepburn flirting with Gregory Peck at the Trevi Fountain. This is not to say that there aren’t deals to be had for those of us willing to brave the brutal exchange rates for a brief stint on foreign soil – but is Italy still the best place to spend a much needed summer break? When weighing all of the travel options available, know that the quality (and cost) of your vacation in Italy will depend heavily on the time of year you choose to go, and whether you plan on following the same downtrodden path from Venice to Rome as millions of others.

Crowds at the Spanish Steps in Rome
©Monica Boorboor, Dreamstime.com

There is no question that Italy is a very beautiful and fascinating place, with priceless attractions in each of its twenty regions - but only a small minority of visitors venture outside of the swarming tourist corridor which runs from Milan and Venice, to Rome and Naples. As evidenced by the queues that snake endlessly around the cathedrals and museums of Florence, the country is home to the most valuable art and architecture in the world. According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the largest number of UNESCO cultural heritage sites are found in Italy. Furthermore, this boot-shaped peninsula boasts about as many linear kilometers of coastline as Spain, a country almost twice its size. Despite these cultural and geographic advantages, Italy falls well behind France and Spain in international tourism rankings – placing fifth, right behind the US and China.

The Gardens of Villa Medici, Rome

Still, travel and tourism remain major sources of revenue for Italy, accounting for roughly 10% of its GDP. What is extremely surprising, however, is how such a well visited destination should still lack reliable, modern travel standards or more accommodating business practices for millions of revenue-generating tourists. This can make for minor, if not at times major inconvenience when vacationing in Italy. For Americans in particular, who are so accustomed to hypercompetitive, customer-centric mindsets and twenty-four/seven accessibility at home, it is unthinkable that an international city like Rome should shut down for three whole weeks every August, or that throughout all of Italy many stores and restaurants still close en masse for their annual “ferie d’agosto”, the Italian August holidays. These summer weeks still bring in peak traffic to Rome and its outskirts, but it is the industrious Milanese to the north who keep their eye-popping stores and boutiques open so that tourists can make their purchases at Versace, Fendi, or Prada.

Even as temperatures average well into the nineties during the summer, air conditioning remains noticeably absent on city tour buses, river tour boats, and in many museums. Escalators and ramps are not readily available – anywhere. Many train depots throughout the country require that you hand carry your luggage up (or down) flights of stairs… and don’t bother looking for wheelchair accessible signs. Need to get somewhere? Do not assume that a taxi will take you where you need to go, since Italian taxi drivers are notorious for refusing short distance fares in favor of longer hauls to and from the airports.

Even the quality of basic Italian cuisine can fluctuate from outstanding to barely palatable. The average dining experience in the most desirable tourist destinations – like Venice, Rome, or Florence is considerably below Italian standards. As a general rule, your best meals in Italy are found in the most unlikely of places, usually a small, unassuming trattoria well off the beaten path. Typically family owned and run, these delightful eateries are a sharp contrast to the lackluster, mass produced meals which you will pay dearly for in the most stunning piazzas of Florence or Siena.

Facing a more budget-conscious travel market and stronger global competition, Italy would do well to address the disproportionate overcrowding of its cultural city centers - especially to rebalance tourism traffic throughout the rest of this beautiful country. The problem is so overwhelming that the Italian State Tourist Board is being forced to consider programs that cap the number of visitors heading for cities like Venice with some type of pre-booking system. As for the country’s seacoast, the Italian government’s mismanagement of its fragile ecosystem continues to dissuade international sun seekers from exploring Italian shores in favor of beachside resorts in Greece, or the Balearic Islands off the coast of Spain. Until things improve, American visitors can expect their travel to Italy to be lower in overall value, dollar for dollar, than in neighboring France, Spain, or Greece. So, regardless of whether you view the Italian tourism dilemma as an unfortunate byproduct of summer travel or a testimony to Italian complacency and mismanagement, be prepared to make some tough compromises if you want to travel comfortably in Italy these days.

When to go
The height of summer is peak travel season everywhere – the United States and Europe alike. The problem is that Italy, with its overloaded and at times, dilapidated infrastructure, is not well equipped enough to handle the massive volumes of travelers that assail its cities and coasts every summer – especially compared to other European tourist destinations, which (with rare exception) are accessible via more modern, and better maintained airport or rail networks.

