ciao fellow travelers mark you with
Walters world and we're in Vicenza my
hometown here in Italy fantastic people
great place and the thing is when you're
in Italy there's things you should do
but there's things you don't do when
you're here so we have today our list of
10 don'ts about visiting Italy and the
first don't is one thing if you're
looking to go shopping when you're here
don't expect to be able to get Gucci and
Armani a lot cheaper here in Italy then
you can other places I met a lot of
tourists on the plane and they're all
excited I'm going to Armani and get some
new clothes and Gucci get some new
clothes because it's going to be so
cheap because it's in Italy wrong they
have this called standardized pricing
and so it's kind of the same price
everywhere you go in the world so if
you're buying it here or in the US or
Canada or wherever the price they're
pretty similar so your best bet might be
just to go buy it online okay I'm not
going to warn you I'm just going to tell
you that right now don't expect to get
great deals on Italian products when you
hear you might make some money up in the
exchange rate but overall not too many
deals here ii don't this is for my
tourist look if you're looking to eat in
italy
don't eat it tourist locations i know
that's kind of an obvious one but you're
going to see whether you're in Rome or
Venice and all kinds of stuff there's
lots of tourist menus that are out there
and there's lots of tourist restaurants
right at those sites the thing is you go
there you're not going to have the most
authentic food you're not going to have
the best Italian food out there you're
going to have kind of a tourist version
of things and it can be kind of a ripoff
I know in Pisa yeah I hate for Caleb I
told him I will go to Pisa to eat pizza
okay so he thought that was funny he was
like - it's a girl you're eating pizza
in Pisa but you know corny me it worked
out but the thing was the service was
horrible the pizza wasn't very good and
that's what happens when you buy these
tourist locations and what's cool in
Italy is all these cities yes it stores
stuff but there's also people living and
working there at the same time
and if you go a few blocks away from the
tourist locations you can get authentic
food with all ten authentic people
eating with the locals and it is great
so that's why I say don't eat in those
tourist locations and I make a special
point to mention that now the third
don't we have also deals with the
restaurant and in Italy you don't tip
because service is usually included or
what you might see is they might have Co
pizza which is the covered charge okay
and it might be a euro or two euros or
three euros depending where you go and
that's for like the bread
sir and the plates and the knives and
stuff like that and you have that and
that's kind of what the tip is included
in and that you don't have the tip on
top of it now if you want a tip no one's
going to stop you but the Italians
traditionally don't tip because you have
the cover or the service is already
included but just remember don't tip you
can if you want to and they'll be very
happy to take it but you don't have to
now the fourth now the fourth don't is
don't expect that speaking louder in
English will help the Italians
understand you look Italians aren't
necessarily the best at foreign
languages including English and the
thing is you'll see when you in Italy
that people are very excited I mean I
get excited talking about Italy and the
thing is they talk loud they talk really
loud just like we Americans so that's
why we we love each other so much but
don't think that you just speaking
louder will help them understand so what
you need to do is before you come to
Italy learn a few words before you come
you know Garcia
thank you or prego you're welcome are
simple words like that make a big
difference you know buongiorno good day
or hello and you'll be surprised by
speaking a little Italian how really
opens up the people because the Italians
are fantastic
and even if you don't speak Italian
they're still going to communicate with
you if you know a few words it goes a
really long way but you don't have to
speak loud to let them understand now
the fifth tone is don't worry about
being overdressed look the Italians
dress immaculately I mean even the
little kids have better style than you
or me well it's hard to be better than
me so don't worry about it so make sure
if you come here make sure you're
dressing nicely because what can happen
is if you go into Piazza San Marco and
you want to see the Basilica San Marco
in in Venice if you're wearing skimpy
clothes they won't let you in okay so
make sure you do dress a little bit
nicer if you are going to come here now
if you're going to go to remedy and go
to the beach it's not a really a big
deal
but you don't really have to being
overdressed because you can always dress
higher here and you still will look
underdressed compared to the locals the
six don't we have is don't just do the
Rome Florence Venice trip okay there are
so many cute towns and villages
throughout Italy and you don't really
get to experience the whole culture if
you're just going to tourist mecca's of
Rome Florence and Venice Lion Venice
gets 20 million tourists but there's
only like 50,000 people living there
that are actually from Venice so you
want to go to other towns like here in
Vicenza but there's so many locals you
get to know the culture revena
I mean
go to Remini which is a big tourist
joint hour away you can go to revena and
it's just beautiful there with other you
know 5th century churches and stuff like
that
Lucca and Tuscany another hour and a
half away from Florence and you can get
to these fabulous little towns to really
see true Italian culture without tons of
tourists very easily so make sure you
don't just do those yes you've got to
see Rome and Florence and Venice but
don't miss out on some of those smaller
towns and smaller villages to really see
true Italian culture and really just
fall in love with it go to pisano to get
up and have grandpa on the bridge or I'm
gonna roast Rica where you can play
chess you know and be human chess sets I
mean it's really cool but don't miss out
on that because that's what really gets
