Hi everyone! It’s Madison Carnahan again; I studied abroad this past May all over Italy with the Department of Art & Art History. Here are some tips and tricks about going abroad to Italy that will help you make the best of your travels!
- Buy a big water, carry a small: I found it was best to buy a larger water bottle, fill up the smaller one, and continue to fill up the smaller one up throughout the day. That way you had a whole bottle to start your day with, and it wasn’t too much to carry with you. Italy has a ton of free water sources straight from the mountains (super clean, safe, and delicious!), so that is a way to save some money!
- The best gelato doesn’t come in big mounds: I have found that the best gelato comes in smaller metal tins and melts pretty quickly. Obviously, all of the gelato is ridiculously delicious, but those are the true, italian gelatos. The big mounds you see are tourist traps – there are tons of fillers and extra sugars in them that real gelato does not have! The best gelato I had was in Orvieto, I got amarena cherry and pistachio flavor!
- Don’t fall into restaurant tourist traps: You’ll see in Italy, usually near big museums or sites to see, restaurants where the waiters are running out of the outdoor area to ask you how many people are in your party and to go sit down. This is a trap! I found that the best, real Italian places were often far away from touristy sites, off the beaten path per say.
Hope this helps anyone on their trips to Italy! Enjoy!