Whether you plan to get around by foot, by car, or by train in Italy, expect long lines under a scorching sun, congested road traffic, and the general noisy chaos of Italian city life. Well positioned restaurants quickly fill up, so it is advisable to make reservations if you have your heart set on a particular spot. Even if the restaurant is not full, don’t be surprised if you get turned away for not pre-booking a table. This show of “high demand” is sometimes more critical to Italian restaurateurs than actually working to make it so.

Nothing highlights such Felliniesque absurdities more than the deserted cafes lining the Via Veneto in Rome during the August holiday season. These cafes are manned at the door by waiters peddling overpriced menus exclusively to tourists walking by. A simple sandwich of cold cuts served on a sub roll, which you would pay a couple of euros for anywhere else, will run you north of eight to ten euros. If suffering the indignity of being charged over forty euros for a sandwich and a stale salad served with a beer and diet coke weren’t bad enough, the food tastes even worse. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find an Italian willing to eat here - even if you offer to pick up the tab.

On a more serious note, cities like Rome and Naples can be especially challenging during peak summer months, when tourists prove to be easy, unwitting targets for pickpockets and petty thieves, if not outright fraud. Despite efforts by Italian officials to mitigate the PR damage caused by a rash of highly publicized cases involving Japanese tourists who were audaciously overcharged (to the tune of 700-1000 Euros) for off-menu dinner specials, carriage rides, and even taxi rides, some Italians – and Romans in particular, are notorious for their tourist rip-offs and scams. Be especially careful in train stations and pricey shopping areas. Better yet, opt to travel during the cooler months of October and November, or the early months of February through May. Your extra layers of clothing will make it harder for nimble fingered pickpockets to rifle through, and your suitcases will be too heavy to run off with.

Accommodation Quality
Plan on blowing your budget. Prices are dictated more by a property’s vicinity to a historic cultural center and less by the quality of its amenities. If possible, upgrade to the best hotel and category of room that you can afford in popular cities like Rome or Venice, or consider a better hotel in the outskirts with easy access to trains in and out. Opt for well known international chains or boutique luxury hotels whenever possible. This is especially important if you or your traveling companions have a tough time enduring smaller rooms or outdated facilities. If you’re an experienced Expedia or Hotels.com junkie with a penchant for the European charm of well positioned family-owned properties, good for you – your compromises will net you substantial savings. Just keep reminding yourself of this when the temperatures hit above ninety, and the air conditioning (or should I say, “climate control system”) blows gently through the air, floating dust particles around your room.

Sun Worshiping
From June through September, Italy features near perfect beach weather – hot and dry, with almost no rain in sight for months to come. The water is ideal for swimming or boating, and the nightlife is full of opportunity to enjoy alfresco dining, aimlessly romantic strolls, and after dinner dancing in the tiny, beachside towns strung tightly along the Italian shores. But if you dream of expansive, sandy beaches or the soothing sound of waves lapping at your feet, you are bound to be sorely disappointed. The rocky, sometimes jagged coasts of the Cinque Terre in the Liguria region and the Amalfi coast are breathtakingly panoramic- arguably, two of the most beautiful coasts in the world, but they are best enjoyed from lofty terraces suspended high above the water, with a well chilled limoncello at hand.

During the height of summer, expect any small strip of sand to be heavily congested with pay umbrellas packed in so tightly, you’ll feel more like a Ligurian sardine (a regional specialty, by the way) and less like a vacationing beachcomber. It’s not that less crowded, out of the way bays can’t be found. It’s simply a question of supply and demand - the sheer number of annual sun seekers who flock to these shores far exceeds the limited availability of these cherished spots.