you to fall in love with Italy is seeing
the real Italy not just the tourists
Italy now the 7th thing is a one that my
American friends have a really tough
time with and that is in Italy you don't
share your pizza look in the US I know
we get a pizza you tell your buddy hey
Fernando what kind of pizza you wanted
chousen what do we get it you have to
debate between your friends what piece
you're going to get here in Italy you
get your own pizza and yes it is a big
pizza and don't you know what you don't
eat it with your hands you eat it with a
fork and knife and this really shocks a
lot of the Americans that come here cuz
it's like wait I don't share my pizza or
you can but you don't you haven't for
yourself
so don't share that beat to get exactly
what you want and tell the other purple
person if they want pizza they can get
their own no sharing now my eighth don't
for you is don't take the Freccia if
you're going short distances now if
you're not sure if the freccia is that
are Italo these are the the the really
fast trains and they can be really
pricey if you're going a short distance
for example from here be chenza to
Venice I can take the Freccia and I'll
be there like in 20 minutes 25 minutes
if I take the local train I'm there like
in 45 minutes but the thing is the price
is significantly more so don't take
those friendships for the short trips
take them for the long trips because you
do make up the time if you're coming
from Rome up to Venice and things like
that that can make a difference or if
you're going down to Bari from Rome it
does make a difference to taking those
fetches and the French is more or less
or on-time whereas the local trains mmm
on time is relative let's just say okay
now the 9th don't I have for you when
you come to Italy is don't order
spaghetti and meatballs
look
and Italy they have spaghetti and they
have meatballs but they're not together
because what here what you have is
putting a piatti the first plates and
sugandha Piatti the second plates those
first plates
that's pasta and after you finish that
they being the second plate which is the
meat that's here okay
so you don't actually put those two
together if you want your spaghetti and
meatball kind of flavor get spaghetti
bolognaise see and what basically is is
imagine a spaghetti and meatballs you
have at home but they smash up the
meatballs into a meat sauce that's what
you're gonna get
now some people will say oh there's
places in Italy that has spaghetti and
meatballs yes well there's a lot of
American tourists they actually started
to put that I went to a restaurant today
that was across the street from the US
base and they have a big thing say Italy
in America and the thing on the top of
their list was spaghetti and meatballs
and then macaroni and cheese two things
that yes we think of Italian in America
but it is not Italian here so don't
order spaghetti and meatballs together
when you're here separate totally fine
together
no the temp don't we have for you
actually have a few more than 10 the
10th don't I have for you is don't
expect a big breakfast in Italy
breakfast in Italy is usually like an
espresso and maybe a piece of bread and
some butter that's they traditionally
have so you're going to have you're
going to be a little hungry if you're
staying with Italians and stuff like
that but your hotels usually they'll be
fine and they'll take care of you
they'll have the full like spread of
American breakfast and stuff like that
not a big deal but just know a typical
Italian breakfast doesn't have much
their coffee and a little biscotti and
you're on your way
okay now the 11:00 thing not don't I
have for you is don't expect a lot of
space Italy is very compact with all the
stuff going on so when you're going to
be going to on the trains the seats are
gonna be a little bit smaller the
luggage racks are going to be a little
smaller and you'll see all these tours
for these big bags you can't necessarily
have it I think walking a better way
okay see that's how nice the Italians
are comes up it gives me a spritz while
I'm going Oh spritz a Perl don't forget
to get one of these if you're in Veneto
it's a Prosecco bubble water and a Perl
fantastic okay see why I love Italy
these people are awesome okay
no but seriously with the space just no
restaurant space hotel spaces train
spaces all these things they are limited
so pack light and I we've actually sent
a lot of boxes back from Italy it takes
some
on for the boxes to get there but
they've always got back to the US no
problem so that's a nice thing but just
know you're going to have a lot of
cramped up space and on the trains when
they have like kind of smaller sections
for luggage it can be a bit problematic
so be prepared for that okay and the
twelfth thing I have for you is don't
expect to get food after three o'clock
look here in Italy the restaurants kind
of open up for lunch from noon until
3:00 and then the restaurant closes from
3 to 7 sometimes 8 o'clock at night and
then dinner is from 7 8 o'clock at night
to 11 or 12 and I know if you're coming
from the US you know our dinner time is
like five six maybe seven o'clock here
you don't have that now the thing is you
want to get fast food places or peace
Italia like pizza on the go like patio
with on a plate you can do that but in
general you're now going to get food
between 3:00 and 7:00 so make sure you
get your lunch the right time and your
day at the right time so you can enjoy
the fantastic food that's here my
personal favorite here in Vicenza is big
leaking iron up like thick spaghetti
noodles with duck sauce it's fantastic
yes the pizza is awesome here you should
have it oh and another thing with the
pizzas the traditional pizzeria is
actually they're only open at night more
started opening during the day now but
if you want pizza during the day you
have that Pizza Italia place and you buy
like by the kilo you sell with this much
of pepperoni or this much of pear and
gorgonzola they cut it wait cook it and
give it to you it tastes fine anyway I
don't want to let this go to waste so
you don't miss your chance to go to
Italy it is a fantastic place the people
are awesome the food is fantastic I love
it you'll love it too take my word for
it and ciao from Vicenza god I love this
place ciao