They talk funny and smell bad.

it's probably changed some since I was there in the early 70s.

one thing that hasn't changed is if you like old stuff, seek out the old churches. some of them have been standing for hundreds of yrs.

florence back then you could go up the tower and that was pretty cool, I think they shut down the stairs but still worth a look.

don't be surprised if you see little kids drinking wine in restaurants, at least they did in naples and sicily.

3 of us spent about 10 days on leave driving all over, left from naples and went north and it was an excellent trip. you gonna like it.

depending on when you are going, if you speak any spanish or not (spanish helps a lot) get some italian lessons somehow. they are a whole lot more friendly when you try to speak italian. it's not all that hard if you speak spanish, whole lot of similar words since both are latin based.

Florence has the Gallery Accademia. Its a must see and if you are going this summer, try to get tickets reserved now.
You can buy them that day but we reserved tickets 4 months before and they met us outside and we got in immediately rather than waiting for several hours to get in.
Its where the statue of David is and a whole lot more art.

It's got some hills.

That was one of the first areas to get hid with COVID in 2020.

So a bunch of olds and unhealthy Italians, gotcha

Awesome trip!!

You and Judy will have a blast no matter the itinerary!


But Shhhh we leave for Spain in 2 days! I don’t need the Mrs planning our next trip while we are on ours this coming week! Damn you Condenest Travel guide!

There were a whole lot of Americans and Brits in northern Italy in the early to mid 1940’s.

Hope y’all have a blast, sounds like a great trip

Sounds like a well planned itinerary. Those are some of the top spots over there. We were there last fall and loved it.

Take comfortable shoes. It is hilly in many places and the walk ways and streets are cobble stone. Try to get some walking in before you go so you don't run out of breath with all the walking. Sure there are cabs, but the Italian people walk everywhere.

I would suggest getting some kind of tour or walking tour in Rome. It is a big city and you will be lost on your own and waste time. We did one with "Walks of Rome" and it was a really good all day tour and hit all the high points. Some cities have Hop On Hop Off buses which is a good was to see sights on your own if you prefer. I would suggest getting some Rick Steves books or watch some of his YouTube stuff. He is the expert on Europe and his books have some discount codes in them too. If you have Instagram look up Live Virtual Guide/Rome or Rome City Guide for some guidelines on places and pictures. Read up on tipping guidelines over there as it is not like the USA.

You can tell I liked Rome. We were on a cruise with multiple stops in Italy and although many people love Florence I did not think it was nearly as breath taking as Rome. You will hear how good the food is over there and it is true. The lowest level of food we had over there was still very good along with their desserts. English is spoken in many places we went. I hope to go back one day.

Northern Italy is flooded,..check the news.

awesome
all of these suggestions sound great

we are thinking about London when my daughter graduates next year

Lugano is in the most unique part of Switzerland - mountains, lakes, tile roofs and palm trees, and Italian is the language. Beautiful, clean, low crime and very expensive.