So what to do if one has their heart set on Italy, and their vacation timeframe is restricted to these summer months? Vacationers looking to compliment their sightseeing tours with fun under the Italian sun are well advised to forego the overcrowded beach hotels in favor of the peace and quiet of rental villas – especially those in less populous areas of the country, like the Adriatic coast of the Marche region, the remote inland of Tuscany and Umbria, or the coasts of Sicily and Sardinia in the deep south. Many of these rental villas can just as easily accommodate smaller parties as large families or groups– offering separate apartments for two, or houses complete with maintenance staff available by the week. Swimming pools are such a big selling feature, that you will be hard pressed to find a rental property that does not have a private pool in the back garden or terrace. How close you want to be to private bays, sandy beach areas, historic sites, or scenic vistas is entirely up to you, and whatever your budget permits.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Day to day travel in Italy, whether by taxi, train or rental car, should be very carefully researched in advance. When in doubt, opt for private transport services – probably sound advice no matter where your international destination takes you. If you are planning on navigating the city roads or back roads of Italy as part of your tour, be prepared to do as the Romans do - screw unto others, and disregard the basic rules of the road. Swear loudly at anyone who honks at you in protest and speed up at crosswalks (especially if you are the one on foot). Also, give yourself an extra hour to find a parking space. Of course, you can cut this time in half if you are prepared to double park or leave the car on a sidewalk.

The biggest mistake we Americans make when traveling in Italy is to underestimate its tight geography – specifically, the time and effort it takes to get from point A to point B. It is sorely tempting to plot ambitious tours that include Milan, Venice, Rome, Florence, Siena, the Amalfi Coast, Capri, and everything in between.

Depending on the length of your stay, it is virtually impossible to visit as many as three to four Italian cities of cultural significance in only a week or two, unless your idea of a vacation is to march the course of Napoleon’s invasions of Italy just for fun. More importantly, if you are not an art historian or an archeologist by profession, touring many of these sites by foot is as exhausting as it is dizzyingly overwhelming. If the sight of another church makes you squeamish, or the feel of uneven cobblestones beneath your feet gives you leg cramps, then you have probably overdone it.

As they say, Rome was not built in a day. The best way to balance your travels throughout Italy without overwhelming yourself - or your pocketbook, for that matter - is to plan your trip around a single center of interest. It could be a city like Genoa or Pisa, or an entire region like Umbria, the Marche, or Apulia. Trains are relatively frequent and for the most part, reliable from city to city.

Getting a rental car is also a convenient way of getting around, but be cautious of being “upgraded” to larger SUVs, which are easily pawned off on Americans. Larger vehicles are more difficult to navigate and park in the tiny streets of many Italian towns. Furthermore, the price of gas is double that in the United States. Be sure to discuss with your travel agent or the car rental company where and when to pick up your car and how to get there. If you are told you have a “short walk” from the railway station or disembarkation point, be sure you can handle the distance with luggage or in extreme heat. More importantly, double check the hours that the rental office is open as many Italians still close up shop during early afternoon hours, Sundays, and public holidays.

If you are uncomfortable going off the beaten path on your own, now is a good time to consider a cruise – especially if traveling with family or young children. Prices for Mediterranean cruises aboard the newest and most luxurious ships are very competitive these days. Although you are sure to bring the crowds with you everywhere you go, it’s a safe bet that you will be enjoying the latest and greatest in accommodations, dining and entertainment options. Another big plus: you can look forward to a new Mediterranean port each morning.

Playing your Cards Right
You can still enjoy a marvelous Italian holiday if you plan carefully, and plan ahead. The more time spent away from the main tourist draws during summer travel season, the more likely you are to stumble upon an enchanting feudal town or castelletto where the bell tower strikes on the hour, the local fare is delicious and can be served overlooking panoramic vineyards from the height of medieval castle walls. Ultimately, it’s not the sight of a fresco that will make or break your vacation - it’s the wonderful memories you make along the way.

In the meanwhile, Italy will continue bemoaning the loss of American tourism dollars, while agonizing over practical solutions to its restrictive labor and infrastructure problems. According to an article entitled “Tourism Dollars Saying Arrivederci to Italy” written by Sylvia Poggioli for NPR, Italy suffered a 25% drop in tourism in 2008. Statistics for 2009 are looking equally grim. If ever there were a time for Italy to let go of its insular practices and commit to reforming its living standards to meet twenty-first century travel demands, that time is now - if for no other reason than to debunk any lingering misconceptions about who the “sick man of Europe” really is these days.

© The Economist “The Real Sick Man of Europe”

If on the other hand, the Italian solution is to continue gouging the few of us left still willing (or able) to brave the financial doldrums of recent years with a well earned trip to the blue Mediterranean, then I for one, suggest vacationing in Spain this year.

Hasta la vista, baby!